Andor Andor Episode 2.03 Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

I thought they just kept it within boundaries while still showing it's horror was an incredible piece of choreography and acting thought both actors were brilliant was so intense

 

Is the statue Davo gave to the newlyweds meant to evoke the Force Priestess from the Clone Wars?

 

I dunno. But I got Trojan Horse vibes from that thing.

Like maybe its a forgery and inside is weapons or some kind of comm system.

"You got in here in one piece" "Try getting it out". Something about it is ... fishy.

 

This is me every time I read the news these days.

 

To me the most interesting fact about the statue was that there were nine of them. I will not elaborate.

 

I see that too. Luthen isn’t going to pass up an opportunity to forward his own ends. He’s the type who he could take an authentic statue and drill into it.

Listening device or weapon makes sense. I could see after Mon Mothma comes out as a rebel leader the Empire getting an explode surprise when they visit her house and the entire compound evaporates.

There were 12 statues total, which they said were stolen thousands of years earlier. With Luthen’s discovery there are now 9 recovered and back on Chandrella.

 

If this doesn't blow up into a huge meme I'm going to be very disappointed.

 

I feel like the floating DJ ball at the wedding is a reference to the Death Star in some way. No?

 

And that Imperial torture thing in ANH. Yup. Definitely on purpose.

 

There is an interesting motif in this episode of the unwelcome visitor coming into the home being repeated in each of the main story lines.

It happens three times but maybe we could stretch that further if we include Cassian’s call to Klyia at the shop and Cinta accidentally seeing Vel.

 

IIRC there are 9 recovered and 5 of those 9 are back on Chandrila. (With the other 4 presumably being in the hands of some museum/private collector who are not Chandrilan)

 

Okay, now it gets real.

First off, in terms of the overall three episode arc, I'm a little unclear as to why the TIE Avenger was stolen to begin with? I was expecting some kind of payoff there, but I'm unsure that we'll get it. Also, Kleya's warning to Cassian not to go to Mina-Rau also didn't seem like it fully had larger scale consequences? Maybe that's followed up on further, we'll see. And one last nitpick: The wedding ceremony itself was elegantly done, but the final act of cutting Leida's braid felt way too similar to a Jedi knighting ceremony.

The dinner party from hell was... incredible. On paper, I would not have anticipated this kind of excruciating cringe humor to work, especially not a series like this, but it instantly catapulted up to being one of the funniest scenes in any Star War. All three actors just absolutely nailed every little beat of it, and to top it off, some of the insight into Dedra's background gave it the right amount of added acidity.

Maybe the biggest risk this episode took was how violent and intrusive the Imperial officer got with Bix, but I think it was pushed just far enough for what this kind of story allows. It's definitely uncomfortable, and rightfully so. I must admit, I had a feeling Brasso wasn't going to make it out of this arc alive. I confess I don't have too much personal affection for him, but I can't deny that his death worked in the context of Bix and Cassian's reactions to it.

But best of all was the payoff to the wedding and the end of Tay Kolma. The reveal of Vel seeing Cinta picking him up was superb, but Mon Mothma's gradual transition to dancing took such a tonal shift into this deep sadness that floored me. Those last two minutes hit me harder than anything in season 1.

This episode took some bold swings, and they really took us into new territory. And I mean this as a compliment: This will get worse before it gets better.

9/10

 

The rebels going after experimental Imperial weapons tech? Seems on par. This was the first test of that maybe. See what the Empire is creating. Then steal more things. Then steal the biggest of them all.

And I also picked up on the wedding braid being cut was similar to the Padawan braid being cut. Maybe there's some ancient overlap in customs. That can happen over the millennia.

 

In this case cutting the braid seemed more like an allusion on cutting the umbilical cord.

 

The question is, how much did Tay Kolma tell Davo about Mon's true self?

 

Could be the same for the Jedi too. Padawan learner is now on their own.

Although with the knife, it seems symbolic in another ... way. If you get my drift.

 

The payoff was killed by the Rebel Idiot Brigade.

The thought does occur to me that Andor is flying around in a vehicle he most definitely can't discard (too valuable) or sell (incredibly hot). Fun little dynamic there.

The ceremony in general seemed an inversion on the biblical "a man shall leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife." Leira is walking into his circle; he is cutting off a part of her.

 

Did anyone else notice that Leida had one braid that had been shortened already? It seems that Chandrilan customs involve one of the two braids being cut off to symbolize a betrothal, and the second during the marriage ceremony.

 

I do agree with a few who have posted that this is perhaps the most flawed arc in Andor thus far, but it's only relative—this series sets a VERY high bar. A few reviewers I've read have said that the first story arc is the weakest in season 2.

Still, a very exciting start to the season, with Deeryl scenes being the personal highlight for me. I can't get the image out of my head of Eedy pounding at her dessert with the fork like a four-year-old!

 

I love the world building in Andor. The high culture of Chandrila, the commonness of Mina-Rau. They've absolutely nailed the feel of pre-prequel adventures, games, and books (which Rogue One and Solo did too, IMO).

 

I love the Japanese culture to Chandrilla and jedi connection

 

I wasn't sure how they were going to fit everything from the trailers, and give good amounts of screen time to all of the characters especially with a yearly time jump after every 3 episodes, so I was trying to keep reasonable expectations for this season, and so far, the season is delivering.

 

That scene in the book is hilarious

 

I agree. It must have been a difficult scene to film, but both actors did such an amazing job. I bet they hugged it out afterward once filming was compete.