We start in one year later. Think we’d find some stability in that? …nah.
Recap
“One Year Later”
One year following the events of “Rix Road,” at a Sienar testing facility, an Imperial technician named Niya (Rachelle Diedericks) checks out a TIE Avenger, then heads back to the station’s cantina where she meets Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), disguised as a test pilot. Niya asks Cassian for reassurance that what she’s doing matters, even if she doesn’t make it out. Cassian promises her that it does matter and that her emotions are not only valid but important, just like this brief moment of connection between them is. He promises her that she is brave. Later that evening, he attempts to steal the TIE and almost fails, causing a huge firefight in the hangar. He gets away before he can be shot down.
Bix (Adria Arjona) wakes from a night terror on Mina-Rau, and Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) and her friends are there to comfort her. On Chandrila, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) is preparing for the wedding of her daughter and asks her cousin Vel (Faye Marsay) if she’s noticed who’s here. The person who’s arrived is Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), here at the behest of Davo Sculdun (Richard Dillane) for secret, presumably wedding-related reasons. Back on Mina-Rau, Bix encourages Wilmon (Muhannad Ben Amor) to pursue a young local woman named Beela (Laura Marcus) despite the fact that they’re “illegal” here—without visas or crop shares in the farming. An Imperial vessel arrives overhead, worrying them.
Cassian heads to the drop-off point for his TIE and is immediately captured by a group who appear to have killed his contact, Porko. They are also stranded and hungry, but they cannot figure out how to fly the TIE and cannot stop bickering. At the Maltheen Divide, Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) is hosting a covert meeting with a select group: The Empire wants a power resource from a planet called Ghorman, known for its exceptional textiles. According to Krennic, the Emperor wants “energy independence,” and Ghorman is one of the greatest resources for Kalkite, but it can only be obtained through gouge mining, which might render the planet unstable. The point of this group is to figure out ways to get the population leave without fuss. They already have two gentlemen from the Ministry of Enlightenment creating news spin to make the population seem arrogant and prideful, but Krennic later asks Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) why she doesn’t like this plan; she tells him that she would make certain there was a group of Ghorman rebels who did exactly what she needed and when.
Cassian eventually learns that this inept crew are part of the Maya Pei Brigade… but Maya is dead and now no one can decide who’s in charge. Brasso returns and tells Bix and Wil that the Empire is doing an audit of Mina-Rau, which will be a problem if they’re checking visas. On Chandrila, Luthen asks Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau) if she’s heard from Cassian. Mon is cornered by her dearest old friend Taye Kolma (Ben Miles), who is now living apart from his wife and wants to talk to Mon about her Foundation—the one he’s moving money through to fund her Rebellion activities. They’re interrupted because Mon’s daughter Leida (Bronte Carmichael) has had her first fight with her betrothed: He refuses to hold her hand. Back with the group formerly known as the Maya Pei Brigade, the crew can’t even seem to agree on whether or not she’s dead, someone gets killed in the in-fighting, and Cassian tries to flee for his life.
“Sagrona Teema”
After the firefight, the brigade group has split in two; they are sending out envoys to check for bodies in the rain. Cassian is chained to the floor of his old ship, now ruined. On Coruscant, Dedra Meero tells Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser) that she doesn’t want the Ghorman assignment; he tells her she needs to forget her mission to find Axis and take Ghorman for the gift that it is. On Chandrila, Kleya tells Luthen that she can’t get through to anyone, including Bix, because there’s been a comms shutdown around Mina-Rau; she needs to get back to Coruscant and use her real comms to see what she can find. On Mina-Rau, Brasso’s local friend Kellan (Ryan Pope) says that the Empire knows not everyone on the planet is legal, and how hard they check all depends, but he means to take care of them. Wilmon promises Beela that he won’t leave without saying goodbye to her as an Imperial unit rolls up on Kellan’s store. Their lieutenant, Krole (Alex Waldmann), is checking the grain stores and sees Bix repairing it. He tries to get her to go out with him. Bix claims she has a husband who is off-world for a few days, and Brasso interrupts.
