Rix Road

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.

Just finished the first season of Andor and it was perfect. Season 1 wrapped up with all the major characters in more jeopardy than ever before. It's a testament to writing that the dramatic tension of this brilliant series never lets up.

This is what you get when a pulitzer prize winning playwright (Tony Gilroy) and an Emmy winning tv writer (Beau Willamon, House of Cards) do a Star Wars series. It's so good it doesn't even belong in the same the same galaxy (no pun intended) as the rest of the Star Wars universe. The sophistication of the writing and the exquisite attention to detail to everything, the smallest tool, electronic component, or musical instrument to the vast scale of the different worlds make this the best space/sci fi series out there today.

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!

Whoa, this episode was powerful stuff, taking a huge step back from Sci-Fi fantasy and placing us right in the heart of an experience seen first hand through the centuries right here on planet Earth, things we've seen first hand or through news media, the marching, the tension, the oppressive state holding people down, a simmering anger waiting to boil over, this isn't Star Wars anymore, it's a view outside your own window, wherever your from, whatever your politics. You can't argue that this show is brave and so on point at telling a story that's happening right now on our own planet, and to think it was Disney who gave the nod, for a change I say "well done them."

Despite quite liking "Rogue One" I wasn't particularly enthused about the idea of "Andor". I felt it was another relatively minor character given an unnecessary back story. The show, however, was so much more than that, and maybe the best writing that "Star Wars" has ever had.

With the Galaxy increasingly falling under Empirical rule, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) a low-level thief is recruited by Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) for a dangerous mission. Whilst no fan of the Empire, Andor does not have a passion for their destruction, but the money promised is too tempting. Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) is a politician on Coruscant, whose outward chiding of the Empire for various overreaches and power grabs hide her real work, of financing rebellion missions. However, in the Empire's intelligence services, a bright and under appreciated officer, Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) comes to believe that the Rebellion is far more organised than her superiors realise.

This first season of "Andor" can be split into four subsections, each of three episodes. In non-spoiler terms they could be described as "Setting the scene", "The Mission", "Detainment" and "Returning Home". I'll have to admit that during the first three episodes, I wasn't overly struck on the show. The performances were always really good but not a whole lot happens. It's only looking back on those episodes in retrospect that I see how important they are as building blocks for what is to follow. Those four elements show the radicalisation, for the want of a better word, of Andor and why he's prepared to kill, and die, to defeat the Empire when we meet him again in the future.

Though I enjoy "The Mandalorian" and "Obi-Wan" (and have mixed feelings about "Boba Fett") one thing I liked about this series was how unlike any Star Wars we've seen before was. There are no heroic Jedis fighting with Lightsabres, there are no debates about the nature of the force. There are scenes though showing the crushing banality of evil, Empirical officers bickering over which planets they have oversight on. Prison sentences arbitrarily dolled out because they do have the time or manpower to properly try anyone. But the other side is displayed too, the rebellion is not only led by the virtuous, but by those willing to make hard and costly decisions about which pieces advance and which are sacrificed. There are some speeches, across this season, that demonstrate some phenomenal writing and performers like Skarsgard, Fiona Shaw and Andy Serkis perfect with their delivery of them.

As I say, even three episodes in I wasn't convinced, but by the end this was a genuine highlight of the year.