Andor Andor Episode 2.10 Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

Indeed

 

Yes but this last arc is really even more than the others a film so yes he is

 

I'm not complaining just to be clear.

 

Oh yeh I know

 

Heartbreaking.

I always got a bit of a father-daughter vibe from Luthen and Kleya, given how directly she spoke to him at times. Such excellent characters.

I'm not the only one to use that word. This is a perfect, succinct post.

That's what I thought too, and I'm on the "Naboo until proven otherwise" train too.

My thoughts exactly, on all counts. And Kleya, the pastel yellow ninja, was excellent.

Agreed.

"But ... it was so artistically done."

That room was appallingly filthy for a hospital facility. So much dust in the air...

Two of the finest characters in all of Star Wars. I don't care for a lot of the "read more about it in... " these days, but I might be compelled to read more Luthen and Kleya literature. I was half expecting Kleya to end herself with Luthen, but she's stronger than that. I wasn't sure she was going to make it out of the hospital... but I'll have to see in episode 11.

RIP Luthen Rael. May you have found inner peace and a sun-filled space, lit by the light of our gratitude.

 

It was kind of interesting to think in season 1, Mothma spoke about showing a rock to make you miss the knife at your throat.

Here Luthen shows you the knife at his own throat. He isn't hiding anymore, doesn't even try to.

 

I mean not being in one of 24 episodes of your ensemble show is a bit different from missing two of seven to focus on a character who already has a show who's storyline was mostly irrelevant to the already underdeveloped main plot, also actively making the story of the sister harder to follow. Not having at least one episode to give weight to the rivalry between the protagonist and antagonist that only existed in an unfinished arc for a cancelled cartoon that was brought back last year and *still* didn't include that arc is pretty crazy.

Luthen is a very important character to Cassian and originated in this show, it's not that weird especially since Cassian basically already finished his character arc. His role in the next two episodes is basically to hype up Luthen.

 

I was amused by the detail of the medical scrubs having transparent slip-on shoes.

 

The flashback-real time structure was absolutely flawless. What a story, told so well and yet so efficiently.

And Naboo! That was Naboo, right?

Absolutely loved how McQuarrie those early scenes between Luthen and Lonni were. How it was shot, with the bright, white, tall, and domed geometric forms of Coruscant in the background, had that clinical-yet-beautiful and somehow also organic look that only McQuarrie (and Chiang) really know how to capture. A visually perfect episode.

And wow. The layers of that Luthen and Dedra conversation...Are they all real? Luthen immediately knew, from that first line, that she was 100% on to him, and so he chose the dagger. Incredible.

And K2SO is now, without question, the best droid ever. If it wasn't for him, there's no Death Star plan mission at all. Sorry, R2. I hope you saluted K2 on every mission you went on with Master Luke.

Another 10/10.

 

One of the best lines in the show.

 

Aboslutely phenomenal Star Wars telling. Unreal....

 

Timing. Lonni himself said "they could be closing in now." Luthen takes zero chances. He's consistent in that regard.

 

As Luthen said to him about extractions, "There's fast and there's good." Lonni found out the hard way what "fast" meant.

 

Man the writing on this show was so good! If Dedra had never tried to find Luthen then in theory she wouldn't have found the Death Star plans which Lonni discovered and passed on to Luthen who then passed them onto Kleya who passed them on to Cassian, who passed them on to rebels on Yavin which then led to Jyn, and then ultimately led back to the rebels and Luke Skywalker blowing up the Death Star!

In Dedra's attempt to bring down Luthen she paved the way to the downfall of the Empire! Krennic was right that she missed her calling as a rebel spy.

 

Excellent episode, maybe best in the series, well along with Ghorman massacre and Ferrix riots of season 1. Such a good show! Poor Lonni though. It's ironic how the greatest achievers in both Empire and Republic are not receiving thanks, but punishment for their efforts. Meero went so far on Ghorman for the Empire, lost her husband and alas she ends up in cell, Luthen has to stab himself to death and ultimately fails in that. Kleya has to finish the job. so sad but he really was ready to give up everything for the rebellion (It's interesting how this suicide method is callback to Mortis in a way, Luthen is sort of Father to the Rebellion so it's fitting on many levels. Later we also see part of Mortis-themed art with hands of Mortis gods in it. I was not great fan of that trilogy when it came out, but it does seem to be coming back in themes and is after all from Lucas himself. It was a good reminder of that mythological part of Star Wars when Andor was so much of natural, realistic side of it.)

