Disney+ has dropped the first three episodes of the highly-awaited prequel series “Andor” on Wednesday. The series follows the story of Andor Cassian and explores his motivations for joining the fight against the Empire. The show is directed by Tony Gilroy and stars big shots like Deigo Luna as Cassian, Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael, and Adria Arjona as Bix.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Andor’ Episode 1: Recap And Ending – I’m Looking For a Kenari Girl!!
At the beginning of “Andor” Episode 1, the protagonist, Cassian Andor, enters a clean and comfortable space bordello. Afterward, he is harassed by a couple of corporation security officers. However, the woman accompanying him is unwilling to tend to them first. Eventually, we find out that Cassian isn’t a paying client; he’s really seeking the whereabouts of a Kenari girl, who he believes might have been serving there. Unfortunately for him, the girl had quit months ago, leaving Cassian’s quest astray. However, those two wannabe cops’ bad luck had them corner Cassian in a dark alley. Cassian promises to give them his 300 credits as a bribe to avoid any trouble and to get them close enough to attack. A brawl breaks out, and Cassian ends up killing one of the guards. The other guard asks Cassian to turn himself in, but Cassian ends up shooting him from point-blank range as well.
Cassian flees from the murder scene but is unable to shake the horrors of his past. He recalls how he and his little sister had witnessed an Imperial spacecraft crashing on their home planet. Haunted by his last night’s endeavors, Cassian meets with his old pal Brasso and together devises a plan that involves some booze and brawls in getting his alibi straight. Meanwhile, Syril Karn reports the killing to his commander in the corporate world, but to his surprise, he is asked to drop the matter because it doesn’t look good on records. The scene shifts to Ferix, and we see Cassian having an audience with Bix Caleen to beg her to contact a mysterious bidder on his behalf in order to market a priceless artifact. Bix gives in grudgingly. As Andor walks away, he is stopped by Bix’s lover, Timm, who makes it obvious that he doesn’t like him. When Cassian gets a vision of his past, he sees that the clan is getting ready to investigate the ship’s wreckage, leaving his sister behind to stay with the others. On the other hand, Karn conducts a covert investigation into the homicide, rejecting his superior’s instructions.
Later on, Syril is scorching through galactic maps and notices a mysterious spacecraft that he plans to track. Syril is quite blunt when he tells the technician to do it, or else he’ll replace him at once. Afterward, he has the authorities issue a decree on Ferrix, ignoring the fact that the Corporation has neither control nor authority there. On Ferrix, we see Cassian running into Nurchi, and promising to clear his debt soon. Nurchi wants his credit now, so he sends a big alien called Vetch to intimidate him. But Cassian is familiar with Vetch, and he soon deduces that Vetch has no intention of physically harming him. Furthermore, Bix sneaks out of the workshop to establish contact with his secret client, and Tim gives chase only to have her outwit him. We also see Cassian manipulating his ship’s itinerary to eliminate any evidence of him being present at Morlana.
‘Andor’ Episode 2: Recap And Ending – Who Else Knows You’re a Kenari, Cassian?
“Andor” Episode 2 opens with flashes from Cassian’s childhood as his tribe moves through the forest. Bix is worried now since she saw a surveillance notice that the Corporation is looking for a man matching Cassian’s description. Once she’s gone, Timm picks it up and soon realizes it’s Cassian they’re looking for. As we have already established, Timm doesn’t hold Cassian in high regard and recognizes this opportunity to finally get rid of Cassian. Afterward, we see Cassian paying a visit to Maarva and trying to play cool by telling her about his day with Brasso, but Marva sees through his lies as she has already discovered the Corporation’s notice too. Marva confronts him, asking who knows of his Kenari origin. Cassian, realizing how little time he has left, leaves the house in haste once his scarlet droid notifies him that Bix is looking for him. He runs into Bix in a cafe, and she asserts that the client will arrive the next day and can’t be rescheduled at this time. Cassian realizes that he is running out of time and tells her that he appreciates her help and then exits as Timm watches.
Timm, annoyed with Cassian, reports his location to the authorities, and Karn quickly pulls out his files to find out about his past felonies. We also see Bix visiting Tim’s house and spending the night there. Meanwhile, at the Corporation’s headquarters, we see Karn conversing about his plans to capture Cassian, who also appreciates Karn’s effort to bring justice to those dead officers. The following day, Bix’s secret buyers land on Ferix and stride towards the town. While hopping on a speedy conveyance, the client reveals himself to be none other than Luthen Rael.
