The deep breath before the plunge. This episode sets up the things to come in the next episode and builds the tension and anticipation very well. We also spend much more time with our characters, seeing more about who they are and their intentions.
We open with Syril as he wakes up in his mother’s apartment and talks with her over a bowl of cereal and blue milk. Seeing the dynamic between the two was interesting, and I enjoyed learning more about Syril. His mother mentions calling his uncle for a job since he lost his old job to the Empire. We don’t know anything about his cousin yet or the jobs he might be able to provide, but we know that Syril has a long journey ahead of him, which will likely be shown throughout the rest of the series.
Cassian is with the group of rebels, who are still preparing for their attack on the Imperial base. He finds that his possessions are with Skeen, and he finds Skeen inspecting all of Cassian’s stuff. Cassian understandably gets angry, and tensions run high between the two. Skeen going through Cassian’s stuff shows his mistrust, and I found it engaging. Understandably, the group would be skeptical of a newcomer late into their planning, but no one in the group seems to mistrust Cassian more than Skeen. The two are in constant conflict throughout the episode, leading to Skeen pulling a knife on Cassian and taking the kyber necklace that Luthen gave him. Skeen wonders why someone would wear a valuable treasure into battle, and Cassian makes the wrong move, telling everyone he’s simply a gun for hire.
This leads to the rest of the group being a lot less trusting of Cassian, as it seems that he’ll abandon any of them or maybe even kill them so that he makes it out of the mission alive and with his money. This is a fantastic way of making the dynamic between the group members much more exciting and tense. I can’t wait to see how the raid goes, with all of them distrusting Cassian.
Mon Mothma is seen having breakfast with her husband and daughter, where an argument ensues. Mothma’s daughter and husband don’t like her very much, and she seems alone. She has only the rebellion who supports her. Her husband constantly shoots down her political and ethical beliefs, and her daughter looks like she’s often frustrated with her, which adds to Mothma. It shows the loneliness of her position and how much she sacrifices for the rebellion. It makes her a much stronger, more interesting character to watch, and I enjoy that.
I hope we see the dinner she is going to, especially since Sly Moore is supposed to be there. If you’re a huge “Star Wars” nut like me, or if you’ve seen “Star Wars Theory’s” video on this episode or the last, then you know Sly Moore is a big deal. She was very close with Palpatine and was one of the few who knew he was a Sith before revealing it to the Jedi. We might learn more about Palpatine and his mysterious character through Sly, which I would love, and I am sure there are lots of people out there who would love it too.
This was one of the slower episodes of “Andor” so far, but it was still very enjoyable. I loved that we got to spend more time with each of the characters and see their relationships with the other characters around them. This episode was focused much more on learning about the characters than moving the plot along, which is easily seen with the exposition scenes since they take up most of the runtime here. I’m glad we’re getting an exposition, character-focused episode. This show isn’t afraid to slow things down so we can learn more about the characters, the world, and the events happening around them. I find it very interesting, but it will probably turn off most general audiences since most people prefer fast-paced action over slow-paced exposition. Of course, stories shouldn’t be purely exposition, and there are wrong ways of presenting exposition to your audience that immediately bores them. Still, this episode moved the plot along just enough that I never felt bored.
“Andor” has been a very fun show, and I cannot wait to see more!
Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.