1x05 The Axe Forgets

[7.8/10] I griped about the Andor portions of the last episode because the folks he was joining for the mission seemed too underdeveloped. Well this episode fixed that, and I’m glad for it! I had sort of assumed we would dive from the setup of an operation last episode, to completing it in this one. But I’m glad instead that we got to spend some time with these people, had a chance to learn about why they’re in this fight and give them some shading before throwing everyone into the undoubtedly explosive confrontation to come.

Skeen is the most interesting to me, if only because he’s the most combative with Andor. The two have a good dynamic, one where they’re clearly feeling each other out and able to detect something off about the other, but also have a sort of shared understanding, a sense that they know what they’re in for in a way not everyone does. I like how Skeen’s suspicion builds to him finding Andor’s kyber-based down payment, and leads to Andor admitting he’s a mercenary so there’s no suspicion and everythings above board. Their interactions feel grimly real despite the heightened tone, and Skeen giving his backstory and motivation for this is a moment of vulnerability and connection that puts them on the same page in an unshowy way. I love the back and forth between them.

But I dig the rest of the crew too! Vel is a good leader, someone who’s able to resolve disputes and seem commanding, while also betraying that she’s a bit in over her head and faking it until you make it in subtle ways. Taramyn is the most underdeveloped of the bunch, but even he has some choice moments where he and Cassian clash on a more instinctual level than him and Skeen. Andor doesn’t like the familiarity Taramyn assumes when dictating his posture, and Taramyn doesn’t like Andor correcting him, even when he’s right. Given the way Vel insists that Andor affirm he can follow Taramyn’s lead, it feels like they’re setting up a meaningful disagreement between the two in a choice moment when the operation is in motion.

(As an aside, I like that Andor’s proving his worth despite being the least trained and least prepared among the crew. He may not be a longstanding rebel, but he knows about piloting and strategy in a way they don’t. It’s a good way to show his value and why Luthen thought he’d be a good addition in more practical terms.)

Cinta is pretty quiet, but I appreciate the description of her toughness, and the romantic tension that exists between her, Andor, and Vel. They don’t overplay it one whit, but you can tlel it’s there from the way Vel responds when Andor gets too close or she physically separates them. And Nemik is a hoot. He’s a shaky soldier, but a true believer who has eloquent manifestos to describe what they’re fighting for. I like him as a junior member of the Jacobin Club wing of the Rebel Alliance, and he’s got personality, which counts for a lot.

That said, while I consider him separate from the rest of the crew, Lt. Gorn might be my favorite of all of them. He does a great job of playing his part as the strict Imperial Officer instilling discipline and expectation among his subordinates, while secretly setting things exactly where he wants them for the mission, and ensuring no one would suspect him of having a role in it. I also really appreciate the backstory of his defection. So many of the Imps-turned-Rebels are people who just see the error of their ways in broad terms. But the simple fact that he fell in love with a local, and the discrimination that entailed spoiled him on the Empire is a more personal take on it that I like a great deal.

Outside of the crew on Aldhani, we get some good glimpses of the other players here, some in more depth than others. The fact that Luthen is anxious about the operation, and chastises himself for “wanting it too much” helps underscore the stakes of this whole thing. I’ll admit, when he mentioned that their plunder was “payroll for the whole Empire”, I thought he meant a list of officers and where they were stationed or something. The fact that it is, in fact, hard specie that could fund the Rebellion makes more sense, and gives this story a connection to what comes in later works without overdoing it.

Speaking of which, I appreciate our continued glimpse of the icy cold family life of the Mon Mothma household. I like the ambiguity there. Is Mothma’s husband actively working to expose her efforts to aid the rebellion, or is he just working against her in a bad marriage where they try to tweak one another. The fact that her daughter is seemingly on dad’s side makes it that much trickier, but again, the tension and nebulousness of what’s really going on is intriguing.

We also get glimpses on the Imperial side as well. I dig that Lt. Blevin is installing his people on Ferrix, if only because it suggests that Ferrix will come back as a site of importance in the show, and I really dug that setting for its richness and sense of place. I also dig that despite facing internal resistance, Meero has a bead on the Rebellion and is gathering the right evidence to make her case. It’s weird to be rooting for someone to, well, root out the Rebel alliance, but it’s hard not to cheer on someone who is (1.) right (2.) being underestimated in her field and (3.) being upstaged by a snooty rival.

That just leaves former Deputy Inspector Karn. Again, it’s a little odd having sympathy for someone who’s basically a wannabe cop whose insistence on play-acting as real security largely caused all of these problems. But seeing him have to slink back home, tail between his legs, forced to move back in with his mom and potentially rely on the largesse of his suspiciously connected uncle makes him a pathetic figure. He has been brought low, and it’s hard not to feel for someone in that situation, even if he seems like a prig. Without spelling it out, it seems likely he blames Andor, or at least thinks finding Cassian would be his ticket back into police work. Either way, I like the chance to explore his circumstances and motivation in more detail, and the sort of 1950s meets the future vibe of his family home is a tribute to the creativity of the production designers.

All-in-all, I wasn’t expecting another episode of build before the operation on Aldhani goes down, but I’m very glad we got it. This installment gives the audience a chance to understand the characters in more depth, so when the fireworks happen, they’re meaningful, and each of the scenes builds toward that idea and is compelling on a standalone basis. On to the op!