“Andor” was the best show or movie made about politics ever. “The Wire” is amazing but its compassion for all sides of social conflict and emphasis on the cyclical nature of life, society, and suffering make it purely tragic and a bit of a downer. It also isn’t doing much in the way of aesthetics, being purposely devoid of music or meaningful cinematography. In contrast look at these shots:
But more importantly, Andor gives us a hero’s journey for adults: it has compassion for both sides of a conflict and acknowledges the problematic circle of violence that plagues all revolutionary action, but it still moves us to just “try” as one of its doomed characters says in the show–in stark contrast to Yoda’s idealistic claim that “there is no try”.
We are asked to try because the front lines for radical change are everywhere, and everyone can be a hero just by making the effort for a better world. If we actually try then just maybe we can push the lines forward a little bit–a much more mature call than the melodrama of the usual Star Wars: the fairy tale that has helped convince so many people that they are already on the right side of history and all they need to do is defeat the other side–that they are the hero beyond any need of the learning process embodied in the word “try”.