Andor 1x08 Reaction
Added 2025-11-12 00:53:21 +0000 UTCthe full will be up tomorrow
Comments
Vader's role from every piece of content of Star Wars I've seen is just being the grim reaper for Jedi's and the rebellion. he hunts down every Jedi that survived Order 66(which means nothing to you girls having not seen the prequel movies) and is so immensely powerful that there's really nothing anyone can do against him, unless you're the main character of the original movie trilogy. There's so much lore for this universe that this is probably like a small percentage of what Vader's role entails on a daily, and even Palpatine's role as emperor is not something I really know about.
.mvnk
2025-11-15 20:29:01 +0000 UTCSurely you guys will react to "Rogue One" after you finish the series, right?
John West
2025-11-14 17:47:56 +0000 UTCcharity begins at home is hilarious lmao i didn't catch that.
jweher
2025-11-13 12:31:53 +0000 UTCWhat an episode. Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis are incredible actors and I cherish every scene with them. Much has been said about Saw's political rant, and most see a clear indictment of progressive infighting. I think that's true but I also happen to agree with Saw in that moment. I believe unification of various rebel groups is impossible without a common ideology, but I don't share Saw's enthusiasm for his particular brand of guerilla-warlord revolution. That's why you need Nemik and his political eloquence, without him you get Forest Whitaker screaming about everyone being lost! A particular juicy bit of this episode I adore to rewatch is Mon's work party, and specifically the exchange between her, Perrin and Tay. It is so dense and unfortunately so easy to miss. I could write an entire page just about it but nobody wants that so I'll just post some excerpts that are ...burdened... with meaning. "You used to like it." "I was just better at pretending." "Well, that I find hard to believe." "Sagrona." "What are we toasting?" "A quick night." "Hmm. I'll drink to that." "Mon is working." "Well, there's much to be done." "I don't think you're on the menu tonight, Tay." "Do you remember Perrin at 15?" "Oh, let's not." "The academy firebrand." "Bartender: Two squigs again, sir?" "Please." "How things change, eh?" "Well, good luck, feeding the galaxy. I'm off to feed myself." "Charity begins at home." 🤣 Just banger after banger. I was howling at the TV the first time I watched this exchange.
Berezant
2025-11-13 05:53:02 +0000 UTCAbsolutely brilliant analysis & commentary by both of you. I also have to praise you for knowing & pointing out the events that are occurring in the US. Sadly I have to say you know more about the present conditions in the US than a majority of Americans. When George Lucas created Stat Wars the Empire was an avatar for the US and the rebels were based on the Viet Cong. Honestly if the US manages to escape the trajectory that is leading us to an authoritarian/fascist takeover Andor will be a factor in why it was prevented. What I mean by that is for years people tried to warn the overall population of how what those on the right were trying to do was move the country towards an authoritarian state. Many said those warning were akin to paranoia or chicken little. Then the second season of Andor came out and word of mouth was so positive people rewatched the first season & those who weren't that into Star Wars watched. Suddenly the warnings they were given started click in people's mind. Now it is to the point that like Lola said Andor has basically become a documentary or a manifesto that has created an awareness that has helped more & more people everyday understand the fascist playbook. The reality is Andor feels prophetic or like a documentary is because Authoritarian & Fascist takeovers start to finish always do the same things.
Jason Sadowski
2025-11-13 03:12:35 +0000 UTCAnother subversion I missed in my post. It takes guts to sit there and admit that to guys risking their lives.
Kara
2025-11-13 00:49:59 +0000 UTCthere's gotta be a dozen of us who were riding for this show from s1 2022 lmao. we stay winning in the end 🙏
Kara
2025-11-13 00:49:12 +0000 UTCAndy Serkis is perhaps best known as the voice of Gollum from the Lord of the Rings movies
Sekraan
2025-11-13 00:34:24 +0000 UTCEvery week is like ‘this is why Andor won the vote and it wasn’t even close’.
Patrick
2025-11-12 23:26:25 +0000 UTCThat’s how a southern truck driver would call it
My Toasty Toast
2025-11-12 23:15:05 +0000 UTC"I'm a coward." Every episode in this series is a direct questioning of identity.
Thomas Fahey
2025-11-12 22:03:08 +0000 UTChttps://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/he-tells-it-like-it-is-paul-not.jpg
Kara
2025-11-12 21:13:47 +0000 UTCYou have to rewatch Star Wars after this a lot of people probably didn’t realize but Padme(Natalie Portman) character was only 14 in episode 1 ruling as Queen of Naboo the lore behind people in Star Wars is very fascinating tbh.
