Andor Review: Kassa / That Would Be Me / Reckoning (Season 1 Episodes 1-3)
At long last, Andor has finally arrived! Andor is unlike anything Star Wars has ever done before, which works to both its advantage and its detriment.
On Andor Season 1 Episode 1, “Kassa,” a picture is painted of a much different Cassian Andor than the one in Rogue One. Instead of the hero of the rebellion, he’s known as someone who is often “out ruining [his] health and reputation with friends of low character.”
Then, on Andor Season 1 Episode 2, “That Would Be Me,” some of those aforementioned friends of low character get Cassian into some trouble, which propels the main action forward.
Finally, on Andor Season 1 Episode 3, “Reckoning,” pieces of Cassian’s past and present violently collide, forcing him to have to trust someone new and flee all at once.
A three-episode premiere usually contains quite a bit of exposition, and Andor is no exception. The first three episodes contain a ton of background information and expose the series’ biggest flaw early on — it’s bloated. There is a lot of information in it and it’s hard to keep up with.
Because it’s so different from any previous Star Wars project, there’s a lot of new information to keep track of on Andor. Character names, backgrounds, relationships, and more play an important role, but there’s more than three episodes worth of information to digest.
However, since Andor is different from any previous Star Wars story, that also highlights the show’s greatest advantage. Cassian Andor is the only character on the show that currently exists in the larger Star Wars universe, which doesn’t pin many of the characters down, which allows for more original stories to be told.
As a result — the stakes are high and the tension is palpable throughout all three episodes of the premiere. Andor‘s premiere is sprawling, intriguing, and exciting throughout.
Diego Luna gives a masterful, layered performance as the titular character, and each member of the supporting cast relishes their role, as if they know this might be their only Star Wars project.
Stellan Skarsgård’s arrival adds a tremendous amount of intrigue and mystery to Andor as well.
Overall, the new take on Star Wars is new territory in the best way. It’s tense, exciting, and is filled with new characters to get to know and stories to fall in love with. Only time will tell if Cassian’s transformation from ruffian to rebel hero will be worth the journey, but right now it’s an easy sell for Star Wars and science fiction fans alike.
A few stray thoughts:
- Can’t wait to see what happens when the officer who decided to go after Cassian sees his supervisor again. That’ll be a fun reunion.
- The three-episode premiere culminates in a parallel between Cassian’s adoption off of his home planet, and leaving that adopted life for something that will likely culminate in Rogue One.
- “If you can’t find it here, it’s not worth finding” – that guy has me intrigued. There has to be more to his story.
- Bix Caleen is my new favorite character so far.
- If you’re like me in the way you make associations, it’s fun to know that Cassian Andor’s adopted mother, Maarva, is also Harry Potter’s Aunt Petunia. #nerdlife
What did you think of these episodes of Andor? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Andor airs Wednesdays on Disney+.
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Nick Hogan
Nick Hogan is an experienced podcaster and writer (particularly on media topics), who loves discussion and analysis of TV and is always looking for new shows to watch. He is also a parent who loves buffalo wings, blowing raspberries, and his beloved Cincinnati Reds.