Rix Road

Watching this from episode one thru to the end, I was constantly worried they'd lose their nerve and mess it up. So watching the credits roll on this scintillating finale, I felt a dizzying combination of relief and ecstasy. They didn't just bring it home intact, they put a gold cap on what has been the most refreshing tv I've seen since in decades and delivered a thrilling and heartfelt denouement that took the building momentum of the entire 12 episodes and channeled it into a punch to the face of tyrants everywhere. Andor is nothing short of a masterpiece of understatement; a thunderous testament to the power of a single idea and the balls to build an entire show around it. Stunning!

Andor has one over-arching narrative: morality will always fight back. Luthen's ideologies work to an absolute pinnacle. The tighter the Empire closes its fist, the more erratic the revolt will be. Take what Nemik's manifesto stated: "The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear." This dialogue is purely stunning.

Episode 12 was no exception to the fantastic storytelling we have come to see from Tony Gilroy and Co. Everything culminates in satisfying fashion on Ferrix; I am beyond excited for the second season.

Andor makes not only Rogue One better; it makes the whole Star Wars universe richer. I now know with a fuller knowledge what the rebels were fighting for in the Original Trilogy.

This TV show was masterfully crafted into a gritty, full and genuine class of storytelling.

Cassian returns to Ferrix for the funeral.

This is a very strong finish to the season with great tension and character moments.

The plot mostly follows the funeral from the perspective of several characters and in doing so it gradually increases the tension to a great boiling point moment. This is superbly done by the writers and filmmakers.

It has some very strong scenes of political rebellion against oppression and this is exactly what the story requires. One moment made the hairs on the back stand up and feels like a plausible depiction of a powder keg situation. It all feels part of the Star Wars universe and should be appreciated by fans who admire the underlying themes of the movies and not just the action-adventure aspect.

All the cast are excellent but the standout performance for me is by Fiona Shaw.

As ever the visuals, sound, and editing is superb. Watch out for the mid-credits scene which is another nerdgasm moment and links brilliantly to the Narkina 5 episodes.

The only downside of this episode was how impatient I'm going to now be for the next season to come out. I was on the edge of my seat the whole episode - directors and studios everywhere could learn from this how to be patient in building the intensity and anticipation and how to get the viewer totally invested in the scene. I thought Luthen's and Kino's speeches from the previous episode were amazing, but Nemik's and Maarva's words in this episode are downright inspiring! This is the true prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy. This is the story that needed to be told about how the rebellion began! This is how Disney needs to make sure all Star Wars stories are told going forward! This is how you fight the evil that lurks in the darkness!

I have to admit the series started off slowly, but it was all very important for the set up of what was to come. This was a brilliantly written piece of work, the sets were fantastic and varied (unlike other Star Wars shows), there was tons of wonderful costumes and props that were brilliantly made, albiet sometimes it was a piece of 1970s tech with some tweaks to make it look good (like the colapsable poloroid phone) but then again, this is what makes Star Wars so wonderful. Everyone remembers the guy with the ice cream maker.

Diego Luna does an amazing acting job as Cassian Andor, his acting and range of emotion give the character life and make you feel for his plight. His characters hero arc was perfectly done, from somoeone who just wanted to be left alone to slowly becoming the freedom fighter he would become. I could go on about all the other cast too but no one wants to read a novel. Let's just say the actors playing Imperials did such a good job I REALLY wanted to see them dead.

I don' want to give spoildes so you will read this and decide to watch the episode (though TBH if you are reading this you either already have or pretty much commited to the show) but if you look at my other reviews of movies and shows I do NOT often give out 10s, and I don't like to do it, unless a show is so good it was near perfection. I have given the entirety of the show a 9/10 and know there are those bots designed to pad a show or trolls out to dis a show and I am aware that IMDB tends to ignore 10s and 1s for this reason but I have to give credit where it is due. This is a good show.

Hope they continue this excellence in the future shows.