SamSuka
kaiielle
kaiielle

patreon


Andor: Rix Road [1x12] SEASON FINALE ✦ Watchalong Reaction & Review

Another B2 thumbnail, because he's such a great droid. Welcome in to the FINALE of Season 1 of Andor! What a heckin' episode. There is one thing that I forgot to mention in my thoughts/review portion of this video that I will add as a comment to this post so that any of you who receive these posts by email are not spoiled if you haven't seen this finale yet. [Direct link here.]

REALLY excited to talk about this episode! I also shared a couple Andor news tweets in Discord. If you want to see those tweets, click HERE and HERE. They provide a bit of information on Season 2.

Thank you so much for watching with me! That's a wrap on another show.

✦ KL

Andor: Rix Road [1x12] SEASON FINALE ✦ Watchalong Reaction & Review

Comments

Love it!

kaiielle

There's something really interesting about Cassian meeting Luthen at the end: when they first met on Ferrix, Cass mostly only cared about himself and making profit. He didn't like the Empire, sure, but he was just another man in the galaxy trying to get by... Luthen was like "Don't you really want to stick it to them where it counts?" But Cass was ultimately disinterested in his proposal, saying "I don't know who you think I am, but you've got the wrong guy." So Luthen was like "You want to just be a mercenary, that's fine....I just thought you wanted something more." So he paid him to do a job, but afterward decided he needed to clean up his mess, because he got ahead of himself and ended up being too direct with someone who turned out to be a one time mercenary who shared very little empathy toward his cause. He felt like he'd been wrong about Cassian and didn't feel he could trust him enough to leave him alive. But Cassian has been through hell since Aldhani, and just witnessed the Empire slaughter his hometown. He said to Luthen "Take me in, or kill me," basically saying if he can't become part of the fight in the most meaningful way possible, he doesn't even want to be alive. He'd rather be dead than just be another slave in the population. And by saying that, Luthen realizes Cassian has finally come around to wanting to fight for more than just himself or small gains. He wants to make a difference. Luthen needs heroes....and Cassian is exactly the kind of hero he needs. I feel like that's what he realized that made him smile. I'm not sure Cassian is even as aware of this about himself as Luthen is - so it may have even been a look of "you don't even realize just how much of a rebel you're becoming..." Just an amazing contrast to their first meeting that adds so much more meaning and value because of that juxtaposition.

Turnt SNACO

Wasn't it said somewhere in the show that if Cassian hadn't gone with Maarva, he probably would have ended up dying? I feel like I remember that. But either way, Cassian needed a backstory and sometimes really wonderful people have troubled pasts, so even thought it's not good, it still adds to the story. I'm really excited to watch Mando and BBF so that I can decide for myself what live-action is my favourite out of them all. And I know we're months away from Ahsoka but GOSH I am excited for that too!

kaiielle

This entire show was just a joy, all of it was incredible with only a few potentially bad/problematic stuff. Like I and many other people noticed that Maarva kinda kidnaps Cassian at first, which is really really not good. But other than that the show was SO SO WELL WRITTEN, shot, directed, acted, and so incredibly interesting the whole way through! Personally my favorite Live Action SW show but only by a tiny bit I think! Oh and Mon telling Perrin to go gamble on Canto Bite was a reference to The Last Jedi with Canto Bite being the casino in that movie.

Justin

All very good points! :) Thanks for sharing.

