The first three episodes of Andor set up and then paid off the initial arc. My expectations for the next episode were sky high. The fourth episode of the first season, titled “Aldhani”, picked up where the previous episode left off. The writers set the wheels in motion for more surprises. I was also excited to see the return of Mon Mothma, the iconic character from the Star Wars franchise that plays a vital role in creating the Rebel Alliance.
Spoilers ahead, so do not read if you have not watched the fourth episode of Andor.
The episode splits time between three different narratives, which I criticize when it’s done without forethought. Here, Andor balances the separate story arcs, shifting between Coruscant and the backwater planet Cassian Andor is on. Fresh from escaping Ferrix, Luthen takes Cassian to the planet Aldhani to meet with a proto-cell of malcontents. The job that Cassian is to be a part of is to steal the payroll for an entire Imperial sector, which is a considerable chunk of change. As expected, when a new person gets added to an established group, the group (Vel, Karis, Arvel, Taramyn, Nemik, and Cinta) does not welcome with open arms Cassian.
This is a spy thriller at its core and that is most clearly shown in the character of Luthen, played by Stellan Skarsgard. Luthen is quick to call Cassian out on his lies, the previous Imperial service Cassian claims to have completed. When Luthen speaks to Vel about adding Cassian to the crew, he makes it an ultimatum. This is a sink-or-swim opportunity for Cassian, who on some level understands that. When Luthen returns to Coruscant and resumes his primary role as an antiquities dealer, we see another character that Luthen puts on like a worn coat.
The fallout of the Ferrix incident brings in the Imperial Security Bureau, which, as a fan of Star Wars, perked me up. ISB in Star Wars is one of the better representations of the underhanded and corrupt aspects of the Galactic Empire in the Legends continuity. The writers for Andor bring that to the forefront with our POV character, Dedra Meero. The Imperial Security Bureau is both the intelligence and counter-intelligence arm of the Empire (think the CIA for a real-world comparison). However, the Bureau is rife with in-fighting and territorialism, which does little to facilitate cooperation. Dedra sees a part of the pattern when she focuses on the Starpath unit Cassian stole, except her focus is on the wrong item. In the few scenes we get with Dedra (portrayed by Denise Gough), we see someone who is calculating, intelligent, and determined. These are admirable traits if they weren’t in service to the Galactic Empire. I’m interested to see how her investigation into the Starpath unit brings her into the game that Luthen is playing.
The complete catastrophe of the Ferrix event causes Deputy Inspector Karn to lose his job and for his entire security division to be subsumed by the Empire. Karn doesn’t say a word the entire episode, but everything is on his face, which is a masterful performance by Kyle Soller. Karn’s posture throughout the episode shows how broken he has become. The reality of his failure on Ferrix is a weight that he carries all around him and where it drives him will not be a good place. Men like Syril Karn are prone to hyper fixation. I foresee that Cassian Andor will become the focus of the rage that is just boiling under the surface.
The return of Mon Mothma (portrayed by Genevieve O’Reilly, who has appeared in the role since Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith) sets up her relationship with Luthen. Caught between the ideals she clings to and the realities of the omni-present police state of the Empire, Mothma walks a small tightrope. O’Reilly shows us the weight Mothma carries when her mask slips. Both Luthen and Mothma understand the precarious nature of their choice to rebel against the Empire and the danger it places them in. They’re both convinced that ISB is monitoring their activities, which may or may not be true. Mothma must deal with her husband Perrin, who in his brief scene shows himself to be the opposite of his spouse. Perrin is setting up a dinner at the home he shares with Mothma but neglected to inform her he invited Mothma’s political opponents to dinner. The disregard for his spouse has me hating Perrin right off the bat, which is the intended effect the writers envisioned.
Cassian’s additional work with the Aldhani rebels is fraught with tension. The cell members are a motley assortment of people, distrusting of outsiders and wary of hiccups that could jeopardize their lives. I enjoyed seeing the paranoia of the Aldhani group. It parallels the tension during the Luthen and Mothma meeting. The stakes for their robbery are sky high and everyone understands that one mistake will cause all of their deaths.
The writers of Andor transitioned away from the initial arc of the series and have ratcheted up the tension as we begin the next phase of the story. Having Cassian dive head-first into a robbery that might cause his death is the tactic that a spymaster like Luthen would use. It is feast or foul in this line of work. If Cassian isn’t up to the task, then he’s more than useless to the cause Luthen is fighting for. I’m excited to see how this story continues to unfold over the course of the season.
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