In order to start a rebellion, someone needs to say the things that everybody is thinking about but doesn't have the guts to say. There'll never be any change happening if no one is able to speak up. It feels like the show is adding up a bunch of characters who all feel the same things about the Empire, and are right on the brink of actually standing up and saying something. But it could be futile, especially against such a huge power like that. This episode had a lot of incredible development for the characters and the overall plot, although it wasn't the strongest.
All of these characters are somehow sacrificing their own personal benefits for the greater good of rebellion. Mon Mothma is having trouble in her marriage. Luthen Rael is putting his entire freedom on the line as the architect behind this heist. And the members of the heist are going into real danger with no idea if they're actually going to survive. The only one who doesn't have that route into it is Cassian. He's purely in it for his own interest, but throughout this episode, those layers are slowly peeled down as he starts to listen to the passion, especially from one of his team members. It came across as really inspiring, mostly due to the amazing dialogue and overall writing by Dan Gilroy. All of that added up to a very solid hour of "Andor," although it did feel like this episode was primarily there to set up the stage for the next episode, which is fine as long as it's done with some kind of overall development, which this was in some ways. It gives the characters a board to stand on and adds a lot to the moral objectives of the show, but it doesn't feel obligated to give us a bunch of further development on the Imperial side of things. And all of that is okay, because it does feel like the next episode is going to have a lot in it that we needed the setup for, so I can't be too annoyed by the episode's strange pace and structure.
"The Axe Forgets" is a great episode in terms of character development, especially Andor who is slowly figuring out what his place is in this. However, a lot of the Imperial aspects of the episode came across as a little undercooked, which is understandable since it'll probably be explored better in the next few episodes.
There is always the calm before the storm, and for Dan Gilroy that means developing the characters that we're going to see becoming major targets during next week's episode. The exact thing that "Rogue One" failed to properly do is what's all over this episode: character development. Utilize the extra time that there is to properly give these characters some depth so that it will hit harder when they're offed in the next episode (which I'm sure some of them will be). What should be of importance to them, though, is to expand the narrative a little, which they did expertly with the previous episode. Mon Mothma and Luthen are relegated to the backseat in this episode, and that gives time to focus on Cassian's teammates; however, instead of focusing on Syril Karn and his mommy issues, maybe give some more moments to Mothma and her family issues which are much more interesting. A scene from the gala event would have been perfect here. But instead of talking about what isn't there, it's important to properly analyze what is there, and the somber tone is everywhere. I like this. This feels like war. The music beautifully underscores the final moments with Luthen and Marki that's filled with somber dialogue that paints a grueling picture of the difficult years to come that will be filled with fighting and a lot of loss. But it also sets the stage for the remainder of the show and should make everyone excited for the weeks that we have left.
"The Axe Forgets" doesn't stand as strong as the previous episode, but it finally starts to realize that the future is not gonna be all bright. There is a hard fight ahead, and with the different aspects gearing up for the birth of the rebellion this next week, the show sets sight to a strong future.
All of these characters are somehow sacrificing their own personal benefits for the greater good of rebellion. Mon Mothma is having trouble in her marriage. Luthen Rael is putting his entire freedom on the line as the architect behind this heist. And the members of the heist are going into real danger with no idea if they're actually going to survive. The only one who doesn't have that route into it is Cassian. He's purely in it for his own interest, but throughout this episode, those layers are slowly peeled down as he starts to listen to the passion, especially from one of his team members. It came across as really inspiring, mostly due to the amazing dialogue and overall writing by Dan Gilroy. All of that added up to a very solid hour of "Andor," although it did feel like this episode was primarily there to set up the stage for the next episode, which is fine as long as it's done with some kind of overall development, which this was in some ways. It gives the characters a board to stand on and adds a lot to the moral objectives of the show, but it doesn't feel obligated to give us a bunch of further development on the Imperial side of things. And all of that is okay, because it does feel like the next episode is going to have a lot in it that we needed the setup for, so I can't be too annoyed by the episode's strange pace and structure.
"The Axe Forgets" is a great episode in terms of character development, especially Andor who is slowly figuring out what his place is in this. However, a lot of the Imperial aspects of the episode came across as a little undercooked, which is understandable since it'll probably be explored better in the next few episodes.
There is always the calm before the storm, and for Dan Gilroy that means developing the characters that we're going to see becoming major targets during next week's episode. The exact thing that "Rogue One" failed to properly do is what's all over this episode: character development. Utilize the extra time that there is to properly give these characters some depth so that it will hit harder when they're offed in the next episode (which I'm sure some of them will be). What should be of importance to them, though, is to expand the narrative a little, which they did expertly with the previous episode. Mon Mothma and Luthen are relegated to the backseat in this episode, and that gives time to focus on Cassian's teammates; however, instead of focusing on Syril Karn and his mommy issues, maybe give some more moments to Mothma and her family issues which are much more interesting. A scene from the gala event would have been perfect here. But instead of talking about what isn't there, it's important to properly analyze what is there, and the somber tone is everywhere. I like this. This feels like war. The music beautifully underscores the final moments with Luthen and Marki that's filled with somber dialogue that paints a grueling picture of the difficult years to come that will be filled with fighting and a lot of loss. But it also sets the stage for the remainder of the show and should make everyone excited for the weeks that we have left.
"The Axe Forgets" doesn't stand as strong as the previous episode, but it finally starts to realize that the future is not gonna be all bright. There is a hard fight ahead, and with the different aspects gearing up for the birth of the rebellion this next week, the show sets sight to a strong future.