Andor Episode 11 Review - A well-paced and engaging setup for the season finale

With each episode Andor counties to be better and will no doubt go on to the litmus test for future Star Wars shows, with just eleven episodes under its belt this series proves the heights the Satr Wars franchise can still achieve.

The eleventh episode directed by Benjamin Caron and titled "Daughter of Ferrix", mostly focuses on the subplots that have been shown and built up from the first episode of the series.

The first is ISB officer Dedra Meero and her plan to capture Andor by using his mother's funeral as a trap, we then switch focus to Syril Karn who despite being warned by the ISB still countries his hunt for Andor.

Then we have Mon Mothma who has to make the hard choice of scarfing her daughter's future in order to protect the Rebel Alliance and finally the episode shifts focus to Luthen Rael and his meeting with Saw Gerrera.

Because the show has been building up the various subplots through its previous episodes when they take center stage and shift the focus away from Andor it feels organic and does not come off as "just set up" for the finale.

Which unfortunately has been a trend with a lot of shows, the most recent example being Amazon's The Rings of Power.

Something I enjoyed throughout all the episodes is the show's portrayal of the Rebels, while they are fighting a tyrannical dictatorship they are never portrayed as Knights in shining armor but instead, as flawed individuals who have to make tough decisions that may end up costing someone's life.

And nowhere is this more brilliantly portrayed than with Stellan Skarsgård and his portrayal of Luthen Rael, a man who joined the rebels with good intentions but now has to make tough and at times cut-throat decisions in order to keep the rebellion alive.

The scene in which he reveals to Saw Gerrera that they must sacrifice one of their friends in order to protect a spy within the ISB, the conflict that arises betweeen the two and the eventual understanding that they are at war and they must do whatever it takes to win, is some of the best written and executed scenes in a series I have seen.

The episode has a short but really entertaining space battle between Rael and an imperial patrol ship and it did not feel out of place as it felt like a natural progression of events rather than fan service.

Overall this episode is a great setup for the season finale.

The first eleven episodes of Andor are currently streaming on Disney +, with the season finale streaming next Wednesday.