Star Wars: Andor - 1.02 - That Would Be Me

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Cassius is trying to lay low on Ferrix as the agenst of law close in

IMDB score: 7.6 Runtime: 38 minutes (-6 minutes on credits)

 

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I went and watched all three episodes and this is my second viewing. The biggest niggle I have with these episodes is the runtime. They claim 38 minutes, while more than 6 minutes is used for the title and the credit scenes, shortening the actual content. It's the same thing with other Disney+ products. The Mandalorian suffers from the same thing but at least they give us the concept art painting, while Andor is devoid.

The whole beginning is an extended cut of the beginning that could've been cut to one 50-minute episode, with much tighter pacing. Instead of it, we got almost 2-hours of content that explains pretty well Cassius Andor's background.

Kenari, a mid-rim system. A paradise planet that was ravaged by an industrial accident that made it uninhabitable. Cassius was in the past one of its native, tribal people. Their language is rare as well, as it cannot be found in the Standard Imperial Language package.

Yet, it didn't stop the Imperium back in the early Republic days from turning it into a wasteland. Their people, just like Mandalorians could just disappear, for being not important. Yet, somehow they were capable of keeping their own and even fighting against the invaders with their crude tribal weapons and methods.

In a way, what the Imperium does to them is far removed from ST Federation practices. So the Prime Protocols never played a role in the SW universe. The First Contact could happen and nobody cared if it effed the natives' destiny as they are pulled into the Imperium machinery, which laws and protocols has broken a long time ago.

It is interesting how Cassius gets trapped in the ship, by his adopt mother, Maarva, after the clash with the crash survivor. The way he behaves in the nerve centre is almost barbaric. But he isn't shocked on seeing B2EMO, instead Ii's as if he accepted it as much as everything in the invader's ship before he got captured. And saved from the life-ending accident.

Fenrix. Firstly, I swear that is a Beskar anvil that the timekeeper is using a metal drum. It serves as a very important item during the first three episodes, but not for its monetary value. I don't think that the salvage operators even know the importance of that piece, but it's there as a memento of the might of the Mandalore.

We also learn that they have other cultural traditions, like hanging gloves outside before you go to work, and that Cassius is so poor that he had to "loan" the custom B-wing for his trips. And because he owns everyone's favours or IOUs, his time is running out. The Imperial Nav Unit is his exit-ticket. A Hail Mary to finish the life among the salvagers, because it has nothing to offer him. He has learned all he can and the life among them has made him a very capable clandestine operator.

He has only a few friends, the fixer and the scrapyard salvager operator, besides his adopt mum and her droid, B2EMO. The rest don't really care, except to a point. The biggest obstacle that he has among the population is the Fixer jealous boyfriend. When he sees corpo wanted notification, he pays little time on thinking about the consequences. Instead, he acts on it, when he sees Cas touching 'his woman,' in a local drinking establishment.

Not that Mr Andor is interested on her, as all he wants is to get out. I love when in the morning the Fixer wakes up, the beefcake is having second thoughts, but he doesn't voice them. Cassius as far as he's concerned can go to hell.

Sergeant Linus Mosk and the d1ckhead Deputy Inspector Karn. I absolutely love seeing Linus so full of experience and determination on finally getting to act, that in a moment he becomes a yes-man and doesn't think anything other than duty. And on top of things, he's all pro-Empire, and their dubious tactics. In other words, a perfect sarge.

If he'd had brain, he would have expected to see the paperwork from the Chief Inspector. Instead of a revenge mission on an 'affiliated planet,' is all on books. So twelve, hand-picked veterans of corpo security gets backed into a raid ship, off they go toward Ferrix, but not before Linus gives them a brief that is a slight toward the Aliens - Colonial Marine Brief, with equally inexperienced and a weak officer.

The whole thing is so ironic, but yet, as always you lay your trust on them to get the job done regardless of the officer material. What Linus lack is the age related wisdom to see that they are on their way to most certainly a hazardous mission. As a watcher, you expect it, and they'll deliver, in the next episode.

The buyer AKA the master spy. Although I'm not sure if he's just an interstellar info-broker, because that also fits into the profile. Thing is, he's wealthy and crafty to know the clandestine business as he parks his fancy ship far away from the Ferrix's capitol, before he takes the hover bus and meets the engineer.

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7/10 episode that in places feels like a filler.

 

[sule]

I watched all three episodes in one sitting, so I'll admit that the back-half of episode one and most of episode two sort of blend together for me. I agree: not a lot happens in this episode, it's mostly set-up. I like Linus, and I hope we see more of him and Karn together. Likewise, the introduction of Fiona Shaw's Maarva was enjoyable. Yeah, not a lot to say. There were some hints of Things Happening on Kenari (although the timeline is a little confusing), which I'm sure will be explored in later episodes. And Timm is pretty weak - your standard "jealous boyfriend" trope character who jumps to conclusions faster than the jump to hyperspace. Like the sister from episode one, he appeared to exist solely to move the plot along.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Again, really liked the way the tension continued to develop in this, and especially the way the flashbacks have been introduced. Think we've got our eldest on board for the next episode.