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S01E33: Aerating with Andor: Act II
31 Plays3 months ago
Let's talk about the Heist arc (or the Jailbreak arc? No, the Heist arc!) with Ben and Phil. And stay tuned at the end for a very important announcement! And a sneak preview!
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Transcript
Introduction to Andor Discussion
00:00:00
Speaker
We're talking about the Eldani heist sequence on Andor. Grab your joints and brooms. It's the Star Wars cleaning crew.
00:00:09
Speaker
Welcome back to the Star Wars cleaning crew. We are this week returning to our Andor rewatch with Ben and Phil. First time for Phil. And you are about to learn the dangers that your host has when you're trying to recap a series over multiple weeks, but you're ahead on the shows. So anyway, here's the conversation. Enjoy.
Episodes 4-7 Analysis
00:00:32
Speaker
All right, let's talk about and or episodes four through seven. And you know what? When we've been doing this series, I've usually been asking Phil first what he's thought of it. But then for a little change of pace, because I know Phil's going to love it, then what is what are your thoughts on the ah the oh, shoot, what's the name of the planet? Narkeena five. Oh, Donnie. Is no else honest to me, wasn't it? Wait, are we?
00:01:01
Speaker
This is oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. See, I'm losing track. She is. Oh, this is the highest in Al Ghani. It's the highest in Al Ghani. This is the one that breaks everything open and I loved it. I loved it. I thought this is this was maybe the high point of the series. You could argue that. I think there's other great points, but there certainly seem to be more action and more spectacle in this series of episodes than we'd seen before. ah We really get the.
Character Development: Andor and the Empire
00:01:27
Speaker
deep dive into the escalation of the empire. Now we're going to sort of meet our our ISB agents and the ways that they're trying to track down what's going on. Some of their politics, we see this amazing kind of heist that's going on, ah the complacence of the Imperials, their sort of ah condescension toward the locals. um We see, you know, life and death decisions being made. And when we kind of look at what that tells us about the character of Andor,
00:01:57
Speaker
We're realizing that he's a very capable guy. I mean, I think we kind of were starting to see parts of that before, but I didn't really feel that until this sequence of episodes. And then when that's all done, we realized that he's really not looking to kick up a fuss. There are people who are starting this nascent rebellion around him and he is not into it yet. So we're looking for the rest of the series to tell us how he goes from kind of fairly competent espionagey guy, shady character.
00:02:27
Speaker
to somebody who will eventually find himself up in Rogue One. Yeah, I would say you start to see his potential as a leader emerge in these episodes. He's only leading because it's what he has to do in order to save his own skin. Yeah, that's right. And get himself out of it, right? he You know, he will only do it when forced to do it, but he has the ability to do it when he does so. That's great. And I apologize for thinking that we were already three episodes ahead of whatever. It's because I'm i'm already three episodes ahead.
00:02:55
Speaker
because I can't stop the rewatching. I've been very strictly limiting myself and it's it's hard now. It's hard. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Well, we'll get back to we'll get back to the ones I originally talking about next week or the next time we record. Phil, now give me how is your opinion? Was I right that you liked it? Yeah, you were right. I love the heist episodes. I specifically I mean, four and five is kind of a slow burn planning episodes.
Heist Execution and Character Dynamics
00:03:20
Speaker
And you know, that's always a fun part of the heist and I do think it's difficult to like make those at those parts beats of the story as interesting as the actual heist itself. But I was fully there for, you know, Cass trying to integrate himself into this crew and them being, you know, rightfully so very reluctant to trust him initially. um And then yeah, the sixth episode, the heist episode was just, it was the high point in the series, I think thus far, I love the action, I love the pace,
00:03:48
Speaker
the thrill of it, you know, and then always there's always something that's going to go wrong in a high. So it's always that tension and suspense. And I feel like they kept me engaged the entire episode. So I loved it. And I loved, I also loved the visuals of it, how they had the, you know, kind of the masking by the local celebration.
00:04:02
Speaker
And the the fireworks or the lights in the sky, that was amazing. The one thing, and I'll say to your point, Bob, you know, one one of my issues in our previous episodes, we talked about Solo. And I said that I didn't really feel like Solo did a good job of showing us, you know, Han at the beginning and then Han at the end. I felt like we were kind of in the same place.
00:04:24
Speaker
In this one, I really do feel like there is a character arc here with Cass in contrast to yeah Solo. So as you said, like I'm really starting to see him become a leader, not necessarily like you know kick up dust with the Empire, but still one who, yeah, will take charge to save his own skin. The one thing that I was a little like eh on was the almost betrayal by Eben Moss-Backracks character.
