Long before there was Firefly, there was Blake’s 7. I loved this show; the production values were bargain basement but the universe was well conceived and the characters - each one a different shade of gray - were fantastic.
And now it is remastered on Blu Ray.
It also had an epic finale that was The Sopranos before there was The Sopranos.
Andor S2 E8 is tense as fuck.
Also, Syril continues to be the most interesting character.
Well, he was the most interesting character.
E8 goes hard.
I’m missing the characters who’ve been kicked to the sideline for the first two episodes, haven’t watched the third yet, but boy did I love this:
My archnemesis, who I’ve obsessively hunted for three years and whom I blame for ruining my entire life, as I point my gun at him, about to execute the coup de grâce: “Who are you?” [I am immediately shot in the head]
Yeah.
They did Syril dirty.
Not addressed in the above discussion, is the fact that E9 was an absolutely kick arse espionage thriller.
I thought the switch to have Gold Squadron bring in Mothma was a nod to Luther’s line about using the tools of the enemy. In this case, propaganda. It turns out that it’s more about maintaining continuity with the earlier cartoon shows where this is how it went down.
Great episode. And regarding that spoiler, there’s rarely a frame in this show that doesn’t serve at least two purposes. The writing is packed to the gills with meaning; they don’t let any moment go to waste. So something as simple as that continuity correction can turn into exactly the kind of thematic point you felt.
Blake’s 7 arrived today. I’m watching E1 for the first time in at least 40 years, and it’s totally preposterous. The protagonist Blake is the leader of a protest movement against an authoritarian regime who is accused of being a pedophile and shipped out to an off-planet gulag.
Just laughably far fetched. Eh? Oh.
As regards the package itself, it has the show with the enhanced space effects - which look pretty janky themselves. But also included are the original broadcast versions without the effects upgrades. I am curious as to which version I will prefer.
1970’s BBC show: Brian Blessed…check.
1970’s BBC show: hot chicks in go-go boots…check.
So E3 sees Blake’s 7 arrive at a desolate prison colony planet where the inmates have turned to religion (with Brian Blessed being the high priest, of course).
I hope no one steals that premise as tries to shoehorn it into a blockbuster franchise requiring them to kill off-screen some beloved characters to make it work.
Sorry if this has been covered already but i highly recommend “scavenger reign”.
Animated scifi was made on max but is now on netflix. Trippy and interesting.
I’m going to have to give Bezos some money, aren’t I?
That face after drinking the Nuka Cola! 
In advance for the finale arc of Andor tonight, I think we have to be ready for Disney to present a three-episode bromance between Cassian and the dude who he offs at the beginning of Rogue One - named Tivik.
That killing was necessary to show that Andor was committed to the rebellion and willing to do whatever it takes, which made him a legitimate threat to assassinate Galen Erso. But given how this show has a penchant for taking what we know and cranking up the feels, I think it’s safe to assume that Andor and Tivik are going to be made absolute besties, possibly with Tivik having saved Andor’s life at some point.
ETA: Jeez - I bet Tivik’s injuries, which made him unable to escape the stormtroopers in Rogue One, were incurred in said Andor life-saving escapades. I should be writing this stuff.
Andor E10
The confrontation between Dedra and Luthen was too brief but otherwise perfect.
This arc is going to have a body count like Rogue One.
Just finished the series. No particular comments on this last set of episodes (they’re great), I just want to focus, now that it’s over, on how much of a miracle this show was.
Landing…stuck.
Now I have to re-watch Rogue One again to see how this plays into that.
To be honest, when I watch it now, I typically skip to the scene on Yavin where the alliance declines to act because the first hour of the movie is where the chaos of its making really stand out to me.
However, with the additional context from the show - particularly around Saw Gerrera - I think all that will hit differently and be eminently more re-watchable.
One of the unexpected things that Rogue One did was add context and weight to the opening of A New Hope. I suspect Andor has done the same for Rogue One. Quite an achievement as I cannot think of any other prequel that has done anything close to that, let alone two in the same franchise.
I’ll watch that!!!
So…yeah…the finale of Andor does do for Rogue One what Rogue One does for A New Hope.
Rogue One opens with the Ersos’ flashback scene, but now we know from the series that Galen is involved with the Death Star somehow, so this entire scene is heightened from the very off.
Then, when Andor meets Tivik on Kafrene, the sense of urgency from the series’ ending is matched. When Tivik mentions Galen Erso, Cassian is triggered by the name which is why he is so quick to shoot the random troopers who blunder upon them.
Tivik tells Cassian about the Imperial pilot on Jedha before he is killed. We go immediately to that locale, before we cut to the breakout of Jyn and the mission to interrogate the pilot and thereafter to Edu to rescue/kill Galen.
The entire timeline from S2 E10 to the end of A New Hope takes place over the span of about a week. How these elements - made years/decades apart - all fit together is remarkable writing.
The genius and skill of the Andor/Rogue One/New Hope arc makes the sequel trilogy look even more clumsy and amateurish.
I just finished watching Andor finally. And goddamn what a fucking masterpiece Season 2 was. I wish we had more time to experience K-2SO and Cassian bonding, but otherwise absolutely no notes.
A master class in storytelling, drama, and tying in to Rogue One and A New Hope.