Andor Double Take: Episode 4

After last week’s 3 episode premiere, it makes sense that the scope of Andor expands with this week’s episode. Episodes 4, 5 and 6 are written by Dan Gilroy (Tony’s brother) and directed by Susanna White, seemingly kicking off another 3 episode arc of storytelling. The episode opens with Cassian being convinced to join Luthen’s cause (who’d turn down that payout?!) and they head to the planet Aldhani where he’ll be joining a group of rebels who are days away from activating on a mission. As Luthen explains, the leader of this group isn’t going to be happy that Cassian’s there, thus “Clem” must prove himself a worthy asset to the crew. Luthen, meanwhile, heads to Coruscant where he puts on his own disguise and meets up with Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) in an antiques shop (more on that later). The Pre-Mor crew we all love to hate get their wrists slapped by the Imperial Security Bureau, and we’re introduced to Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), a recent ISB arrival out to prove herself, smelling organized rebellion after what went down on Ferrix. Back on Aldhani, Cassian has lots to learn, both about the mission and his new crew, declaring, “Let’s get to it”. Let’s get to it, indeed.

One standout element of Andor Episode 4 is its depiction of Coruscant. The capital planet isn’t unfamiliar territory, but Andor treats it in a more realistic way than we’ve seen in live action so far. Maybe that was a creative choice to show how things have changed during the transition from Republic to Empire, but it’s a different take on the planet, one closer to what a futuristic planet could look like. These sequences worked so well also due to the fact that real locations were used and not every shot was dependent on CGI—it’s a small yet effective choice that further grounds this series in reality.

It’s on Coruscant that Luthen dons his guise of an antique shop owner, wig and all. Mon Mothma’s debut appearance was reason enough to be excited about these scenes, but no one anticipated the treasure trove of easter eggs Luthen’s shop provided. Pause buttons worked on overdrive and allowed eagle eyed Star Wars fans a treasure trove filled with holocrons, a Wookiee helmet, a Twi’lek kalikori, a Sith Stalker armor (as seen in The Force Unleashed), and so much more. Andor has been pretty light on fan service so far (thankfully), and while this scene had so many fans salivating, it’s a subtle nod to the history of the universe, plus it was just so fun.

Andor Episode 4 also pulls back the curtain on Mon Mothma’s personal life. We are introduced to her husband, Imperial Senator Perrin Fertha (Alastair Mackenzie) who is his own brand of disgusting. The two clearly have a strained relationship as evidenced by Perrin’s decision to invite Mothma’s dissenters over for a dinner party, one he also forgot to tell her about (husband rule #1: Put everything on the calendar). I hope we get to see more of Mothma’s personal life and how it affects the character at this point in the timeline.

Andor Episode 4 is expanding the scope of the series and showing how the Rebellion turned from something small to something mighty, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. New episodes of Andor are released every Wednesday on Disney+, see you here next week when we discuss another episode!