The Empire Ruined Andor’s Sex-cation, Now It’s Personal

By Mike Redmond | TV | October 22, 2022 |

By Mike Redmond | TV | October 22, 2022 |

Following the conclusion of Andor’s second “mini-arc,” I assumed Episode 7 would slow down for a bit as the aftermath of the Aldhani heist slowly plays out over the next three episodes. Not my best prediction.

“Announcement,” which I literally learned in the middle of this recap is a “standalone tale,” hits the ground running and does not let up for a single second until the credits roll. More importantly, it continues the white-hot streak of every episode of Andor somehow being better than the last, which honestly seems impossible. This show has to slip up eventually, and yet, here it is melting my face each and every week. I look like The Blank from Dick Tracy, only I’m not secretly Madonna underneath. — Or am I?

With news of the Aldhani robbery spreading, the Imperial Security Bureau is already mobilized to do its thing: subdue unrest. Despite its massive size and seemingly unyielding presence, the Empire is not in the business of letting people know you can sneak up its ass and make out with 80 million bucks. To underscore the importance of tracking down the Aldhani culprits, the Emperor personally sent Colonel Wullf Yularen (Malcolm Sinclair) to instruct the ISB that it will have the full might of the Imperial Navy at its behest. And, yes, he actually mentions the Emperor by name. A first for Andor.

Yularen also informs ISB that a special session of the Imperial Senate has increased the punishment for crimes against the Empire including levying severe taxes on any system caught harboring the Aldhani fugitives. Not only is the Empire exerting itself across the galaxy, but its presence in Andor has never been more visible. It’s a heavy-handed approach that Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) privately tells her attendant is exactly what the Rebels want. This wasn’t a robbery, she ponders out loud. This was an announcement. Like the title of the episode! Holy sh-

Elsewhere on Coruscant, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) surprises Luthen (Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd) with an unannounced visit at his shop. Turns out, Mon was not aware that he was planning to steal an assload of money from the Empire. And while it seems like that’s a product of “don’t let the right hand know what the left hand is doing” between these two, not so much.

You see, while Mon has no idea what the hell Luthen is up to, he is very much aware of her every move. Remember in the fourth episode when Mon suggested bringing someone into their circle? Luthen already knows that she’s looking for a “savior” to access her family funds on Chandrila. Instead, he cut to the chase by pulling the Aldhani heist to both beef up their war chest and lure the Empire into overreacting. Mon is not a fan of that last part either or the collateral damage it will cost. Luthen, however, is fully prepared for casualties.

It’s a testy (hehe) moment between the two, and yet, they both remain on course. It also ties back to my theory from Episode 5 that Luthen is basically the Rebellion’s version of the Emperor. He’s just as cold, ruthless, and calculating, and he gets results. The heist on Aldhani is getting exactly the response he wanted. To quote an absolute Star Wars badass:

“The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers…”

In a final little twist, Vel is back on Coruscant, looking regal as hell and adding significant ammo to the theory that she’s Luthen’s daughter. She seems pretty pissed that he doesn’t meet her personally, but instead, sends his assistant Keyla (Elizabeth Dulau) who has instructions for Vel’s next mission: Kill Cassian. Our boy is a loose end with Luthen’s name in his head, and that’s not how Emperor Rebeltine rolls.

Buttloaded with 200 grand in Imperial credits, Cassian slips back to Ferrix with the very sweet intention of getting Maarva (Fiona Shaw) off-planet and to a warm, sunny retirement. Instead, he finds his hometown overrun by Imperials who annexed the whole place thanks to Syril (Kyle Soller) and the Pre-Mor Security Team getting curb-stomped in pursuit of Cassian in the first three episodes. Cassian also learns that Timm (James McArdle) sold him out, but died because of that jealous mistake. Not great stuff, but you know what? Who cares? Our boy is gonna jet off with his space mom to the good life.

But first, like the scoundrel with the heart of gold that he is, Cassian settles up with Bix (Adria Arjona) who is not entirely thrilled to see him. In fact, the whole damn town hates his guts for putting them directly under the Empire’s thumb. Even though it was Timm that ratted him out, the Pre-Mor’s never would’ve came if Cassian hadn’t murdered two of their own outside a space brothel. It’s not a pleasant reunion, but you know what? Who cares? Our boy is gonna jet off with his space mom to the good life.

Welcome to the reason this show cast Fiona Shaw.

Thinking he’s going to return home to Maarva packed and ready to go, Cassian arrives to find she’s not leaving. In a powerhouse scene that’s peak dramatic writing, Maarva explains to Cassian that the heist on Aldhani awakened something in her. For years, she was afraid to visit the street where her husband Clem (Gary Beadle) was hung for the crime of trying to stop rioters from attacking an Imperial platoon. Confused for one of the protestors, Clem was shot down by a battalion of clone troopers in front of a young Cassian. Emboldened by the Aldhani heist, Maarva tells Cassian that she put on her best clothes and proudly strutted through the street with her head held high. She’s going to stay and fight for Ferrix’s freedom with the Rebellion.

