Chris Connor reviews the penultimate episode of the first season of Star Wars: Andor…
After the clear highpoint of ‘One Way Out’, ‘Daughter of Fennix’ had a tough act to follow and while it may dial back the action, Andor’s penultimate episode does a fine job tying up the various story threads ahead of the finale and building on the work of the series to date in a more character driven episode. While Cassian himself may just bookend the episode, his presence is felt throughout with Meero and Syril trying to spring a trap around the funeral of his adoptive mother Maarva.
While Maarva may have been more of a supporting role, Fiona Shaw excelled at capturing her resistance to Imperial rule and the formative influence and clear bond she shared with Cassian and it is a shame she will likely play no further role in the series. The grief seen by Ferrix indicates the stature of her presence, perhaps best encapsulated by B2EMO and his reluctance to move on.
As with Andy Serkis’ Kino Loy, this series has excelled at giving supporting characters an arc and sense of purpose, even in only a few episodes, something that future Star Wars projects should take note of. Building the various strands towards a likely thrilling crescendo in the finale is a masterstroke and the slow buildup across the series has been worth this payoff with Meero and Syril’s long games coming to a head.
Luthen Rael continues to be a standout with a thrilling exchange with Saw Gerrera with each trying to one up the other. Stellan Skarsgård brings a complexity to Luthen that we’ve not often seen in this franchise and the lengths he will go to to succeed as evidenced in his stellar monologue from last week. While Saw has featured surprisingly sparingly in the series this makes his appearances more effective and he will likely feature more prominently in the second season.
Mon Mothma’s story arc throughout this season has been a highpoint, giving the long fan favourite some depth and purpose; her strained relationship with her daughter has been accentuated in the past few episodes portrayed brilliantly by Genevieve O’Reilly and it will be fascinating to see her shift into the Rebel leader depicted in Rogue One and Return of the Jedi before the series finishes its two season story.
While a less action driven episode the action we do get, namely Luthen’s dogfight with TIE Fighters, is short but exhilarating, carrying on the fine space battle sequences from Rogue One which stand among the best in the franchise. We will surely be in for a more action packed second season as we move closer to the events of Rogue One and ultimately A New Hope.
‘Daughter of Ferrix’ may be more sedate than the previous episode but it is no less effective, moving the pieces deftly into place for what is sure to be an explosive finale capping off what has been nothing short of a stellar series that must rank as one of the most impressive pieces of content in the Star Wars universe.
This episode further showcases its strong sense of world building and payoff for several of its story arcs, showing the desperation of both sides, the Imperials to trap Andor, and the Rebellion to bring down the Empire.
Chris Connor
