Andor - Episode 8 - Review

When we left Cassian, he was being arrested and sentenced, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, his entire demeanour being shifty and scared likely didn’t help. That episode though, also felt like a reset for the series, getting people into place for what is to come and now that they are in place, did we get the story moving forward?

Simply put, the answer is no, at least not in the way that I was hoping for. The story did move forward, but it was still more progression across the board, giving people a chance to explain positions, plans and such and while interesting, it still feels like we are in the setup phase. Sticking with Cassian, he was assigned to a detention centre where he is being tasked with assembling something. The moment that they had him and the other prisoners remove their shoes, I thought they were going to be outfitted with something special, turns out I was wrong, it was the guards that had that something special. As far as ideas go, the concept of a prison that electrifies the floor as a means of control, it is something quite unique and also eerily possible in our world. The entire process of Cassian being admitted to the facility was fast and it helped that Cassian was confused by everything that was going on, seeing Supreme Leader Snoke likely didn’t help. What I did enjoy with Cassian and his inclusion into this new world, was that they didn’t hold things back, by jumping forward a month, we got to see that he has adapted, though maybe not assimilated.

Spending more time with Mon Mothma was perhaps the weakest point of the episode, if only because everyone in that room speaks in such soft-spoken tones, it is hard to hear what is being said. That confusing nature also carries across to the conversations they are having, hearing that some random banking clan issue is bringing more complexity to her plan of accessing money, could have been interesting, if it was something that we knew about before. This is the problem with all the things for Mon, as she is secretive in her dealings, her own family knowing nothing about them, each time something is revealed, it is thrown into the conversation and we are expected to keep up. These conversations could be immensely satisfying, but they are so often whispered and done in seconds, that it is hard to keep track of what is going on there and while I can appreciate her planning, whisper planning is not appealing to watch.

What I did enjoy this time, was that we got a chance to see more of what is going on beyond the scope of Cassian and Mon. Our friendly neighbourhood Mr By-the-book, using his newly acquired job to raise false reports, in order to try and prove his name is hilarious, if only because there is not a single reason that the character needs to be in the show right now. They have been in almost all the episodes and they haven’t changed, they haven’t done anything to show growth, instead the entire plot line is, I have been wronged and that is not fair. But given that they were the ones that caused the problem in the first place, trying to garner sympathy for them would be a hard sell at the best of times, showing that he is as plain as he can be at the same time, makes it impossible. Throwing back to Ferix was also an interesting choice, not only because it shows that life there is not as clean as one might expect when the Empire took over, not that we should have expected anything less, but to see Mumma Andor attempting to be a rebel, or at least hearing about it, is nice. Seeing Cassian’s former friends getting somewhat involved and then caught, was nothing something I was expecting to see, if only because they have been so underused so far, the plot seemed a little forced.

The final story line was that of Luthen and his secret plans, something that finally moved forward and it moved forward in a big way. Shutting down the Ferix arm of the operation seems to be something that should have happened after they escaped, but better late than never, but it also gave Luthen a kick in the pants to finally move on with the plans, which lead him to leave Coruscant and head to a new planet, where Saw Gerrera was stationed. While their conversation was one surrounded in double-speak, it showed a few things, one the rebellion is nowhere near the strength we see in A New Hope and given there are only five years or so until then, they need to staff up big. But it also highlights that Saw doesn’t trust Luthen, a feeling that is reciprocal in nature. Seeing that Luthen and Mon also don’t see eye to eye, something that we got in the last episode, highlights how fractured this rebellion truly is. Even when they can help each other out, ego gets in the way or sides of a way long since passed and because of this, there is no progression.

Across the board, we got to see some nice new locals, sure one is a prison, but hey it was a nice clean prison, so that has to count for something. Actually, seeing all the elements that we did, it is perhaps the most we have ever seen of the galaxy in a show, we got Coruscant and Ferix, both interesting, but it was the new locals Narkina 5 and Segra Milo that were new to us. Narkina 5 was different in that was a moon of water, surrounding a planet that looks to be mostly toxic and the last time we saw a planet of water in Star Wars, it was where the Clones were produced. Segra Milo on the other hand was perhaps interesting for a different reason, it showed that the rebels, or at least Saw’s rebels were using caves to hide out, complete with stolen X-Wings. The juxtaposition between all the planets and moon was great, but also highlights just how big the show can go, if they stop setting things up. On the audio side, the score still manages to provide some amazing music, with most melodies having an underscore of creepiness, something that feels off, go back and watch Cassian getting ready for his shift after his first 30 days and you will see what I mean.

Andor is not quite moving as fast as I would like it to, but it is finally starting to push forward, connecting random characters together in new ways, that could have implications to events down the line. Mon Mothma’s plotline seems anchored on her ability to have whispered conversations and they really need to fix that, because it is hard to follow her story, when its hard to hear what she says. Cassian being in prison is intriguing, if only because his escape should be amazing, they have shown enough clues to know it will happen. The show finally got some teeth as far as its rebellion goes, but even with there being people in charge, there is clearly not enough trust for much to happen. There are only a handful of episodes left in this season and events are clearly not ready for a big ending, but with any luck, that will change soon and it needs to.

The Score

8.5

The Pros

+The characters all seem to have found new places to be in this episode, finally moving things ahead

+Cassian being in prison is interesting, if only because it will provide a chance for an epic escape

The Cons

-Mon Mothma and her whispered conversations are hard to hear and follow

-Everything still feels like a setup, putting people into place for some big event to come