Aldhani

After the gigantic battle of episode 3, we slow down here to introduce new locations and characters as Cassian starts his rebel journey. Saying that this episode is slow is not at all a critique though. It grants some time for great world-building and interesting inner-Empire politics and drama.

I enjoyed the ISB's metaphor that rebellions are a virus that needs to be contained. I was also beyond happy to see the return of Coruscant here! It's so interesting to see this capital planet become more gloomy after the empire took over.

Seeing Luthen's double life was very fascinating. Stellan is simply doing a phenomenal job playing the character and it's really cool seeing him and Mon Mothma secretly plan as they live their two-faced lives.

We oddly continue to follow Syril's character after he loses his job. There is clearly a deeper character arc they're delving into with him that I want to see. I like that he is still being focused on despite the plot currently moving on without him.

Dropping Cassian in the middle of a large-scale suicide mission is an awesome idea. While Cassian despises the empire, he has yet to be convinced a rebellion is the answer. I'm excited to see him have to put his life on the line regardless and eventually change his views.

Every member of the heist group has their own quirks and personality traits that are instantly evident. I felt familiar with each of them very quickly. I'm expecting many of them won't make it out alive, so I'm dreading the bloodshed to come.

This episode achieved its purpose of making me anticipate the future of the show. Can't wait for more!

This episode was Great, it's Star Wars but just enough of the political aspects and how they changed in a few mins of dialogue between two important characters. I am curious how the imperial senate operates and how the very few senators who aren't corrupted operate in this age of the Empire. I think most people want to see how the senate operates since we never gotten that especially in live action. Star Wars is very much about a rebellion but also the political aspects that play a Huge part and now we're getting to see that up close in live action. Curious to see how it goes from here this season!

The episodes has great pacing.

It sets the stage with great ambiance.

You can feel everyone's struggles.

The mood oozes out of the screen.

I get strong black and white film vibes in a good way.

Everything that passes on Coruscant really hits the nail on the head. I get strong foundation vibes wich is a good thing to draw inspiration from to portray the capital. (it more acuratly represents the vibe from the book then the apple series)

The mood/ attitude of the people in the camp switching felt a little rushed but realistically they would have to get on board quickly so It's a hard thing to portray.

The inconsistencies in film grain were a bit of putting, but that is an incredibly small detail.

In the last two episodes this show has gone from 'good' to 'great'.

The first two episodes of the series were a welcome departure from the standard Disney Star Wars formula but I disagree with those saying that it was a return to 'Star Wars', as the adult nature of the show and delicate dialogue do not hearken back to vintage Star Wars for me.

Episode 3 and 4 still don't have a vintage Star Wars tone, they very much so have their own tone, but the writing, directing, and acting are so good that I simply don't care.

The script is nuanced, as are the characters. The B cast, in particular, are utterly brilliant, being filled out by a host of British stage and TV actors, all of whom could and have lead productions, lending their immeasurable skills to background characters. This adds so much realism and flavour to the show.

It should also come as no surprise but Stellan Skarsgård is an utter joy. In a sea of great performances, his wave crests highest.

If the show can keep up this trajectory, it will be comfortably the best Star Wars content that Disney have produced.

Cassian prepares for his first mission.

This is another strong episode that lays solid foundations for what is to come.

The best scenes for me all take place on Coruscant and involve characters like Mon Mothma and settings like the security council. These scenes portraying the logistics and politics of both the rebellion and the security of the empire are excellent. For Star Wars fans who like certain blanks around the movies filled with purposeful world building, it is the stuff of nerdgasms.

Cassian's scenes introduce more characters and slow burn towards an event likely to happen in the next episode. For me they are not quite as interesting as the above, but they develop the character's arc very effectively.

Visually it continues the superb production designs of the show so far and we have more variation with the different settings on Coruscant.

All performances are strong, particularly Genevieve O'Reilly.