Weekender: Unicorn Roadkill, Bird Truthers & Mall Rebels
by Bradley Hope
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Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Brazen Weekender! This is Bradley Hope, your loyal servant, and this is the newsletter where I share what the team has been watching, reading and listening to this week. I'm going to be quite thematic this week, building on the
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Brazen Weekender! This is Bradley Hope, your loyal servant, and this is the newsletter where I share what the team has been watching, reading and listening to this week. I'm going to be quite thematic this week, building on the amazing storytelling in the TV series Andor.
As a bonus, for those inclined, I've started writing a Linkedin newsletter that focuses on AI and its intersection with areas of interest to me, including storytelling, writing, philosophy and the epic economic transition unfolding in real-time. At Brazen, AI is powering everything we do and is helping us build technology we never dreamed of, but we haven't lost touch with our true love: great storytelling.
So on that note, let's dig in.
📺 Here's what I'm obsessed with: Andor
This Star Wars spin-off isn’t just another space adventure – it’s a gritty, politically charged thriller that adds real human stakes to the franchise’s mythos. I liked Star Wars as a child, but struggled to maintain a connection through years of reinvention and sequels (Jar Jar Binks?). But Andor is so good that I almost wish the entire canon could be rewritten with its tone, language, and storytelling.
What makes it stand out is its laser focus on ordinary people navigating the machinery of a totalitarian state. With no Jedi or Skywalkers in sight, Andor zeroes in on how everyday individuals are driven to rebel. It’s an extraordinary exploration of how a resistance builds into revolution, how evil starts as a seed and metastasizes, and how bureaucracy becomes weaponized.
The recently concluded Season 2 challenged the saga’s usual black-and-white morality. Critics have hailed it as some of the most mature, sophisticated storytelling Star Wars has ever produced.
Long story short: Andor is perfect for people who’ve never watched Star Wars in their life – and also for those who sleep under a Star Wars duvet with Luke Skywalker posters on the wall. It’s technically a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but stands entirely on its own. Spearheaded by Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) and featuring a soulful performance from Diego Luna, it’s a brilliantly crafted modern classic of rebellion and risk. A friend of Brazen, the great writer Beau Willimon, wrote on both seasons and he infuses it with the best hints of House of Cards.
I got so into it I listened to a video podcast interview with the writers. Here's the first one with Gilroy.
This is a post for subscribers to Whale Hunting, a weekly newsletter and podcast delving into the hidden worlds of wealth and power from the team at Project Brazen.
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