It took me a while to finally watch the next three episodes of Andor. Despite liking this show, I was still sulking about Cinta. (And, as I said last time, I’d become attached to the idea of a role switch where Vel died instead and Cinta chose to take her place, so I was disappointed I didn’t have that to look forward to.) But it’s fine, I got over it, I’m here now. And there’s gonna be a lot more death this time around!
Episode 7
In this penultimate batch of episodes, we’re at 2 BBY, one year closer to R1. It makes me think that the last three episodes will take place across two years, as R1 took place in 0 BBY, and I’m hoping the Andor finale will occur as closely behind R1 as possible, like how R1 and ANH slot so perfectly together.
With two years to R1, we’re on Yavin now! At least Cassian and Bix have somewhere to settle down (as much as they can) that’s a little more sturdy than their last abode. Wil shows up with a mission from Luthen to assassinate Dedra, which… makes me wonder what happened with him and Saw. We had that incredible speech from Saw about the ryhdo, and Wil inhaled so much of it – and he’s just good now? That’s it?
Stepping away from Yavin to Ghorman, shit’s going down (as it always is on this doomed planet). The Empire failed to replicate the mineral they need from Ghorman, so in come the mining ships to cannibalize the planet. Dedra takes this information as well as she can, knowing what she’s losing, but Syril (obviously) is more shaken by the prospect of failing the mission he’s been working towards all these years. It’s evident Dedra won’t be enough to pull him away.
As for Mon, the Senate is becoming a more and more dangerous place as the Empire makes its attacks on Ghorman with little resistance. And Mon knowing that her driver is spying on her through all her actions is just an added layer of tension.
Throughout this show, I’d been wondering if we’d see any Jedi and/or (ha) Force users. It’d be hard to work them in during this timeframe, but SW gotta SW, right? On Yavin, Cassian and Bix encounter a Force healer who offers to alleviate Cassian’s blaster burn – and ends up seeing his future.
Gah, this was the coolest scene of the episode. It made me appreciate how damn good this show’s writing is so much more. The Jedi sensing Cassian’s fate as she touches him, “thank you,” and her lines about perfect clarity… and then her telling Bix “He’s the messenger” and “there’s a place he needs to be,” my heart. Given how close we are to the end, this scene hits so hard. I initially thought the Jedi’s closing line to Bix – “Maybe you’re the place he needs to be” – undermined the speech, but in retrospect it seemed like a lie for Bix’s comfort. Because despite Bix going to Cassian and insisting that his future “can only be good,” it seems like she knows what he’s destined for. And maybe he does too, because of the vulnerability on his face the moment he’s in Bix’s arms and can’t see her anymore… ouch.
Anyway, look, it’s Draven, yay!
Back on Ghor, as the underground movement knows something is coming, the Empire sends a fresh batch of cadets to the planet. There’s a distinct difference in the way their captain says “there’s not a man among them” in casual defense and the disgust in Dedra’s voice when she says “they look like children.”
On Yavin, we see someone I’d hoped for more of: Vel. I’m glad she and Bix are friends, but Vel saying she was reckless last year before shifting into training newbies, ouch. Everyone’s sad all the time in this show, aren’t they? And now I’m genuinely wondering if Vel will die in the last three episodes. But ooh, Dodonna mention, let’s focus on that!
Andor has so much wonderful foreshadowing that never feels heavy-handed. Bix telling Vel “He’ll be there when you need him,” chills!
Cassian’s on Ghor now, working alongside Wil, and their “Ferrix” “Stone and sky” exchange was lovely. I still miss Brasso, but Cassian really needs more friends who aren’t dead yet! In terms of the mission, though, Cassian sneaking in right at curfew to claim ignorance on his creds and getting the hotel clerk’s help – cool stuff. Luthen’s “I have friends everywhere” becomes more and more accurate day by day!
I really didn’t expect this episode to end right before Cassian makes his assassination plans – everything flew by! And then I realized this episode was titled “Messenger” just to twist the knife a little more.
You just know the stage is being set for a showdown next episode.
Episode 8
During Cassian’s pre-assassination checklist, I finally remembered that he does this shit again in R1, being sent by Draven to execute Galen. Suddenly his refusal to kill Galen holds a lot more weight! He’s been hardening across this season, so can his actions in R1 be seen as a sort of softening as he remembers to be human again without Bix?
I’m getting ahead of myself. We don’t need R1 for danger and threats; things are heating up on Ghorman! I loved the hotel clerk saying the “Rebellions are built on hope” line, and that’s not the only R1 reference – we’re seeing a lot of KX units, so one of them has to be Kay Too!
