More negativity in the comments, so once again I'm going to inject my more positive take. I'm not saying this was a perfect episode. Yes, I was disappointed that the opening didn't end with an action sequence, but the build up/tension was well done, and the way it played out adds more weight to the ONI intrigue/drama. At the end of the day, this is an episode to balance the budget. A cheap talk-y episode so they can save money for extended action sequences in other episodes. I think they are doing a respectable job with both the writing and performances to make even these cheap episodes compelling. Ackerson has definitely been the stand out for me. The actor is killing the role and the development/back story reveal in this episode was excellent. The scene between him and Halsey was fantastic.
After reading some of the negative perspectives, I thought I'd chime in with a more positive take. Overall, I thought this episode was a significant improvement over most of the first season, and the primary reason was writing. The dialogue has a more natural flow and finds ways to inject tension/conflict even in the non-action scenes. To my eyes, the opening action sequence was at least as good (and I'd argue better) than most of the action from the first season. Some of it is a production design shift, with things feeling a bit more gritty. As for the non-action scenes, budget constraints require the writers to build story around human drama, finding B plots that don't require extravagant CGI. I'm sure this is the basis for many of the complaints, but I'm actually impressed with much of what they've come up with so far (e.g., Ackerson tension, spartan team feuding, visiting knockoff Cortana) and am hopeful that they can keep it up.
If you look at the top comments on the first episode of Andor, they are not glowing, including a 5/10 and a 6/10 which refer to it as "pretty generic" and slow. When I saw those comments after watching it, I felt the need to speak up in its defense, as I thought it was the best Star Wars content we've seen in a very long time. Now, with episode 10, I'm having the opposite problem, as people are throwing out hyperbolic praise, when I found it to be a step down from what we've seen previously this season.
That's not to say the episode was bad, but it didn't blow me away either. The episode was a tad too monologue heavy, and the writing of the monologues broke the suspension of disbelief at points, as they were either too slow (during what should be a high pace prison break), or too melodramatic. Generally speaking, I want dialogue that feels practical. I want characters to say that things that they would naturally say if they were in these situations. This is in direct conflict with monologues that read more like prepared speeches. And this doesn't mean the content of the monologues are bad. They just clash with the more gritty realism I've enjoyed from Andor up to this point.
This is a bit more nitpicky, but I was also somewhat disappointed in the mechanics of the prison break; especially how it resolves. There's a lot of handwaving necessary to explain the logistics of 5,000 prisoners being able to swim to freedom from this isolated prison in the ocean.
All of this said, the overall story of the rebellion is still chugging along brilliantly. Mon Mothma's scenes never disappoint, and even with the over the top monologue, Luthen's meeting with the rebel spy still landed as a powerful moment.
I don't usually write TV reviews (too daunting of a task, as I watch a lot of TV), but I was so surprised by all of the criticism and lukewarm comments that I felt the need to throw my two cents in. To put it simply, the writing on this show is leaps and bounds above the writing on all other franchise TV released by Disney+ to date (Star Wars/Marvel). Maybe audiences are just used to the blunt force writing we often see in those other shows, where we are spoon fed on the nose dialogue that tells us exactly what is happening and how we should feel about it. I, for one, much prefer some nuance and subtlety in my TV, and that's what this show delivers. We get to piece together Cassian's plan without ever needing the show to spell things out. It's refreshing and engaging.
Moving to the smaller scale writing, I don't know how someone can watch the introduction scene of Syril Karn and Chief Hyne and not recognize the absolutely top notch dialogue, performances, characterization, story telling, etc. It does so many things at once, and it does them all brilliantly. And that's just one scene! The first episode has many that are equally impressive. As far as criticisms go, I will acknowledge that the opening four or five minutes were a little underwhelming. However, once we get to the actual instigating event, which happens around minute seven or eight, we get another example of excellent writing, dialogue, and performances.
All in all, easily the best Star Wars content we've seen since Rogue One.
Bill Burr Monologue/Scene - 7/10
Retirement - 6/10
Bill Burr Monologue - 6/10
Gümdrop - 6/10
Long Distance - 7/10
Bill Burr Monologue - 6/10
Booty Call - 9/10
Deathbed - 7/10
Bill Burr Monologue - 6/10
Coach - 7/10
Audition - 7/10
Bill Burr Monologue - 6/10
Stalker - 7/10
Drunk Mom - 5/10
Bill Burr Monologue - 6/10
Grave - 7/10
Karen - 5/10
Bill Burr Monologue - 6/10
Something in the Closet - 5/10
Getaway - 7/10
Bill Burr Monologue - 7/10
Stuck - 7/10
Bill Burr Monologue - 7/10
Your Car - 9/10
Confession - 7/10
Bill Burr Monologue - 5/10
Wherever You Want - 3/10
Autopsy - 8/10
An unplanned meeting leads to lunchtime chaos. 4/10
A prank show goes awry at the mall. 4/10
The "Little Buff Boys" competition. 3/10
A ghost tour guest goes too far. 5/10
A solution to equine-related emasculation. 6/10
A problematic game show mascot. 3/10
Baby shower planning gets heated. 5/10
A weird place to hold an intervention. 5/10
An awkward exit at a job interview. 6/10
A very specific legal problem. 5/10
Things get ugly at the "Baby of the Year" contest. 5/10
A gift receipt causes stress. 5/10
A nifty new tug-friendly t-shirt. 6/10
The smart way to ditch your toupee. 5/10
A prank doesn't go so well. 3/10
An airline passenger gets aggressively creepy. 7/10
A magic show opens up a marital rift. 6/10
Interesting idea at a car design brainstorm. 4/10
A fill-in organist at a funeral. 3/10
A very esoteric charades player. 6/10
A service dog gets super friendsly. 4/10
Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Way-Future. 3/10
A man takes a bumper sticker way too literally. 3/10
A hot dog-shaped car crash. 7/10
A co-worker latches on to an expression. 3/10
Music studio riffing goes awry. 6/10
An excuse for tardiness spirals out of control. 4/10
First segment - 7/10
Second segment - 8/10 (Dan Stevens!)
