Andor

I like Star Wars. A lot. There is just something exciting about watching a world that could be. The space travel, the various galaxies, the different cultures, the numerous species, and yet the same people and tendencies.

Andor is the furthest from a classic ‘Star Wars’ universe. There are no jedi, no lightsabers, no Yoda, no Skywalker. It is just a marvelous story taking place somewhere in the grand universe. The deep story-telling keeps you focused on the people: there’s heroes, anti-heroes, complications, love, pain, suffering, battles, preludes to war, and most of all, hope.

There’s quiet a few beautiful lines sprinkled through the show, but Nemik’s manifesto has stayed with me:

Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. […] Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks. It leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

It is a show that I think you should watch, regardless of how you feel about ‘Star Wars’.

For All Mankind

Among the first set of Apple TV+ shows, ‘For All Mankind’ excited me more than others. Over the last few days, I have watched some of the released episodes and I’m really impressed by it. I think it is a compelling story-line.

The plot of the show is fairly simple: What if Russians landed a human on the moon before the USA? How would the space race unfold after that event? How swiftly would space progress unfold thereafter?

Having throughly enjoyed another alt-reality show (I’m looking at you, ‘The Man in the High Castle’), ‘For All Mankind’ was supposed to be right up my alley, and I haven’t been disappointed .

Game of Thrones: Finale

I watched the Game of Thrones finale about 24 hours back and have had the time to gather my thoughts about it. Unpopular opinion, but I liked it.

(Of course there are spoilers ahead!)

TL;DR: It was an acceptable end to the show, but not a satisfactory one.

Here’s why:

• Daenarys’ turn into an evil overlord may have been sudden(-ish) but it has been brewing, even if it didn’t latch on to the audience. And Tyrion did a really good job at explaining it.
• Jon didn’t want to be king, he didn’t want it and he would’ve been a terrible king. He was too kind and loyal, which was his unbecoming. And if he wasn’t those, he wouldn’t be loved. He did the right thing by killing Daenarys but if he had become king then, he wouldn’t be any better than those evil rulers who would do anything for the iron throne. In fact, him returning to the Wall and further north is a perfect punishment for his crime. I am glad he didn’t end up as king.
• Bran as the king makes a lot of sense. There’s no one else who has his abilities, and can rule without emotions. He has a clear goal, a clear idea of where the world should go and has not been afraid to make tough choices to get there. It may be unsatisfying, but it is totally digestible. In fact, we saw the way he would rule in that small gathering, where he delegated everything away and stuck to his strengths.
• Tyrion has been a curious character throughout the show, and he never should’ve been king, but kingmaker? Sure. I think it is befitting that he goes on to become The Hand.
• The person who won the ‘Game of Thrones’ was Sansa Stark. It has been a fascinating journey to watch her grow from a helpless, naive lady into this strong, smart Queen. Her transition has been commendable.
• Arya, true to her character, went out and did her thing. It was mildly disappointing that she didn’t kill either Cersei or Daenarys, but it was impressive to see her mature and let go of childish obsessions.
• My favorite part of the episode was the end. GoT became what it did because of 2 huge events in the storyline that left audiences in shock (the death of Ned Stark at the end of season 1, and The Red Wedding in season 3). Both focused on the Starks. Then, it was the death and resurrection of Jon Snow. Sprinkled around the whole show were these steady advances that Arya, Sansa and Bran made in their own lives. In a way, the whole show has always surrounded the Starks. GoT started as a show in Winterfell, following the lives of the Starks. The last two seasons have been great, in that they were an intersection of those divulging paths. The last few minutes of the show, as they showed them divulging back again, only happier, more peaceful and deserving, brought a smile to my face. It was a way of the young Starks telling the audience, ‘Thank you for following our journey, we take leave now.’