Andor: Harvest

“It’s harvest. Everyone’s busy.”

I was right. This episode did bring everything together, and it did make me cry. These first three episodes felt like a cohesive whole, like they made up a singular movie.

Andor has always been a thoughtfully made show that takes care to be faithful to its characters and honest with its storytelling. This episode in particular sparked controversy because of one scene which fits within context and the previous guidelines of both character and story, but falls outside of popular opinion of the franchise. Of course I’m talking about the attempted rape of Bix by an Imperial officer named Krole.

The scene is harrowing and difficult. It shows a strong woman fighting with everything she has to stop something invasive and terribly destructive, who had previously been tortured to within an inch of her life. But the point of the scene wasn’t the rape, or the man who attacked her. It was about Bix. It was about her fighting to survive after everything she has been through. It is about her saying no, and turning the tables on her attacker. This was the moment Bix took back being a victim, and it was a very important moment for the character.

Could it have been done without the sexual component? Maybe, but it wouldn’t have been as personal or as invasive. She wasn’t just fighting for her autonomy or mind, she was fighting for her body and dignity. It also shows the entitlement and arrogance of military officers in a fascist state, and what they can get away with. In this situation he wouldn’t have been found guilty of anything, and she would be executed for killing an officer of the Empire. That is the crux of the problem, a reason for rebellion if there ever was one.

The rest of the action on Mina-Rau was just as heart wrenching and tragic. First we had Wilmon risk a goodbye with Beela and end up making things worse for Bix because he wasn’t there to back her up when the officer arrived (not that she ended up needing help). Secondly was Brasso, the big softy did everything he could to be a hero, and died like one, sacrificing himself to save Kellen and getting gunned down trying to get to Bix and Wilmon. It hurt a lot to watch him die, and I wasn’t even that invested in his character.

But the real meat of the climax on Mina-Rau was when Cassian arrived in the Tie-Avenger and just let loose on the Storm Troopers. It was incredibly satisfying to watch him gun them down. It was just terribly sad that he wasn’t in time to save his friend. At least Bix and Wilmon were rescued, but they had to leave B2EMO behind, too. The poor droid might never see Cassian again, and that’s also really sad. The entire scene was thrilling for sure, but also very much in line with everything else. The sheer presence of the ship coupled with the look of desperation and anger on Cassian’s face made the entire sequence very powerful.

Moving onto Coruscant, we have some mildly fun interactions between Kleya and Cassian as they finally make contact. She was totally unaware of his issues, but a couple of details about the initial theft suddenly made sense in context. The Tie-Avenger was not the ship they thought they were stealing, so that’s why Cassian could barely fly it (although he clearly got the hang of it by the time he got to Mina-Rau). Feels like these early rebel missions are a bit haphazard and mildly disorganized. Which is evidenced by the Maya gang’s antics from the last couple of episodes.

Which brings me to the most unexpected scene in the entire episode. When Dedra and Syril were first hinted as a romantic couple, I could only imagine a train wreck of a relationship. I pictured her dominating him, much like his mother. Yet, when we get to lunch with Syril’s mother, we find that quite the opposite is true. Dedra supports Syril, defends him and outright threatens Eedy with a burn so satisfying that it made me like her. How am I suddenly finding Dedra and Syril engaging as a couple? I'm cringing as I write this, yet I am starting to wonder what they are doing with these two characters.

Finally we have Chandrila and the loads of drama and character stuff going on there, starting with Leida. After the last episode I was thinking her relationship with her mother was solid again, but boy, was I mistaken. Leida is a wholly different person from Mon. She is a traditionalist who views this arranged marriage not just as an obligation but as her personal duty as a faithful Chandrilian. So deeply does she believe in her role that she cannot understand why her mother would talk down about her impending marriage in any way.

Mon, Vel and Leida all wore absolutely amazing dresses, all with a similar cut but slightly different takes in very different colors. Perrin and Davo’s headdresses were also fun, which looked a bit Asian in inspiration. I also loved that the groom was wearing white, too. The wedding ceremony itself was fascinating with circles featured again and the groom cutting off the bride’s almost Padawan braid. The traditional dance made it very plain that these were two kids who had just been married. Then there was the dance ball, which was like a hovering discoball that played music. There really is a droid for everything.

What’s devastating about all of that is the way Mon was so clearly conflicted about the entire situation. Mon sacrificed her own daughter for the Rebellion only to find out that her daughter, while not aware of her sacrifice, would not even agree that it was a sacrifice in the first place. To make matters worse, she also has to come to terms with what is going on with Tay, who has become a problem. While not spoken outright, Mon is fully aware that Luthen would take care of that problem. Which was confirmed when we saw Cinta show up as Tay's driver.

Luthen, for his part, is playing the fop perfectly, and is connected to almost every aspect of Mon’s life. That’s probably another thing weighing on Mon, realizing that she is now just a pawn in Luthen’s game of chess with the Empire. It’s just a full circle of pain and sacrifice for an intangible and potentially pointless fight against an impossibly large and seemingly all powerful force. It just shows how much a single person needs to bleed for a rebellion to work. No wonder Mon got drunk and threw herself into the dancing.

Bits:

The opening music felt different, almost larger and more dramatic, like the opening theme to a big epic movie.

The episode started with a traditional Star Wars space transition, with a ship coming out of nowhere. It could almost have been the cold open for the entire trilogy of episodes.

I loved Cassian literally hotwiring the Tie-Avenger and getting one engine to work, although by the time he heard about the drama unfolding on Mina-Rau, he had gotten things under control. At least he’s not stuck on board a tie-fighter with its itty bitty cockpit.

I actually feel sorry for Vel, finding out that Cinta is now an assassin.

The scene at the harvest table felt ominous, like the calm before the storm.

So the Chandi Merle was a temple figure, and there are only a few left in existence, originally created 25,000 years ago.

I loved Dedra trying to decide between white and black outfits as if nervous to meet Syril’s mother. It was also interesting to hear that Dedra is an orphan raised by the state. It could potentially explain why she is so loyal to the Empire.

Quotes:

Cassian: I’ve been upside down for two days!

Eedy: “You’ll toughen him up.”
Dedra: “I have a different plan in mind. But when I say the word 'plan,' that makes it sound optional, which is not the impression you should be taking away. This game ends now. You want Syril in your life? You will think before you speak. I’ll make sure he visits twice a month. I’ll make sure he calls you. I will guarantee a level of engagement, but it will be inversely proportional to the volume of anxiety you generate in our lives.”
Eedy: “Quite a mouthful.”

This was an excellent capper for this trilogy of episodes, concluding the first arc. I’m very curious where we will meet our characters next.

4 out of 4 One Sided Battles

Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

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