By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
Synopsis: The Empire catches up to Cassian, but is as of yet unaware of his identity and past.
First of all, before I start, I just want to say this – I will never tire of seeing the Shore Trooper armour, it has been such an outstanding addition to the Star Wars universe! Anyway, on to the review!
Cassian is transferred to the planet Narikna 5 to serve out his six-year sentence which involves hard labour in a specialist Imperial Factory. Cassian is essentially going to be assembling machine parts for the Empire. The floors are electrified, so the guards have minimal weapons – this is good to know as I am sure this will play a hand in Andor’s eventual escape! Now, what happened next was a HUGE surprise – while I won’t spoil the actor’s name, the charter this person plays is called Kino Loy, a fellow prisoner but also a Unit Manager, so he has a slight position of power over the other inmates. I am SO happy this actor turned up and his performance and character brought so much intensity and gravitas to the prison scenes. A lot of the prisoners are very familiar faces from British TV and moves, so that was also a nice addition! Cassian spends most of the episode observing absolutely everything – he hardly says a word! A really enjoyed this approach, especially as Diego Luna was so expressive with his facial reactions.
On Coruscant, we finally have an interaction that I have been longing for, so I was rather pleased when Syril was removed from his pod to be interviewed by Dedra regarding Cassian. Their initial meeting was incredibly tense and, already, both Denise Gough and Kyle Soller displayed great on-screen chemistry together! Syril is determined to clear his name and pushes Dedra constantly in the hope of becoming an asset in her investigation.
Mon Mothma continues to play the double life, and we get more glimpses into her family life and the politics that surround her and the Senate. Genevieve O’Reilly is so good at playing both sides of Mon and the way she transitions between the two is fantastic!
Vel and Cinta have arrived on Ferrix in the hunt for Cassian, while Brasso and Bix try to care for Maarva, who is ill. With the Empire clamping down on known faces within the community, Bix is next on the list and taken in for questioning – by Dera, who has now left Coruscant and is on Ferrix, following up on her own investigation.
With Luthen getting desperate in his mission to find Cassian, he travels to Segra Milo, and apart from a parked X-Wing, fans of Rogue One may notice Benthic AKA “Two Tubes” standing guard – at this part in the timeline, this can only mean one thing… Hello, Saw Gerrera! I also think I spotted Moroff lurking in the background – so these great tie-ins to Rogue One just add to the world-building and established characters. Forest Whitaker was incredible, but that is to be expected really! As a huge fan of The Clone Wars, I have so much investment in Saw as a character, as we only see the end of his arc in Rogue One.
I really enjoyed this episode! There was so much going on and this was the first time we got every single character and story arc progressing concurrently. The thing I continue to love about Andor is that it makes every single character matter. From the main characters to the background ones, each person has a story, an importance and a purpose, so when things go wrong, it matters and everything feels like it has a consequence on the everyday person. Grounding the show like this has been the masterstroke move that continues to make Andor a very unique and engaging Star Wars show.
What did you think of this latest episode of Andor? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media!
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