With nothing but genuine love for her adopted son, Maarva tells Cassian that she doesn’t judge him for not being a part of something bigger even as we know that the Aldhani heist was all him. She urges Cassian to take off with his newfound wealth and enjoy whatever peace he can find. She also says to stop looking for her sister who didn’t survive what happened on Kenari. Maarva tells Cassian to stop blaming himself for something that happened when he was a child and was not his fault. I’m not doing any of it justice, but the whole scene was easily the most touching interpersonal exchange in the whole freaking franchise.

As if Fiona Shaw absolutely crushing it wasn’t enough, Genevieve O’Reilly also brought her game face. I’m gonna be honest. Mon Mothma was getting a lot of hype at the beginning of the last arc, and I really wasn’t seeing it. I loved dunking on her stupid Proud Boy nard of a husband, but Andor was definitely keeping Mon on a back-burner at a low simmer. Not anymore.

While hosting a jam-packed dinner party with her J6 husband, Mon performs her most cunning and daring act of resistance yet by slyly enlisting her old friend Tay Kolma (Ben Miles) to be the savior Luthen mentioned earlier. As a Chandrilan banker, Tay can access Mon’s closely monitored funds, which will be used to further fund the Rebellion. More importantly, she flat-out tells Tay not to trust her husband, and I goddamn grinned from ear-to-ear. Finally, the show went to town on how much Mom hates him by basically having her say, “You see that man-bunned moron over there? Don’t tell his fascist-friendly ass shiiiiit.” God, I loved it.

With the Rebellion building up a war chest, Cassian is blowing his on the beach planet of Niamos, which is foreboding for all of you Rogue One fans out there. Nothing good happens to Cassian at the beach. Sure, our boy got laid because Andor continues to be the Star Wars show that f*cks, but if I can quote the King James for a moment: It’s all downhill after you nut.

On his way to the store to pick up [weird sci-fi food here], Cassian unwittingly finds himself in the path of Rebels being pursued by Shoretroopers. In a gut-punch allusion to his adoptive father’s death — and the current reality that ACAB — Cassian is pegged as one of the Rebels by a Shoretrooper who’s not here for arguments. In yet another Rogue One moment, an Imperial Security Droid jarringly saunters up over the horizon, and it is definitely not the lovable K-2SO. This one’s less witty Alan Tudyk and more choke-slam Cassian against the wall until he passes out.

Circling back to the beginning of the episode, Cassian finds himself experiencing the full weight of the Empire’s new sentencing system for anyone accused of being a Rebel. In a rubber stamp hearing, he’s instantly slapped with a six-year prison sentence and hauled off in cuffs with barely a second to plead his case before the credits roll. The Empire ain’t here to play Night Court, son.

Mike Drops

— I genuinely have no clue what the endgame is with Syril, so I didn’t even bother mentioning that he got a new job, which was a thing that happened this episode for some reason. Beats me.

— Oh, and also, Dedra owned that dude who wouldn’t let her investigate stolen Imperial parts. It put a target on her back, but she also earned the respect of the old guy who runs the ISB. Again, I can barely keep track of the names on this show, and here’s why subtitles are not an option for me:

pic.twitter.com/qqjZwkLRz8

— Thankful Forbush (@Pilnok) October 21, 2022

— Anyone else recognize Yularen thanks to the Star Wars Customizable Card Game from the ’90s? You needed an advanced degree in calculus for every battle, but I wasn’t allowed to play Magic: The Gathering because it had devil symbols, so my nerd butt made do under the rule of a different evil empire: evangelicalism.

— I keep coming back to how does Luthen know so much about Cassian? It’s a question he even asks Bix in the episode. I know this show doesn’t really do bullshit connections like Anakin built C-3PO, but I keep coming up with theories that Cassian’s sister is actually alive and we may have seen her as an adult. An adult who told somebody to kill him…

— Going into this episode, I assumed that seeing Ferrix and Maarva being placed under Imperial rule would be the catalyst that commits Cassian to the Rebellion. Couldn’t be more wrong. Apparently, that honor is going to… having his vacation ruined?

Sister murdered by clone troopers? Nope.
Father hung by the Empire? Nope.
Mother trapped under Imperial occupation? Nope.
F*ckfest cancelled? Let’s bring these bastards down.

— Am I kicking myself for not coming up with “Star Wars Florida?” Like you wouldn’t believe.

#Andor spoilers

Star Wars Florida had no right to have such a banger soundtrack pic.twitter.com/huIyAgv69H

— Laloween 🎃🛡 Andor eve eve eve eve eve (@clonehumor) October 19, 2022