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andor - messenger review - cassian
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Andor – Messenger review S2 E7

Jeffrey Lyles , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Messenger felt, in some ways, like it should have been the start of a new season of Andor. Maybe not Season 2, but it would easily work as the official bridge from the series to Rogue One.

This episode was the first to start connecting some plot threads and putting Cassian in place to join up with Jyn Erso and company on their fateful mission right from the start.

Another year has passed since Cassian and Bix walked off after killing Dr. Gorst and destroying his labs. Now it’s BBY 2. The time jumps every three episodes has been somewhat frustrating. The three episodes spend time developing subplots and smaller issues that don’t always get paid off before advancing another year.

With Messenger, it sure seemed like it would have been more exciting seeing how the Empire reacted to the death of one of The Emperor’s prized demented scientists. Thanks to the time jump there’s no real mention of it as everyone has seemingly moved on from what was a pretty major event in the context of Bix’s journey and that potential fallout.

Cassian and Bix are on Yavin 4, the home of the Rebellion. They’re in elevated campgrounds in the woods. No wonder the Rebels took so easily to kicking it with the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. They were right at home in that kind of setting. