Andor "One Way Out" Review: Rising Tension and Purpose, Foreshadowing The Heroics of The Rebel Alliance

 

There's much to praise about this show and I feel like I say the same things every week, but for anyone who's watching Andor, its praiseworthy elements seem to be a constant. In "One Way Out", Cassian accomplishes the impossible and stages an escapes from Narkina 5 prison. He's not alone, however, and almost all the prisoners in that facility escape with him. The effort it takes to escape, the amount of convincing on Cassian's part, the acceptance of their collective realities as prisoners under the Empire serves as a sample of the amount of effort and sacrifices will have to be made for the Rebellion to eventually succeed.

 What I found most moving about this episode was the foreshadowing which came in the form of powerful dialogues. Cassian seems ready to die if it means striking the Empire a blow,  a belief that he holds on to until the very end of his life. He is persuasive enough to convince Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) that there is no option but to fight back against the Empire. Death is a certainty, but they all have to decide what to do with the time they have left. Will they go down fighting against the brutality or wait to die like cowards? 

 Andy Serkis and Diego Luna give memorable performances. Kino Loy has only been introduced to us as part of a 3 episode arc covering Cassian's time at the Narkina 5 prison, but we've already grown attached to him, and his growth within these 3 episodes is more believable than what we see some characters go through even in films. Diego's performance is of particular interest to me and to all of us in all likelihood, because we know exactly where Cassian came from and exactly where Cassian is headed. When the show started, Cassian was nothing more than a cynical and self serving character who was just doing what he needed to do to survive, but by the end of this episode, we see glimpses of the man who will go on to serve the Rebel Alliance and be one of their most trusted hands. It's even more exciting now to imagine Cassian's journey in Season 2 of Andor, where he will probably be much closer to the man from Rogue One.

 

 A lot continues to happen in every episode of Andor, and it's impossible to summarize all of it, so I'll just stick to the major plot points. Mon Mothma is faced with a crucial choice between her daughter's future and the hopes of the Rebellion, as the banker she meets wishes introduce his young son to her 13 year old daughter. This leaves Mon Mothma in a fix, as everything she's worked for secretly is suddenly put on the line. She rejects the offer of an arranged marriage for her young daughter, but the expressions on her face during this scene are outstanding, showing the pain and shock that results from such a demand. Having lived through an arranged marriage with her husband, Perrin, Mon clearly knows the good and bad side of this tradition that her people, The Chandrilans, follow.

 The ending of Episode 10 is emotional, with a combination of the hope and heartbreak resulting from the prisoners successful escape from Narkina. Kino Loy seems inevitably lost, as he doesn't know how to swim, and the prisoners all have to swim to their freedom. But the most moving moment of the episode and perhaps of the entire season is the monologue by Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) which contains some of the most poetic and hard hitting lines in all of Star Wars. Give Stellan Skarsgard all the awards for his phenominal performance. These lines will probably be remembered and even quoted by fans when recalling poignant moments within the saga, especially during the Rebellion era. Luthen has to meet Lonni, who is shockingly revealed to be working secretly as a spy, providing key information about Deedra Meero. Lonni has been shown as an ISB officer all this time, and the revelation that he's been working undercover the entire time is a shocker. But Lonni wishes to leave now that he's become a father. He wants to be free of the burden that comes with this kind of work so he can raise his daughter in peace. Luthen tells him that there's no way out for him, and that he will continue to work for him and for the ISB, and keep providing the information Luthen so desperately needs.

 Lonni accuses Luthen of not having any regard for all of his sacrifices, and asks him if he's had to sacrifice anything himself. To this, Luthen gives a moving, heartbreaking reply in the form of one of the most hard hitting monologues in Star Wars. Luthen admits that he's sacrificed love, life, family and inner peace. He admits to having to use the Empire's weapons against them, sacrificing his dignity, and to working for a sunrise that he'll never actually get to see.  This line is particularly meaningful, as the "sunrise" foreshadows the events of the original trilogy and the rise of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. The heroes that eventually take down the Empire would never have gotten the chance to if not for the sacrifices of several other characters, such as everyone from Rogue One, and the likes of Kanan Jarrus, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Ezra Bridger. Luke would never have gotten a chance to destroy the Death Star if not for the events of Rogue One, and Cassian would never have reached the right place if he hadn't joined the Rebellion. In Andor, we are witnessing the events that pushed him to join it, and the rise of the Rebellion itself, in a beautifully put together series that just keeps on getting better and better.

 

My rating: 9.5/10