You know a quality show when you see one and the new Star Wars spin-off, Andor is surely one of them. After largely disappointing The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor has breathed a fresh air into the Star Wars Universe. Andor Even though he was one of the largely forgotten Star Wars characters, Diego Luna’s portrayal of Cassian Andor in Rogue One was one of the film’s strongest aspects. And while the outcome of Andor’s story is known, much of his past is still a mystery and so, this live-action prequel series centers around the rebel’s dark and sinister past. Star Wars just released Andor Episode 8 and without any further ado, here’s what we think about this surprisingly good show! (Check out the all new Andor Pop action figure here!)
Review Maratahon – Episode 1, 2 & 3 / Episode 4 / Episode 5 / Episode 6 / Episode 7
Rating – ★★★1/2
Andor Episode 8 Review – Weakest Episode Yet?
Andor episode 8 has defied the pattern of the show so far as till now we’ve seen two episodes of buildup and then a climactic episode. But it doesn’t feel like Episode 9 is going to be like episode 3 and 6. This episode wasted a lot of time reassuring us that the Empire is evil but still managed to interesting enough as well as move the plot forward. The episode begins with Andor being transported to a construction-cum-prison site. Honestly, the prison design was pretty innovative and genuinely terrifying when you think about it. However, everything else about that entire arc including overworking prisoners, punishing them, prisoners choosing to commit suicide etc., can be classified as top of the line cliche content.
So, it felt a bit unnecessary and definitely uninventive aside from the design of the prison. One other thing which was good about this arc was Andy Serkis’ cameo as Keno Loy proving once again that Andy Serkis is much more than just a motion-capture actor. Also, a quick trivia – Andy Serkis also portrayed the role of Snoke in Star War: The Last Jedi as a motion capture artist. Moving on, Bix and Dedra Meero had some important roles to play in this episode ultimately finding their way to each other, not in a good way.
While Dedra Meero spent the episode identifying and tailing Cassian Andor, Bix spent the episode taking care of Andor’s mother and trying to contact Luthen. Meero had a brief interrogation scene with Syril which made us realize that maybe Syril is not as important a character as we once thought. He was quickly dismissed by Meero and was rejected from joining her efforts. Bix on the other hand was cut off by Luthen and was being tailed by Vel and Cinta. Talking about Vel and Cinta, they reunited however, they conversation they had was quite negative and heartbreaking. It is possible they might not end up together after all.
Coming back to Bix, it seems like fate doesn’t have too many good plans for her as she has been nabbed by Dedra Meero and is about to be tortured for information about Andor and the Rebels. Poor Bix has suffered a lot already in the short span of this series and she is one character most fans want a happy ending for. That leaves us with Mon Mothma and she did exactly what she did in the last episode serving no actual purpose in the show so far. As for Andor, he also didn’t have much to do in this episode than go through what any character in any prison based movie/show goes through.
One other exciting thing about this episode was the introduction of a fan-fav Clone Wars character, Saw Gerrera. If you are unaware, Gerrera is the leader of a band of Rebel extremists and is one of the more tragic characters of the Star Wars saga. Without revealing anything else, he was paid a visit by Luthen, who urged him to support his cause and it seems like he’ll have more role to play in the future But as of this episode, Bix and Meero absolutely ruled it and there was nothing else particularly interesting or fascinating about it.
Final Verdict – While Episode 8 of Andor is certainly not a bad one, it is surely one of the weakest ones this season. It does try to be interesting in its own way but it wastes too much time on things viewers have already seen before. But owing to some terrific performances, pulsating score, mesmerizing visuals and futuristic concepts, it manages to be engaging and acts as a breather. Rest assured, it looks like Andor is heading in the right direction and we’ll be receiving a pay-off real soon!
The first eight episodes of Star War: Andor are now airing on Disney Plus and we’ll see you next week when we bring you our Episode 9 verdict.
If you have any questions regarding Andor, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay tuned. As usual, like, subscribe and share our articles as we here are trying to build a community of people High on Cinema!
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