After a stellar premiere of its first three episodes, Andor returned this week for its fourth episode. Episode 4 picks up off the heels of Cassian (Diego Luna) and Luthen’s (Stellan Skarsgård) escape from the planet Ferrix. With the Corpos still on the hunt, Cassian gets his first taste of the path that Luthen is setting out for him.
The fourth episode of Andor builds upon what was already an excellent series, but introduces us to our other central character, Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly, who returns to the role from her work in Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One. We get a small taste of her relationship with Luthen as well as how she must balance life as an Imperial Senator of fame and class while simultaneously secretly funding the Rebellion, or at least Luthen’s branch of it. O’Reilly brings an already standout performance to the screen, and those of you who enjoy the political subplots of the galaxy will walk away from this episode satisfied and excited for what’s to come.
Cassian meanwhile must get adjusted to his new life fighting against the Empire. Episode 4 sets up what I believe will be another three-episode arc for this mission. I really enjoy the characters that are being built up around our titular character. This isn’t the polished, organized Rebellion we see in A New Hope or even in Rogue One. These are just people who want to fight back, who want to do something. They’re grizzled, untrusting, and only want to get the job done. But my biggest takeaway from this group is their fear of the Empire. One of the most powerful messages of Rogue One is hope, and standing up to oppression. These “Rebels” have no such hope, not yet anyway. They know the risks of their mission and they know what will happen if even just one thing goes wrong. The Empire strikes fear into all, and I wonder if we see that tide change throughout the series.
Speaking of the Empire, this is the first time we get to see a peak behind the curtain of the Empire’s presence in this series. We get to learn more about the Imperial Security Bureau and how it operates within Coruscant. It is here we meet Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) who is poising herself already as the perfect counterpart to Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) Speaking of Syril, the ramifications of his actions on Ferrix play out exactly the way we would expect. With him now unemployed and lost, it is only a matter of time before their mutual interest in Cassian Andor puts these two together.
Andor continues to impress me. It has such a clear and firm understanding of what story it wants to tell and how it wants to tell it. I cannot wait to see more of Mon Mothma, and to see how Cassian’s first true mission plays out. He needs his team to trust him, and I cannot wait to see the moment where this crew must put their faith in him, and he must put the faith in himself, to save the day.
What did you think of Episode 4 of Andor? What’re you most anticipating? Let us know in the comments below or on our social media pages.
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