Andor S01E01: Kassa (Full Reaction)

Kassa- Thank you so very much for your fun reaction to the first episode in this phenomenal Star Wars series, titled... Andor, Reds!! I absolutely love this show! And this first episode is a great start for all that's great to come! I hope you enjoyed this episode too, my friend. Unfortunately, Andor is known to be among the lowest rated of all the Star Wars shows that have come out on Disney Plus, ever since the first Star Wars show that came out years ago... The Mandalorian. A show that I personally can't get into. But apparently, Star Wars fans are frustrated with Andor, because they want nothing but action and all the excitement that is seen within the Star Wars movies. They want shows about the action heroes and/or villains. Shows all about the Jedi, the Skywalkers, or about Darth Vader, etc... Shows that include The Mandalorian, Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and other well known and loved Star Wars characters. Andor isn't about any of these characters, or full of excitement. It's about the lives of the regular people, including Cassian Andor, before he becomes a hero of the Rebellion. People who are just fighting for survival in a galaxy that is run and ruled by the evil Empire. And I absolutely love this show because we see what the everyday life is like for these ordinary people. People who are insignificant and easily stepped on by the Empire. Star Wars fans, and anyone who might just enjoy Star Wars, don't give this show enough credit, and many haven't bothered watching it in spite of most fans loving the movie... Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It's so sad. We've unfortunately grown to always want bigger, louder, flashier, and more excitement from the shows and movies we watch nowadays. Especially when it comes to anything and everything Star Wars. And if a show or movie doesn't deliver, and even exceed our expectations, then we dismiss them and choose to stop watching them, which is so sad. For me... Andor absolutely delivers, no matter how slow the build. It's amazingly well written, and by a director and writer who was never a fan of Star Wars until he wrote and directed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And he's still not a big fan of the original Star Wars movies, or their prequels and sequels. Tony Gilroy is a genius in directing and writing the movies and shows he works on! I'm not like most people when it comes to the shows and movies I watch. Many people want just the thrills and excitement. For me... I love a good story that is well written and deeply driven into, with a good plot, good music, and most of all... great characters who are played by great actors. And Diego Luna is most certainly a phenomenal actor, who plays a marvelous character I've loved ever since Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And I've loved Diego Luna in a great number of his other movies too. Other movies including The Terminal, Open Range, and the recent remake of a classic 80s movie under the same name, titled... Flatliners. Unfortunately, Cassian Andor has always been seen by most Star Wars fans to be one of the weakest characters in Rogue One, which I absolutely and completely disagree with. I've always loved him, and he's actually always been my favorite character in Rogue One. I don't understand why the fans see him as one of the weaker characters, because Diego Luna is phenomenal, and phenomenal in this role of Cassian!! And he's fascinating! Cassian Andor was always a character I wanted to learn so much more about, even after he dies along with all the rest of his Rebel team down on Scariff when they're fighting to get the Death Star plans. So, when I learned that they were creating and writer a whole two seasons all about Cassian, I was absolutely so excited!!! One season has come out, and soon season two will be coming out as well! And I can't wait for season two!!! :) As for this first episode of Andor, titled... Kassa... I really love it!! It always flies by whenever I watch it, as does every episode, no matter how many times I watch all of this show's episodes. Kassa does have a slow build, but only because it is trying to help us get to know the rest of the characters outside of Cassian, whom we already know and get to meet in Rogue One. This episode reveals that this show is set about five years before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as the letters and number... BBY 5 appear at the bottom of the screen in the very beginning as we see Cassian Andor walking towards the city and corporate zone on the planet, Morlana One. BBY 5 indicates that this show is set five years before the Battle of Yavin, which is the big space fight in the end of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, when Luke, Han, Leia, and the Rebels all fight to blow up the Empire's first Death Star. And because we know that Rogue One is set immediately before the first ever Star Wars movie... A New Hope, we know that BBY 5 means this show is set five years before the events we see in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as well as in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In the opening, we watch as Cassian walks into a bar within a shady district on Morlana One under the control of those similar to what we might call beat cops', or simply lowly and underpaid officers within the Empire. Unfortunately, Cassian immediately struggles to ignore the officers that begin to try to rile him and interfere in his business, all the while trying to find his sister or any information about where she's disappeared to. Unfortunately, Cassian is soon forced to kill these two men in self defense. With the exception of the one cop, whom he must outrightly murder in order to protect himself from any reprisal he hopes won't come, but knows better. It's all absolutely fabulous!! This whole scene is brilliantly