kaiielle

I loved this show so much, and there's so much to talk about. And this episode, a stellar ending to this season. Can we take a moment to appreciate how they tied up almost all the separate stories and made most of the main characters converge into one place (except Mon Mothma) without it feeling forced. I mean, everyone who came to Ferrix for the funeral had a reason to be there and a reason very much consistent with each characters. And, of course, everything else was just stellar. Let me comment on a couple specific details, some of them you might have missed (or at least didn't comment on them when they were happening). First, how Maarva's speach seemed to affect everyone in different ways, the imperials were terrified, the Ferrixians were inspired, to Bix it was maybe therapeutic, and I'll talk about Luthen later. And what about Syril's friend (don't remember his name)? The speech and the whole chaos later clearly affected him deeply, we see him getting drunk in the streets of Ferrix, but out of everyone present there, I think he is the least clear to read. ¿Is he just traumatised by the overall violence? ¿Or did Maarva's speach started to shake his convictions and erode his support for the Empire? I see his character could go both ways: he either gets even more into authoritarianism and law and order for the Empire because of the pure chaos he has witnessed, or maybe he makes an 180º turn and sees that it was the empire's opression that causes people such as Maarva to do such speeches. I am not at all sure if he comes back in season 2, but I am certainly interested in what path he end up. A small detail is that the young boy who makes the bomb, he worked at the same store that Bix went to to communicate with Luthen, and the holo-portrait he is looking at when making the bomb is the owner of the shop, I am not sure if it is said, but I think it is heavily implied it was his dad. His dad was arrested and interrogated before Bix and later an imperial officer asks Deedra if he can hang him, and Deedra gives permission, implying he was killed. That pretty much explains why the boy was building the bomb. Another small detail is that the bomb sets of a whole chain reaction, making a whole lot of imperial munitions explode. This plays directly into the empire being over-confident: having all those munitions laying around in the street unsecured is very much a negligence. Mon Mothma accusing her husband of gambling is a ruse to at least partially explain the missing credits in her bank account. From the very early episodes we know she totally suspects her driver to be a spy and the fact that she says "We want privacy" is her way of making sure the driver is paying attention. She is literally letting her husbend take the blame for the missing money, acting a bit more like Luthen would. She is clearly conflicted abou it, but she still does whatever is necessary for the cause, including sacrificing her husbend and her daughter. I find that complexity very interesting in her character, she is clearly the most idealistic of the rebellion leaders, but she is forced into decisions that a pragmatist like Luthen would be much more confortable with. And, hey, as much as throwing her husbend under the bus is morally bad, from a pragmatic point of view, her plan s very clever. Then there's Luthen. So many interesting characters in this show, but Luthen is probably the most intriguing to me. Speculation time, but I think he is the most affected character by Maarva's speach. I think before Maarva's speech and the revolt on Ferrix, he would hve killed Andor without even thinking about it, as he sees himself as the central hub of the rebellion, the necessary and only force who can bring about the empire, he thinks withhout him as the center-piece, every chance of a successful rebellion disappears- And to be honest, his job and contribution to the early stages of the rebellion is huge. But Maarva's speach and the events on Ferrix show him that perhaps he is not THAT important, that even without him, the people of the galaxy will end up rebelling, that he can't control every single little aspect of the rebellion. While I don't think he stops being the cold, calculating pragmatist he is, I think seeing the people on Ferrix rise in a spontaneous way, without his careful planning, takes some of the weight on his shoulders. He is not 100% indispensable to the ebellion and I think that opens the way for him to trust Andor. I think the smile at the end of the episode means he is taking him in for the rebellion. And Brasso, there's much less to talk about Brasso, but I adore him. He is such an adorable and caring person, to everyone in the community: Maarva, B2, Cassian. It is clear he is one of the most clearly righteous and morally good chatacters in the show. And yet, if you push him enough, he'll fight like a beast for what he considers to be right, and he kicks ass.

Michał Zawisza Alvarez

Andor does take a bit of episodes to really build up, but I'm eager to rewatch those first 5 episodes knowing how the rest of the season will play out. Enjoy the BB episode!

kaiielle

Good show, better than I was expecting back when I first started watching it alongside you. And now I go watch your most recent Bad Batch react. (I still like that show more)

Yoshi1990

Completely agree with you! And honestly, your nitpick about the sister. I don't know, maybe Maarva telling him that made him realize that it wasn't worth chasing. But maybe she shows up in Season 2? Who knows! Excited to find out. And I'm glad you're enjoying it here a lot. I appreciate those of you who comment a lot and engage; it makes me feel a lot better about what I'm doing!