00:04:51
Speaker
His name just gave me right now that sort of almost portrayal where he tries to tempt Cassian into just splitting the money with him Yeah going off And then obviously he shoots him ah It felt very out of character to sort of like rewrite be like oh I lied about everything a lot of my brother a lot about my feelings towards the Empire and Um, and I almost felt like he was testing him. I thought that it was a test initially. So it you that, that just like little kind of plot point felt a little bit, um, like out of nowhere and a little out of character for me. Well, I mean, for all we know, he was testing him. Yeah. Yeah. guys just shoot some at anyway yeah I don't know.
00:05:29
Speaker
Yeah, it's true. um One of the things about not being prepared, I had to now come up with my list of all the character names. That was Skeen. And he was great in that. he was And I saw this before I saw the bear.
00:05:44
Speaker
Okay. Oh, you know, so it was interesting to see that comparison between his two characters there. I resisted calling him cousin. and I guess I just did. um yeah Yeah. Yeah. No, I can buy that. It was definitely a hard left turn for that character. um But i I thought it was I thought it was great. It was just kind of like one of those unfoldings of Oh, yeah, he made up that story about his brother.
00:06:11
Speaker
Yeah. He really was in it for the money all along. Yeah. Very
Consequences and Emotional Moments
00:06:16
Speaker
interesting. I think that the the other thing that I'm seeing is starting to make that turn is he gets, he runs a foul of the empire in episode seven, right? For things that we all go, man, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yeah. And you see his whole sort of mode of like, I can just kind of go out there and and live somewhere. I can kind of get out of the way. I can be by myself.
00:06:40
Speaker
You know, he's left, uh, pharynx and even, and I can't remember the name of his, uh, adoptive mother's name, but you know, she doesn't come with him, Margaret. That's right. yeah And, and so she's just like, well, you know, I'm not going to go with you. This is, everywhere's going to be bad. He doesn't believe her until he gets to the place where it shouldn't be bad.
00:07:02
Speaker
And it is, and it is, yeah I'm just a tourist. The seventh episode really did feel like the, like kind of the falling action post the climax, but I loved those emotional moments with her with, with Cass's mom and that, that, yeah that sort of ending scene between them was just, yeah, it was just heartbreaking. Yeah. And then Niamos, is that how you pronounce the planet he goes to?
00:07:24
Speaker
they amo yeah i remember it looked It looked like a tropical paradise. It looked like Miami in Star Wars. It looked awesome. And I love the music and it's super like happy-go-lucky for the first couple of minutes. And then, you know, that last scene is just super tense. Yeah. It's just wrong place, wrong time. Didn't expect that. I love the cliffhanger. And now are we going to get some like prison and prison break episodes?
00:07:47
Speaker
that That's what I'm hoping we're going to get, like a nice, exciting prison escape. obass your face you know I see I see where they're going, and I'm i'm looking forward to it. you know you know Phil, ah I think you're going to find a Christmas miracle is coming up this week.
Speculations and Character Insights
00:08:05
Speaker
You'll love it. You may know what you want. so One of the questions I had was the Imperial ah security droid that ultimately like hung him up against the wall. Was that K2SO? We don't know. Maybe at some point it's actually that droid, because I think it's exactly the same model. It is the same model, that's for sure. we'll We'll find out in the next season, because I know that the kind of the origin story of K2SO will be told in the next season. Oh, that's fun. so which, you know, could potentially be another hard shift for a character, although that will be a little more engineered ah by a droid mechanic. Another kind of two-faced attitude about a character is Luthin, because it's in this set of episodes
00:08:50
Speaker
Where we start to see his cover character of being the the antiquities dealer on Coruscant and I just absolutely adore that from the from the very first scenes where he's on his ship on the Thondor.
00:09:06
Speaker
And he's putting on the costume and then you see him like getting into character. Did you notice that he, you know, he, he like kind of trills his hands around and, you know, gives that smile. but And that's how he becomes that person. Just amazing. So, so, so good. Those scenes with the Senator, especially the one post heist is so good. And it's, and I love the little like turn of them, you know, with their back to the guard.