Oluwaseyi
2025-11-12 20:54:27 +0000 UTCAt some point I'm hoping they stop calling it Ander
Dk
2025-11-12 20:49:56 +0000 UTCA part that stuck out to me are the snobs at Mon Mothma’s banquet that talk about Palpatine “is he easily provoked and quick to overreact? Yes. But he says what he means.” I have the misfortune of knowing a lot of centrists and it’s the same dialogue regarding Trump or Netanyahu, you have a group of people entirely unaffected, or at most inconvenienced, by policies from these authoritarian leaders that target and hurt people other than yourself. And they choose not to take sides or undermine the extreme words/actions of these world leaders by trying to prescribe rational thinking to atrocities. It’s a form of bystander-ism that does nothing but help the oppressors. That scene infuriates me every time because I know people who remain centrist and think even basic human rights is part of a political discussion rather than what it should be, just a given.
My Toasty Toast
2025-11-12 19:40:09 +0000 UTCAlso wanted to +1 Lola’s mention of 13th, Ava DuVernay’s great documentary on the subject.
Mike
2025-11-12 19:26:38 +0000 UTCI’m continually impressed by how much Lola knows about us politics (and really public policy). I dont think the vast majority of Americans know the role the 13th amendment plays in (what is essentially) the enslavement of imprisoned people in the US. For those interested, there is a great book on this topic called “Slavery by Another Name”. It covers the very intentional ties between slavery and the US prison system. Lastly, one of the most dystopian things i’ve ever read on this topic is that the contracts between states and private prison companies often include penalties for the state not supplying a certain number of prisoners. The states are literally charged millions in fines if they imprison fewer people. The whole thing is pretty dark. But very much in line with what this episode in Andor portrayed.
Mahad Ali
2025-11-12 16:57:21 +0000 UTCI'll summarize some general history that might help: The galaxy was largely governed by a republic. About 15 years prior to this show, there was a war with a collection of planets and planetary systems known as "The Separatist Alliance." The republic "won" the war, but immediately became an empire. Some current rebels fought for the republic and some were separatists. There are some people in the galaxy who have been fighting for and/or (lol) against the Republic/Empire nonstop for years.
Jordan Malloy
2025-11-12 15:18:00 +0000 UTCI always likened Palpatine's non-presence in this show (but scary name drops) to The Thick Of It/Succession's mentions of the PM/President. It really does not matter who he is and that's awesome considering it's Star Wars.
Jamie
2025-11-12 14:09:33 +0000 UTCWhat stands out to me among the prison scenes is one guy (Melshi) coming up to Cassian and telling him not to bother with his number of days, the Empire won't let anyone out anyway, which Kino (Andy Serkis' character) obviously doesn't like. Not sure to what extent we should give background information in the comments, but Saw Gerrera, the guy Luthen met, is one of the few characters in Andor that has been previously established. He features in a couple of episodes of some of the animated Star Wars series (Clone Wars, Bad Batch, Rebels), set some years before Andor. In Clone Wars he fights against Separatists occupying his home world with the help of the Republican army/Jedi. The Separatists kill his sister in this struggle. That's probably one of the reasons why doesn't want to work with the guy Luthen brings up (Anto Kreegyr), as he says Kreegyr is a separatist.
Biberius Caldius Mero
2025-11-12 13:54:25 +0000 UTCThem not knowing much about Star Wars continues to be hilarious. Somehow reminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg-pnGFbwMQ
Biberius Caldius Mero
2025-11-12 11:58:55 +0000 UTCI need 2 episodes a week 🤣🤣😭😭😭😭😭
Jesse S
2025-11-12 10:51:17 +0000 UTCEvery time I rewatch I'm gagged by how much they cram into one episode. When Luthen started flying to Segra Milo I was like holyyy that's in this episode too?? OK! "The tables compete against each other" and "This will be a sprint segment" are both out of productivity / corporate gamification playbooks, notably used by Amazon (many others too). Turning labor into a game/competition with rewards and punishments to maximize productivity 💀 Lots of fun subversions here. Syril makes his "im epic please use me" pitch to the ISB and gets turned down? Cassian is pulled into a very clean prison with unarmed guards + as much food as you can eat, yay? Bix calls for help from The Rebellion[tm] and immediately gets arrested. Saw laughs in Luthen's face when he tries to get him to team up with centrists and racists. All rebellions, in some way, are built on naivety. You have to naively believe that your desperate, occupied call for help will be answered. You have to naively believe there's a way out of a prison where they can double, triple your sentence at any time for no reason. You have to naively believe that an aging "terrorist" living in a cave would compromise his values and work with people who represent everything he stands against. So empire wins by default, again and again and again. It's probably time to talk about the Patriot act. In the wake of 9/11 where the US was hellbent on revenge, buoyed by desperate-to-please allies in the UK and elsewhere, congress passed the Patriot Act. Among other things it allowed: unrestricted surveillance of citizens, created new broad "terrorism" related charges you could use to arrest everyone, hugely increased the sentences for these "terrorism" charges and made it easier to detain any non-citizens suspected of these crimes. Andor's PORD is a clear reference to that, and I think it's genius to contrast Mon Mothma hosting a lavish party where senators blithely talk about how the legislation is good cuz it stops 'terror attacks like Aldhani' against an innocent person's imprisonment under that same act. Again the show pulls from the real world to build out this sci-fi universe. On Palpatine: "He says what he means", a phrase used to justify many populist figures in history and in the present day. In warm, high rooms people sip champagne and discuss the merits of legislation that elsewhere, is working innocent people to death. C'est la vie. Bonus Thoughts: Cinta says babygirl I love you but it goes Rebellion #1, Yuri #2. Maarva doing random independent "rebel" stuff with no support and catching a cold is sad but endearing. Luthen trying to keep "who did Aldhani" a secret even from people "On his side" is high level spymaster shit. Karn's "I WAS A GOOD DEPUTY INSPECTOR" is soooo Pete Campbell coded... "HELLS BELLS DEDRA I DID MY JOB!"
