Summary: Dedra attempts to get Bix to cooperate, but when she doesn't, Dr. Gorst tortures her to get information. After getting information, Dedra keeps her alive since she can identify Axis. Dedra reports to PArtagaz about her findings and her suspicion that Cassian was involved in the Aldhani heist. Partagaz encourages her to continue. The ISB capture a rebel pilot shortly after and Dr. Gorst immediately tortures him and uncovers that he works for Kreegyr and that there will be a raid on Spellhaus. Partagaz decides to stage an accident for the pilot, preparing a trap at Spellhaus. Karn visits Dedra in another attempt to join forces with her but she again refuses. In the prison, Cassian tries to convince Kino to help him with an escape plan. Word gets out that an entire level of prisoners was supposedly killed, creating unease. Ulaf collapses during his shift and a doctor is called in to save him, but he has had a stroke and can't be saved. The doctor reveals to Cassian and Kino that nobody is getting out of the prison, merely being transferred to another prison. Angered by this, Kino decides to help Cassian. Vel is reveaed to be Mon Mothma's cousin.
The Good: Dedra is coming along very nicely as a character. We've seen the hard-working underdog side of her in previous episodes, but now that she's won over Partagaz's approval, we get to see a very different side of her. Her conversation with Bix paints this character as ruthless, terrifying, and sadistic. It's a wonderful contrast to what we've seen from her before, making us sympathize with these "evil" Imperials since their rough personalities are often built on genuine motives. Dedra is a perfect example of this, as she knows that intimidating Bix is essential for her cooperation, and when that cooperation proves impossible, Dedra does not hesitate to unleash Dr. Gorst and his torture methods on her. I love the backstory of Dr. Gorst's torture methods, as this detailed history fits in spectacularly well with the "Star Wars" universe, a really creative inclusion to the episode. Dr. Gorst himself is extremely unsettling due to how soft and kind he appears to be despite causing unspeakable pain to those he tortures. Karn's encounter with Dedra was another good scene that gives the character some much needed direction. He's very creepy as he tracks down Dedra, who is understandably spooked by this, but Karn does a great job of indicating to us that he had no negative intentions and that he is only after Dedra because he wishes to have another chance to do genuine justice. The show has done a great job of showing that Karn's words do reach Dedra without her saying it. Both the excellent writing and excellent acting can be credited for this. Dedra could have done something horrible to Karn, but her promoting him and her refusal to act against him suggests that she does have some level of respect for the man. The prison plot is pretty good. It's engaging to see Cassian work on an exit strategy, and while the plan isn't entirely certain, we get to see the pieces (Cassian analyzing the guards, working on something in the bathroom). The biggest piece ends up being Kino, and much of this episode is focused on Kino's worldview developing as he goes from wanting to sit back and get through his shifts to going along with Cassian in his escape. Andy Serkis has been superb in this role, and seeing Kino deal with the frustrations of having his perspective changed about prison life makes for compelling television. Kino's worldview is challenged from the slow-build reveal that a whole level of prisoners was executed to keep a secret , to the horrors of Ulaf's death as the "doctor" isn't even capable of helping him survive a stroke. This episode consistently paints this harsh world in a realistic way, painting the Empire in a bad light in a realistic way. It made sense that they would change the prison sentencing, it made sense that they didn't care enough to provide proper healthcare for these people, and it made sense that they would murder so many people for the tiniest of reasons and attempt to keep it all quiet. It makes sense that the Empire would be dastardly like this, but it also makes sense why rebelling against this oppressive authoritarian society was necessary. By the end of the episode, I was firmly cheering on Kino for choosing to fight, and I'm excited to see these prisoners send a message to the Empire in the next episode with their attempted escape. The Bad: The same flaws creep in again. This episode does a better job of standing on its own, but it is still hampered by having too many different storylines in the episode. Mon's story still isn't particularly exciting to me because it doesn't have a very well-defined plot. Seeing her continually working to secure funding is quickly getting tedious, especially since she has been fairly uninteresting since the beginning. We know who she is and we know where her story is going to go. The show hasn't done a good job of overcoming this limitation because it hasn't presented us with any interesting extra depth to the character or those around her. Kolma and Perrin are uninspired characters, and I don't get much out of their interactions with Mon. Lack of context is again an issue. We have heard so many names like "Anto Kreegyr", "Spellhaus", "the Public Order Resentencing Directive", and more without being told what they are. It's okay to be subtle with storytelling, but it's problematic when we have all of these complex ideas introduced without explanation, especially considering how difficult names are to keep straight in the "Star Wars" universe due to how other-worldly they sound. I am usually good with remembering names, but even I struggle to keep up with the concepts introduced in this show, which suggests to me that others will have a much harder time understanding the plot because of a lack of context. I understand that the intention is to remove needless exposition, but exposition is not necessarily bad, since it is essential at times for us to understand the story. TV is a visual medium, so the removal of exposition is typically met with a scene that shows us the events that would ordinarily be described. "Andor" has a habit of cutting out exposition, but not giving us the required context visually, leading to some moments during episodes where I feel confused about what is being discussed and what is happening. Take the situation with the rebel pilot working for Kreegyr in this episode. This is a major development, but means very little to us because we have no clue who Kreegyr is, where Spellhaus is, and why it is significant that Kreegyr intends to raid Spellhaus. The details are difficult to absorb in real-time while watching the episode because we expend extra thought trying to remember these names and locations, and our emotional investment is non-existent because we know nothing about who these people are and where these places are. The Unknown: Will Bix be alright after being tortured? What's the importance of Vel being related to Mon? How will this affect the story? How will the meeting with Davo go? Presumably he will have something shady up his sleeve. Will Mon even agree to meet with him? What is Cassian breaking in the bathroom? How does this affect his plan? Is stopping the release of prisoners a new mandate, or has the prison always functioned like this? Why did The Empire choose to make this happen? Has Kino officially decided to help Cassian? Will this escape attempt work? Best Moment: The reveal that nobody is leaving the prison, and Kino and Cassian's fury upon realizing this. Character of the Episode: Dedra. Conclusion: This was more of the same. The storylines continue to heat up with interesting arcs, good acting, and good writing. But the same issues that I've had with this show since the beginning prevent this from being more than just good. Score: 63
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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