Andor episode 10 review: Star Wars at its most uplifting

Our Verdict

We love seeing people get what they deserve and Andor episode 10 delivers the sweet taste of justice in abundance. This is Star Wars at its most inspiring and will make you want to cheer out loud

Andor episode 10 is here, and with it comes an end to the final three-episode arc of the first season of this phenomenal Star Wars series. Now, all that remains is a two-part finale which is poised to bring everything crashing down in spectacular fashion after the events of this latest instalment.

Who would have thought a TV series about a man we have already seen meet his maker in a Star Wars movie six years ago would have us on the edge of our seats each week? In an interview with The Digital Fix a while back, Diego Luna, who plays the titular Star Wars character in Andor, told us we would get to explore Cassian’s wounds through this show, and we most certainly are.

While Andor episode 9 sees Cassian suffering more than ever before, this week’s episode gives Cassian, and indeed the viewer, that most dangerous of gifts: hope. It feels good. Something tells me we should enjoy it while it lasts.

Andor episode 8 may have been a balancing act of various different storylines and ideas, but the focus has firmly shifted to Cassian and the inmates of Narkina 5 this week as they plan and execute their prison break.

The sci-fi series has been incredibly successful thus far in reflecting the real world, and it does the same again here, with the old notion that those in power are terrified of the masses rising against them, feeling rather familiar with the way of the world at the moment. Not to get all political here, but it’s exactly the kind of message that we need right now.

Cassian and the inmates are desperate and disillusioned, and as Cassian puts it, he would “rather die trying to take them down than die giving them what they want.” He is wholly ready for a suicide mission in the name of freedom, and Kino Loy is ready to put Cassian’s plan into action after that thrilling delivery of “never more than 12” in last week’s episode.

Andy Serkis is on top form once again here, as he helps Cassian lead the fight against the Imperial guards, but the prison break is about far more than just one or two men. There’s something so satisfying about seeing a group of downtrodden people collude and co-ordinate to swing the balance of power in their favour and this episode has an abundance of moments that will quite literally make you cheer out loud.

From a technical point of view, the prison break is brilliantly done. Clean editing and effective blocking make the whole sequence really easy to follow. It may sound simple, but how often do we see big action movie set pieces fall flat because you can’t really see what’s going on? Then again, we’ve come to expect nothing less from the whole Andor team, who have excelled in pretty much every area of filmmaking since the show started.

The streaming service hit may have taken us to some pretty dark places through the weeks, but here it delivers one of the most satisfying and uplifting scenes in Star Wars history. Sure, seeing the Jedi destroy the Sith is exciting, and watching the Death Star explode is great, but this isn’t a swarm of faceless pilots shooting TIE fighters out of the sky or a rogue hero using his special powers to defeat evil. This is a collection of ordinary men fighting for their lives; it feels important, not just as a fictional story, but as human beings clinging to hope.

It’s not all about Cassian, though, and there’s some time devoted to Mon Mothma’s increasingly tight situation, as she meets Davo Sculder, whose money-laundering services apparently come at a very high cost as he puts forward a most sinister proposal for Mon. Turns out this show isn’t quite done with exploring the darkest depths of society just yet.

We also finally get to see more of Luthen, and this time it’s the real Luthen. An impassioned speech allows Stellan Skarsgård to truly shine and embodies what this show is all about at its core; sacrifice. It’s a far cry from the Skarsgård we know and love from the MCU, but we could get used to this side of him.

We now head into the final two episodes with Cassian a fugitive once more, the Imperial forces closing in on the Rebel operation, and Luthen ready to sacrifice everything for the cause. There are going to be fireworks, and I can’t wait. I just hope the fact Andor season 2 is on the cards doesn’t hinder this season from ending in a big way.

If you want to know more about Andor’s secrets, check out our guide to Cassian and Melshi’s relationship explained, or discover everything you need to know about the Andor season 2 release date, or Emperor Palpatine.