Andor: Rix Road

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Things come to a head at the funeral of Maarva, played by Fiona Shaw.

In many senses this finale felt cathartic after all the build up of previous episodes as we do see some full scale signs of rebellion against the Empire, but I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that more didn’t happen.

I think the main issue for me with this episode is that it lacked stakes, unlike other episodes that have perfectly encapsulated this idea of grit and that anyone can die at any time, this one felt very plot armour heavy as you knew none of the important characters were going to die and that is where the episode lost me.

I liked the ending of the episode wherein Cassian, played by Diego Luna, finally confronts Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard, and thought that it teased interesting things to come, but therein lies another issue with this show a lot of it is teasing things to come rather than delivering answers to big mysteries or giving us set pieces, which again is both a blessing and a curse.

Overall, a good season finale that would have been better if it had been bolder.

Pros.

The ending

The first signs of large scale rebellion

A good pace

It teases a lot of interesting directions for the next season

Cons.

There is a lot of plot armour going round and it effects the stakes of the show

It teases more than it delivers

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Andor: Daughter Of Ferrix

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Cassian, played by Diego Luna, experiences a loss and Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly, edges closer to marrying off her daughter in exchange for help moving her rebellion earmarked funds around.

This was probably the weakest episode of the show so far, nothing really happened and at best it was boring. The focus on Mon Mothma is really what hurt this episode as a lot of the early season promise the character had has been widely lost by now, and the character mainly exists to show awkward party scenes and scheming that never really seems to amount to anything.

The Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard, and Saw, played by Forest Whittaker storyline is slightly better and more interesting as we see the walls start to close in around Luthen to an extent and see him re-characterised in the context of shifting power dynamics.

Overall, a fairly boring episode wherein nothing of any note happens.

Pros.

Luthen is finally facing resistance from the Empire

It is watchable

Cons.

Nothing much happens

Mon Mothma is being wasted

It is boring

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Andor: One Way Out

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Cassian, played by Diego Luna, finally busts out of prison.

The three episode structure of this show is really becoming quite trite, it was pretty clear before this episode even started that Cassian would be getting out of prison this episode as it was time for this mini arc to end. The show really needs to start mixing things up.

However, that gripe aside this was an incredibly strong episode and probably one of the best segments of Star Wars media in a long time. I think the power of this episode came almost exclusively from Andy Serkis’ Kino as he becomes a rebel leader and gives one hell of a speech, it is a shame where the episode leaves him and hopefully he comes back at some point, but I think that in terms of looking at the early Rebellion his whole character and what he symbolises is incredibly important.

Moreover, the final sequence with Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard, is also incredibly interesting as it gives us the biggest peak behind the curtain yet, and also highlights the twisted morals with which he operates furthering the thesis of this show that nothing is morally black and white.

Overall, a very strong episode only let down by the repetitive three episode structure ruining any form of surprise.

Pros.

Skarsgard

Serkis

The ending

The moral ambiguity

Cons.

The three episode structure really ruins the surprise

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Andor: Nobody’s Listening

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Cassian, played by Diego Luna, continues to plan his escape from prison, meanwhile his friend Bix, played by Adria Arjona, is tortured by the Empire for information.

I am starting to find these three episode arcs to be quite tiring at this point. The Cassian prison storyline is for the most part dull and uninteresting, and to make matters worse it just feels like it keeps getting stretched out, the escape could have at least started in this episode but no they had to push it till next week.

I found the wider Empire stuff more interesting, I am enjoying seeing how they are dealing with this early form of the Rebellion and are starting to realise more and more that this is a serious threat that needs to be dealt with.

The Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly scenes are also quite dull, but I won’t spend too much time talking about this as I have covered it in previous reviews. We can only watch her chat to people secretly at dinner parties so many times before it gets dull, and we have already reached that point.

Overall, quite a dull episode.

Pros.

Vel’s back

Andy Serkis is having fun

It sets up the prison escape for next week

Cons.

It is too slow and the three episode arc structure is starting to harm the show

Mon Mothma needs to do something other than just be constantly chatting to people at dinner parties

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Tales Of The Jedi: Life And Death

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

We follow Ashoka’s baby years.

Star Wars really is starting to get desperate, the content mine is well and truly running dry. Who thought a show about a baby Ashoka was what was needed to get people into this universe, worse yet it is the flagship opening episode for a new animated Star Wars series and honestly after watching this it makes you want to turn off from the series.

Honestly this is just a bad twenty ish minutes of TV as nothing of note happens and then at the end of it all they say that Ashoka is a Jedi for taming an animal which just feels forced in to try and get a reaction from the audience. The animated side of Star Wars has long been obsessed with Ashoka as a character but this is really starting to take the biscuit.

Overall, who wanted this?

Pros.

It is short

Cons.

It is boring

It feels needless

It is a weak opener for the series

It is a slog to get through

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Andor: Narkina 5

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Andor, played by Diego Luna, goes to prison.

I think this was probably the worst episode of the season so far, mainly this was because nothing really happened. At least in last week’s episode, which I also didn’t hugely like, they set up fun stuff for down the line in this episode we get precious little. On the one hand we get Andor serving his prison sentence, which other than meeting Andy Serkis’s character who does have a few good moments, is fairly dull we know it is just a matter of time until he breaks out, but it doesn’t happen in this episode. On the other hand we have yet another dinner party scene with Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly, which is just more of the same that we have seen before.

We do get some interesting scenes even if they are far between such as the Empire cracking down on Cassian’s friends, which the episode ends on, as well as Vel, played by Faye Marsay, returning on the hunt for Cassian. Plus added Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whittaker.

