In my relatively short tenure as proprietor of a reviews-oriented site, I’ve come to realize that it’s much, much easier to write about things that I don’t like than it is to crank out ~1000 words on something I actually enjoyed.

The episodes comprising Andor’s last arc make for a hard review in the best possible way. Let’s get into it.

Episode 7 breaks the series’ usual 3-part arc structure and instead serves as a bit of a palate cleanser between the heist storyline from Episodes 4-6 and the prison break-centered story covered in Episodes 8-10. Consider it the cigarette break between two courses at an overly-long dinner (it’s still a good dinner, though. Fuck, I really mangled this simile).

Despite the fact that it’s very much a table-setting entry, it goes by quickly and doesn’t overstay its welcome; Episode 7 was also home to a fun cameo from a K2 model Imperial droid – the same type of droid which Cassian will at some point turn into his sidekick (and the best character from Rogue One). The Imperial justice system seems to be about as reasonable as North Korea’s, with Cassian sentenced to six years (soon revealed to be, in actuality, a lifetime sentence) for…looking suspicious essentially. To be fair, he was acting super sketchy right before being arrested. My man, you’re a wanted criminal…don’t cast panicked glances over your shoulder every three steps! This isn’t Three Days of The Condor!

Anyway, on to the good better stuff…

I was very, very happy with the Narkina 5 arc (that is, episodes 8-10). This is better Star Wars than we’ve seen in a while – and, more generally, it’s good television (as in, even if it weren’t set in the same universe as the ongoing adventures of one Jar-Jar Binks, it would still be very good).

It was interesting to see how the show built up tension for a prison escape that we knew would be at least partially successful. These episodes spent just enough time with Cassian’s fellow prisoners to make me wince when they died during the prison break, while simultaneously establishing the prison as a monotonous, white-walled hell. The show’s successful balancing of the two keeps things from getting boring, despite the fact that Cassian is trapped in a series of windowless rooms for the majority of the Narkina 5 arc.

Andy Serkis’ Kino Loy is a major asset to the Narkina 5 storyline, and I’m pleased that the character is, as far as I know, still alive, despite the bittersweet end to his arc. Serkis’ delivery of the line “I can’t swim” matches anything Gollum ever said in Lord of the Rings – and, as we all know, Gollum is the voice of a generation.

During one of several check-ins with Mon Mothma, we discover that Vel is, in fact, her cousin – a revelation that both ties two of the series’ main plotlines together and adds intriguing shades to Vel’s character. The contrast between her more hands-on methods and Mon’s intriguing lets the show explore the nascent rebellion’s beliefs in a (relatively) subtle way, which I appreciated. Episode 9’s meeting between Mon and crime lord Davo Sculdun was a real high point for her storyline and I appreciate the stakes – and potential sacrifices – confronting the good Senator from Chandrilla. Here’s hoping she doesn’t dump her daughter into an arranged marriage (even if said daughter is kind of awful).

Stellan Skarsgard absolutely feasted on some fucking scenery during this arc (in a good way). Sure, Luthen’s monologue in Episode 10 about sacrificing every vestige his own morality on the noble altar of rebellion was almost as pretentious as the preceding phrase, but it was delivered it so well that I didn’t notice ‘til afterward. (Much like Lonni, Luthen’s contact within the Imperial Security Bureau, I was so taken by his speech that I didn’t pick up on how cheesy it was ‘til after the elevator doors closed.[1])

On the other, more fascist side of things, we checked in with Syril a couple of times to see him getting demeaned by his gremlin of a mother and creeping on Dedra after seeing how well she pulls off jodhpurs. Look, buddy…I enjoy being verbally abused by blondes in horse-riding pants as much as the next red-blooded male, but I don’t lurk outside their workplaces waiting to accost them with rants about organizational uniformity and the fulfillment I get from enforcing rules.

As far as Dedra herself is concerned…woof. She went from “relatable” to “actual space Nazi” faster than you can say “Is that trench coat Hugo Boss?” I still quite enjoy her interactions with the other members of the Imperial Security Bureau, particularly her approving mentor-slash-superior, Maj. Partagaz – but she showed off a villainous side in the past few episodes that makes you worry for any character that crosses her path. She’s been having poor Bix tortured offscreen for long enough now that I almost forgot to mention her in the review.

Interestingly, while I complained about the pace of the last story arc’s middle instalment (Episode 5, “The Axe Forgets,”) I thought that the Narkina 5 trilogy’s middle entry was the strongest episode of the show thus far – “Nobody’s Listening!” is a real masterclass in building tension to a boiling point while remaining a satisfying mini-story in its own right, with a great line from Serkis closing out the episode and paying off some earlier dialogue in a satisfying way.

I’ve definitely missed some character moments and plot beats in this review – but, at the end of the day, you should check the show out for yourself, so I don’t feel too derelict in my duties.  

Rating:

Ep. 7: 7.75/10 (+.25/-.75)

Ep. 8: 8.5/10 (+0/-1)

Ep. 9: 9.75/10 (+.25/-1.5)

Ep. 10: 9.25/10 (+.5/-.5)

Overall Rating: 9.5/10 (+.25/-1.25)

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[1] Lonni is so fucked.