Bix wakes up next to Tim and leaves to go about her day. Maarva reflects on her time parenting Cassian while Andor delivers her a transceiver via his droid. The scene then again cuts to Cassian’s past, and we see the group arriving at the crash site by walking past a corpse before stepping in. The situation gets out of hand when one of the bodies springs to its feet and fires at the tribal leader. In retaliation, the tribe kills the ship’s pilot and, afterward, carries their leader’s corpse back to the jungle. Back at headquarters, we see Karn addressing the men as they are about to leave for Ferix.
‘Andor’ Episode 3: Recap And Ending – Join Me, Cassian!
“Andor” Episode 3 takes off exactly where episode 2 ends, and we see young Cassian making his way to the crashed Imperial vessel. He was unfamiliar with the machinery and debris. We see Cassian catching sight of his reflection. He is so frightened that he loses control and breaks the control panel. Back in Ferix, we see Cassian meeting up with his old friend Brasso, finally hinting to him that he plans to leave the planet as soon as possible. Luthen Rael reaches the town and comes to terms with Bix. She informs him that there is a reward for Cassian’s arrest, but Luthen seems unconcerned. That same day, Karn and his men land in Ferix and disperse into the town looking for Cassian.
Karn and his men knock down Maarva’s door to arrest Cassian, but they hear Cassian’s message that he is at the abandoned factory. Andor finally meets with the secret buyer while his friend Bix plans to leave Tim’s house. We see Tim and Bix having a heated discussion, making it apparent that it was Bix who called in the cavalry to get rid of Cassian. In the factory, we see Luthen showing more interest in Cassian than in the very lucrative NS-9 Starpath unit that brought him here. But we soon realize that NS-9 was just an excuse; what Luthen really wanted was to enlist Cassian. Luthen asks Cassian to join him and use his skills and expertise for a bigger cause. Meanwhile, Karn and his men are getting closer to Cassian’s location. Bix makes a break for it but is stopped by the gang.
The duo finds themselves cornered, so Luthen smashes down the gates, and we see the series’ first serious gunfight breaking out. Both Luthen and Cassian somehow manage to escape and make a break for the city. Meanwhile, we see that the forces have arrested Bix, and as Tim rushes to rescue her, an officer shoots him with his blasters, killing him instantly. Karn and his men set up camp in the area around the building, with Karn settling inside a vacant storefront. The next thing you know, Andor’s got his pistol to Karn’s skull. They’ve got him bound up and are making plans to get away.
Cassian is struck with a brilliant idea and decides to create a distraction to make an easy escape. The duo launches a vacant speeder into the town, and the guards get busy with it, giving both Cassian and Luthen time to escape the fight successfully. Eventually, they reach Luthen’s spaceship and blast out into space.
Final Words
Forcing the protagonist to murder two guards is a horrible way to start the show. If you’ve watched “Rogue One,” you know that Cassian is not anyone’s Knight in Shining Armour. We all remember the opening scene of A New Hope when Han kills Greedo. The best thing about this was that Han had even tipped the bartender as he left the ghetto. Even if it catapulted Solo to fame, no one could deny that Greedo deserved what he got. When we see Andor in Rogue One, the dude has just executed a member of his own squad. No second thoughts, minimal regret. He just shot him to defend the growing uprising.
So I guess I can see why it might be appealing to rummage through Cassian’s visions to learn about his past. But choosing Cassian as a titular character in the new Disney Plus series is a great idea. He is a scumbag, often looking for a chance to gain an edge. This is exactly the story arc that fans have been dying to explore. No Luke Skywalker, no Han Solo, no Leia, no Empire, no Rebels, just people living on the margins attempting to make ends meet.
The opening sequence kind of had a Ridley Scott movie vibe. Heavy downpour and street signs, posh brothels, and lads in drenched raincoats sipping cocktails. There is zero romance and minimal introduction. The hows and whys become clear to us as we listen to and watch the characters interact.
Everything shown in the first three episodes has been quite interesting. It’s a step up from the usual installment in the series in terms of both action and storyline, which both feel rewarding. Andor is a rare bird for the platform: a Star Wars series that successfully conjures the ambiance of a spy drama, with a rooted storyline that doesn’t dumb itself down for the sake of popularity. There are still nine episodes left, so there’s plenty of time to weave a fantastic plot.
