Andor Episode 5 — Is It Getting Good?
The fifth episode of Andor titled The Ax Forgets is out! Tensions run high in Andor’s fifth episode, which continues the story as relationships are built, strained, and broken. It continues to successfully portray a paranoid thriller and ratchets up the tension and intrigue to new highs. Despite the slow pacing established in the previous four episodes, it’s still an engrossing 40 minutes of world-building with effective character moments. This episode seems to serve as the bridge between the season’s opening act and what looks to be like a thrilling end.
In this episode we spend more time with Cassian and the new band of ragtag rebels engaging on this daring mission to rob the Empire. We get to know these side characters in more depth. We get to see what their motivations and drives are for what they’re doing. This careful crafting seems to be sowing the seeds for us to feel a deeper connection to them if and when they die in future adventures.
The one character I really enjoyed in this episode was Skeen, played by Ebon Moss Bachrach, who isn’t afraid to thoroughly question Cassian’s motives and work out why he’s truly there. Cassian is still very much on the path to making the ultimate sacrifice in Rogue One, but he isn’t afraid of letting the others know that he’s only accepted the job for monetary gain, effectively showing he doesn’t currently care about the rebel cause. This reminds me a lot of the opening scenes in Final Fantasy VII where Cloud Strife isn’t particularly interested in the group’s cause, he’s there for the money. So the show seems to be setting up a similar path for Cassian.
As with Final Fantasy VII, Andor shows that it’s hard to keep such a rag tag group of people all happy. Cassian gains the trust of some of the group’s members by proving himself through skills and experience and providing valuable information along the way. In each scene, he shows his innate leadership qualities by teaching the others and sharing his experience. Intricate knowledge of Imperial systems would invite suspicions in some, but the writers do a great job of navigating these scenes thoughtfully.
And speaking of writing… One of the best lines of the series comes in this episode, “a surprise from above is never as shocking as one from below.” This had me cheering on the rebellion’s guerilla tactics despite knowing their eventual success. The writers of the show masterfully toggle between tension building and moments of levity. Character development is also handled tactfully and carefully. Throughout the series, but especially in episode 5, we as the viewer understand each character’s background, motivations, and why they make the decisions they make.
The few scenes we get with Syril Karn were honestly wasted. He spends the episode sulking with his mother back in her home. She tries to help him in his next career move but he is having none of it. Toward the end of the episode, when he was staring at a hologram of Andor, Syril seemed to be sinking deeper into anger, which as we all know, is the path to the dark side. I hope the next few episodes develop this story thread a little better to properly set up for the inevitable final confrontation between Syril and Cassian.
Overall, episode 5 of Andor continues to set up the dynamics and develop the characters for what is looking like an explosive end. The tension is ratcheted up to 11 and also coupled with small character moments that further develop relationships and engage the viewer to care for each of these characters. Well structured story, careful character development, thoughtfully crafted narrative, I’m actually shocked this is a Disney production. But it’s honestly making me excited to watch more!
If you like this review, check out the video review on youtube: