The Axe Forgets

I already know so many people are gonna call this episode a filler and a waste of time or an unnecessary one, but this is what I love about this show, it takes its sweet time to establish characters and build up to the main event.

They are doing a great job of characterizing at least half of the group and establishing their characters as more than just a "guy/gal number #4 wanting revenge", they all have their backstories and you can feel they are actual characters.

This show is more about showing the details of the plan and the process of the planning than the plan itself. It might be boring to some who just want to see blaster shootings and lightsaber fights, but I think it's a great change of pace from the usual Disney Star Wars stuff.

It is especially refreshing after watching so many MCU and SW Disney Plus shows only having 6 episodes where half of the time nothing of importance happens and then they rush everything in the last episode.

The way they approach the planning rather than just jumping to action without build-up reminds me of Better Call Saul and how they also cared about building up and showing the details and practices of the planning which is one of the reasons that the show was a masterpiece. Of course, this show isn't comparable to masterpieces like Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad, but the slow-burn approach to storytelling is similar to that.

Like I said, this episode might not seem necessary to some, but it gives us a more great characterization of the group and is slowly making us care about them and the dynamics of the group changes rapidly as we go on. It's been only 2 episodes and these characters feel more real than any new character we saw (or even the old ones we knew) in Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett.

The cinematography and the visuals of this show continue to impress and everything feels professional and high production and the direction is great too.

All in all, I really enjoyed this episode and I don't care if it's a slow burn or it doesn't have explosions every 5 minutes, because I actually enjoy these characters and this way of storytelling because the characters actually feel real, whereas give me 2 hours of action and lightsaber fighting in Kenobi and I'd be bored out of my mind because I don't care about any character or the writing.

After this episode I truly believe that Andor is one of the best story tellings in the entire Star Wars universe (only movies and shows; not games and books).

The writing relies heavily on show don't tell. The stakes feel real. In just one episode the show managed to make me care about a group of entirely new characters, made me interested in where they came from and what their motivations are.

This show diverts entirely from the Star Wars we know and focuses on the little people. We get to see the workings of the empire and not just have them as a luring evil that functions mostly in the background or appears when our heroes need a bit of resistance. They are people doing their jobs and believing in what they do. They, just like the rebells, are driven and have their motivations. We rarely get to see that side of the empire and it is so fascinating to see it.

Andor is (and probably will remain as) one of my favorite story from the Star Wars universe. The story telling is masterful and I cannot wait for more.

This show carries its pace for a reason. There's a great story being told here, and they intend you to savor it. I can't say enough good things about this show.

The tone and feel are what they should be. The Empire is too complacent and uncaring, and people aim to make them pay. It's truly the beginning of a cause, and you can feel it in the characters. Nobody is doing anything on a whim.

Character development takes center stage, but also an important build for what's coming. I want to see the main mission carried out successfully, but also don't want to miss the wonder of what's going to be happening at the same time. So far, the show promises that great things are coming, and the quality of every scene makes you believe that they'll deliver.

Cassian and the crew have some trust issues in the build up to the mission.

This is a solid episode that creates some decent tension and build up to what hopefully will be some intriguing drama.

The plot doesn't move very far but the scenes are quite engaging as characters are fleshed out. Some may find it boring, but I think it is effective world-building and nothing to me feels like needless time filling. The next episode needs to be eventful and develop the plot significantly though, unless the writers have any worthwhile deviations up their sleeves.

All actors do a fine job once again with strong dialogue and the production values are top drawer. I particularly liked the music, which is very 'Bladerunner' and maximises the tension.

On my second watch of the first season (with episodes back to back) I enjoyed it much more knowing what is to come. I felt the tension in certain scenes much more. I also noticed some great visuals such as the seamless transitions between soldiers marching and discussions of soldiering.

This is a really intriguing show.

I love the slow pace, it gives weight to the story.

It's not a rush. It's not full of messy CGI and galactic level threats. The multiple streams of storylines work together well and will intersect well further along the storyline.

The tension from a single tie fighter was so well done. Each character feels unique and not shoehorned into the story.

The cinematography is beautiful. The score is fantastic - NB has done extremely well. It feels and sounds almost analogue. The music is crafted to the story unlike Holt's Kenobi score which was a total disgrace and utterly dreadful.

Really enjoying this show so far.