Syril is unwinding fast, still not knowing that Cassian is on-planet, and his realization of how much Dedra’s kept from him is explosive. Their relationship has been steadily dissolving since the day it started, and we’re seeing that in real time when Syril chokes her! It’s like a race to the bottom of who can be more toxic, and Syril keeps winning.
Backing away from our favorite fascist couple, the Ghor are continuing their protest of the Empire, shifting into a truly beautiful song in their language as a weapon. I rewatched this part four times – so many chills.
But it doesn’t take long for the Empire to incite bloodshed. As the fighting begins, Cassian moves forward in trying to assassinate Dedra – something he really takes his time with! Before he can fire, he’s tackled by Syril, resulting in a deliciously bloody brawl with neither party holding back punches. In Star Wars, the land of laser swords and neatly sealed-up injuries, violent hand-to-hand combat is a fresh novelty! Especially when it’s clear Cassian doesn’t have the upper hand!
Right before Syril can finally kill Cassian for good, Cassian drops this episode’s title in the most devastating context possible: “Who are you?” he asks Syril. Syril, who’s been chasing Cassian for years, who risked his entire career to hunt him down… and doesn’t that make the question hit even harder? Who has Syril become? Who is he? This question makes Syril falter, and only that saves Cassian’s life.
Cassian escapes, but Syril wasn’t the only threat on the streets. The KX droids are back, killing civilians by just… tossing them like ragdolls. It’s a terrifying method of bloodless murder. Wil comes in clutch for Cassian, but he insists on finding his girlfriend instead of leaving with him. Because ouch, Cassian must feel like he’s destined to lose every one of his friends! (I was SO surprised when Wil and his girlfriend both survived this episode!) But at least we finally picked up future K2!
I thought this episode would end on Cassian’s tears, just like episode 3 (although now he’s actually crying, ouch), but instead we get to see Dedra’s surprisingly painful reaction to Syril’s death. She doesn’t even know that he died saving her. The way she fights to control her emotions, forcing down sobs and breathing so raggedly… wow.
SO much happened in this episode, complete with the deaths of not only Syril but every Ghor rebel, that I genuinely forgot it wasn’t the last episode of the year! Where on Yavin do we go from here?
Episode 9
To the Senate, of course.
Blood’s been spilled in the streets, but of course the Empire has its own spin on events. This episode opens with the haunting Ghor ballad, only to fade into the Ghor Senator being forcibly ousted from the Senate with no one standing up for him. This was the perfect point to bring in a beloved favorite of mine who’s only appeared briefly on this show before: Bail Organa! He warns Mon that it might be time for her to make her departure and escape, but adds that he won’t join her yet. And knowing that he’ll die on Alderaan in less than two years, ouch.
Meanwhile, while Mon is planning to flee to the Rebellion, Cassian claims he’ll be leaving it after one last mission. He says he wants to make his own choices, and it’s clear that Bix is all he wants to protect. One can’t blame him, given how little he has left.
But he certainly can’t feel as stifled as Mon. She goes from finding bugs in her office to Luthen revealing that her aide, Erskin, is one of his people too. And then, because Luthen is Luthen, he brings up Tay and basically tells Mon she has no choice but to trust him. And bringing up his “I have friends everywhere” code phrase… oof, has that ever felt more apt?
While I would’ve loved the potential outcome of Vel dying last year in Cinta’s place, my only hesitation in the hypothetical was Mon. Since she recently lost Tay, losing her cousin one year later would have been devastating. And Mon’s been devastated enough this episode, discovering that Erskin has been with Luthen since the wedding! His genuine care for Mon and his voice breaking when Mon fired him were painful, but you can’t blame the woman for feeling so betrayed!
Tensions rise as Mon prepares to make her final Senatorial speech – Bail has a team to spirit Mon to Yavin, but Luthen told her not to trust them and go with Cassian instead. You can feel Mon’s nerves! (And I really did think something bad would happen to Luthen in this episode, given the way he was speaking to Cassian!)
In my live notes, I made the mistake of thinking this interaction between Mon and Bail was their canonical final meeting when he promised to be with her on Yavin next year. I both mistook this episode for taking place in 1 BBY and somehow completely forgot that Mon and Bail are both on Yavin during R1 and have their last meeting then. (I haven’t seen R1 in far too long.) But still, Bail’s “Tear the shit out of this place” went so hard. The lack of swearing in SW makes its few occurrences so powerful.
Luckily, despite being fired by Mon, Erskin is still looking out for her, leading to a fantastic moment when Cassian drops the code phrase to him. Through a series of cool political tricks, Bail is able to give the floor fully to Mon, resulting in her giving a badass speech calling out Palpatine himself! SO good, especially with the Imperials frantically trying to shut her down all the while!
