Andor - Season One
Released on Disney+ Sept 21, 2022
Episode: 12 Episodes (Around 50 minutes each)
Rated TV-14
This is an adventure that will set Cassian Andor, a character from Rogue One, on a journey of espionage, danger, and intrigue as he discovers how much difference one man can make. The tale of a slowly forming rebellion against the Empire is interwoven into Andor’s story and we see just how hard and dirty it can be to start a rebellion. This series is being held as more “adult” and “grittier” than other Star Wars shows.
Themes:
Themes in the show include morally, ethics, spies, espionage, politics, true evil, being wrongly accused, rebellion, fighting for what is right, prison, greed, arranged marriages, family, abandonment, working off debt, love, loss, giving your life for a cause, and death.
Language:
There were a few words I picked up on during viewing. The words “damned” and “bast—-“ are used. There is name calling and people threatening others.
Stuff to be aware of:
Since this has a “grittier” feeling to it there is a lot of gun fights and people dying. There is a rebellion starting, after all. One person is shot point blank in the head, but there is no gore. One man dies on a surgery table and another has a stroke and they give him a shot that makes him convulse and pass away. There are two characters that the show seems to imply are lesbians, but this is never really confirmed. These two characters never show affection on screen. We are told that one female is “sharing her blanket” with someone as a woman walks out of a tent . There is a scene in a brothel where there are dancers, but no nudity. There are also a few scenes that imply that characters slept with each other. For example people getting dressed in the same room or a woman in someone’s bed. There is some torture scenes and several episodes take place in a prison compound were people get shocked if they misbehave or are in a location they shouldn’t be. There is drinking in some scenes that take place in bars.
Overall:
The writing, the character development, and the story are all top notch! This isn’t your Star Wars tale of Jedi vs Sith, the morality is less black and white and even “good” characters are forced to make hard, life altering decisions. While some of these decisions are immoral and unethical the characters have to do things they hate or regret for the greater good of starting the rebellion against an evil empire. These kind of actions/decisions are very rare in the Star Wars movies and shows, which makes this show stand out, in a very good way. There are no Jedi, very few aliens, and there really aren’t any “cameos”.
I feel like this show is kind of a mix of Star Wars with James Bond. The writing and dialogue are top notch and it was fascinating to see back story for Cassian and Mon Mothma and the decisions that lead them to where we see them in the movies. The acting is also amazing, the cast did a great job. There are a lot of characters and plots taking place so I think it will be easier to keep up with having access to all the episodes instead of getting one a week. This is a great addition to the Star Wars universe and I am looking forward to season two!