Fraying at the Edges – Andor Episode 5 “The Axe Forgets” Review

The slower pace of the new Disney Plus series Andor allows the audience to soak in the characters showcased. From Mon Mothma, to Luthen, to Cassian Andor, we get to see each person in their element. Much of the fifth episode, titled “The Axe Forgets”, focuses on Cassian and the Rebels on Aldhani while cutting back to show brief snippets of the other key players in the mix.

Spoilers ahead, so don’t read if you haven’t watched the latest episode of Andor.

Aldhani Rebels/Cassian Andor

The Aldhani story arc has been an easy-going watch for me up. Cassian does not fit well with the group of rebels, which isn’t surprising considering his late arrival to the heist. As I watch Cassian interact with Vel, Skeen, Tamaryn, Cinta, and Nemik, I can’t help but feel like Cassian may be considered disposable by the group. Given that this series is designed as a spy thriller, double- and triple-crosses are part of the DNA of the genre. I’m not sure where the double-cross is going to come from but I’m fairly certain it’s going to happen during the heist itself. Perhaps Cassian is meant to be the fall guy, the one left behind to serve up to the Empire while the rest make their escape. Since we know Cassian will survive whatever ordeals he encounters, it’s also possible the heist goes pear-shaped and he’s the only one left standing.

The writers took a shrewd direction with this episode by spending time with the Aldhani rebels and giving us their motivations. Skeen lost his brother to an Imperial land grab, which caused his brother to grow despondent and commit suicide. Nemik is a born rebel, even going so far as to write a manifesto for the cause. Tamaryn’s motivations aren’t as clear but he certainly has the focus needed. Lieutenant Dorn (the inside man at the garrison) lost a loved one to the Empire, which would be motivation enough. Everyone is a true believer (or so it appears) except for Cassian, who divulges that he’s with them strictly as a mercenary. An uneasy truce is declared among the group but I doubt it will stay that way once the heist begins.

Skeen’s comment at the beginning of “The axe forgets, but the tree remembers” is an old saying, typifying the Galactic Empire’s lack of morality. People like Skeen, Vel, Nemik, etc. are rebels precisely because they have been trampled under foot by the Empire. The interesting question posed by the series is what would you do in their shoes? Would you join the Rebellion, knowing that it could result in your death? Or would you just go along with the Empire out of fear?

Mon Mothma/Dedra Meero

Mon Mothma’s part in the episode gives us a brief glimpse into that dichotomy. Mothma’s husband and daughter clearly do not share her commitment to the ideals of the defunct Old Republic, preferring instead to exist in the new regime and profit off it. Mothma says as much to her husband when he questions the new charitable foundation she’s started. This foundation is no doubt a front for the growing Rebel Alliance but using a charity as a cover is not a bad idea. I get the impression that were her husband or daughter to find out about Mothma’s rebel sympathies, they wouldn’t hesitate to throw her under the bus to save their own skins.

Contrasting Mothma’s struggles are the dogged pursuit of Dedra Meero, the supervisor in the Imperial Security Bureau. Dedra’s attempt to connect the dots of the growing Rebel Alliance has not produced results so far. She sees the strings but can’t connect them to a single source. If it weren’t for the fact that she is propping up a fascistic regime with her efforts, I would find Dedra to be an admirable character. Like Mothma, she is determined and focused on her own agenda to the detriment of everything around her. I’m intrigued to see what happens when Dedra finds her way into the orbit of Mothma and Luthen.

Syril Karn

Throughout the fifth episode of Andor, we get to see snippets of Syril Karn and his mother. To say that the pair have a toxic relationship would be an understatement. Syril’s mother is a shrewd woman, able to easily deflect criticism and hone in on her son’s weaknesses with precision. Syril spends much of the episode bantering with his mother while stewing over his recent failures. At the end of the episode, we see him pull out a holoprojecter and stare at an image of Cassian Andor. The growing obsession with Andor is only going to become more pronounced as the season goes on.

Karn’s obsession also fits nicely with Skeen’s comment about the axe and the tree. We see earlier in the episode when Skeen comments on the gun Cassian stole from Karn that Andor doesn’t even remember Karn’s name. Karn, however, remembers Cassian well and blames him for his own failures in the Ferrix incident. It’s sad to see Karn not learn from his experience but it’s to be expected. Someone as rigid in their ideology as Karn cannot accept that he played his cards wrong, resulting in his expulsion from his position. I wouldn’t be surprised if Karn is eventually recruited by Dedra to investigate Cassian’s connection to the growing rebellion.

Closing

Andor continues to be a fascinating series, largely because of its focus on the characters within the story rather than on the trappings of CGI and action. The test of a good spy thriller is the characters in the story, something that franchises like James Bond have largely forgotten in favor of spectacle. I enjoy spectacular stories like the Bond films but they often become forgotten once the credits roll. My hope is that Andor does not fall prey to the urge to revel in Star Wars spectacle instead of the strong characters that are being developed.

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