Andor – Week One Review

A bit of housecleaning before we get into the review of the first three episodes of Andor’s second, and final, season. When it was first announced that these twelve episodes would be released in a set of four triptychs, I wasn’t sure just how I would cover them. And while I will decide with each block of three episodes just what makes the most sense for the structure – how closely related each is, how interconnected the arcs are, how much time elapses within each set of episodes – when it comes to these first three episodes, it makes to most sense to review them as a single block of storytelling. Because that’s what these episodes were: a three-episode arc over a three-day span of time. So, spoilers will abound for all three episodes.

Well, that was quite the return to the world of Andor. As we dive into these final twelve episodes, which will cover the remaining four-year period of time between now and the events of Rogue One, it certainly looks like Tony Gilroy (who wrote each of these three episodes) is ready to churn through plot and characters in a race to the finish. And while I would have loved to get a single season for each of these four years – more time with characters like Cassian (the great Diego Luna), Mon Mothma (the wonderful Genevieve O’Reilly), and Luthen (Stellan Skarsgard, showing us the cracks in Luthen’s seemingly poised exterior) would always be a welcome thing – I was more than impressed with how evenly balanced the storytelling within these episodes was. Each character got ample time – save perhaps Cinta (Varada Sethu, who’s having a heck of a spring), but she’s got a hell of a job to do – and while that sequence on the planet with the stranded (and angry) rebels took far too long with the limited time we have in this season* – I was thrilled to get to come back to this world once more.

*Keeping Cassian away from Mina Rau was necessary to play out the events there – and to keep Luthen and Kleya worried about his whereabouts and safety. But spending an episode and a half marooned on a backwater planet waiting for Cassian to escape, despite showing us just how unorganized the lower levels of the rebellion is at this stage of things, didn’t feel necessary. We could easily get that message after a single episode and keeping Cassian off the main storyboard that long was just disappointing.

On the Cassian side of things, it appears our titular character is now officially Luthen’s number one spy. Handing him the crucial gig of stealing a TIE fighter is no small feat, and the amount of fear his lack of radio contact inspired in the normally unflappable Luthen (and, to a lesser extent, Kleya, who had a hell of series of episodes – Elizabeth Dulau was on fire) made it clear just how much the rebellion is relying on his work now. He’s still smart, slippery, and able to improvise when necessary. But it’s troubling that his contact was sent into a hostile situation (ambushed by other rebels) and that the info on the TIE fighter Cassian was initially given was incorrect. A rebellion isn’t a perfectly well-oiled machine, but one would hope that such mistakes would be few and far between. Instead, it seems like Luthen’s network isn’t as reliable as he would like, and it also appears that a lack of synergy amongst the various rebel forces – something we saw last season with Saw Gerrera’s troops and his unwillingness to join forces with Luthen – is costing them men and power. For a rebellion to succeed, everyone needs to be on the same page with a singular goal. Right now? That’s not the case at all. But we know that by the end of the season, power will be consolidated and there will be a true rebellion. How we get from here to there in these remaining nine episodes will be truly interesting to see.

Speaking of the rebellion, Mon Mothma had a truly horrible three days as well. From marrying off her 14-year-old daughter to the 15-year-old son of a gangster (a daughter who rebuffed Mon’s attempt to give her an out from the marriage in one of the cruelest, coldest ways imaginable) to realizing that Luthen was going to have to stage the death of Tay in order to keep him quiet*, that was pretty rough. I certainly don’t blame her from getting absolutely shit faced at the end of the wedding and letting loose while that discordant pop music played (Andor is not particularly subtle about, well, anything, so having music that sounded so upbeat while having so many minor chords was a clear sign that this particular ending was very, very bittersweet for all our characters).

*That chilly exchange between Mon and Luthen at the end of episode three may spark a turning point in their relationship. Mon is well-aware that Tay cannot truly be bought off. That he’s going to demand more money at some point to keep quiet about her work in the rebellion. She knows he’s a liability. But her refusing to acknowledge that openly to Luthen is, as he told her, a luxury she has in her position. Sure, mentally, this will take its toll on her. But this is also something Luthen has to do routinely to keep the rebellion afloat. Something that Mon never needs to think about. Until now. This is part of the price for winning and it’s the first time Mon has really gotten a look at the dark side of the rebellion she’s paying for. It’s her “welcome to the big leagues moment,” and she isn’t taking it well.