acted by Diego Luna, and beautifully shot as well. Clearly, Cassian didn't want to kill these men harassing him. He didn't mean to kill the first cop, and he felt forced to kill the second cop in order to keep him from ratting him out to the higher ups. And in a world where the galaxy and every world is run by the Empire, Cassian had no choice but to kill in order to survive. They attacked him first when one of them struck him across his face, and they were trying to rob him of the little money he had on him. And from seeing where and how Cassian lives on the planet Ferrix, you can see that he and the people on Ferrix are all very poor. So, the money he has on him is clearly precious to him and much needed. He couldn't allow himself to be robbed. In Rogue One: Star Wars Story, we see Rebel spy, Cassian Andor, kill an informant who dares to pass along information to him about the Death Star when he comes out to meet with him, after they are confronted by two stormtroopers. Most people see Cassian murdering this man in cold blood. And yes... Cassian outright kills this man, which isn't right by any means. However, Cassian hesitates momentarily afterwards and looks down on what he's just done with deep regret and sadness, showing us that he didn't want to kill this man. He only did so because once again... He had to in order to survive, and so he could get the information about the building of the Death Star back to the Alliance. So, yes... Cassian has killed people, both to protect himself and for the Rebellion. And it's not always right. But he does so in order to truly survive in a dark and cruel galaxy run by evil people. It's clear that he hates having to kill these people. He even says as much to Jyn in Rogue One, when he comes to her in the end to proclaim he believes in her and that he's ready to fight with her against the Empire. And I absolutely love his character for his complexities, as well as for his strength, and his strong will to fight against all odds to survive. And the rest of this episode of this episode is wonderfully written as well! I love seeing Cassian on Ferrix, as he goes around to talk with a number of people. Both friends, as well as acquaintances. And I love getting to know a number of the other characters introduced to us from his home. Characters such as his little adorable droid named B2-EMO, whom Cassian simply calls Bee, as well as two of his close friends, Brasso and Bix Caleen, and a few other acquaintances close with Bix... Timm Karlo, Salman Paak, and Paak's son. I absolutely love Bee, Cassian's droid, whom you can see means a lot to him, and who loves Cassian too. It is absolutely incredible that we can see and feel so many emotions from the droids within this Universe. And Bee is absolutely adorable. I also really love Bix's and Brasso's characters as well. You will certainly continue to get to know them as the show continues on. On the Imperial side... We become introduced to Syril Karn, the officer who becomes devoted, if not obsessed with bringing the murderer of the two officers to justice. Not because he knew these men whom Cassian killed, but simply because he is devoted to his job. Which is most definitely not good for Cassian. And while we route against Karn, I find that he's a very interesting character, whom I look forward to getting to know more about. Especially so we can see why he feels so strongly about coming after Cassian, against his commander's orders. And lastly... We are also shown a backstory throughout this episode, as we get to meet Cassian from when he was a young boy known then as simply Kassa, living on another planet called, Kenari. Where he lives amongst his native people, whom we see are all made up of just a small tribe of young children, and no adults. We also learn that these children speak an unknown, and long forgotten language. And he lives on Kenari with his even younger sister. Together, a number of the older children get ready to leave their home to investigate a mysterious ship that crashes on their planet. And while it appears that a number of the other kids don't want Cassian, or Kassa to join them, most likely because he is too young, their leader allows him to come with them. Even though we don't understand their language, and we're given no subtitles to help us understand what the children here on Kenari are saying, we can see through these children's actions and especially through their facial expressions, what is happening. And upon seeing Kassa mark his face with the paint, in the same manner that their leader does, you can see that Cassian likes her, even admires her, just as she does him too. I will certainly continue to help explain to you what I can to help you understand what all is happening in these scenes for these characters. Tony Gilroy and the other writers have purposely chosen not to give us subtitles for the Kenari language spoken by these children. Gilroy believes he can reveal to us exactly what is happening, without there being a need to include them. And he feels that without the subtitles, the overall backstory being told will be far more impactful for us. And I admire, Tony Gilroy for this decision, most certainly. Overall... I really enjoy this first episode of Andor a lot! I love getting to know Cassian Andor, from before he joins the Rebellion and becomes the amazing hero that we know him to be after he and Jyn succeed in transmitting the Death Star plans to the Rebels. Just before Cassian and Jyn are both heartbreakingly killed by the Death Star themselves. And I love that he is seeking out to find his little sister, whom we meet briefly within the backstory as well. What a phenomenal show!! And such a fabulous first reaction for Andor from you too, Reds! So, thank you once again for watching Andor for me! I cannot wait for all to come for this show from you!! Thank you, my dear friend! Sincerely, Heidi

Heidi Elizabeth Marcum