WATCHED - Andor Seasons 1 + 2

Boy was this couple of series a truly outstanding pleasure. Brilliantly written and staged Andor is set in the Star Wars world of authoritarian Empire and a still nascent rebellion, just prior to the incidents in the film Rogue One. Many characters from that film featuring here. If you thought the three Star Wars prequels and the original trilogy were poorly written at the level of a pre-pubescent Boy's Own Annual cartoons, then be prepared to be surprised by just how adult and cleverly nuanced the script for Andor is. There is lot of waiting around, a lot of hiding, a lot of backstabbing scheming, a lot of political intrigue and betrayal, yet also a lot of action, and scenarios with real heart and humane wit on show here. The makers compare it to the carefully modulated and sophisticated narrative of a John Le Carre post war spy thriller, and one can see why. If you think you don't like Science Fiction then I encourage you to watch this. It very subtly and quietly revolutionises what a Sci-fi epic can be capable of.

There are a vast spectrum of interesting complex characters, too many to mention here, who over the two series you come to understand in more detail, there backgrounds and motivations. Though the story ostensibly centres around the miscreant anti-authority personality of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) a petty thief and chancer. Who is recruited as a reluctant mercenary by the evasive director of rebel activity Luthen  (Stelan Starsgaard )  but ends up being its primary motivating force. No matter how much he tries to get away from it, he keeps being drawn back in for yet one more mission. Another person to save.

Trailing him throughout is Syril ( Kyle Soller ) who imagines himself to be a tough minded resourceful officer, but ends up being demoted for his self-evident incompetence, and has to move back to living with his terrifying confidence crushing Mother (Kathryn Hunter). He envies and admires the hard ass ruthless brutality of Dedra (Denise Gough) who was brought up Empire through and through and who perpetrates the sort of unspeakable cruelties Syril would be totally incapable of doing. A strange odd couple romance does however emerge, that comes crashing down when Syril finds out Dedra lied to him about the real purpose of his mission in Ghorman.

Then there is the seemingly beautifully apportioned realm of Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) a wealthy Senator in the ruling Senate. Who is secretly the vehicle for laundering the money the rebels steal or raise through more respectable channels. Her under the radar financial maneuverings are perpetually in danger of being discovered. Her close childhood school friend and former lover Tay Kolma ( Ben Miles) who is now a high class banker, helps her out disguising funds as donations to a variety of charitable foundations. 

Mothma is probably the most fascinatingly morally compromised character in the whole drama. Icily cool, with an unruffled composure on the exterior, yet internally deeply disturbed by the personal cost to her family of her under cover activities. The standout episode of the entire Andor series takes place during the dance evening after her daughters wedding. Before it starts we see her being told by Luthen he has arranged for someone to resolve the situation with Tay Kolma, because he's been attempting to blackmail Mothma to give him a percentage on rebel money.  Luthen means to bump him off. And uncharacteristically she drops her ultra controlled external demeanour and dances like a person possessed, trying to lose her emotions, to drown out the overwhelming complex of sadness she is being totally consumed by. It is quite the most unexpectedly emotionally knockout scene.

And these are just a few characters from a wonderfully broad range on show in Andor.  Most of the sets are built physical sets or existing buildings cleverly montaged into a green screened city scape. They bring a distinct architectural style to these very different worlds, between the capital planet Coruscant and that of self consciously fashionable Ghorman say. Similarly the costumes are equally diverse, from the immaculately cut tailoring of the capital and the more rough rusticated fabrics of Ghorman. All round applause to everyone involved in this series, this is quite a magnificent achievement. It raises the bar so much for Disney + that even they are unsure quite how you could follow it. 

CARROT REVIEW - 8/8