By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
“The repercussions of the Aldhani heist reach all the way to Coruscant, while Cassian returns home.”
With the closure of the Aldhani arc, it’s time to start a new one in the continuing saga of the life of Cassian Andor!
On Coruscant the ISB react to the Aldhani heist by increasing their grip on the galaxy and the people it rules over! Only Dedra Meero can see the glaring flaw in this plan but none of her peers or superiors seems to take any notice.
With Luthen and Mon Mothma at slight odds about his methods and involvement with the money heist, their dynamic and resolve are tested. The introduction of Mon’s childhood and like-minded friend Tay Kolma steps up Mon’s involvement in the episode and am all here for it! Genevieve O’Reilly was sensational throughout the episode, she really was! I love that we get to explore Mon Mothma in so much detail, especially during these early years of the Rebellion.
The family favour called in for Syril is a job in the Bureau of Standards, so a nice and boring box-checking job tucked away where no one will ask questions. Not quite the career path I’d imagine he’d have wished for! But with a black mark on his records, the rebuilding has to start somewhere! Syril still fascinates me as a character, and in a way, I am rooting for him on his journey in this story. Similar to Dedra, these are ‘villains’ but with reason and logic behind their characters so you can easily see their point of view and rationale.
As for Cassian? He returns home, but with the city under Imperial control, it’s no easy task trying to tidy up his affairs before leaving the planet for good. While his plans don’t go according to plan, we do learn a little more backstory as well as witness a tremendous performance from Fiona Shaw that was a real standout moment in the series, as a whole, so far! With Cassian still not ready to embrace the cause, he decides to take a holiday instead! However, after a misunderstanding, and a cool Rogue One teaser, he ends up getting a six-year prison sentence for his troubles…
As this was the beginning of a new arc, there was plenty of story setup that needed to happen. However, the episode acted as a nice come-down after last week’s intense drama. I’m really excited about the various plots seeded in this episode and cannot wait to see which direction they go in! As for the performances, Genevieve O’Reilly, Fiona Shaw and Denise Gough were the real highlights of the episode and really made a huge lasting impression.
What did you think of the latest episode of Star Wars: Andor? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media.
X-Geeks 