Put yourself in Mon’s shoes for a moment. She’s bankrolling the nascent rebellion, hiding her money the best she can. She entices her childhood friend to help her launder money in the open, bringing him into the rebellion. And he loses his shirt – how, we’re not quite certain – and his wife. So, he starts to complain. Shakes her down a bit – rightly pointing out that she got him into this situation. Oh, and by the way, he knows that she was also funneling cash through Davo Sculden, a known member of organized crime and a thug. And, while he won’t say it outright, he knows she’s involved in some other, shady things that the government won’t love. But she can’t protect him because she’s more important. The rebellion needs her – her connections, her power as a senator, her money – so he’s expendable. She got him into this to save her and it ended up getting him killed. We know that before this is over, she’ll also lose not only her position in the Senate but also her family (although you could argue she already lost her husband and daughter this week as well). But Mon is going to lose everything for the rebellion – I have a sneaking suspicion her cousin Vel (Faye Marsay, who looked pretty devastated at the reveal of just who Cinta is within Luthen’s network) will eventually be the worst loss she faces. She’s going to have to start developing a thicker skin because I’m not sure there’s enough alcohol in the galaxy to get her through the next three years.

And then there’s Bix. Is there anyone on this series who has endured more trauma than her? My god. Speaking of unsubtle – but still brilliant – writing, the situation of the illegal immigrants on Mina Rau was so clearly analogous to what is happening here in the United States (as well as throughout Europe), but it still packed a huge punch. And the Imperial commander who was willing to exchange sex for looking the other way (and then resorted to sexual assault when he couldn’t get what he wanted)? Yeah, that is another all too common situation women without power find themselves in when faced with men in positions of power. A difficult sequence to watch, but an important, very real situation to highlight.

Andor pulls no punches when it comes to tackling the dark sides of war, rebellion, and fascist regimes. When you think you have power over people, you start to believe you are better than them. And when you start to believe you are better than others, you start to see them as less than human. And you see nothing wrong with making demands like that. With casting people out. With making them disappear. Adria Arjona was sensational over the three episodes, but especially in “Harvest.” The look on her face in the closing moments when Cassian looked at her? You could see every painful moment of trauma she has endured over the last two years writ large. Her connection to Cassian has turned her life into a series of painful experiences. I don’t doubt she wants to continue in the rebellion, but the price exacted of her has been incredibly high. And I’m not sure how long she can continue while still trying to work through all of that pain. I shudder to think about what is still in store for her moving forward.

And I’ll wrap this review up by talking about things over with the Imperial infrastructure. As lovely as it was to see Ben Mendelsohn back as Krennic, I wish it was for something less odious than what is about to go down on Ghorman. I won’t spoil things for those of you who aren’t as versed in that particular piece of Star Wars lore – this is an event that has been covered in other media previously – but Dedra Meera’s (the always great Denise Gough) role in executing it all should tell you that it’s going to be messy and awful when it happens. It’s always interesting to me that this side of the story is the more comedic of the bunch – Syril (Kyle Soller) and his mother, Edey (Kathryn Hunter), are our comic relief – because these folks are the ones plotting the takeover and destruction of anyone who gets in the way of the Emperor’s grand plans. Now, Syril absolutely has no idea what his girlfriend is up to – he’s still far too low on the totem pole to have that type of clearance. And he’s having a blast lording what little power he has over his subordinates – another example of someone gaining power and abusing it for his own ego.

But shading the work of our fascists as comedic relief is an interesting choice. On the one hand, it makes these characters – who have done and will be party to some horrific events over the course of the series – relatable and less odious. But on the other, for someone watching without a discerning eye, it might make them a bit too likeable. Perhaps that’s part of the trap being laid, however. If you laugh over Edey and Syril – and cheer a bit when Dedra stands up for him – it will make whatever awful actions the undertake all the harder to stomach. After all, in the real world, villains don’t just twirl their mustaches and terrify you. They can be charismatic, they can charm, and they can present their actions and ideas in terms that make them seem not nearly as bad as they really are. Maybe these characters are going to change their minds about their work (doubtful – they’re all too power hungry to really care about others, although I can see Syril cracking and breaking under the revelations as to just what Dedra is involved in), but maybe this is an exercise in teaching us that just because we can laugh at the bad guys, it doesn’t make them innocent.

What a way to kick off these twelve episodes. The walls are closing in around Mon Mothma – and they’re only going to get closer and closer with each remaining episode. Vel and Cinta continue their work for Luthen – albeit apart, much to Vel’s dismay. Luthen’s control over his rebel network is slipping – it is worrying that Kleya was more concerned with getting in touch with Cassian safely than Luthen was – and he doesn’t have a fully aligned group of rebels to carry out all the work that needs to be done. Cassian and Bix are in the wind, but without a home base and in possession of a ship that could easily get them both killed. What Cassian told Niya all the way back at the start of the season premiere appears to be the theme of the season: “The Empire cannot win. You’re coming home to yourself.” Each of these characters can only do what is within their purview to keep the rebellion alive. If they die tonight, will it be worth it? We know that in four years, Cassian Andor will make the determination that it absolutely was. As for the rest of these characters, I suspect we’ll see how they answer that call over the remaining nine episodes.