Recap and Review of Andor Episode 4: Aldhani

With a daring escape from Ferrix, what is going to happen to Cassian Andor, the titular character of the show? Will he trust this man that just helped him escape the Corporation’s search team, and become a part of a larger rebellion? Or will he do something else entirely? And as we leave Ferrix, what other parts of the universe will we see?

Recap of Andor Episode 4: Aldhani

Cassian and Luthen are quickly escaping from Ferrix, though we learn not without some issues, as Cassian has a blaster burn on his arm. More importantly, the two of them have a long conversation, where Luthen lays out that Cassian can be a key piece in sticking it to the Empire.

Cassian seems uninterested, seeming to feel like it is better to just hang on and survive instead of fighting the gigantic resources of the Empire. But eventually, he is convinced by Luthen’s offer of 200,000 credits to join a mission: to knock off the quarterly payroll of the Empire for a whole sector.

Meanwhile, we get dropped into a bureaucrats meeting, where we see a hard-nosed boss lay into several employees about their shortcomings before the issue of Ferrix comes up.

Eventually, we see a dispute arise between two of the up and coming members of the security group: Dedra Meero, a young woman who is wanting to get back the stolen part that Cassian was trying to sell and Blevin, a young man who is in charge of the sector where Ferrix is located.

Several times the two of them argue over the issue before their leader ultimately needs that Blevin is in charge of it and they should move on. It is pretty clear that Dedra has no such plans.

And Blevin is wanting to prove that he is in charge, as we see when he dresses down Syril, the Sargeant and Syril’s commander, essentially removing them from their duty. Then we see Syril returning home, discovering he is not from a place of much means, as he rings at a small apartment deep in the city on Coruscant. His mother opens the door, strikes him in the face, then hugs him as she weeps and yells at the neighbors to mind their own business.

Luthen and Cassian land on the planet Aldhani, whose name serves as the title of the show. Cassian chooses the name Clem, as he is going to be joining a team of people who have prepared for this mission, led by Vel. Now, Vel needs some convincing from Luthen before reluctantly agreeing to take on “Clem” as she realizes that this mercenary may be the back-up she needs in case one of her crew cannot handle their part of the job.

Vel and Clem have a fair hike back to her camp and during it we learn some of the history of Aldhani and its people. Aldhani seemingly seems to be in the middle of nowhere and yet near enough things that the Empire uses it as a distribution hub. The people of the Highlands where they are walking have been driven down to the lower parts of the planet and only a few remain. Vel tells Cassian that he needs to go along with the ruse that he is a part of her plan and that it has always been the case.

Meanwhile Luthen returns to Coruscant, where we see him get into character as a rare antiquities dealer. And when a Senator comes looking for a gift for her husband, it is just an excuse for them to speak about the Rebellion, the need for funding and their plans. And this conversation is only possible because Luthen’s assistant has distracted the Senator’s new driver.

When Vel and Cassian meet up with the others that their primitive camp, understandably, there is a lot of tension, both in the initial group that Clem meets but also when the inside man of the job arrives at camp. In the end, everyone agrees to let Clem in on the details, and he is handed a tablet and told to spend the night watch to get up to speed on their mission, which involves the heist of the payroll with a getaway covered by a meteor shower that has some religious meaning for the people of Aldhani, and will provide great cover they need to escape the better equipped ships of the Empire.

Thoughts on Andor: Episode 4: Aldhani

So we shift from the opening of the series. The escape from Ferrix plot seems completed and now we are moving on into a deeper plot: the Rebellion against the Empire. It will be interesting to see how the different pieces all play out.

The obvious one is the ragtag crew that Cassian is joining up with. Can Vel and her crew really pull off this heist? And is Cassian at heart a true believer or is he just the mercenary that Luthen has hired for this one gig?

But in opposition is the Corporation and Empire piece. It feels like we are headed for some kind of Dedra and Syril tag team action as their sense of right and wrong and desire for power seems like it will create some really potentially tragic scenarios. Also, and this is just speculation on my part, there seems to be some flashbacks coming where we learn how Cassian stole that part in the first place, and it may explain why Dedra is so desperate to want to catch who did the thief is.

The least interesting piece right now is the political intrigue of the Senator and Luthen. The intent seems to be showing that real revolutions are multi-faceted, waged on several fronts. As important as the heist that the crew is going to do on Aldhani, there is also the political work happening on the capital world. It is curious to see that the Senator’s husband isn’t aware of her work and efforts, at least from the conversation that they have about the dinner party he has arranged and she is annoyed by.

All in all, a solid set-up for the next part of the series. And it sets up some pieces for exploration moving forward. Who all are these people that Cassian is partnering with on the heist? What makes a leader in the Empire turn on them after 7 years on Aldhani? What will happen at this dinner party and, if we don’t see it, will we at least see the results of it? Will there be some flashbacks on Cassian’s previous heist and to what extent is Dedra willing to go to catch him?