Andor Premiere Review: Diego Luna shines in an intriguing, but slow paced start

Releasing the first three episodes of Andor on Disney Plus was the right move for the series.

Andor is a slow-moving series through the first three episodes. The throughline is Cassian Andor trying to earn enough credits to get off of Morlana One after Cassian makes a big mistake. Showrunner Tony Gilroy fleshes out the story by flashbacking to Cassian’s childhood on Kenari. Everything about Andor is about ingratiating the audience to Cassian’s world.

Diego Luna is simply magnificent as Cassian. While still capable, he’s nowhere near the smooth, resistance spy he was in Rogue One. He spends most of Andor scrambling and trying to find a solution to a problem he caused.

His main allies are Bix and Maarva Andor. Bix is an ally of Cassian’s with a hint of former romantic history. Adria Arjona is excellent as Bix. In just one scene opposite Luna’s Cassian, you can feel the connection they share. Maarva is Cassian’s adopted, tough-as-nails mother, played by Fiona Shaw.

Just when the first two episodes feel to be languishing just a bit, Luthen Rael played by Stellan Skarsgård enters the fray. Skarsgård brings a calm, collected manner to the series.

On the villains’ side, there’s Syril Karn. He’s a Deputy Inspector for Pre-Mor Authority, a security organization that works for the Empire. Kyle Soller plays the role with such a self-serious bent that even his fellow officers nearly laugh during his rally the troops’ speech.

The flashback sequences don’t really add much until the third episode. The performances by Luna and Arjona do a great job using the show’s slow pacing to establish the relationship between the characters. Hopefully, with Cassian heading off planet, the series will pick up the political machinations that lead to the creation of the Rebel Alliance.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood in the premiere of Andor. There may be some minor spoilers. Andor is available to stream on Disney Plus.

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The Mistake of Cassian Andor

Cassian is a man whose passion can get the best of him, which happens in the opening scene. Cassian enters a bar looking for his sister. There are two Pre-Mor Authority officers at the bar. Cassian ignores their remarks. After he leaves, the two guards attempt to mug Cassian.

Cassian gets the drop on them. He accidentally kills one of them and then purposely kills the other to try to cover up his mistake. The report reaches Pre-Mor Authority Deputy Inspector Syril Karn. He’s gun-ho on finding the killer.

Cassian spends the rest of the three episodes trying to get off of Morlana One. He convinces Bix to reach out to a high-paying contact of hers. Cassian evades her and Maava’s questions about what happened. Eventually, Cassian tells Bix the situation went too far. For the most part, nothing else happens until Luthen shows up near the end of episode two.

Return to Kenari

In flashback form, we get a closer look at Cassian’s childhood home, Kenari. Cassian and his tribe investigate a crashed ship. They uncover a massive mining operation.

Maarva and her partner, Clem, arrive on the planet. They appear to be scavengers who are stealing Empire goods. Maarva and Clem find Cassian destroying a console belonging to the empire. Maava drugs Cassian and takes him from the planet.

The flashback sequences work best in episode three. In the flashbacks, Maarva saving Cassian represented a new stage of his life. In the present, Cassian leaving with Luthen represents a similar life change.

The Sound of a Reckoning

Luthen is Bix’s contact. He’s been wanting to meet Cassian for a long time and knows everything about him. Luthen doesn’t reveal a ton of information about himself. However, Gilroy and Skarsgård do a great job of conveying how knowledgeable Luthen is on Cassian and the Empire.

Meanwhile, the Pre-Mor Authority surrounds the duo. They capture Bix. Her boyfriend with major trust issues tries to intervene and is killed in the process. He rats out Cassian to the Pre-Mor Authority.

The 3rd episode does a great job of establishing the simmering discontent the residents of Morlana One are starting to have. Shaw delivers a chilling speech as Maarva about the sound of reckoning that’s coming. She even states that true fear arrives when the sound stops and only silence remains.

Once Luthen shows up, Andor really starts to pick up.

Andor Premiere Final Thoughts

Andor is slow out of the gate. However, the performances and cinematography do a great of transporting you to this specific story. Once episode three hits, Andor does a great job of creating tension. I’m excited to see where the series goes. I’m also disappointed over Bix and Cassian being separated, but hopefully, it won’t last long.