Andor: Rix Road

“We were asleep.”

In what is arguably an even better episode than "One Way Out," the season comes to an end in an explosive fashion, bringing together a bunch of plots, characters and story arcs to a satisfying middle point.

Breaking this story must have been hard, because this is not an ending. It isn’t a beginning, like some stories would allow. No, this is a first act, the end to the beginning. Maarva’s death and speech were what you might call the inciting incident if you were classifying this as a three-act novel or play. The hero has made his choice, he has finally come to terms with his past and decided on a future where he fights instead of runs. The villains are in a new place, both as characters and personally (more on that later on) and the plot has reached a place where everything feels finished, but nothing is finished.

Let's start with Mon Mothma this time. She had two short scenes. One showed her planting seeds of misinformation for the ISB, that her husband was gambling again and is responsible for the missing money. It is a brilliant move, but could come back to bite her. Then there is the scene at the end that showed us her choice regarding her daughter. Leida looked almost excited by the prospect of her new suitor, but I’m not sure. He seemed okay on the surface, but there is no way of knowing what kind of kid he is going to turn out to be. Is he going to be kind and a good match for her? Is he going to be cruel and a poor match? I guess we’ll find out. But poor Mon, she was up against the wall and really had no choice in the matter.

Vel and Cinta spent most of the episode arguing and tracking down Cassian. It felt almost like they were walking in place as most of their actions didn’t amount to much. However, Cinta did remove the spy from Ferrix, so there’s that. I’m really curious where these two characters will go in season two. They are both interesting and I’m invested in them because they represent a first for Star Wars, but neither of them have had a lot to do since Aldhani.

Alright, Syril and Dedra. I would almost be rooting for these two crazy kids if they weren’t space Nazis. Syril’s actions are both creepy and a bit chivalrous and I’m not sure how I feel about it. He is a villainous character, but I keep hoping he will eventually see the truth about the Empire and switch sides. But his attraction to Dedra, who is an absolutely awful person, makes me question that hope. Perhaps he will move on from Cassian and focus on his relationship with Dedra next season. Which just makes me shudder in discomfort.

Luthen’s role in the proceedings was passive, watching and listening and waiting. He came to Ferrix to kill Cassian... or did he? He gave Vel that impression, but Luthen is always five steps ahead of everyone else. He watched the people of Ferrix gather in much larger numbers than allowed. He heard their traditions and then listened to Maarva’s speech and it clearly echoed his own personal convictions. Witnessing all of that, knowing that is who raised Cassian, he must have come to a decision about Cassian’s fate. But what got to me was his reaction to the conflict, watching good people rise up against oppression and tyranny. It was the war he envisioned in microcosm, and that had to be both invigorating and terrifying to witness.

Which brings us to Maarva’s incredible speech, rivaling both Kino’s and Luthen’s from episode ten. It was quiet and thoughtful, the words someone would say to their loved ones on their deathbed. Which is exactly what they were, except for Maarva she had a much bigger audience and she took advantage of the opportunity. Hearing her call the Empire bastards and urging the people of Ferrix to fight felt like a cry into the darkness, a rallying cry for the Rebellion. The people of Ferrix might suffer afterwards, and many died as the Stormtroopers began to fire into an unarmed crowd, but it also encapsulated the point of the Rebellion. The galaxy is at the point of fight or die, and this was a resounding shout to fight.

Cassian heard his mother as he made his way through the sewers and back hallways of the hotel to rescue Bix, and made sure to get her to safety before finally making his own choice. How much did Maarva’s words affect him? Had he already made up his mind to fight after Narkina 5? Or was it seeing what they had done to Bix? Or catching sight of Luthen in the crowds, clearly there to kill him? Whatever it was, likely some combination of everything he experienced since killing those guards on Morlana One, he came to the point where he couldn’t just escape with family. Cassian Andor finally committed to the Rebellion.

I would be remiss not to talk about the after credits scene, first, to alert anyone who didn’t know about it, and second, to talk about the gut punch it delivers. It cuts to a droid working on some elaborate lattice work of hexagonal sheets of golden material, then it cuts to another droid installing a familiar looking object into another section. That object being what Cassian and the rest of his fellow inmates were putting together on Narkina 5. As the camera pulls away, we realize it is part of the primary emitter dish of the Death Star. Just takes the wind out of you as a final coda to the Empire’s evil plots and machinations. They were keeping prisoners enslaved to help build the Death Star. Wow.

Bits:

The music this time was like a discordant funeral march, and the music for Maarva’s funeral sounded the same even though it was a different melody.

I didn’t catch all the named deaths, but we did see Xan die. On the ship was Paak’s son, a member of the Daughters of Ferrix, Bix, Brasso and B2EMO. Both Bix and B2 were not in great shape, but at least they all escaped.

The action in the conflict following Maarva's speech was hectic and tragic, with the Empire shooting randomly into the crowd. But it still felt satisfying and cathartic, as if this small explosion of violence was just what the galaxy needs.

Dedra arrived on an imperial shuttle that is similar to the one that brought Vader and the Emperor to the Death Star, and the one stolen by the Rebellion and piloted by Han Solo in Return of the Jedi.

The fallout from Kreegyr’s attack on Spellhous was devastating. Partagaz mentioned that they were still counting the bodies. Sounds like way more than thirty-one ended up dead. Of course Dedra was upset, because she wanted someone alive to question… torture for information.

The scene where Mosk and Syril traded hats was quietly hilarious. I have no explanation as to why they did it, but the visuals were a fun sight gag.

It was a beautiful moment when Cassian touched Clem’s funerary stone, with that short flashback giving a bit more umph to Cassian’s past.

Despite feeling somewhat removed, there are touches of Star Wars DNA everywhere. For me, the grate in the sewer popped out, as a design seen in Jabba’s palace.

Quotes:

Brasso: “They’re watching Maarva’s. Could be anywhere.”
Xan: “He’d be insane to come back now.”
Brasso: “I hope you told him that.”

Nemik: (Recording) “There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they've already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward. And then remember this. The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that. And know this: the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empire's authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege. Remember this. Try.”

Cassian: “The last time I saw her, we argued. I told her I was coming back.”
Brasso: “Stop.”
Cassian: “I never should have left that morning.”
Brasso: “Stop. She told me you’d say all this. ‘Tell him none of this is his fault. It was already burning. He’s just the first spark of the fire. Tell him, he knows everything he needs to know and feels everything he needs to feel. And when the day comes and those two pull together, he will be an unstoppable force for good. Tell him… I love him more than anything he could ever do wrong.’”

“Stone and sky. Stone and sky.”

Maarva: “ I always wanted to be lifted. I was always eager, always waiting to be inspired. I remember every time it happened, every time the dead lifted me... with their truth. And now I'm dead. And I yearn to lift you. Not because I want to shine or even be remembered. It's because I want you to go on. I want Ferrix to continue. In my waning hours, that's what comforts me most.”

Maarva: “There is a wound that won't heal at the center of the galaxy. There is a darkness reaching like rust into everything around us. We let it grow, and now it's here. It's here, and it's not visiting anymore. It wants to stay. The Empire is a disease that thrives in darkness, it is never more alive than when we sleep. It's easy for the dead to tell you to fight, and maybe it's true, maybe fighting is useless. Perhaps it's too late. But I'll tell you this. If I could do it again, I'd wake up early and be fighting these bastards. From the start. Fight the Empire!”

4 out of 4 Sparks of Rebellion.

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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