By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
Synopsis: Under intense scrutiny while imprisoned, Cassian makes allies plan an impossible escape.
Before I start the review, I just want to make a quick remark about last week’s episode that I missed, and only realised upon my second viewing – after the review was posted. I missed the fact that Ruescott Melshi (Duncan Pow) was one of Cassian’s cellmates! I totally missed that, rather obvious, connection to Rogue One, and I almost feel like I need to hand in my Star Wars Fan card! Nevertheless, Melshi’s inclusion is a great addition and hopefully, we can explore his character further in this series! With the record corrected, let’s move on to this week’s review…
With Cassian still in prison and Bix in Imperial custody on Ferrix, things are not looking good for our heroes!
Starting with the Ferrix stories, I loved the interrogation performance from Denise Gough (Dedra Meero) – it was highly unsettling and subtly powerful. However, I would expect nothing less from Yennefer of Vengerberg (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)! The music throughout this scene was so good, building throughout the background until it reached its finale! I know we shouldn’t root for them, but the show positions characters like Dedra and Syril where we sort of want them to succeed in their goals, despite them being on the ‘evil’ side. This just further highlights the quality of the writing as well as the performances from Denise Gough and Kyle Soller.
On Narkina 5, Cassian and his fellow workstation begin to plan their escape! Cassian’s ability to observe and strategise is what makes him so good and what he does! With rumours circulating of mass prisoner killings, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over Cassian and the others. As the shifts continue, it finally takes its toll on one member of the table and this leads to a shocking revelation that really does a number on Kino Loy’s mindset, especially as they end the episode on this arc. I LOVED the journey Kino undertakes in this episode and Serkis sold the performance so well!
And finally, on Coruscant, Mon continues to swim against the current of the Imperial Senate. It is so depressing to see the last remaining flames of democracy increasingly smothered under Imperial rule. This makes the Rebellion’s rise so imperative in sparking those flames into life and restoring hope in the galaxy! Sticking with Mon, the revelation of who her visiting sister is, completely makes sense! There was a comment made in last week’s episode that was a big breadcrumb, but it’s only when you see these two characters standing next to each other, that you can really see the cleverness of the casting! Again, learning more about Mon’s past is incredibly enjoyable and long overdue.
Again, yet another incredible episode of Andor! I am so in love with the two Ps – pacing and performances. Week in and week out, these two elements are so consistently high from start to finish. While there were so many great performances in the latest episode, I have to highlight Denise Gough and Andy Serkis in particular. Gough was terrifying, cold and calculating whereas Serkis went on such a journey – flowing from calm assurance to confused and controlled anger. Between these performances and the slickness of the writing, the episode flew by in the blink of an eye! I can already feel like next week is going to be a very intense and incredible episode.
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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