The wedding party on Chandrila takes the traditional wedding hike, and Mon takes the opportunity to talk to Vel about what’s going on. The brigade learns that the splinter faction that took the TIE fighter is trying to turn it manually so they can fire on Cassian’s old ship (with them in it). On Coruscant, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) comes back to the home he now shares with Dedra, and he panics; if she’s home, it means the evening they have planned for tomorrow is going forward. She insists they can’t keep putting it off. At the wedding, Taye finally gets the chance to talk to Mon and tells her that he’s very unhappy about the risk he’s taken on in helping her financially. The Rebellion’s activity ruined some investments for him, and he feels undervalued in all this. Mon tells him that they’ll talk about this back on Coruscant and gets things settled. Luthen talks to Mon about this conversation and his concerns over Taye; Mon insists they’ll “find a number” Taye can be happy with as Perrin (Alastair Mackenzie) makes his wedding address.
The fractured brigade agrees to put down their weapons. The two leaders agree to “Five Hands” as a way of settling leadership (this turns out to be a variation on games like Rock, Paper, Scissors). As they’re shouting, Cassian manages to get his hands on a blaster and escape. No one notices he’s done so because the local wildlife emerges and attacks the group. Cassian finally manages to get into the TIE fighter and leave.
“Harvest”
Cassian is in space, trying to get a message out, but only succeeds in making the TIE spin out of control. On Mina-Rau, Kellan tells Brasso that they’re next on the inspection schedule: He’s got an emergency work order that he can send their crew on so they’re not there when the inspection happens, but it’s a risk. They’ll have to leave that night to avoid detection. In the minutes before the wedding, Mon takes a moment to talk to Leida and tells her that she doesn’t have to go through with this. Leida is disgusted by the suggestion, and the ceremony takes place. On Coruscant, Dedra and Syril prepare themselves for company: Eedy (Kathryn Hunter), Syril’s mother. Kleya finally receives Cassian’s transmission and finds out what went wrong with his operation. She makes mention of signals being blocked on Mina-Rau, and Cassian immediately heads home.
During dinner, Eedy is her usual insufferable self, cutting Syril down, trying to imply that Dedra is lacking as well for being an orphan (her parents were criminals who were arrested when she was three) raised in an Imperial Kinder-block, making a great deal of how Uncle Harlo saved them. Syril finally leaves the room, unable to stand her. Dedra tells Eedy that this game is over, Uncle Harlo is a criminal, and the Syril will only be in her life so long as she behaves herself and stops stressing him out. Eedy seems to agree, and Syril rejoins dinner to nothing but praise. On Chandrila, Davo Sculdun reveals his wedding gift to the couple while Luthen makes a connection with a young man named Erskin (Pierro Niel-Mee). Taye talks to Mon again and tells her that listening to Davo talk makes him realize how “timid” he’s become and how impressive the man is; Mon is shocked to learn that they’ve been spending a lot of time together.
Brasso has to tell B2EMO (Dave Chapman) that they’re leaving for while, but his local girlfriend Talia (Claire Brown) promises to take care of him. The group realizes that they should leave earlier, but Wil is gone—he promised not to leave without saying goodbye to Beela. Imperial troops arrive at her family’s store meaning Wil can’t get his speeder parked in front. He runs, while Brasso heads to the store on his own speeder to find him. Luthen talks to Mon about Taye again, pointing out that he’s been pestering Sculdun all weekend, and that Mon needs protection; she clearly has an idea what that might imply and is horrified. Dancing begins at the wedding, and Mon starts drinking excessively. Right as Cassian enters the Mina-Rau orbit, Krole comes to talk to Bix. Brasso is spotted and captured by stormtroopers at the store. Krole tells Bix that he knows she’s undocumented, that it’s unfortunate the system works this way, but that his hands are tied. He then tries to rape her, and Bix fights him off, hitting him in the head with various tools.
