How to light up the fire of rebellion in your heart—Andor Season 1 Review
Andor, the fourth live-action series in the Star Wars franchise, tells the story of how Cassian Andor, one of the main characters in the movie Rogue One, walked on the path to becoming one of the vanguards of the rebel force. I never expected my first review directly written in English would be this show, just as I never expected I would be surprised so much by it from a franchise that I have lost much interest in the past years. But life is full of surprises, and I’m glad to receive this one!
After nine episodes of slow build-up, followed by a rapid escalation in the remaining three episodes, I finally witnessed Cassian Andor, a thief who once lived just for another day, become a fighter that would dedicate his heart to the rebellion against the empire. When the end credits of episode 12 finally rolled, I was speechless. Moments later, as I calmed down, I immediately felt the urge to write my many thoughts on this show.
I always think an advantage TV shows have over movies is the serial episodes and longer total screen time that allow a more smooth transition of character arcs. This is why the many complex and well-rounded characters in motion pictures are from great TV shows such as Breaking Bad and why people often feel more attached to the characters from serial shows in general. As for Andor, I would argue that one of its most prominent surprises is its patience in utilizing the extra breathing room to develop Cassian as a character with plenty of hurdles before a satisfying and natural transition.
Not only does this tortuous development of Cassian makes him more believable and relatable, but it also fits the show’s theme — rebellion against totalitarianism. The most formidable aspect of a dictatorship is the ability to instill constant fear and the terrifying consequence it can cause. An instance of fear might “just be” an instantaneous stimulation, an accumulation of which eventually forges a spontaneous “stun lock” in the oppressed masses’ minds. Breaking a person free from the shackle of such a “mind lock” is challenging, if not the most difficult part, to sparkle a revolt. Counterintuitively, the key to freeing a person’s mind is often having them experience even harsher but also potential scenarios so that they slowly and gradually realize the reality that “there is no escape from a dictatorship.” This is what Evey experienced in V for Vendetta and how Cassian Andor developed in Andor, which eventually reforged them into a “beacon” of rebellion.
When a show is patient enough to take time to build up this process, it also functions as an empathic lesson to both emotionally and rationally connect the audience to the meaning behind “fighting against a totalitarian government.” It’s “worthless” to live for another day until you lose everything, but at least “something” to die trying to take them back. When you have eventually learned/relearned this lesson with Cassian throughout his journey with twists and turns, and when you finally witnessed the sporadic oppressed sound come together to compose a resounding battle cry for liberation, it’s almost impossible for you not to be deeply moved.
Andor has done a fantastic job conveying its serious theme through the characterization of Cassian Andor, but he’s not the sole “star” in the show. Both on the rebellion and the empire sides, characters with difficult positions and complex motives were well unfolded. With the top-notch design of the characters and their dialogues, the talented actors could shine and create interesting dynamics on the screen, whether they were cast as main or side characters. While watching the show, sometimes I wondered what more hadn’t been shown for certain characters and what the story would be like from their perspectives.
Even though the agenda of Andor so far seems to be stressing the necessity of fighting totalitarianism by every means possible, the show is not afraid to expose the ugliness of rebellion. It’s already harsh to convince people to give up their lives for the sake of many more. It’s more extreme when they have to use and sacrifice others’ lives, even without consent, just to keep the momentum of the uprising a bit longer. This begs the question for _Andor_’s future plotline: Is there a moral standard in fighting for a feeble chance of success in the name of rebellion? Where do we draw the line, or should we accept that “all is fair” when facing a gigantic and oppressive regime?
Last but not least, the visual of Andor did not let me down. The dialogue-driven scenes interspersed with action sequences ensure the audiences are always provided with new visual treats in case they lose interest during the convoluted espionage drama. Moreover, some of these action sequences might be one of the most creative in the entire Star Wars franchise.
Combining first-class storytelling with the astounding visual effect, as well as the beautiful soundtracks composed by Nicholas Britell, we arrive at the most significant achievement of Andor: as much as it is a live-action TV show set in the Star Wars universe, it can still be considered a great standalone series about the origin of mass rebellion in a futuristic galactic universe. This just shows the self-containment of the story and the overall quality of the show, which has become a rare case for IP-based series nowadays. On the other hand, if you are a die-hard fan of Star Wars, you may appreciate the story even more with thoughtfully installed visual and aesthetic elements of Star Wars throughout the journey.
Andor is not the most popular new-released TV show in 2022, but I’m glad I gave it a try as it has become one of my favorite series. This is not necessarily because of its timely political message about the current state of the world, and definitely not because it has the shiny logo of Star Wars. This is because Andor is a masterful execution of an eternal theme that resonated and will always resonate with the audience across the globe. I can’t wait to see what difficulties lie ahead of Cassian and his companions and what sacrifices and cost they will have to make to keep the sparkle of rebellion until the story of Rogue One.
The images used in the article are from the Internet.
How to light up the fire of rebellion in your heart—Andor Season 1 Review