“The Axe Forgets” is an unexpectedly poignant chapter of Andor, which sees Dan Gilroy’s script exploring the motives of the Aldhani rebels whereas additionally shedding a pointed mild on the far-flung solid of characters who’re additionally having their motivations and drives prodded at. Susanna White has a eager directorial eye, bringing audiences to the entrance traces of the Rebel and specializing in its mundane beginnings.
The episode opens on Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), who returned dwelling to his mom within the earlier one, and is continuous to reside the millennial nightmare. He had misplaced his job, been compelled to maneuver again dwelling, to endure uncomfortable breakfasts along with his mom who is set to seek out his function when it turns into obvious he has no prospects. Their scenes are intercut all through the episode, a tense level of refined battle that provides a reprieve from the tensions on Aldhani. Karn might haven’t any clear-cut plans now that he has misplaced his job, however his mom is satisfied that his off-screen Uncle Harlo will present them with the solutions she’s on the lookout for.
Karn has been an interesting character examine since day one, however assembly his mom supplies a deeper understanding of his psyche. (Ted Lasso positively had a degree about assembly somebody’s mom.) Despite the fact that “the axe forgets, however the tree remembers” is a sentiment supposed to be reserved to clarify why the Rebels are combating again towards the Empire, it’s clear that the episode means to make use of this phrase to pinpoint why all of its characters are motivated in direction of their private causes.
Elsewhere, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) is dealing with her personal axe within the type of her husband Perrin (Alastair Mackenzie) who has turned their family right into a battlefield by pitting their daughter towards Mon. Over breakfast, Mon’s daughter Lieda accuses her of solely utilizing her to look good, that her pursuits in her life are politically motivated, and Perrin sits again smug and happy to see that his plans are working. Figuring out that Mon and Perrin have been married off on the age of 16 offers some perception into their dislike for one another—organized marriages aren’t nice—however Andor has solely offered a short glimpse into their life, one which paints Perrin in a horrible mild. Hopefully, as this arc of the collection attracts to a detailed, we’ll see why Perrin desires to make Mon an enemy in her personal family.
Again on Aldhani, Cassian (Diego Luna) and the remainder of the rebels put together for the assault on the close by garrison, however it readily turns into clear that not everybody is able to embrace “Clem” as a part of their group; in reality, most of them are ready for him to point out himself as a turncoat, despatched there to make sure they fail. Whilst he proves himself to be a worthy member of their group—declaring clear flaws of their plans and utilizing his data to additional the trigger—Skeen (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is satisfied that he’s there for duplicitous causes. And he’s. As Cassian learns about why every member of the group has been pushed to behave towards the Empire, he’s lastly pushed to disclose that he isn’t there to get revenge or honor somebody’s reminiscence. He’s being paid to help them. What’s worse, believing that somebody may need nefarious plans or discovering that their funding within the trigger is for money and never emotion?
With the rebels on Aldhani, Andor has fastidiously constructed a solid of characters which might be uniquely their very own. Every member matches into the group, whereas additionally being an outlier as a result of their motives aren’t all the time in alignment with one another. Oftentimes, a collection will overlook how important it’s to flesh out its minor characters, pushed solely by the thrill of the subsequent huge factor, however this present refuses to do this. Every character that Cassian encounters is three-dimensional, motivated, and named. It helps to strengthen the storytelling and supply a crisp, clear image of this chapter within the Galaxy’s historical past.
On the ISB headquarters, Dedra (Denise Gough) and her new lackey are persevering with their surreptitious investigation right into a collection of assaults throughout the galaxy which might be too random to be really random. Once more, Andor makes a degree of showcasing what her motivations are when contrasted with Lieutenant Supervisor Blevin (Ben Bailey Smith), who’s lording himself across the compound, blessed with upward mobility that Dedra wasn’t provided. It’s fascinating to see how human the collection has made “the unhealthy guys.” These aren’t Tarkin or Moff Gideons—these are on a regular basis individuals who have seen a window of alternative to thrive beneath the Empire’s rule, and are pushed to do their greatest to show themselves. Dedra can also be popping drugs (almost definitely stims) as she stays up late to proceed her investigation, so will probably be fascinating to see if that comes into play down the road.
Whereas Gilroy made it clear that he wasn’t going to make an enormous deal about Easter eggs in Andor, which was a pleasant reprieve from the oft-overdone references in earlier exhibits, “The Axe Forgets” does dole out a handful of fascinating allusions and references. In Luthen’s (Stellan Skarsgård) antiquities store, as he tries to eavesdrop on a comm line, there’s a pair of holocrons mounted on the shelf behind him. Moreover, when Skeen exhibits Cassian his tattoos, it’s defined that the one on his forearm represents “By the Hand,” which is a fairly deep-cut reference to the martial confederacy of the Empire of the Hand, which almost definitely factors to Thrawn. These are the very best sorts of references—they take nothing away from the story at hand (pun supposed) for those who’re unaware of the context, and act as a neat little Leo second for followers that acknowledge them.
Andor continues to be the very best Star Wars collection to this point and is a robust contender for the very best story to come back out of the franchise since Rogue One. Whereas lightsabers and Skywalkers are very enjoyable, Andor is a way more lived-in story, one that gives perception into the lives of the folks with boots on the bottom. The collection is insurrection in its purest type: imperfect and extremely motivated.
Score: A
New episodes of Andor premiere weekly each Wednesday on Disney+.