At the store, Brasso attacks Kellan, shouting that the man sold them out to the Empire. He shares a look with Kellan; he’s protecting the man who did his best to protect them by making sure he’s not implicated in harboring them. Corporal Pyke (David Omordia) hears the struggle between Bix and Krole, sees Krole exit the building and drop dead, and calls for backup. Wil arrives and distracts Pike so Bix can shoot him. At the wedding, Taye leaves for home with an unexpected driver—it’s Cinta (Varada Sethu). Vel sees her and can’t say a word. On Mina-Rau, Cassian takes the TIE down into the atmosphere and starts picking off the Imperial troops. Brasso makes a break for it and tries to get away on his speeder. Cassian lands the ship and rushes out to find Brasso dead. He sees Wil and Bix at the TIE and heads back. Cassian tells them that Brasso is gone and has them board the TIE to escape.
Commentary
So… so Cassian Andor can barely make it to his own premiere because he gets waylaid by another rebel cell that is deconstructing before his eyes due to petty in-fighting. It’s such an endless slog, watching him go through all of this for two whole episodes. Doesn’t it feel that way? Oh right, because it is, genuinely and pointedly, a waste of time. That costs so many lives. We get so many competent rebels throughout the history of Star Wars, we forget that there are just a many incompetent ones. The absurd plans and sniping and hierarchical bullshit, the flipping child’s game to decide on leadership succession, and Cassian is forced to simply sit there and wait for a window to escape. He can’t help these people—they are beyond rescue.
Because in any other show, Cassian—the competent rebel—would assert himself as the obvious leader of these people and teach them how to be better at this. That’s how these arcs almost always play out on TV, yeah? And I was worried that they would go that route, because that choice wouldn’t ring true in terms of how Cassian’s character is built. The genius of how Diego Luna has chosen to play this part is in not making him the natural focal guy in a narrative sense. He’s not the leader—he’s the second. He’s good at inserting himself into functional group dynamics and bolstering one voice when needed.
But this? He’s useless against the brigade’s implosion because they simply refuse to work together. For no real or important reasons! That’s the purpose of this segment, and it’s extremely frustrating to watch, and we are forced to watch it forever.
I see you, Tony Gilroy. I’m in your walls, dammit.
That aside, I adored his pep talk to Niya, how incredibly humane and kind it was. He doesn’t give her any false hope or tell her that everything is going to turn out right because of her choices. He just… lets her be a person with him. He places value on that personhood, on a moment of connection. It’s simple and impactful. It’s real.
The clarity around “legal” and “illegal,” “documented” and “undocumented” with what’s happening to Cassian’s family on Mina-Rau, is also brought home here. The series is markedly specific with its casting in a way that many shows are not of late; you might have noticed that Kellan and his family are all white actors, while the Ferrix contingent are pointedly not. You might also notice that while the Empire is no longer an all-white organization (which it was as far as the original trilogy was concerned), all of the people in the room with Director Krennic certainly are. You might have noticed that Bix is being played by an actor of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan descent, and how that adds metatextual depth to Krole’s intimidation and assault.
I’m currently stuck on the fact that Bix says the words “He tried to rape me.” Perhaps because I’m realizing how often film depicts these exact scenarios and still never says the words out loud? Obviously, we know what just occurred, we were forced to witness it in graphic detail. Perhaps some think that’s enough, or even too much. But who does it serve when we remove language from that? When we don’t speak it and affirm that it was real?
On the other side of things, we’re watching a very specific breakdown in Mon Mothma’s world on two sides, and Vel is right there beside her in the mire. It’s a mirror, refracting light: In one hand, a dear old friend who has been radicalized by a wealthy criminal. In the other, a daughter who has rejected any progress made on her behalf by other women, intent on being another man’s property.
Taye’s betrayal hits harder because we don’t see his path to swerve into Proud Boy-4chan-incel hell. We’re coming to it at the same time Mon does—she’s in shock, we’re in shock. She adores this man, has known him all her life, would never suspect this turn in his nature. And all it took was some quality one-on-one time with a guy like Davo. Now Taye thinks he’s timid and should learn not to be. Now he thinks that he’s underappreciated. (Gee, wonder why he and his wife aren’t doing well, so suddenly.) Oh, and he’s angry that the Rebellion is what ruined his investments, because naturally a guy like this thinks that helping to bankroll the resistance means he should get insider trading tips on what they plan to hit.
