Andor Season 1 Episode 12
THIS RECAP & REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!In an obvious trap that Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) cannot seem to resist, Maarva’s (Fiona Shaw) funeral is the spark in the powder keg set for an explosive finale with most of the show’s key players involved. Cassian lands on Ferrix but uses the ceremony as a deflection while sneaking Bix (Adria Arjona) out of captivity. This is no easy task, as Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), along with the entire Imperial platoon posted in his home world, is looking for him. Even Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) makes his way there. During the last rites, Maarva gives a passionate posthumous speech that riles the locals to take on the troops in a riot that results in casualties on both sides.
But Cassian has a larger cause to fight for. This comes to a head when he confronts Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) and asks to be killed or allowed to join the deceptive rebel leader. The figure known as ‘Axis’ clearly chooses the former at the end of the finale. Rather than playing out the way it’s teased, Cassian’s decision to rescue Bix instead of being at Maarva’s funeral makes perfect sense for his character. He knows what the stakes are, and his mother figure’s speech, delivered powerfully by Fiona Shaw in a parting salvo, mirrors the sentiment. He also chooses to return to Luthen and dedicate himself entirely to the Rebellion since he has nothing to lose.
On the other hand, Syril’s rescue of Dedra from the rioters makes for an edgy exchange between the two. It’ll be interesting to see where they end up since not much is known about their future. On Coruscant, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) accuses her husband, Perrin Fertha ( Alastair Mackenzie), of resorting to his old habits, namely gambling, to throw the Imperial spies off her trail. Later on, her daughter Leida (Bronte Carmichael) is seen to be betrothed to Davo Sculdrun’s (Richard Dillane) son, as Mon Mothma gives in to his previous proposal. Since we know she plays a much more significant role in the Rebellion, Mon Mothma’s readiness to jeopardise her family aligns with the character’s eventual arc.
With an underlying theme of personal sacrifice for the greater good, the season finale of ‘Andor’ focuses on the key people involved and their reactions to the onset of the Rebellion. The stakes are high on both sides, but the show’s writers keep us invested in these individuals. This requires setting up each significant character’s personal and professional lives in often time-consuming ways that will test the patience of viewers used to more direct storytelling from this franchise. Despite knowing the eventual outcome of ‘Rogue One’, this complex narrative style kept us hooked on the journey rather than the destination and makes ‘Andor’ a better show in the end.