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Andor (2022)
Andor is the best SW series/movie/property ever
Ok, my headline is mostly limited to the movies and Disney+ series, but Andor is probably the best Star Wars media I've ever seen - including even the original trilogy, as well as Rogue One.
Tony Gilroy takes everything that worked in Rogue One, and layers on even more tension, and high-stakes along every step of the story. The show is a slow burn, but does a masterclass of character and world building. Even the politics, which has always been kind of a bore, are wrought with risks and sacrifices. More Games of Thrones-y in its intrigue and consequence than anything Star Wars.
The acting and writing is fantastic across the board. But some special props to the main leads - Diego Luna who masterfully reprises his role as Cassian Andor, showcasing Andor's internal struggle and increasing desperation. Genevieve O'Reilly is also a standout as Mon Mothma. It's everything we would've wanted to see in the prequels that we never got. And Stellan Skarsgard as Luther, whose menacing Luther gets some of the best lines to deliver in the show, highlighted by his monologue on sacrifice. Even smaller characters like Kino, Maarva, and Brasso get to shine (also shoutout to B2Emo. I hope that little guy stays safe).
I know the Empire is a threat. They blew up a planet for god's sake. But my lasting impression of the ground troops are the stumbling, bumbling stormtroopers from A New Hope. However, Andor turns this on its head. Gilroy does an amazing job conveying the threat and menacing presence of the Empire. They are competent, ruthless and brutal. The oppression is real. People suffer. We as viewers take the same journey that Cassian does, as he realizes the inescapable threat of the Empire. It also retroactively gives even more weight and substance to the sacrifices made in Rogue One, and the risks the Rebellion were fighting against in the original trilogy. My only regret is there's such a tonal shift between Andor, Rogue One, and the original Trilogy. It actually would be nice to see what the original movies would've been like with similar consistency (I know, blasphemy).
TL;DR Andor is a must-see.
Shrinking (2023)
It's a Bill Lawrence Comedy
Shrinking is a frustrating show. There's bones of a good comedy, and pieces of interesting characters, but when it comes down to it, it's a Bill Lawrence comedy. So if you like his other shows like Scrubs and Ted Lasso, then Shrinking will be up your alley. Otherwise, it's a little bit of a frustrating watch because I think it could be much stronger.
I'm mainly going to focus on the negatives in this review, but I want to call a couple pluses.
Sean is a fantastic character. His storyline is the most well rounded and grounded part of the show. He's actually probably the very best character I've seen from any Bill Lawrence show. Luke Tennie brings a lot of nuance to the character and knocks it out the park.
I also think Harrison Ford's character and storyline is a solid B-storyline. I do feel like they're kind of wasting his performance somewhat (gruff and low energy is pretty much all you get), but Harrison has a few moments of really good comedic timing that kills it.
So what's frustrating? I think one of the things I struggle with is Bill's characters are constantly brimming with "LOOK AT ME, I'M QUIRKY OR DAMAGED" energy. You see this in Scrubs. You see this in Ted Lasso. You really see it in Shrinking. So most of the characters are two-dimensional caricatures that get more annoying the more you see them, because they never really get fleshed out much more than at a surface level.
The dialogue is a mess. It's got that constant "LOOK AT ME, THIS ISN'T NETWORK TV, I CAN CURSE AS MUCH AS I WANT" energy. Look, I love crude comedies. Always Sunny, South Park, Rick & Morty are in my pantheon. But have you ever known anyone who seems like he/she is constantly cursing, because they're trying too hard to sound cool and edgy? The dialogue for Shrinking is just bleeding with this energy. We get it. You're not on NBC anymore. You can say the F word as much as you want. At least use it in a funny way. Also, "greasing the peach" is dumb. Everyone knows peaches are butts.
Also, this is neither here nor there. I love the energy that Jessica Williams brings to her character. I think she owns Gaby, and that's 100% her performance. But I struggle with her character in that it feels like white people writing what they think are black voices intended for white audience consumption. I appreciate the on-screen diversity, but I think they could use some more diversity in the writers room too.
Anyway this got long. TL;DR if you like Ted Lasso, you'll like this show. And if you didn't, you won't.