Small Screen Star Wars returns to cover another Disney+ adventure in a galaxy far, far, away. Julian and Rachel break down every single scene from the first 3 episodes of 'Andor'. A series pitched as being "Star Wars for adults". From writer Tony Gilroy, 'Andor' follows the titular Cassian Andor, who you may remember from such films as 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" as he joins the ranks of the Rebel Alliance. We're promised political intrigue mixed with a spy thriller. The first 3 episodes are more heavy on the latter but I suspect there will be plenty of the former over it's 12 episode first season. Join the SSSW Crew as they examine what makes 'Andor' unique from other Star Wars projects, as well as dive deep into how it shows the beginning of the rebellion from a new perspective. Yes, it's a slow burn, but have faith, as 'Andor' is shaping up to be something completely new for Star Wars; a fresh tone with mature characterizations. Who woulda thought you could pull that off in a Star Wars show?!
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Obi-Wan Kenobi S1E6
Well that's all folks! Only five short weeks later and we're now looking back at 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' in full context. Following an epic 2-episode premiere, it was a bit touch-and-go there in the middle. Fortunately, they pulled it together for the conclusion and absolutely nailed the final episode. Not only does it live up to the "rematch of the century", as it was billed, but it's character moments are just as strong (if not stronger), and gives the appropriate amount of closure not just to the characters, but to the fans as well. Julian and Rachel break it all down scene by scene (and even break down granular lines of dialogue!), and discuss the conclusion to a mini-series that by no means was perfect, but as a whole largely works, with satisfying character arches and interesting choices that did more than enough to justify the shows existence. Join us as we discuss it all!
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Obi-Wan Kenobi S1E5
'Obi-Wan Kenobi' returns to form this week with one of the strongest entries since the 2-part premiere. With the Empire baring down on Ben, Leia, and friends, we are treated to flashbacks of Obi-Wan and Anakin training, pre-clone wars (an era not often enough explored in my opinion) . This not only justifies bringing back Hayden for Vader, but also acts as an exciting, and insightful, framing for the larger "modern" story being told. Despite some odd dialogue moments, this episode feels concentrated on Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship, and how that is reflected in Vader and Ben's choices, it's fascinating. Plus, there's also some very good action here (even some inspired by the Clone Wars I might add), with enough moments that will make you audibly exclaim, "that's cool", to largely overshadow some of the flaws this week. On to the finale!
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Obi-Wan Kenobi S1E4
As we pass the half-way point of the season, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Part 4 of 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' was only just over 30 min. With only 6 episodes for the full season, 30 min episodes, in my opinion, really need to justify the truncated length. Unfortunately, Part 4 ultimately still felt rushed, despite also having some very cool moments. Of course seeing Obi-Wan skulk around an Imperial instillation never really gets old, but it's everything around that core setup that felt under baked this week. We are introduced to new characters who we barely get any time to get to know, and despite some interesting allusions to a more interesting story with them, we are rushed off to a set-piece far too quickly. After the events of last week's big confrontation with Vader, I would have liked a little more time to let those moments breath, but alas, the show must go on!
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Obi-Wan Kenobi S1E3
We see Obi-Wan face off with Vader much sooner than we might have expected. But with only 6 episodes to work with, maybe we shouldn't be so surprised, as we're already half way through. And just as Ben reunites with Anakin this week, so to does Julian reunite with Rachel, following her return from Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim (though with much less death and agony). They break down the return of Vader, Ben's fear, Leia's intuition and much more in this over-stuffed review!
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Obi-Wan Kenobi - Premiere Reaction and Review
Run, dont walk, to your nearest Disney+ enabled device, because ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ is finally here and it’s been worth every excruciating moment you have spent waiting. With Rachel “on-location” at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim (don’t worry, she’s already promised to have A LOT to talk about when she’s back), Jeremy fills in to review the premiere (Part 1 and Part 2) with full spoilers. Join the guys as they gush over the execution of a series long awaited, that carries the weight of enormous expectations, yet still managed to deliver something that goes beyond what even the most strident Star Wars fan could have expected. Everything from the elevated scope and scale, to the brilliant performances by returning and new actors alike, there isn’t much to dislike here, if anything at all. This is something big that deserves your attention, so join us every week as we break down each new installment. It all starts here!
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The Book of Boba Fett S1E7 "In The Name of Honor"
With all the best intentions, it seems 'The Book of Boba Fett' caped it's first season, with more of a thud than a bang. Despite some really cool visuals this finale felt weightless and uninspired. The divergence to Mando for two episodes did not pay off enough to justify the time spent away from our main characters, thus making the final moments of the season feel disjointed. Of course having Grogu and Mando back together is nice, but at what cost? Time will tell how this all fits into the larger Star Wars TV landscape but for now it certainly looks like there's some room for improvement. On the bright side, how cool was it seeing the showdown between Boba and Bane, or a Rancor on the loose?! There's still plenty to love. Julian and Rachel dissect the good, the bad, and the ugly, and look forward to what a second season might look it. See you in May!
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The Book of Boba Fett S1E6 "From the Desert Comes a Stranger"
After last week's episode we thought there was NO WAY they would spend another full chapter on Mando's story, but boy were we wrong. Not only did it pick up right after last week, with Din on his way to see Grogu, it took it to the next level with Luke playing a much larger role than I think anyone expected (by the way, the deep fake tech has apparently come a long way since 'The Mandalorian' season 2. Luke actually looks pretty great!). The most surprising part, besides the delightfully unexpected inclusion of yet another 'Clone Wars' character, was that Boba didn't have a single line of dialogue again in his own show (although, that could be considered an improvement over last week where we didn't see him at all). All that being said, maybe we shouldn't have been surprised considering we knew Dave Filoni was in the director's seat this week. It's always a pleasure seeing Dave at work, but it's his writing where I think where he really shines, in yet another solid installment of live action Star Wars now under his belt. The question now is, how the hell does this show wrap everything up in one episode?!
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The Book of Boba Fett S1E5 "Return of the Mandalorian"
When we all heard the Mando whistle/theme at the end of last week's episode I think it's fair to say no one expected this! Lucasfilm decided to drop an entire episode of 'The Mandalorian' into the middle of 'The Book of Boba Fett'; essentially a Mando season 3 premiere. That being said, I was very pleasantly surprised as this episode not only brought us some awesome Dark Saber action moments, it also introduced us to an exciting new local, had some deep lore, fun prequel connections, and it all looked absolutely stunning. This is easily the best episode we've got all season, but it doesn't really feel fair to compare this to the rest of 'The Book of Boba Fett' as this is essentially an episode of an entirely different show (I mean... Boba doesn't even make an appearance this week!). With only two episodes left in the season, only time will tell if this choice will prove to fit in smoothly with the rest of the story, or if it will feel disjointed, but the tease at the end of this week certainly has us excited for what's to come!
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The Book of Boba Fett S1E4 "The Gathering Storm"
After a largely disappointing episode last week, we catch up with Boba and friends in what appears to be the final flashback sequence of the season (though I'm still holding out hope for a few more!). Boba recruits Fennec, recovers his Firespray class starship, and exacts some revenge on a certain biker gang (and sarlacc). Back in the contemporary story, Boba does some more recruiting (nice to see that wasn't the last we see of everyone's new favourite wookie), and invites the local crime bosses over for a dinner party in an attempt to gain their aid against the Pykes. Leaving us with a pending "war" and an exciting tease of a certain shiny-armoured friend.
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