Andor – Aldhani Review

This week’s episode of Andor moved the action away from Ferrix and to Aldhani – a planent with not much going for it except for an Imperial base that is perfectly set-up to be raided by some rebellion assets with the help of our boy Cassian – and Coruscant – where we get introduced to several of the show’s new key players. While the writing remains strong, the performances even stronger, the structure of the series, as the dreaded “10-hour movie” showrunner Tony Gilroy has declared it to be, is starting to inhibit the storytelling strength as the series isn’t putting together complete episodes of television but merely slices of a larger story, cut for time.

While the seams of structure were much less visible in the three-episode premiere – largely because those episodes told a complete slice of story (Cassian’s escape from Ferrix) – having a single episode crafted in this fashion ends up feeling like a wholly incomplete story. Now, I’m all for pushing the boundaries of “traditional” television storytelling. I love seeing shows that change things up and create new and interesting ways to tell a story. But the abrupt ending to “Aldhani” didn’t feel like an ending to an episode of television. Rather, it felt like a brief cut directly in the middle of a scene. This wasn’t a creative choice to shake things up – it was a showrunner not knowing (or worse, not caring) how ending an episode without a true ending would stunt the dramatic tension of the story. Were this a simple cut within a film, that tension would immediately have the chance to ratchet up again mere moments later with the next sequence in the tale. Here, we have to wait an entire week to build that tension again. And the real disappointment comes from how well “Aldhani” had gone about building that tension that it immediately quashed with a poorly chosen end point.

I’m someone who loves a good heist movie – getting the gang together, waiting for them to trust one another, the reveal of the seemingly impossible plan, the execution where things either go awry or the team succeeds in the face of insane odds – and I’m enjoying the set-up to the payroll heist. The addition of a team made up of a crew of great supporting actors – many of whom I’m betting you recognized from other projects, including The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Black Mirror’s Alex Lawther, and The White Queen’s Faye Marsay as the Rebel leader Vel. It’s a classic story with the key addition of the last-minute guy who no one on the team knows – a twist for the audience, since normally we’re in the dark with the rest of the team members, but this time, we’re in the know. Now, is this mission all that important in the grand scheme of things – especially now that we’ve been introduced to some major players in the current Rebellion? Nah. But it’s the weaving of smaller missions like this one – and including our titular character within the ranks of the Rebels here – that help make the larger maneuverings of people like Mon Mothma and the Imperial Security Bureau have more resonance. If we see what’s happening on the ground – how the “little people” are reacting to things, it helps us to understand how the higher-level machinations fit into the world at large.

And speaking of those higher-level folks, what a great return of a classic Star Wars character with Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma. A key player in the Rebellion, we’re getting a look at who she was prior to the events of A New Hope – when she was an influential Senator trying to keep her head about the constantly swirling waters of the Imperial infiltrated Senate, all while trying to help fund the Rebellion. Not an easy position to be in – and one that isn’t helped at all by her childish and spoiled husband (seriously, what a dick). If I were a betting woman, I would say that Mothma’s husband is likely to present the biggest threat to her future on Coruscant – as we know that in a short five years’ time, she’ll be underground having given up her position in the Senate and working with the Rebels full-time, without a husband in sight. The addition of someone of Mon Mothma’s stature to this story and linking her with Luthen – a power broker for the Rebellion but still mysterious – was a smart move on the part of Gilroy. Here, we get a look at who is holding the purse strings of these smaller attacks executed by people of Cassian’s stature. We’re getting a full look at the operation, seeing how it could fall apart at any moment, understanding the sacrifices made by all who serve the goal of ending the Imperial control of the galaxy. Giving us this greater understanding helps ensure we know the stakes for everyone – and the stakes are incredibly high, if different, for each person who has accepted their part.

Outside of getting a greater understanding of the Rebel chain of power, we also get a look into the Imperial Intelligence chain of power. While I’m a bit worried that keeping Deputy Inspector Syril Karn in the story means he might turn into an Inspector Javert for Cassian’s Jean Valjean, seeing the complete destruction of his professional life at the hands of the Imperial agent might also mean he’s ripe for the picking by either side in this conflict – he’s likely angry at the Imperial side, but also seems like the type who would love one more chance to prove how smart he can be. Speaking of proving how smart one can be, the introduction of Denise Gough’s Dedra Meero is setting up a true villain for the series, albeit one who still has plenty of grey in her character. Desperate for more power and influence, Meero is just the type of person who could ferret out Cassian’s connection to everything – and with it, figure out just who is funding things right under their noses on Coruscant. We’ve rarely gotten a true female villain in Star Wars live action projects, so this character – a politically minded intelligence offer – has the makings for a particularly interesting one. Especially if she goes up against Mon Mothma head-to-head. I’d love to see that particular clash. However, in order for Meero to get to that level of the Rebel ranks, she’s going to have to start digging into what was left behind on Ferrix. Which hopefully means another trip to the planet is in the cards down the line.

Four episodes in and Andor is already surpassing the other Star Wars shows in terms of its carefully crafted plot, strong writing, and excellent performances. While the overall episodic structure is a miss – showrunners: stop trying to turn television into movies – the show itself more than makes up for that issue. I was someone who didn’t really know if I wanted another Star Wars series, but man, if all of them were this good, this smart, and this interesting, I would never want them to stop.