Andor Season 1 Episode 4 Review : Charting a compelling arc ahead

Andor Season 1 Episode 4

THIS RECAP & REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) escapes Ferrix on Luthen’s (Stellan Skarsgård) ship, headed to Aldhani. Once again, Luthen tries to convince Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) to join him again and put a real dent in the Empire's efforts. Cassian believes he can do it alone, but Luthen reminds him of his past. It turns out Luthen knows quite a lot about Cassian. He acknowledges Cassian’s true nature, challenges his real intentions and makes him a lucrative offer for an ambitious heist, one that Cassian can’t refuse.

On Coruscant at the Imperial Security Bureau, Partagaz (Anton Lesser) meets with senior officers on key strategic developments. Somewhat disappointed by their updates, he questions the room on their purpose. An officer named Dedra (Denise Gough) gives him a corporate answer, but Partagaz corrects her by saying they are Imperial’s healthcare system. According to him, they identify and eliminate germs before they become a disease. Another officer, Blevin (Ben Bailey Smith), mentions the recent events in Ferrix, which catches Dedra’s attention. Later on, Blevin and Dedra exchange words, which is escalated to Partagaz, who quickly squashes their beef.

After landing on Aldhani, Cassian adopts an alias - Clem. Luthen gives a down payment, a Kyber crystal, to Andor before meeting Vel (Faye Marsay), who is in charge of the mission. He gives her an ultimatum to have Cassian/Clem join her team but also tells her that the recruit is disposable if things go wrong.

Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Blevin addresses the personnel behind the Ferrix fiasco and discharges them, including Deputy Inspector Karn (Kyle Solar). The crestfallen former officer meekly returns home to his mother. Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) meets Luthen, who is now disguised as a precious antique collector, to procure a ‘gift’ for her husband. After putting on the initial act, they get down to business once Luthen asks her about scrounging funds for the Rebellion cause. Mothma struggles to keep up appearances as she fears being closely watched.

Cassian/ Clem and Vel reach the camp, much to the surprise of the rest of her team. Despite their reluctance, they have no choice but to accept Clem’s inclusion. Vel explains the plan to sneak into the garrison and steal the officers' payroll. Cassian thinks there's not enough time to get in and out without getting caught or killed. However, as a grand distraction, the team has planned their heist to coincide with a celestial event on Aldhani.

Tactfully written by Dan Gilroy, the plot of this fourth episode is purposeful in how it puts the pieces together for a compelling arc ahead. Following the tense and eventful third entry, which played out as the conclusion of Act I, the pace is slowed substantially. But, barely a moment goes to waste as episode director Susanna White introduces intriguing new characters while showing us some of the challenges faced on both sides. The cast doesn’t have any weak links with solid performances all around. Not everyone in the team doing the suicide mission will make it out alive, but the cast makes them all feel like real people whose absence will be felt—no mean feat for such a quick introduction. More importantly, the show has multiple side plots involving various characters still connected to the main story, making for an intriguing group of elements fuelled by various motivations. The stage is set with high stakes at hand.