kaiielle

This show man. This, THIS is fucking Star Wars and no one can tell me otherwise. (almost) Everything done in this show is masterful. The only thing I take issue with is the fact they kinda dropped the whole sister subplot with one line from Marva where it was like ‘stop looking for your sister’ or something and it was never brought up again. I found that odd. Despite that nitpick, this show is a prime example of what happens when you get competent writers and directors to just do their thing. Like I said before, Obi Wan Kenobi (TV Show) never really blew me away by it’s dialogue or shot composition or general direction, it felt cheap in a way. Also those goofy ass cartoon moments where Leia was under Obi wans cloak like bro come on you can’t make this shit up 😭 And then you’ve got Andor, a beautifully written show with stellar acting, a tight script and rawness at every given moment. This, is Star Wars. I am SOOOO excited for you to get into Rebels and continue the MCU, I am absolutely loving your patreon KL, thank you.

Sean H

Completely agree. The uprising in Ferrix was incredible. So much culture there and the people really care about each other. Yes, still some unanswered questions but S2 is gonna be GREAT. Can't wait! And thank you for watching.

kaiielle

I really like this last episode, because it is a good enough end point to the stories we had for the season. The speech from Marvaa was great, i wanted to join Braso and slam some troopers head as well in that moment ! :D For season 2 they can do a lot of different things but there is still the open ended question of his sister and K2SO is going to come in at some point. I am glad none of the main characters died in the end, i am looking forward to more Luthen Bix Syril and Dedra. Another show where we have to wait 2024 to get the next season. :( Time to be patient, like Yoda told us i guess. Thanks for your fun reaction videos for this whole season.

Guiguioh

Agree on all of your comments and regarding the Death Star parts, it's really unfortunate that Cassian and Melshi spent well over a month putting together parts for the very thing that would end up killing them in the end. Kind of bittersweet.

kaiielle

Marva finally got to be the spark that ignited the Ferrix rebellion. That her stone was used as a weapon to bash the imperial officer was 100% in honor of her spirit and so rewarding to see. The fact that Cassian managed to evade everyone actively hunting for him through the entire episode, was also so so good. As for the show as a whole, I think the fact that it takes its time developing the story and the characters is what sets it apart from other shows. Yes it is fun with action, but this is so well written. A compelling story that is unfolding in a realistic pace and where the action is sidelined in favor of intelligent dialogues and epic monologues. Where you can feel what is at stake for the various characters. Where the story is the journey and the journey is the story. As for the after credits scene, I remember the speculations regarding what they made at the Narkina 5 facility was mostly in favor of being parts for the Death Star already after the first prison episode dropped. Was really cool to finally see what part of the Death Star they were for.

Rune

Yeah I think it was deliberate. By telling the driver that she wanted privacy, she gave a cue for him to pay extra attention. She already expected him to be a government spy when we first were introduced to her, in Luthen's shop. And it seemed to work well, by the ISB quickly starting to link that up as a possible explanation for the irregular account transactions. I would also suspect that gambling is illegal in the capital, as she said that she'd prefer he went to the casino-planet (which name escapes me at the moment) that we visited in SW Episode 8.

Rune

Thanks for watching them! I really loved the finale too. A great way to cap off the season.

kaiielle

Oop, forgot to post my comment cause I had scheduled this post! So the scene with Mon Mothma in the car with Perrin where the driver was listening in. At first, it felt like Mon was really accusing Perrin of legit gambling, and maybe she is. But once we saw that scene where the driver was passing along the info, it seems more to me like she intentionally talked about the gambling to give the Empire a different direction to pursue to explain the bank accounts. I forgot that she was suspicious of the driver in a much earlier episode. How do you feel about that moment?

kaiielle

Just finished watching the episode moments ago. Really enjoyed the finale. I’ll be watching it again, this time with you. Thanks for sharing these reactions with us Kaiielle

Absher


More Creators