Andor Episode 12 Review: An Episode That Maintains the Essence of What the Series Has Been
Stars: Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Kingsley Amadi
Director: Benjamin Caron
Streaming Platform: Disney+
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4.5/5 (four and a half stars)
Two months have passed since the debut of Andor and consequently, certain characteristic aspects of the series should not strictly speak, surprise us anymore. Yet, recalling a famous speech from The Lord of the Rings, this is not the day, it doesn’t matter if the first season has just come to an end: it will be the habit of looking at Star Wars products and expecting much more, it will be the fear by now endemic to approach anything that represents an ending for productions in general Disney it will be the magic that Tony Gilroy has managed to instil in his creature, but even in closing Andor gives immense satisfaction always achieved with the same little game that we praise since from first episodes. The consistency demonstrated throughout these 12 episodes would be enough, the ability not to distort oneself, especially in the decisive moments.
The new Star Wars series has remained the same, interested in calmly creating – even in the finale – its assumptions and then making them explode in an amazing symphony of emotional involvement, imperial cruelty and desperation of the Rebellion. A symphony that, essentially, could not have ended in a better way. After ten weeks of joining us every Wednesday, the time has come to say goodbye to Andor, the latest Star Wars series for Disney Plus in 2022. Today is the premiere of the last episode of season 1 of the Rogue One prequel series that has made us accompany Cassian in his first year of a close relationship with the incipient Rebellion against the Empire. But it has also made us know the ins and outs of the Empire and the galaxy that rarely transcended in Star Wars movies and series.
Andor Episode 12 Review: The Story Plot
After being warned of his mother’s death, Cassian (Diego Luna) feels compelled to return to Ferrix, essentially not knowing that he is walking into a huge trap: Deedra (Denise Gough) is authorizing the funeral of Maarva (Fiona Shaw) precisely to attract her son and try to find out who enlisted him; Syril (Kyle Soller) hopes for the same outcome, but with revenge on her mind rather than obtaining important information; the Rebellion itself, with Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cinta (Varada Sethu) present for some time on site, has the sole objective of severing by force what binds it to the remote planet.
In short, a powder keg ready to explode propelled by the memory of a person loved by practically anyone, a pillar of the community who has never hidden radical antipathies towards the imperial regime. Are we then faced with an episode entirely of guerrilla warfare? No, because as anticipated at the beginning, Andor doesn’t intend to distort himself here either to allow space for a constant action which, however, would have been empty. Surely spectacular but lacking the sumptuous driving force of the great action sequences that preceded it, from Aldhani to the escape of Narkina 5. And so the same game is put into operation, the desire to characterize the setting as much as possible, its habits and the people who populate it only later, at the height of the involvement, push on the accelerator.
Andor Episode 12 Review and Analysis
A mechanism here really pushed to the extreme, we get to a point where the desire to respond to the Empire almost goes out of control in the viewer. Dangerous bet, since very trivially reached the peak, you can only go down and it would have been a crime to unleash hell on Ferrix in a moment of charge that is emptying. In our opinion, however, Gilroy and his associates have ridden this momentum perfectly, releasing everything at the right moment, preceded by a couple of moving moments, to say the least. The funeral scene alone, for preparation and staging, is worth the entire season by itself, a marvel in which every element, every change of shot, and every reaction is surgically positioned in the right place, without smudging whatsoever.
It is therefore easy to conclude a series like Andor, which has indeed shown its side to some problems, first of all, a non-telefilm rhythm that makes some transitions much more cumbersome than necessary. But it is an intermittent annoyance that can only vanish in the face of how dirty, raw and realistic this embryonic portrait of the Rebellion is, it can only pale in front of some monologues of a more unique than rare brutality in the panorama of commercial productions. In short, Andor is enormously stronger than his – few – shortcomings and manages to deliver some of the most heartfelt passages of the entire franchise.
One thing that we all know, or should have, since the beginning of Andor, and that already set a precedent in Rogue One, is that Tony Gilroy’s vision of Star Wars is not limited to good and evil. The characters created by Gilroy and his team have a rich range of nuances that make them more realistic than most of the franchise’s protagonists. Neither the Empire is teeming with child-eating demons nor are the Rebels heroes riding a white steed in shining armour. Andor demolishes that image of the Rebellion to the beast by expanding that extremism that we already saw previously in Saw Gerrera.
If in the previous episode we highlighted Stellan Skarsgård for his role as Luthen Rael, it would be unfair not to do the same with Fiona Shaw and her implacable speech as Maarva Andor. Even though the series revolves around Cassian, the character of Diego Luna is nothing more than one more piece in the story that, although he has a greater role, is often overshadowed by his companions. Be careful, he is not something bad, but a virtue on the part of some extraordinary interpretations. At the moment the revolt breaks out, intentionally or not, the action seems somewhat chaotic. It seems that it has been deliberated since we have been able to verify that Gilroy and his like to transmit sensations through long and repetitive scenes in the prison and, in this case, chaotic.
The Dedra Meero and Syrill Karn thing is something very long: there has been a moment with repression between the two that we will not know how it ends until season 2. If we have to bet, Meero will recruit the former sub-inspector in some role. The romantic theme of gratitude… avoidable, so we hope it stays that way. There are many details that the series leaves us with, but we can emphasize that you should never try to threaten a guy who is dedicated to hammering an anvil in a bell tower: it will not be good for the back. The resolution of Luthen Rael’s “conflict” with Andor has a very simple conclusion. It’s functional, yes, but maybe it could have used a little more reel in the conversation.
Ah, yes… Mon Mothma: we still think that the character has been wasted in this first season. She indeed makes an interesting move to paper her husband in the eyes of his imperial spy, but Perrin is disgusting from the first episode in which she appears, the series wastes too much time demonizing him without need. However, we are going to break a spear in favor of Andor perhaps wanting to play with that feeling for a second season where Mon Mothma becomes that leader we met in Return of the Jedi. Andor says goodbye for a long season, but Star Wars will soon return to Disney Plus with season 2 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch and the third of The Mandalorian. Until then, may the Force be with you.
Andor Episode 12 Review: The Last Words
Even in the end, Andor does not disappoint at all. Because? Because for the umpteenth time he doesn’t give in to easy and empty spectacularization, he doesn’t give in to the temptation to forge an entire episode made up of guerrilla warfare and crazy action, he doesn’t give in to the now endemic Disney trend of rushing and ruining the season finales. An ending that instead was tackled in the spirit and style that permeates the entire season: everything is prepared calmly, the whole setting and its inhabitants are explored – here facilitated because we already know Ferrix – and, only at the right time, push on the accelerator. An instant of release against the extraordinary Empire, preceded by at least a couple of perhaps even more amazing and incredibly moving sequences. In particular, the entire sequence of the funeral, in our opinion, is an unmissable masterpiece. In short, Andor has once again demonstrated what is possible with this franchise, waiting for its second and already last season.
