Andor: Who Are You?

 "Rebellions are built on hope."

Wow. There was only one way this episode was going to go- the Empire manufacturing a riot on Ghorman to justify the "crackdown", straight from the fascist playbook- but seeing things unfold, slowly and inevitably, was brutal. This episode is just extraordinary.

It all unfolds in slow motion. The demonstration. The careful escalation of imperial policing. The cynical use of a sniper to fire on the Empire's own troops. And then the use firstly of Stormtroopers and then of unstoppable droids that simply hurl demonstrators into the air. The effect is one of real horror. And... yeah, all while disturbing things are happening in the USA right now, except their Palpatine is much more orange and much less intelligent.

Then there's the tragedy of Syril and Dedra. Syril always was, despite the career advancement, a pawn. And the moment where he confronts (and, implicitly, dumps) Dedra for her amoral and appalling behaviour carries so much power. His death in the riot is almost an afterthought, the last words he ever hears being Cassian's "Who are you?".

Denise Gough is superb as she portrays Dedra's utter despair at the end. She's done so much, made such terrible moral sacrifices... and for what?  

The final shot is of Syril's mum, inconsolable. She may not have been the best mother, but in the end she was in many ways right.

Again... wow.

Andor: I Have Friends Everywhere

 "Revolution is not for the sane..."

I like where this season seems to be going more and more, as we dig ever deeper into both the moral compromises and the personal costs of rebelling against totalitarianism. All this, and it seems Ruby Wax is a big TV star in the Empire...

We see Cassian, with his new disguise, beginning to infiltrate himself into Ghorman and make contact with the rebels, at first disappointing them with his caution. The situation is, of course, highly complicated: the rebels think they're manipulating Syril, but he (with Dedra) is actually manipulating them. This is high stakes ten dimensional chess.

Meanwhile, Luthen sees that Bix isn't doing so well mentally- the constant fear and stress of rebellion takes its toll. But Luthen himself doesn't react well to the prospect of one of his bugs being discovered. The stress of spinning all those plates...

But most intense of all, perhaps, are Wilmon's experiences. He spends so long training one of Saw's underlings, only for said underling to be shot as a traitor... then we get a fascinating scene with Saw, who gets sort of his own version of Luthen's "What do I sacrifice? Everything!" from last season: he knows damn well he will never live to see freedom, so what's the point in maintaining one's grip on sanity?

Utterly gripping television.

Andor: Ever Been to Ghorman?

 "Everyone has their own rebellion, right...?

Yes, I know: I'm well behind on Andor. But I'll keep on at it...

A year has passed since last episode. Cassian and Bix are living in furtive domesticity on Coruscant, finding relative (but only relative) safety in being needles in the mother of all haystacks. But Bix is still troubled by flashbacks of a certain atrocity committed in the name of the rebellion, leading to some interesting debate between the two of them.

Yet this episode is clearly setting up all sorts of skulduggery, and deceptions within deceptions, as the Empire makes its plans ton seize Ghorman and mine it for its resources, rendering it uninhabitable. Hence a year of relentless anti-Ghorman propaganda, hence the Rebellion and the Empire turning their attention to it... yet Luthen can glean little, and the imperial manipulations proceed, with Dedra and Syril's undercover mission seeming to show the first fruits of success.

And it looks as though Cassian is about to go into Ghorman, too, to learn what's going on. I'm sure, with all this dialogue about him protecting Bix, that she'll be fiiiiine.

This is, really, an episode of set-up. Yet there's plenty of nuance and food for thought on the harsh realities and the compromises which must be made when living under tyranny. Superb television, as ever.

Andor: The Axe Forgets

 "Who brings a treasure to a robbery?"

This episode is brave and interesting. We finished the last instalment poised to execute a heist... yet we slow down and examine the characters before vthe heist, with Andor being distrusted until he admits he's being paid. The character dynamics are excellent. This is bloody good, a slow burning series that develops its characters.

We further explore the relationship between Mon Mothma and her toxic husband. Syril Karn, at rock bottom and humiliated, is about to be found a new job by his equally poisonous mother. It's clear that he will clash with Kassian again. We learn why Lieutenant Gorn has turned against the Empire- love has made this fundamental everyman realise that he is serving evil. He is like many a colonial soldier. Colonialism is a clear theme.

We have a brief look at the rivalry between them two imperial officers on Coruscant. Yet the meat of the episode consists of Andor experiencing friction with his comrades, and we, along him, get to know them.

This is slow, considered, bloody good telly, and, for Disney Plus stuff based on Star Wars, it's nothing like The Mandalorian. I'm loving it now. I'm confidient I'm about to love it even more.