I Have Friends Everywhere

Another fantastic episode setting up what is sure to be a fantastic finale to the arc.

The political suspicion and planning continue. There are eyes and ears everywhere.

There isn't much action in this episode, yet I'm locked in all the same. I can feel the shadow of something sinister cooking. Andor has doubled down on the gritty feeling it is known for.

Andor truly is the best Star Wars has to offer. It doubles down on the great dialogue and character work. I applaud the team behind this and the many hours that it definitely took.

Everything is shaking up for a great finale. Great decision releasing them 3 at a time.

There is plenty going on in I Have Friends Everywhere and it's all very well done.

Cassian's arc significantly gathers momentum from the previous episode. I like the character development shown in his portrayal as an intelligent rebel spy, especially with some of his decision making.

Saw Gerrera and the Onderons have more screen time and the scenes are strongly plotted and benefit from the star quality of Forest Whitaker. I hope these characters have more involvement in significant rebel activities as this one promises plenty.

The scenes involving characters with unknown destinies like Dedra, Syril, and Luthen continue to be some of the most intriguing aspects. It makes me want to find out if the Imperial couple will continue down the current path or if there will there be a twist. Likewise Bix's fate is compelling, as what we see here fills me with dread.

As ever the visuals are excellent and the performances are strong. For me Whitaker stands out with the most charisma.

The amount of attention to detail in this show is light years above other space opera.

The writing has become very sophisticated. We have an insurgency, within an insurgency, within an insurgency here which I have never seen before in fiction. There are multiple factions, each with its own agenda, goals and motivations. I just hope the fate of the galaxy doesn't depend on some last minute hand to hand fight between Andor and Deedra or some old greasy kid stuff from Marvel Comics.

There are all sorts of little details happening in each scene that give is authenticity. Most of the characters are deep and robust, each intensely interesting, to the point they could each support a series on their own. Andor himself is perhaps the least interesting of them all yet he binds the story together.

This is a thinking persons show. Lots of characters maneuvering using their minds to out think their opponents. Brute force doesn't work here. No time wasted on fight scenes we've seen thousands of times before (boooooooring) or long spaceship battles (yaaaaaaawn) that are the sludge of most Sci Fi these days.

I especially like the Deedra actress (Denise Gough). She has these big eyes, and makes several of the scenes pop just by messaging with those eyes. Forest Whitaker's character spews spellbinding stories and philosophy and had me rolling on the floor with the absurd timing he chooses to tell them. Syril, the petulant, dedicated Momma's boy is entertaining too and his mother Eedy's scenes are completely superfluous to the story but the actress is so spot-on-Coruscant-stereotype-Jewish mother they have to throw her in here for pure entertainment value.

I applaud the director for bringing all the best out of the actors. Some of them play very eccentric personalities and highly entertaining. Mostly the evil ones of course because evil characters just by virtue of being evil have a lot more latitude to show off extremely wild demeanor. Chaotic Neutral characters too like Saw played by Forest Whitaker get even more free reign to cross the line. There are some scenes where I feel like the the show has become an actors study where the actors are actually putting the practice of acting-stealing-the-scene is the primary purpose of the show.

I don't know if this show would impress everyone but it's blowing me away and I'm going to have to watch it again because I'm sure there are details I missed.

I'm not huge on Forest Whitaker, I think he's a talented actor. I only started to like him when I saw Rogue One. I should say I'm not versed in Forest Whitaker because I haven't experienced his performances outside of star wars except for a wonderful performance in Hughie on Broadway. However, this monologue was truly ... PERFECTION. The delivery. The build up. The writing and Mr. Whitaker IS brilliant as Saw. He is, and his performances throughout the series have been awesome. I don't know what other reviewers are saying, but this performance and the first time on film in Rogue One I thought were truly immense and lasting. I guarantee you this monologue, will be a thing. Because this whole episode was perfect. I removed a star because honestly, I thought Luna's story dragged... if not for these subplots or side stories with Saw I wouldn't have bothered with a review at all. But I was moved. It was a great performance by all.

This one is interesting. It further develops characters and relationships. It's got a more business like feel overall. With Cassian in what passes for a suit in that part of the Galaxy.

I'm still on the fence with Forest Whitaker's character. I can't tell what he is going for really. But then that kind of fits in with this series. Sometimes it hops around so much, and there is often not a pay off for so long, that I lose track of people and threads of intrigue.

Nevertheless he is kind of coming off like an intoxicated Nick Cage cameo. Which. Isn't. Always. A. Bad. Thing.

But here does feel too camp.

The part at the end did not make sense to me with the huffing fumes. I don't do spoilers so I won't dissect it. Just putting it out there that the stuff at the end was nonsense. Enough that it kind of kicked me out of suspension of disbelief and I'm no longer watching, I'm looking at it saying what the?

Other than that it's par for course. The cinematography is spot on. I love the production design. The retro-futurism aspects remind me a lot of Loki. Everything is streamlined into little consoles with lots of clackety bits. But it also doesn't have much of that beat on for decades look like other Star Wars. Well not all of it.

It does drag a bit here and there during this series overall. However this episode maintains a consistent forward momentum.

I like that we are seeing threads connecting and things getting closer. Like I said this show is all delayed reward. They make you wait a long time for a punch line. Or rather an action sequence.

I do think I'm going to have to watch the whole series over again. I'm often not remembering character's names or why they are suddenly shooting.