Spoiler Review Of 'Star Wars: Andor' Episode 10
Image Source: Wookieepedia
One way out! One way out!
What an incredible, heart-thumping episode. If Andor gets nominated for an Emmy, it’ll be for this episode. The tension alone made this the best TV in 2022, and while we’re on the Emmy talk, Andy Serkis deserves an Emmy for this arc. It was an absolutely stunning performance.
So, where do we start?
The writers wasted no time in this episode. It started the moment after the end of the previous one, with Cassian and Kino getting changed. You can see the weight of Kino’s realization on his face and the hesitation to do something about it. It’s a common look of those who think they’re up against impossible odds. Who can blame him? When you’ve been led to think your captors have all the power, fear grips you, even when their vulnerability is pointed out. It’s their means of control. But when the realization sinks in, like we saw with Kino in his cell, there’s no turning back. He’s fully committed.
RELATED:
Image Source: SlashFilm
It’s also prudent to point out that he likely realized in that moment that what Cassian said is true: they’re not listening. If they were, the blatant discussion of insubordination and defiance would have prompted the security measures the Empire had in place. The Empire truly didn’t care about them. They believed so much in their own power that they never imagined the prisoners would be able to see through the thinly veiled barrier keeping them cowed. It’s a powerful feeling that they highlight several times throughout the episode, such as when Kino tells the rest of the prisoners that they have control of the station and Kino’s night shift counterpart takes that first step onto the once electrified floor. His entire performance was beautiful.
Another high-quality aspect of this episode was the depiction of the fervor and momentum with which a message of power can spread, and how quickly the balance of power can shift. One of the most chilling scenes was the prisoners running through the halls, armed, chanting their mantra, “one way out.” A prisoner runs up to a door and looks through a window, the crazed look in his eyes perfectly counterbalanced when the camera pans down and reveals what’s behind the door he couldn’t get through: a room full of cowering Imperial officers. The one closest to the door hisses to the one behind him to be quiet as the mob pounds down the hall outside. An absolutely stellar scene.
Even in the off-planet scenes, the tension doesn’t skip a beat; it just changes instruments. In Mon Mothma’s interaction with Davo, that cerebral sort of tension takes hold as the precariousness of her situation continues to grow. Davo has no intentions of hiding his power, nor his ability to thwart that of the Empire’s, and comes off as the kind of man who relishes in his ability to rope people into his grasp. When he reveals his intention is to marry off his son by introducing him to Mon’s daughter, as in the Chandrila fashion, his line (“that’s the first untrue thing you’ve said) to Mon’s refusal cuts deep and points out her knowledge of the lack of options she has.
Image Source: CBR
Further, the extent to which Luthen was willing to sacrifice others, something he hinted at early in the season, was fully illustrated when he met with his spy within the ISB, Lonni. The context is admittedly one that still presents one of the only unclear directions. We know Meero is trying to find Axis, whom I believe is Luthen himself, and she believes following these stolen Imperial parts to a Kreegyr will get her there. When Lonni tells Luthen this, Luthen doesn’t blink an eye in telling him to let them be slaughtered. His speech about what he’s sacrificed was incredible, and hints at a brutal history leading to what he’s built, the kind that requires one to seal off their heart and do what needs to be done.
Image Source: ScreenRant
This series has been like a new bag of blood for a franchise desperate for a transfusion. There’s not a hint of a Skywalker, a lightsaber, or a Force-user to be found. It's what I’ve written about before, and it’s delivering; only the Empire and some familiar characters ground this as an entry in the Star Wars franchise. Remove them, and it would just be some sci-fi show, which I suppose answers the question as to how much of tell-tale Star Wars iconography can be removed to tell an original story and have it still be considered Star Wars. The storytelling in this show should be a sign to the executives at Lucasfilm that original Star Wars stories can stand on their own, without the Force.
Rating: 10/10
READ NEXT:
Source: Disney+
Latest News
Featured
