Episode 10 of “Andor” touched on several ongoing plot threads. There was an incredibly awkward conversation between Mon Mothma, Tay Kolma, and Davo Sculdun, which ended with Mon rejecting Davo’s proposal to get his son married to her daughter as the price for shifting her money under the Empire’s nose. We also learned that the ISB is setting up a trap for Anto Kreegyr and that he and 30 of his soldiers are going to walk into it. As Supervisor Lonni went out to inform Luthen Rael about this development, it became clear that he was a Rebel spy. But he wanted to retire from this job and look after his family. That led to one of the best speeches in “Star Wars” history, as Luthen explained the importance of sacrifice when it came to beating fascists. However, the show’s centerpiece was the escape from Narkina Five, which was led by Kino and Cassian. It gave us yet another amazing and rousing speech and proved that Andy Serkis is one of the best actors working in the industry.
Major Spoilers Ahead
Is The ISB Turning Ferrix Into A Trap For Cassian Andor?
At the end of the last episode, we saw Cassian and Melshi making it to the outskirts of Narkina 5. Here we see them hanging from a ledge and waiting for Imperial ships to vacate the area. Eventually, they spot two aliens, Dewi Pamular and Freedi Pamular (who are brought to life with the kind of special effects “Star Wars” is synonymous with) and a quad jumper. Out of sheer desperation, they underestimate the Pamulars and try to steal the ship. And both Andor and Melshi are captured by them with these slimy nets for obvious reasons. The Pamulars initially think about killing the two escapees and getting the prize for doing so from the Empire. But they also point out that the Empire is guilty of poisoning the water in Narkina 5 (because that’s where the prisons are built), thereby ruining one of their sources for survival. However, Dewi sees that letting the prisoners go will be their way of rebelling against the Empire’s atrocities, and Freedi frees the duo. Additionally, they give Andor and Melshi a ride to Niamos.
Back in Ferrix, Maarva has passed away, and B2EMO isn’t quite ready to move on. And as the Daughters of Ferrix wheel her body out for her final rites, we find out that Cinta is working as a waiter at the shop in front of the Andor household to keep an eye out for Cassian. In case you forgot, she’s tasked with bringing him back or killing him since he’s the last rogue thread that can tie Luthen to the Aldhani attack. But she’s not the only one scouting the place. Corv, an Imperial supervisor, is also posing as a customer in the shop where Cinta works and relaying information to Tigo. Meanwhile, Tigo tells Dedra that the citizens of Ferrix are asking permission to carry out the funeral ceremony, but they are preventing them from doing so. Dedra says that Tigo is going to give them permission to do the funeral, limit the time and the number of people who can attend it, and then watch over it to see if Cassian lands there. Corv also mentions that the custom in Ferrix is to cremate the deceased, put their ashes in a brick, and then put that brick in a wall so that they become a part of Ferrix forever.
Without naming any names, certain countries have made it a custom to make its citizens ask for permission for protests, funeral processions, public speeches, and many other basic activities that shouldn’t require permission. But when fascism is in full effect, they make it so. When the public has to repeatedly request the fascist government for everything, it eventually becomes tiresome, and they stop asking and stop making public declarations of anything. And fascism wins again. That’s what Dedra, Corv, and Tigo’s whole conversation highlights, in addition to the fact that they’re ready to ruin a peaceful and dignified ritual to catch one guy. They have all the resources in the world and the galaxy in their grasp, and yet they have to be this petty. Anyway, coming back to the plot, Vel becomes desperate and pays Kleya a visit to let her know that Andor might come to Ferrix and asks her to convey that information to Luthen. We get a glimpse of a tortured Bix, who is asked to identify Anto Kreegyr and whether he’s the man that Andor is working for. Bix doesn’t answer because she is way too weak to do so.
What Does Luthen Rael Want Saw Gerrera To Do?
I have been going on and on about how much I abhor Mon’s daughter Leida and Mon’s husband Perrin. Perrin gets a pass this week because he isn’t in this episode. But Leida proves yet again that she is the absolute worst. Here’s why. We see Vel express her concern to Mon after witnessing Leida (and her idiotic friends) partaking in some kind of ritual. Initially, it isn’t clear what they are reciting. I thought that they were pledging allegiance to the Republic or the Empire and were victims of propaganda. However, when Vel brings up the topic of taking proposals for Leida, it becomes a little clear that she’s engaging in an old Chandrilan custom and indoctrinating herself about the ways one should behave as a wife after getting married at the age of fifteen. Yes, yes, “Leida is only thirteen and doesn’t know how the world works.” Well, then, maybe she should stop pretending to be so smart and listen to Mon, who is much more world-weary than her, instead of acting in a condescending manner and promoting internalized misogyny.
