This article contains spoilers for Andor episode 5
Andor is proving to be a very different beast from all other live-action Star Wars media. The first four episodes established a downbeat atmosphere as we see life at the height of Imperial repression, with the early Rebels still covert and ill-equipped. This mood is continued in ‘The Axe Forgets’, which is almost all build-up for the upcoming heist interspersed with Mon Mothma’s family drama.
Some fans will likely find the lack of any action intolerable, but it seems like the time is right for a slow-paced Star Wars show that’s happy to focus on character-building and painstakingly cranking up the tension:
It sounds like some would be happy for this tension to never be released:
Others say this is just going to make next week’s heist all the more exciting:
Who would have thought we’d be comparing Andor to House of Cards?
We also love that these characters are getting actual no-kidding depth:
This was an excellent scene:
And yes, these are conversations we wouldn’t normally get in any Star Wars media:
So far, Andor has been so good we’re happy to let the show settle into its own groove. There’s good reason to be optimistic that next week’s heist will blow our minds, particularly now that the stakes have been firmly established and we care about this committed group of ragtag Rebels.
Our only gripe is that we wish these episodes were coming in blocks of three, as the wait until episode 6 is going to be painful.
Andor is released Wednesdays on Disney Plus.