Overall, a fairly boring episode with a few brief moments of excitement here and there.

Pros.

The Empire finally coming after Cassian

The return of Vel

Saw Gerrera is back

Cons.

Cassian’s storyline is boring

So is Mon Mothma’s

It feels like killing time

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Andor: Announcement

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Cassian, played by Diego Luna, faces some of the consequences for his actions and things are set up for later in the season.

Certainly this won’t be anyone’s favourite episode, very little of interest happens here it is mostly just a lot of set up for later on, that is not to say that set up isn’t interesting or without promise, but there is only so much excitement you can have for teasing things to come.

I think Luna gives a great performance when he is talking to his character’s adoptive mother, played by Fiona Shaw, it is so raw and full of emotion that for a moment you forget that you are watching a TV show and question whether or not these are real people. I do think that Luna has been such a boon not just for this show but for Star Wars more broadly as he is capable of giving such excellent performances.

Where this episode falls down for me is with the ending. For plot reasons Cassian is accused of a crime he had nothing to do with and sent off to prison. Basically that sums up the whole scene for you there is nothing more to it then that he is just sent off to prison for no reason other than the show needed to do something with him next week as he seemed a bit at an end after the events of last week. It reeks of lazy writing and plot convenience to me.

Overall, a fine episode but one that is very much filler.

Pros.

Luna

Exciting things to come

It is watchable

Cons.

There is only so much excitement you can have for set up, defiantly a filler episode

The ending is stupid and clearly just done for plot reasons.

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Rick and Morty: Juricksic Mort

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Dinosaurs return to Earth and they are super advanced and basically force us all into a comfortable retirement.

So unlike some that I am seeing out there on the social media sphere I don’t mind that this episode laughs at and shuts down ideas around the shows cannon. The Dinosaurs fix the space rift and Rick’s portal gun, which he fixes again later in the episode, and most of these big things from the end of the last season are quickly and unceremoniously wrapped up. That doesn’t bother me, what does bother me however is the fact that this episode is no fun at all.

It is not so much that this episode is boring but that there is nothing to it, the Dinosaurs show up put us all out of a job then humans get angry and want them gone really there is nothing new or inventive to that premise. Everything goes as you would expect it to and there isn’t even any humour in the episode that can help to make it better, most of the jokes fall down in a big way.

The only thing I particularly liked about this episode was seeing Lisa Kudrow voice a T-Rex that was a fun addition.

Overall, I really hope the last few episodes can pick this season up because otherwise I might not come back for season 7.

Pros.

Lisa Kudrow as a T-Rex

It is watchable

A few nice Jerry moments

Cons.

It is boring, trite and predictable

It is too smug for its own good

It wastes a pretty good premise

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Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Is Anyone You Know Behaving Differently?

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

People in small town America are switched with parasitic aliens who make doubles of them.

I have never seen the original Invasion Of The Body Snatchers so I can’t say how this remake compares to it. Additionally due to my lack of experience with the original film I came into this one with fresh eyes not sure what to expect, I would say widely I enjoyed the film though there are a few elements where I think it can be improved.

I liked the paranoid thriller aspects of this film wherein we don’t know who is a pod persona and who isn’t right away, and as the number of pod people grows our heroes become more and more outnumbered both of these add to the stakes of the film as well as the greater sense of threat. However, the scaling of the threat is not done very well, these elements are brought in fairly early on and are at maximum from the get-go so there is no rising sense of things getting worse throughout the film, from the midpoint things are at their worst and it continues at the same level from there.

It is nice to see the familiar faces of Jeff Goldblum and Donald Sutherland, I would say both add a lot to the film though Goldblum probably steals the show. Outside of the two of them the rest of the performances are more of a mixed bag, I think this is more easily gotten away with due to the genre of the film and the fact some of the actors are tasked with playing aliens.

The pacing of the film leaves quite a lot to be desired, I would say the film could quarter its runtime and be better for it, as you approach the last act of the film viewing really starts to feel like a drag. It goes on for far too long.

Overall, a good paranoid thriller that could be better paced and performed.

Pros.

Some good paranoid elements

Goldblum

It is watchable

Cons.

The performances aren’t great across the board

The threat isn’t scaled up over the course of the film

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Rick and Morty: Final DeSmithation

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Rick, voiced by Justin Roiland, and Jerry, voiced by Chris Parnell, go on a fortune cookie related quest to stop the latter from sleeping with his mum.

Right off the bat I just want to say that the whole incest theme running through the show doesn’t particularly bother me, honestly I think it is done out of desperation to try and seem edgy and keep the controversy and in that the attention on the show. No, I don’t think one of the writer’s fetish is bleeding onto the show, it’s just for attention.

With that in mind I am starting to question whether I might be tapped out on this show, as I am just finding with this new season that I am not really enjoying it anymore and quite often, though there are good parts to some episodes, I am finding them a slog to finish. Again with this episode I liked that it was a Rick and Jerry adventure, those are fairly rare, and I also liked the fact that fortunes played such a big part of the final battle sequences, but at the same time it just didn’t hit in the same way an earlier season episode would have. Moreover, I also think the social commentary of the show is starting to become far too obvious and on the nose, in short I think the quality of the writing is getting worse.

Overall, the fortune cookie angle is a nice gimmick for the episode but it is nothing special.

Pros.

The fortune fight at the end

Seeing more of Rick and Jerry

It is very watchable

Cons.

It lacks the spark it once had

The writing is not great and that effects the episode in a number of ways

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