No time is wasted in the penultimate episode of season one of Andor. “Daughter of Ferrix,” directed by Benjamin Caron and written by Tony Gilroy, is a breakneck build to the finale that drops you right into where everyone is in the final moments before their lives forever change. And you see just what they’ll do to fight for freedom as the Rebellion — or defend their control as the Empire.
There’s no going back now for the Disney+ Star Wars show, and as always, spoilers ahead.
What is freedom but something snatched up by those in power, in exchange for the various forms of labour and exploitation they demand from the masses? The new day for Andor (Diego Luna) and Melshi (Duncan Pow) starts with them scaling a rock wall from the sea, still putting distance between themselves and the prison they just escaped. As they claw their way up, bruised and fingers bleeding, there’s no rest.
On Ferrix, B2EMO is shaking from sadness, as Maarva (Fiona Shaw) has passed away. Listen, that scamp of a droid quavering and stuttering in mourning ripped me wide open — and dammit, if he doesn’t get revenge on the Imperial stranglehold that ruined Maarva, I will riot. Each trembling line the Bee delivered was gut-wrenching; he didn’t want to be alone, he wanted his mother. He’s expected to help the Daughters of Ferrix help prepare Maarva’s body for the funeral. I really hoped she’d go out taking down some baddies with her. We don’t actually get to see the face on the body, though… is it too much to hope she staged her death for some kind of Rebel trap? Cinta is around and is asked by the Imperial spy if she knew her, which seems like a way to get them off her back. I’m spiraling in the hopes that B2EMO doesn’t have to cry anymore.
Back atop the cliffs of Narkina, Andor and Melshi spot an old quad jumper but before they can borrow it, they’re caught by Narkinians. They’re trapped in some proper stringy and goopy webbing as potential bounties — the Narkinians blame people like them for spoiling their water. Andor tells them the prison was responsible for that, and that the Empire is their shared enemy. That’s good enough for the Narkinians, who end up giving the escapees a lift to Niamos. Always good to find camaraderie in anti-Imperial solidarity.
Dedra (Denise Gough) is informed that Maarva has passed, and she immediately sees an opportunity when her underlings tell her the people of Ferrix have requested the closure of Rix Road to honour Andor’s mother as she was a prominent resident. That requires a permit that’s been requested and rejected before in the Morlana sector under Blevin. Meero says to grant it, as it would give them the opportunity to draw in Andor. So they allow Ferrix’s two-day ritual where the dead are bricked: their ashes are mixed with motor and stone dust, and lit up to become a part of the city walls. It’s perfect, almost too perfect. Also, imagine if Andor was still in jail? Then of course there’d be no show.
Speaking of burning, Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) is introduced in a shot where she is scorching an emblem onto something and Vel (Faye Marsay) enters the gallery — which is clearly something she’s not supposed to do even as the cousin of the gallery’s favourite customer. Absolutely done with Kleya’s gatekeeping act preventing her from a face to face, Vel demands to know where Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) is. She gave him Aldhani, after all, and asks Kleya — who’s Luthen’s keeper in ways we still aren’t entirely privy to — what she’s done lately. Kleye replies that she’s the one who has to answer to all those “needy, panicked faces,” meaning Vel is one of many. Talk about rolling the Rebel comms here, and Kleya says to leave a message if it’s important. So Vel tells her Cassian’s mother died and that Cinta had informed her it’s very busy there. Kleya said she’ll let Luthen know, and we’re not entirely sure she cares about Andor other than making sure he dies. I did notice that Vel still hasn’t given her the gem Andor entrusted her with — maybe she wants to give it directly to Luthen to prove Andor’s commitment to the cause.
Right now too many people want Andor dead and the sound of Ferrix’s bell tower reminds us that time is still counting down toward our hero’s ultimate fate. Yet, right now we’re more worried about what’s going to happen to the lives of those who know him. Bix (Adria Arjona) for one is still being interrogated and is shown Anto Kreegyr to see if he is who she introduced to Andor. Though she breaks into cries, you know her true answer won’t satisfy her captors.
It’s always jarring to go from Bix to the women on Coruscant. Vel visits Mon (Genevieve O’Reilly) as Leida (Bronte Carmichael) recites words like “Safe in the old ways” along with other young women ready to be married off. Mon assures Vel that her bratty kid fell into it on her own. And the timing couldn’t be more peculiar as Mon’s troubles are starting to come to light. She tells Vel that Tay hasn’t fully been able to help her cover up her financial charity transactions and that she’s risking being exposed. Before she can tell her cousin of the potential nuptials between Leida and Davo Sculdun’s son, they’re interrupted. But honestly if the girl wouldn’t be opposed to the match… then why not make it?
Family drama continues as Eedy Karn (Kathryn Hunter) wakes Syril (Kyle Soller) to let him take a call from a former underling who tells him Andor’s mother died and that he might show up for the funeral. This information just might be enough to get Syril to sabotage himself even further by trying to prove himself on a field he is just going to force his way back into.
On the quiet idyllic beaches of Niamo, we pick up on Andor sneaking back into the space Airbnb he was staying in before Narkina 5 to grab his hidden loot. When he checks it, he accidentally opens Nemik’s manifesto and we hear our boy’s voice for a split second. Andor’s got guardians on his side for real — he just needs to open himself up to them and get in alignment.
Meanwhile, Luthen returns to Segra Milo to meet with Saw (Forest Whittaker). Saw says he’s in on the Steergard strike and will bring in air power. He wants everything promised from their last meeting in exchange, but Luthen discourages it as he reveals the Imperial Security Bureau already knows the plan. Saw quickly surmises that Luthen is either ISB or has someone on the inside he needs to protect if he’s willing to burn Kreegyr and his 30 men. The drama that unfolds between Skarsgård and Whittaker in this scene is a masterclass. In a weird refusal of power, Luthen tries to throw the responsibility of what to do on Saw, opening the man’s previous recalcitrance to commit to a wider cause to the reality of the harsh price paid in conflict. He’s clearly losing grip here. They know there’s no way out. Thirty men and Kreegyr… dead for the greater good. Saw, pushed even further down his radical path, calls it what it is: war.
Seriously all bets are off here and by chance, or maybe karmic interference, Luthen is pulled over by an Imperial patrol on his way out from Segra Milo. As he dials up an alibi to buy him time, he tries to charisma his way out of getting boarded as he’s hit with a tractor beam. His humble haulcraft turns out to have lots of bells and whistles — so when push comes to shove, he reveals himself and you can almost tell it’s for the thill of it. His ship runs off kyber, and as it breaks away from the pull, TIE fighters begin to attack… but then two red lightsaber beams shoot out of the side of his ship! It’s sick to see it just slice and dice through the TIE fighters right before hitting lightspeed.
All the pieces begin to fall into place as Andor makes a call to Ferrix, learning Maarva has passed against the beach sunset of a place he knows he never belonged in. Melshi wonders if they’re the only ones who made it out alive, and if they should split up and spread the word of places like the prison existing because the people have to know. They part ways for now and you know there’s only one place Andor wants to be. And so the funeral on Ferrix (with Syril on his way with mummy’s purse), the raid on Steergard, and Mon holding a charity gala will all come to a head in the finale. And who knows who might get in on the action. Perhaps we’ll see Star Wars notables Sly Moore or Krennic. We’re already so anxious to see how things will wrap up. Protect B2EMO at all costs!
Andor streams Wednesdays only on Disney+.
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