Andor Season one Finale Review - A electrifying season finale to one of the best Star Wars shows

The finale starts off with Cassian arriving at Ferrix, for his mother's funeral while both the Empire and the rebels wait to capture him. The empire wants him alive for questioning whereas the rebels view him as a security risk and want him dead.

The episode directed by Benjamin Caron and titled 'Rix Road' has to be one of the most well-paced and satisfying season finales out there, all the story arcs are given room to reach their natural conclusion while also making me excited to see what comes next.

The appeal of Star Wars on the surface may seem, at least to those who aren't familiar with the franchise, to be epic space battles, lightsabers, and space magic.

But what made the franchise so beloved is the core idea that Geroge Lucas had - which was something simple yet universally appealing, the idea of good triumphing over evil with everything else only there to help strengthen it.

Despite how powerful and overwhelming the Empire may seem, it will always fall when people rise up and unite against it. Showrunner Tony Gilroy and his team deserve every bit of praise that comes their way for understanding this and making it the core of the series.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the final episode of season one, especially during Cassin's interactions with the people of Ferrix and the difference in how they acted towards him in the first episode where he was seen as a bit of a troublemaker versus how they behaved in the last episode showed the sense of community they shared.

Despite knowing that the Empire is breathing down their necks and making their lives miserable to capture Andor , when he finally returns home for the funeral, they all comfort him for his loss and warn him of the danger he is in and put their own lives in danger to help him.

In the last minutes of the episode, a hologram of Maarva Andor gives a rousing speech to the people of Ferrix asking them not to admit defeat and to rise up against their oppressors which leads to them going on the offensive against the Empire.

At a certain point in the episode, we hear a recording of Karis Nemik from his rebel manifesto, which he gave to Andor before his death in episode six, and as Cassian is listening, the scene cuts to Luthen Rael who has arrived in Ferrix and we hear the words " Freedom is a pure idea, it occurs spontaneously and without instruction".

As the skirmish begins to escalate Rael takes one last look at the fighting in the streets below and gives a faint smile as he comes to the same realization and returns to his ship.

Full credit to the director Benjamin Caron and the team for capturing that moment without any fanfare as it is just one of the many subtle things this show has been doing through its 12-episode run that could easily be missed but makes you appreciate the quality on display when you do notice it.

The episode ends with Cassian Andor joining the Rebel Alliance and thus setting up season 2.

Andor is a must-watch and one of the best Star Wars shows ever made. It is also a show someone who is not familiar with the franchise can enjoy because the show is a spy thriller set in the Star Wars universe and not the other way around.

You can watch the first season of Andor on Disney+Hotstar