Enough about the brat. Let’s talk about Mon, who explains to Vel why she’s in such a tight spot. She talks about why she has brought Tay Kolma into her trust circle, how the Aldhani heist has frozen all her accounts, and that nearly 400,000 credits are missing. And since she has been paying Luthen 100,000 credits every month for his work against the Empire, she needs a way out of this spot to keep his operation up and running. But Mon clearly doesn’t want to stop Luthen’s work or let him know that the financial situation is so tight. So, even though she rubbished Davo’s proposal in front of him, it seems like she has made up her mind to give away Leida to his son and get the money moving again. Elsewhere in Coruscant, Syril gets a call from his former colleague, Linus Mosk, about the fact that Andor is possibly going to arrive in Ferrix to attend his mother’s funeral. Although he has been forbidden from meddling in Imperial activities, he takes a few credits from the safe in his home and leaves for Ferrix to catch Andor.
Speaking of Andor, he sneaks into his old hotel room to grab all his old stuff, which includes his guns, credits, and Karis Nemik’s manifesto. Luthen meets Saw Gerrera again, who is suddenly ready to work with Anto Kreegyr for the siege at Spellhaus. He doesn’t want to take orders from Kreegyr, but he is willing to give him air support, and for that, he wants to take all the gear Luthen was willing to give him earlier. But Luthen deflates his enthusiasm by revealing the information that Anto and 30 of his soldiers are walking into a trap laid by the ISB. That’s why he doesn’t want Saw to go for the mission. Since Saw is an anxious man, he starts questioning everything, including Luthen’s allegiance. Luthen manages to calm him down by pointing a blaster at him and then giving him the lowdown. He reiterates what he told Lonni, i.e., stopping Anto and his team from going to Spellhaus is going to put the ISB on edge. Then they’ll tighten their security and increase surveillance, thereby making the act of rebelling a lot more difficult. However, if they sacrifice someone of Anto’s stature, the ISB is going to feel overconfident, thereby making them more vulnerable to Rebel attacks.
‘Andor’ Episode 11: Ending Explained – Luthen Rael Shows He Is One Of The Best Pilots In The Galaxy?
After bidding goodbye to Saw, Luthen has a very cryptic conversation with Kleya (because they are afraid that the Empire is listening to them). From what I can gather, Luthen tells her that Saw is on their side. But he’s still worried about Andor. Kleya lets him know that Cinta is already on the ground to get him if he comes to Ferrix. And since Ferrix is being surveilled by the ISB, Luthen’s presence there is only going to complicate things. Luthen says that he’s afraid that Andor is going to start working for someone else or be captured by the Empire (I don’t think they know that he was arrested and has now escaped). But after that, the transmission gets cut off as the Segra-Milo Imperial patrol begins to haul Luthen’s aircraft. Luthen and his droid manage to stall the Imperial ship by giving it false IDs and whatnot. However, as soon as he realizes that all his systems are ready to go, he launches one of the most brutal assaults in “Star Wars” history and absolutely obliterates the ship’s weapons and a bunch of Tie Fighters. “Andor” is usually low on action and high on drama. That said, when it goes into top gear, it sets a new standard for sci-fi action.
Writer-creator Tony Gilroy and director Benjamin Caron don’t let us end this week’s episode on a high, though. During the closing moments of episode 11, they show us Cassian learning about Maarva’s death and breaking into a thousand pieces. Since Melshi is there, he doesn’t show it. But Diego Luna, with his amazing acting talent, makes it clear that he’s undoubtedly shattered. Melshi wonders if they are the only survivors of Narkina 5. Because if they are, the galaxy needs to know what the Empire is doing. So, while Melshi goes to kick the hornet’s nest, Cassian stands on the beach, contemplating whether he should attend Maarva’s funeral or not. To be honest, I don’t think it’s a question of “if Cassian will go to Ferrix.” It’s a question of “how” Cassian will get to Ferrix to see Maarva and make it out alive. And that very dilemma shows that, under relentless fascism, even the act of mourning and paying one’s last respects to one’s loved ones starts to seem like a mission. It’s cruel. It’s inhuman. And it’s yet another reason why fascism should always be nipped in the bud if you care about your and everyone else’s basic human rights.