00:09:33
Speaker
kind of talking very seriously than him turning around and being like yes yeah and being sort of waving his hands and have that big that big stupid grin uh yeah it's great yeah well feel interesting that you said that senator So did do you recognize who that character is? The female senator from from Chandra? No. Okay. So this is Mon Mothma who you first saw in Return of the Jedi. So she was the leader of the rebellion. She was the overall leader of the rebellion. She was the one who said
00:10:08
Speaker
Many buttons died to bring us this information in return of the Jedi in the briefing and ah She ultimately, you know becomes the the leader of the New Republic When return of the Jedi is is done. Oh, so well now i can see the gear now now I can see the tea leaves there for that. Yeah, and say same with as you said Bob the character names are escaping me the the You know, the Imperial guard who, you know, got essentially fired for his role in the third episode. What's his name? That's Cyril Karn. Cyril Karn. Yeah. You know, I think when we recorded the last episode, um I was either you or Ben who said, ah you know, your your feelings on him might change a little bit once you watch this next batch of episodes. And I can see why you said that because of the way his mother acts, but I still don't like him.
00:11:02
Speaker
yeah I wasn't saying that you'd like him. I was just saying you'd look at him differently. How about that? I suppose I do look at, I have, I can understand, you know, I'm sure it's tough growing up with that, with that mother. I'm sure it's not easy, but I'm still like, no, I don't like you. That does not justify the things we've seen you do. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
00:11:26
Speaker
Um, all right, guys, we are actually like running short on time because I've got other stuff I need to do on this episode. Um, what other like key points do you want to make sure that you don't leave our, our listeners without saying, I'll just say, I love the cast of characters. I think I, you know, sort of alluded to this, but the cast of characters.
00:11:45
Speaker
in the highest episodes four through six were a great bunch and I feel like they were all really fleshed out and I feel like Cass's relationship with them were explored in different interesting ways and I think a great like overall oh great overall casting I think just generally so I enjoyed that in particular that ensemble one of the things we observed in the last batch of episodes and we see sort of more in this set
Empire's Oppression and Heist Praise
00:12:08
Speaker
of episodes. I think we're going to see more even more yet in future episodes. And I really hope that they they did this in Rogue One. I really hope that they really keep this ah high in season two is just that sense of weight and oppression that the Empire has. You know, if anything could make you think, you know, it doesn't matter what you have to do, you have to believe that these people who form the rebellion are motivated to
00:12:35
Speaker
take up arms and get out of their normal life, ah you've got to see what it's like living in this space. And I think they're doing a very good job, have done a very good job of really making us feel that sense of bureaucratic evil. And I think that's something that the empires, if you don't feel that you won't believe this series. Yeah.
00:12:57
Speaker
And the degree of evil is just going to keep turning up like, you know, the heat under a boiler. That'll be amazing. My last thought is simply this is I will stick with my, this last, the the heist series was the best Star Wars content that had been put out since Return of the Jedi until the next one that we're going to talk about next week. Wow. That's a big, that's a big sell right there.
00:13:27
Speaker
I guess we'll see. You've been right the last two times, Bob. I'm hoping I'm right a third. Make sure you come back. this Make sure you come back. There's no way out. You've got to do it. No way out or maybe one way out. A little foreshadowing there. Thank you, Ben and Phil. We're going to get back to that conversation. But I said during our talk with Ben and Phil, I had some other business on this episode and I'm going to take care of that
Podcast Updates and Listener Engagement
00:13:52
Speaker
now. So here is an announcement. This is the last episode of the first season of Star Wars Cleaning Crew.
00:14:00
Speaker
And as we start season two, coming up in a week or so, we are changing the name of the podcast. So we got some great advice that the title of our podcast was fun, but it doesn't really capture what is in the tin, that idea of it's a quick 15 minute Star Wars podcast. So we are changing the name of the podcast to short for a Stormtrooper, a 15 minute Star Wars podcast. Now you shouldn't have to change anything in your podcast app. It will just change automatically. You'll see it. But if you're wondering where Star Wars cleaning crew is, and now all of a sudden you see short for a Stormtrooper in your feed, that's what's going on.
00:14:49
Speaker
So that's the story. Thank you so much for being a loyal listener of Star Wars Cleaning Crew. I hope you will continue to enjoy Short for a Stormtrooper. And please, if you haven't already, click like, click subscribe. Most of all, tell all your friends. Would love to have you continue with this voyage with me. And as I try to build up the numbers on this podcast, could really use your help. So just a quick sample.
00:15:15
Speaker
To whet your appetite, I'm going to close with the outro music for Short for a Stormtrooper. You'll get the rest of it next week. Until then, may the force be with you. We'll see you soon.