 

This episode had a great balance of surprise and inevitability. Seeing how this was how the Rebellion was first tipped off about the Death Star made the stakes enormous and so much of the execution here was thrilling. This was one of the best directed episodes of the entire series.

First off, Luthen and Kleya's initial conversation was quietly heartbreaking. Rael conceding that they'd used up all their perfect was genuinely one of the best lines of the whole series. His meetup in the open with Lonni was really well staged and ultimately shocking when we see Jung's body still sitting on the bench. I would have loved to see all the buildup to Lonni actually discovering all this info in the ISB, but keeping it offscreen is just the reality of this season's structure.

Likewise, I would have loved to have seen Dedra back on the Axis case and putting the final pieces of the puzzle together that take her to Luthen's shop. She's taken quite the emotional leap from the devastation of the Ghorman massacre and Syril's death, but now she's already arrived at her target. She spent so much of season 1 carefully connecting the dots, but her Ghorman detour in this season (while very well written and executed), meant that the Axis outcome suddenly feels rushed.

That said, her confrontation with Luthen was terrific. It's basically a guarantee that if there's a scene in Luthen's shop, it's going to be one of the best of the series, and this was way up there. I particularly loved how the closeups on both characters became increasingly frontal and isolated as they exchanged verbal barbs. And then to see Luthen try to take his own life just catapulted the stakes even higher. For a while I'd suspected either Cassian or Dedra might be the one to kill Luthen, but his own act here just further solidifies his season 1 sacrifice speech.

Kleya has long been one of the most underrated characters in this entire series and I loved how much she got the spotlight here. Marki's mission into the hospital was tremendous, and I'd argue much better than Cassian's rescue of Mon from the Senate in the previous episode. Kleya here is just as capable as Andor, but she arguably had more obstacles to face, and the sequence even found some good doses of humor from that baffled patient she carted around. I must say I was caught off guard by all her flashbacks with Luthen. I wasn't sure what to make of them at first, but their final conversation really tied it together for me. I immediately knew Kleya was at the hospital to kill Luthen, and those final moments of the episode were really lovely, in a way. She knows it's what he would have wanted.

The final surprise was the complete absence of Cassian and Yavin. Given that this kicked off the final arc of the series, it was quite self contained, but all the more impactful in keeping it that way.

9/10

 

It's wild to me that Luthen did not have any other exit strategy and the way to burn bridges other than slowly pouring acid goo. You'd think he would have an entire shop rigged with explosives in case of an emergency, have some sort of dead man's switch, given how unusually advanced all of his tech is, he would have had something to make sure the critical evidence that could lead to the rebellion is destroyed for good and as fast as possible. He already knew the ISB was onto him, since Lonnie had told him. Or at this point he should have just spent two more seconds pouring the acid goo on the rest of the radio, given how critical it is. Seemed like just a plot convenience to facilitate tension and force the rest of the episodes happen, just like Dedra acting stupid and high on ego all of the sudden, and not just stunning him as soon as he turned around or even approached her with a knife.

 

Why didn't he stab Dedra in the neck and use her blaster to shoot himself in the head is he stupid

 

It's definitely naboo btw

 

I wonder if Luthen just reversed his first name as well.

"Luthen Rael, born Nehtul Lear . . ."

Let's hear it for Ayelk Ikram, who will live on in the rebellion!

 

Again, nothing from my Andor bingo card. I should just stop playing.

What a sad, beautiful episode. Everyone here has already reflected my thoughts on this episode, but I want to add, this the way to do a flash back. The Acolyte killed itself with bad flashbacks. Andor elevated the story and characters with this episode.

 

I thought it looked like Naboo also…

but I’m confused. Was the scene where the Imperials execute the group also Naboo ? Or a different world?

 

Not sure, they all look similar.

Camp of Sorgon said:
"I am mad at Luthen."
I felt this too, it fits his character and in some ways had to be done. But all could've been avoided if he got Lonni to safety and burned his evidence sooner.

BigAl6ft6 said:
"I guess the dumb wig Is part of his cover? Luthen knows how to spot a fake."
What a great scene and the writing is phenomenal as they are talking about each other!