(And look, they have those circular locks from Rebels! I love those!)
With Mon’s piece out in the open, it’s time for everyone to get a move on and get her out of the building FAST. The tension and pacing were absolutely delicious, and it’s such fun to see Mon and Cassian’s first ever meeting with Cassian desperately trying to prove he is who he claims to be! And they still have Erskin on their side, thankfully! And… sorry Mon, some people are gonna have to die if you want to get out of here alive!
(At this point, I really thought Erskin would have to make some sort of sacrifice play, such as exposing himself as a rebel, in order for Mon to escape safely. But luckily that wasn’t the case!)
And look at that, such a great title drop!
I really liked Cassian disarming Mon’s driver just enough to draw first. He’s dangerously smart and willing to do whatever it takes to complete his mission. I wish we had more scenes like this in the escape, but I can’t complain – this whole scene was fantastic!
When I first saw this scene of Vel’s rebel initiates, I didn’t recognize the man she singled out for his blaster. A quick Wookieepedia search revealed him to be Melshi, so that’s my bad! I only watched season 1 back when it first came out and decided not to rewatch it before starting season 2, but I might do a back-to-back binge one day. I do like Melshi, don’t get me wrong!
Finally, Mon makes it to safety (or at least someplace safer for the time being), and I loved the brief moment between her and Erskin where she realizes she can trust him. And speaking of reunions… look, it’s Wil, somehow still alive! I mean, he’s not doing great, but at least he’s still kicking! And we have the Rebellion softening the edges of their stories – can their rewriting of history be compared to the Empire’s, in a sense?
After all that, Cassian is able to return to Bix, still hell bent on leaving the Rebellion with her. He insists that they need to escape together, but Bix is oddly silent. Cassian claims the only special thing about him is luck and nothing else. The two of them come together, but when Cassian wakes, he reaches for Bix just like he did in the night in episode 4… except this time, it’s the morning, and Bix isn’t having a nightmare.
Maybe I should’ve seen it coming, but I was caught entirely off guard when Cassian discovered Bix just… left him. I thought he’d leave her at the end of episode 6 when she sought revenge, but Cassian stood by her. The parallel kills me: Cassian didn’t leave Bix when she fell, but Bix left Cassian because she knows he can rise.
Bix used to leave Cassian for a nightmare, but now she’s leaving him for a dream.
That shot of Cassian running down the path, trying to stop Bix as she says “I can’t be the reason you leave here,” oh man. Cassian just can’t stop losing people, can he? And since this is 2 BBY, does that mean he’ll be on his own for two years before he dies??
I’m pretty sure Bix’s decision here confirms what I guessed about the Jedi’s line to Bix, “Maybe you’re the place he needs to be.” There is a place he needs to be, but it’s not Bix, and she knows that. So she leaves him so he can be at that place.
And oh god, can she really be so sure that Cassian will make it through to the other side of the war to be with her? Or does she know the truth and is sacrificing her and Casian’s happiness for the sake of the galaxy?
Agh, let’s get away from all this angst. Kay’s finally waking up – this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for! While I liked the Cassian/Bix focus, I really do wish we had more about Cassian & Kay in here. They have a strong connection in R1, so getting to see their bond develop, like Din and IG in The Mandalorian, would’ve been fun. But hey, at least we’re hearing Kay speak! Cassian lowering his blaster in that final shot would’ve been cooler, in my humble opinion, but this show is so good I really can’t complain.
So… that was a lot. The Empire’s committed genocide and almost entirely covered it up, Mon is with the Rebellion for good, and Bix… isn’t here. At a certain point, I’m wondering if it wouldn’t have been better if she’d died, but at least this way Cassian has something to fight to get back to, right?
When it comes to Cassian as a character, his shift was noticeable in season 1, where he went from a criminal on the run to someone in Luthen’s employ. But this time, even as Cassian is working intimately with the Rebellion, it’s still Bix whom he holds above all else. It’s why she leaves him, to force him to become the hero she knows he will be. In the final episodes, and even a rewatch of R1, will we see Cassian changing once more, becoming as devoted to the Rebellion as he is to Bix? I hope so.
I can’t believe how much is packed into these episodes, nor that we only have three of them left! As brilliant as it is, Andor was only ever destined for two seasons, as the timeline constraints always demanded it, but it’ll be such a shame to lose this show after next week! Well, at least there’s always R1 to be watched with fresh eyes! Until then, let’s make a fresh death pool. I think Bix is safe now, yes?
Dedra, you’re going down.
