If I had to pick a worst episode of Andor, I guess it would have to be last night's. Yet it was some of the most excellent television I've seen in years. For a show I normally consider flawless, last night's had a couple of things I wish they'd done differently. But it also had some things I thought were outright magnificent.
Both of the problems I had with the episode relate to Mon Mothma's story. We get a reminder that she and her husband have profoundly different worldviews, and he makes disparaging remarks about the tedium of politics. At this point, I'm feeling like, "Okay, okay, we get it." It is interesting that Mon's secret war is being carried out right in her own home but at this point I think it would be more interesting to show what connects her to her husband. Does she have genuinely happy memories with him? Are there any points on which they still agree? These things would make the division between the two more painful and therefore more dramatically interesting.
The other thing I didn't like was Vel turning out to be Mon Mothma's cousin. It makes the universe feel just a little smaller. I liked the idea of the fledgling Rebellion having all these moving parts that didn't necessarily know a lot about each other. I can understand why Vel was made to be Mon's cousin--with so many characters the writers want to keep on from week to week, new reasons have to be invented to keep them onscreen. But I wish they'd done something else.
I loved everything else about the episode. There were some moments I really admired. I really liked Mon's meeting with the banker, Tay Kolma. Ben Miles gives such a great performance as he goes over the details of all the banking manoeuvring that needs to be done. He really seems to be thinking about the importance of certain institutional ties and channels in this made-up world. And the idea of Mon now having to deal with a gangster--a gangster a lot of other people apparently deal with--has a lot of promise. You really sense her vulnerability now.
Meero was also pretty terrific in the episode. I loved the overt nod to Princess Leia's torture scene in A New Hope--once again, I felt that Andor is exploring thematic territory that's been untapped since the original trilogy. But even better was the meeting between Meero and Karn on that bridge.
The energy in their dialogue is really strange and fascinating. Is this turning into some kind of perverted love story? Oh, please, let it be so. I love how the writers create conflicts between the villains. Without anyone having a moral high ground, we find ourselves invested entirely on the strengths of how they're playing the game. I heard someone say Andor is kind of Star Wars' own Game of Thrones and, as far as the Empire is concerned, I think that's true. It actually reminds me of playing the PC game TIE Fighter back in the '90s, a great Star Wars flight simulator that put the player on the Empire's side. Perhaps one day we could have a series entirely focused on Imperial officers. If it's like Andor, I'd definitely be up for it.
The prison scenes were terrific all down the line. I guess you could say it's a flaw that the bathroom panel Cassian removes looks clearly to be painted plywood. I didn't mind it, though. It kind of made me feel like I was watching classic Doctor Who, as does the fact that many exteriors were shot in old quarries in England.
Andy Serkis' character, Kino Loy, was another bright spot in the episode. His transition from a man doggedly towing the line to being horrified into disillusionment was captivating. The story of the old man played by Christopher Fairbank was horrifying and heartbreaking. Rarely has the Empire seemed so monstrous.
I love how the window reflections are used here, layered over the view of other suspended corridors containing similar groups of guys in prison garb, creating a dehumanising kaleidoscope.
The dramatic build-up around what happened to the prisoners on level 2 was perfectly executed, no pun intended. The tension around not knowing exactly what happened, the faulty communications between the prisoners with information trickling among them only very slowly, the sense of decisions needing to be made in almost complete absence of information--it was all a terrific nightmare. I'm so happy this show is in my life.
Andor is available on Disney+.
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