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Reviews
The Last of Us: Long, Long Time (2023)
Heartfelt story but overhyped
After two episodes getting to know our main characters, ep3 makes a hard turn into a self contained side story about a romance in the apocalypse. While the episode is emotionally moving at times and relatively unique for television and media, it had a few jarring moments that had me scratching my head.
My main gripe is the final day announcement scene where Frank says the line "do you love me... then love me the way I want to be loved". To me that line is the foundation of the entire episode and the love story and the writers decide to give Frank a manipulative conversation ended to seal his fate.
With all the buzz the episode is getting, I think the sexual orientation of the episode is taking attention (and criticism) away from some lazy writing.
While that was one of a few missteps I found to take me out of the story - the strange letter from Bill is another - ep3 is still solid and interesting.
Andor: Narkina 5 (2022)
Enforcing the Dystopia
This will be an episode that I suspect many viewers will either enjoy or not enjoy. This is due to the heavy and desperate themes of the episode surrounding the dystopian jail Cassian finds himself in and growing plight on Ferrix.
While the episode is well executed, I found there wasn't much to cheer about. Our characters are near their lowest, things are starting to fall apart, how can Cassian possibly escape from the galaxy's most overly engineered prison.
I feel my opinion on the episode will change once we see signs of hope again and watch the inevitable escape but by itself it is an episode that, while tense and nerve wrecking, left me feeling a little unsatisfied.
Still better than anything from BoBF though.
Andor: Announcement (2022)
Momentum Building Must Watch
After the spectacle that was last week's episode, episode 7 deals with the inevitable fall out and repercussions.
I love how the show refuses to fall into any lazy tropes but continues to unpack the delicate conflicts unfolding in the fledgling rebellion and the ruthless reaction of the empire.
Its hard to define exactly what happened in this episode because of all the small character moments that unfolded without much action but it results in an episode that is so much greater than the sum of its parts.
Its clear to see that the writers made sure to use each episode effectively. Andor is a must watch and the momentum each episode is building may lead to something really special in the star wars canon.
P.s. Its hard to believe that the iconic white stormtrooper has only just made its official appearance in this episode of Andor. Welcome back old friends.
Andor: The Eye (2022)
The Dazzling Heist
Finally - the heist we've been waiting for.
Andor continues to provide a refreshing, grounded star wars story so when the series adds some spectacle its something to be savoured.
The visual feast of the eye - a Christmas tree light show of burning stars - along side the suspense of the heist and the continual revelation of the Empires scourge on Aldhani made this episode a well paced and gripping event.
Unfortunately some of the character deaths were underwhelming especially considering how much time the last two episodes took to flesh out the characters. The score for the heist was also a little generic which for star wars is something I'd not expect.
However, those are small weaknesses in an episode full of great moments.
Andor: The Axe Forgets (2022)
A well-written slow burn
The writers of Andor continue their winning streak of delving deeper into dynamics at play amongst the band of rebels.
While shows like the Mando or BoBF would have filled this episode with some kind of wacky side quest distraction, Andor takes the time to build suspense and flesh out characters for the mid season climax to come.
Episode 5 may not be the flashiest or most intense episode yet but its interesting enough to keep the momentum. With the reveal Star Wars universe has cereal with blue milk, Andor is shaping up into a series that will be fondly remembered by fans of Star Wars and breakfast alike.