Kara
2025-11-12 07:43:50 +0000 UTCIt's such a good bit. You already have the guy you're looking for but your ecstatic galactic fascist bureaucracy means you can't easily know that.
Kara
2025-11-12 07:06:45 +0000 UTCthe funny thing being he's actually kinda like that. powered by sass. would have slayed as a drag race judge
Kara
2025-11-12 07:03:49 +0000 UTCi also thought darth vader was the emperor. i had heard of palpatine but i thought he was the evil advisor working from the shadows lol. a friend cleared that up and it was funny watching the movies after living with all those assumptions for years.
jweher
2025-11-12 06:11:25 +0000 UTCPalpatine: "Not me taking over the galaxy" 💅
Father of the Year
2025-11-12 04:15:22 +0000 UTCI hate that I don't have enough time to watch the full with this show but bet I'll rewatch the reactions with the full the moment I have a few days off. I'm busier now that I'm on vacations 💀
sand_fl
2025-11-12 03:54:19 +0000 UTCGosh I love the prison arc
Nick Wilcox
2025-11-12 03:38:32 +0000 UTCThe discussion about how this show equates to The Wire in terms of realism is exactly what I think too. You come at the Palpatine, you best not miss.
Michael M
2025-11-12 02:34:29 +0000 UTCVery good episode! You are in my favourite arc! As always very sharp, very spot on analysis! Abusing the right of imprisoned people is the first thing fascist regimes do as the can be otherised by the general population and thus their suffering can be ignored. Also very the middle managers being prisoners reminds me of preferred African slaves being plantation drivers (the ones responsible for making the other slaves work, controlling the whip etc.) giving them preferencial treatment and absolving them from the brutal manual labour. In this way they hoped that the rage at the terrible conditions would be consentrated with their fellow slaves, not the slavemasters. Of course little did they know that in Haiti the leaders of the rebellion would be drivers (look up Toutsaint Louverture).
broken king
2025-11-12 02:09:05 +0000 UTCNeed dat full reaction 😙
Jesse S
2025-11-12 01:57:00 +0000 UTCCassian is (indirectly? directly?) responsible for doubling the sentences of everyone in prison with him. I can understand why he doesn't want to talk about it.
Mike
2025-11-12 01:53:06 +0000 UTCSaw Gerrera, aka Star Wars' version of Che Guevara. Freedom fighter, insurgent, rebel, terrorist; all accurate descriptions of the character. He was first introduced in the animated shows, and has since been brought into live action, video games, novels, comics, everything. Fantastic character played wonderfully, I can't wait to see what you girls think of him later.
Jah_Rule_95
2025-11-12 01:48:18 +0000 UTCYay Lola recognized Andy Serkis lol. I had faith.
SwampFox95
2025-11-12 01:46:47 +0000 UTCThis is what the ISB mentioned about the PORD in the previous episode. "We will be invoking the Public Order Resentencing Directive later today. P-O-R-D. Any criminal act, with even indirect effect on the Empire, will henceforth be branded a Class One Offense. All prison sentences are immediately re-evaluated. All outstanding fines and levies are to be paid in full." Its why Cassian's prison sentence went from 6 months to 6 years.
JC
2025-11-12 01:35:22 +0000 UTC"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause" - Natalie Palpatine
Jamie
2025-11-12 01:33:13 +0000 UTCLol, you guy's are struggling so hard with Star Wars lore (which is fine), but you should just watch Rogue 1 thru Return of the Jedi immediately after watching this show.
Edward Lewis
2025-11-12 01:29:58 +0000 UTCAww delay on the full :(
Hollow
2025-11-12 01:26:44 +0000 UTCI love how pissed off you get at this show and at the empire. The most invested reactors of all time lol
Sverrir_Thor
2025-11-12 01:24:16 +0000 UTCCalling Palpatine a ‘goddess’ is so funny knowing his wrinkling old face haha
Sam
2025-11-12 01:05:12 +0000 UTCThere's something so delicious about how the Empire wants to find Andor not knowing that they've already imprisoned him. Also, thinking that Darth Vader was the emperor and that Palpatine was who Natalie Portman played is hilarious. This is far and away the blindest reaction to the show which makes it stick out all the more in a good way!
Myeh
2025-11-12 01:03:42 +0000 UTCOn program 🙆♂️
Mike
2025-11-12 01:02:23 +0000 UTC
