TL;DR – A profoundly upsetting episode of harsh juxtapositions, but war is not meant to be rosy or simple.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Andor Review –

Well, I had held off watching this episode for a couple of days because I knew that it was going to have an impact. It was clear that both One Year Later & Sagrona Teema were building to something, and the three-episode release strategy helped secure that view. But sometimes, you have to take a deep breath and dive in, so let’s do that today.

So, to set the scene, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) managed to escape his capture by the skin of his teeth, and now it is time to connect with his resistance team before The Empire works out where the stolen tie fighter is. But time might not be on his side as things are coming to a head across the galaxy. On Mina-Rau, the Empire’s inspections have started to get close, and there is a good chance everyone will be rumbled. On Chandrilla, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) finally realises just what a sacrifice her daughter is undertaking. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

This episode was all about the intertwining narratives reaching a crescendo together, and we started our story on Mina-Rau. The lives of everyone hidden on this planet are precarious, and while Cassian might have been able to fly in at the last minute, that does not change the damage that has been done. Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) is dead, and their undercover cell is completely exposed, but that is not the worst part. I know this scene has had a lot of discussion online, and even though I knew it was coming, it was profoundly difficult to watch Bix (Adria Arjona) be attacked. I do think people have a right to say that it shouldn’t have been in the show. However, this happens during war. It is happening right now, and to ignore it is frankly dishonest. Also, I profoundly appreciate that the agricultural planet of Mina-Rau was not just a gimmick. They worked that wheat field into every part of the story, and it created a visually distinct framing for the planet.      

We then juxtapose this with the wedding on Chandrilla, which was all pomp and circumstance. Mon was almost forced into this to keep her cover in the Senate from prying eyes, and the cost of that was marrying off her daughter to a family of thugs. Her daughter does not yet have the maturity to understand why Mon is so depressed and is almost vindictive about that with a casual “I wish you were drunk”. But behind all the wonderfully designed costumes, goodness, there were so many stunning outfits in this episode. It was a character exploration of someone going through a profound dissociative episode. It is clear that Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) is going to kill Tay Kolma (Ben Miles), Mon’s childhood friend, and there is this moment in her silence she agrees. I genuinely hope that put a big push behind Genevieve O’Reilly come awards time because so much of her performance is her face, the way she conveys the juxtapositions that Mon is going through. It is profoundly effective on an emotional level.

They countered every part of the episode with one of the most domestic moments in Star Wars history when Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) invited his mother, Eedy (Kathryn Hunter), over for dinner. There is a real hesitation, as we know what their relationship is like from the First Season. Watching Syril’s profound discomfort as Eedy tries to slice into every aspect of their relationship was as unpleasant as designed. It was a power play on a small level, but a power play nevertheless, and it was grand to watch Dedra dismantle a powerbase in a single sentence. I liked the slight touch of the music, which had a Skeleton Crew vibe as they were getting the house ready. It created depth to characters that had been a bit one-note up to this point.  

In the end, do we recommend Andor: Harvest? Even though it is dealing with some upsetting material, I would still say yes. The editing of crashing all the stories together led to a frantic crescendo that would sit with me for a while. Have you seen Andor yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Andor
Directed by – Ariel Kleiman
Written by – Tony Gilroy
Created by – Tony Gilroy
Based On – Star Wars by George Lucas
Production/Distribution Companies – LucasFilm & Disney+
Starring – Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, Kathryn Hunter, Alastair Mackenzie, Joplin Sibtain, Muhannad Bhaier, Ben Miles & Richard Dillane and Dave Chapman, Claire Brown, Ryan Pope, Bronte Carmichael, Rosalind Halstead, Finley Glasgow, Jonathan Coy, Suzanne Bertish, Pierro Niel-Mee, Laura Marcus, James Craze, Alex Waldmann, David Omordia & Alison Pargeter