Summary (TL;DR)
In “Daughters of Ferrix,” Cassian and Melshi manage to leave Narkina 5 with the help of a couple of Narkinians. Cassian discovers Maarva’s death after checking in with Xan. Mon Mothma grapples with financial troubles and a forced marriage proposal involving her daughter and Davo Sculdun’s son. Saw Gerrera initially decides to participate in the Spellhaus, but changes his plans upon learning about Luthen’s intention to sacrifice an ally. A traumatized Bix remains in Imperial custody, while Luthen escapes from an Imperial Cruiser. Cassian and Melshi part ways to warn others about Empire-run prisons.
Escape from Narkina 5
Escaping the Empire-run island prison was one challenge; now, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and Melshi (Duncan Pow) must find a way off Narkina 5. The episode commences with the duo clinging to the side of a cliff to evade an Imperial aircraft. Covered in dirt and with battered hands and feet from climbing barefoot, they eventually reach the summit. After noticing two Narkinians, they decide to commandeer their ship. However, they are ensnared by Dewi Pamular (Matt Lydons) and his brother Freedi (Liam Cook), who plan to turn them in for a bounty. The situation changes when Cassian and Melshi reveal that the prison’s pollution has killed the aliens’ food source. As a result, the Narkinians release them and even offer a ride to Niamos, the beautiful beach world Cassian fled to after his arrest. Upon arrival, Cassian breaks into the hotel room he had stayed in earlier to retrieve his case filled with credits, his blaster, and Nemik’s manifesto.
A Tragic Loss
Back on Ferrix, we learn that Cassian’s adoptive mother, Maarva, has passed away from a mysterious illness. The family android B2EMO (Dave Chapman) is deeply affected by her death. Bee states, “I don’t want to be alone. I want M-Maarva.” Family friend Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) offers Bee a place to stay, but Bee insists on staying at Maarva’s house with B2EMO, who refuses to leave.
News of Maarva’s death spreads throughout the town and beyond. Rebel Cinta Kaz (Varada Sethu) and undercover ISB agent Corv (Noof Ousellam) observe as her body is removed from her home. Corv informs Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) of this new development, and we learn about the Ferrix tradition of “bricking” — which involves mixing someone’s ashes with local stone dust and mortar to create a brick. This brick is then inserted into a wall, implying that buildings are constructed using the ashes of the deceased. Corv mentions that the Daughters of Ferrix will request a permit to close Rix Road for Maarva’s funeral, given her prominent status. Dedra hopes the officers will approve the permit, with the expectation that Cassian will return to Ferrix for the funeral.
Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay) informs fellow Rebel Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau) about Maarva’s death so that she can relay the information to Luthen during a tense standoff.
Sergeant Linus Mosk (Alex Ferns) informs his ex-colleague Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) and his mother Eedy (Kathryn Hunter) about Maarva’s funeral. Unfortunately for Syril, the reception is terrible, and the call ends before Mosk can convey the funeral details. Later, Syril breaks into his mother’s safe when she steps out and steals some credits, indicating his intention to return to Ferrix.
Poor Cassian is the last to learn about his mother’s death. He risks a call to Xan (Zubin Varla) to pass a message to Maarva — that he’s okay, he’s thinking about her, and he’ll be back soon — only to have Xan inform him that she has passed away.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Vel visits her cousin Mon Mothma’s (Genevieve O’Reilly) apartment before returning to Ferrix. They watch as Mon’s 13-year-old daughter Leida (Bronte Carmichael) learns about the old-fashioned traditions of their homeworld, Chandrila. Judging from the side-eye Leida keeps giving her mother, it implies that her traditionalism is an act of rebellion (which is quite random considering it hasn’t been shown before). Mon remarks, “It’s the only thing she shows up on time for. It’s mad.”
In a separate room, Mon finally reveals to Vel the financial trouble she’s in. Last year, she managed to transfer money from her family trust in Chandrila without issues. However, a few months ago, a banker warned Mon about upcoming Imperial inspections of Chandrilan bank accounts. While she succeeded in moving the money into her main account, one ledger remains unbalanced. Thanks to the Aldhani heist, all her funds are now frozen, and Mon is missing 400,000 credits. She doesn’t mention Davo Sculdun’s offer to arrange a marriage between Leida and his 14-year-old son, but it’s clear she doesn’t have much choice.
Catch Me If You Can
Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) pays another visit to Rebel extremist Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), who decides to participate in the upcoming raid on Spellhaus. However, tension arises when Luthen reveals that the Imperial Security Bureau is aware of the raid, and Saw realizes Luthen never informed Anton Kreegyr. It’s evident that Luthen is warning Saw to protect himself, as Kreegyr’s downfall could expose Luthen’s identity to the ISB.
Even Saw, who is feared among other Rebels and doesn’t like Kreegyr, is shocked by Luthen’s willingness to sacrifice Kreegyr and his men. Luthen himself questions this decision, but the dilemma lies in potentially losing a source cultivated over years if they warn Kreegyr, and he withdraws from the raid. The tension escalates when Luthen points his blaster at Saw, but eventually, both men agree that sacrificing Kreegyr and his men is the best course for the Rebellion.
Speaking of Kreegyr we finally get a glimpse of what he looks like.
Elsewhere, an image of Kreegyr is projected to Bix (Adria Arjona) by ISB agents, while she remains in Imperial custody. They ask if Kreegyr is the man she introduced to Cassian. Due to her traumatic interrogation with Dedra, she doesn’t respond and breaks down in tears.
Meanwhile, Luthen’s ship is halted by an Imperial Arrestor Cruiser as he departs from Saw’s base in Serga Milo. Although he provides a fake Alderaan ID, the Imperials activate their tractor beam and prepare to board his ship. Although Luthen’s Fondor isn’t strong enough to resist the tractor beam’s pull, he manages to shoot and destroy the beacon.
Subsequently, TIE fighters pursue Luthen, but his ship’s countermeasures give him the upper hand, allowing him to destroy multiple TIEs. Through skillful spinning maneuvers and supercharged laser beams, he eliminates the last TIE fighters before entering hyperspace.
Goodbye for Now
After his call to Xan, Cassian rejoins Melshi on the beach.
“Everything okay?” Melshi inquires.
“Yeah — everything’s okay,” Cassian responds, masking his pain.
As they watch the waves, Melshi ponders whether the other prisoners from the same prison made it out alive. He wonders if he and Cassian are the only survivors. In light of this, he suggests they part ways to increase their chances of warning others about the truth behind Empire-run prisons.
The season 1 finale of Andor will premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday, November 23, 2022. In the meantime, episodes 1 through 10 are available for streaming.