Gosh, is rebellion bad for business, my guy? Sorry about your stock portfolio. And your impending murder. (Not really, you go Cinta.)
The difficulty that Mon and Vel are having with this wedding is so common to what many of us are feeling with the current “tradwife” upswing. We have one woman who adhered to the system, knows she has been poorer for it, and would do anything to save her daughter from it. We have another who is queer, was never a part to the system, and cannot for the life of her understand why anyone would willingly enter into it now, if they don’t have to. Two people who have worked so hard to give women more choices, and don’t know what to do when that choice is walking right back into a place of subjugation.
Luthen says “People fail,” and that feels so hideously cynical. But he isn’t wrong. Or maybe the trouble is, he’s isn’t wrong right now, at the point when we all need to believe they won’t.
A ludicrous bright spot in this episode is absolutely everything going on with Syril and Dedra? I mean, apart from the fact that they are dating now, which, that was a thing to spring on all of us. But the vibe of their “getting-ready” montage has this wonderfully baffling retro-futuristic vibe that’s like… I dunno, monochromatic Jetsons, if that makes any sense? These two extremely screwed up people, paging through their black and white wardrobes, trying to pretend they can be normal and do normal people things.
And then came that dinner, and a fascinating crash course on How to Handle the Narcissist in Your Life by Dedra Meero. Genuinely, I screeched, and then felt very uncomfortable for how much I was rooting for her. “I will guarantee a level of engagement, but it will be inversely proportional to the volume of anxiety you generate in our lives” is something I need tattooed on my lower back, a tramp stamp serving as a magical ward against bullshit.
But all of this can’t make up for the loss of Brasso, whose death certainly makes sense from a thematic point of view, and still absolutely destroys me. I’ll admit to being a little confused about the moment with Kellan during his capture at first, uncertain if this was an actual betrayal. The fact that it’s Brasso doing this is what made it clear: He’s a character who is defined by his dedication to community and watching each other’s backs. He would never leave Kellan and his family to be suspected by the Empire and abused if he could prevent it. And now that anchor is lost to everyone who needed it.
Bits and Asides
- For those not accustomed to reading Star Wars book timelines, the “BBY 4” at the start of the opening episode stands for “Before the Battle of Yavin,” meaning the battle that destroys the first Death Star. Most Star Wars timelines use that as their center point.
- Okay, it’s weirdly cool to actually see Sienar, a place invented decades ago as the planet where TIEs and much Imperial tech are developed. Moments like these are very “my childhoood is coming to life” for me.
- I was noticing that the colors in Chandrilan clothes were reflected in the colors we see on on Mina-Rau, but the farmer’s have more vibrant fabrics, which I love. It’s a visual representation of the fact that these people have a real community and family, whereas the Chandrilans are mostly playing at this stuff. (Also, are there any poor Chandrilans? I need to know. It’s important.)
- Droids playing with kids! Like pets! I cannot deal with it! (And I’m very enamored of the big puppet they used as a beast of burden on Mina-Rau, chomping grass. That’s old-school special effects, y’all.)
- I want a disco ball DJ droid?? Speaking of, the piece of music that ran through the end of the episode was phenomenal in setting the terms for everything you’re feeling; it’s absolutely a bop, great to dance to, but simultaneously foreboding, ominous, and constantly tweaking at you, the notes sounding as though they’re slipping off-key. It kept making my brain itch in the best possible way.
- Uhhh, I understand that time was of the essence, but it seems as though Cassian left B2EMO on Mina-Rau, and while I’m glad that Brasso’s (soon-to-be mourning) girlfriend will take care of him, I cannot forgive him for this. He is going to be asking after you for the rest of his existence, my guy.
So, that was a marathon. Better limber up for next week.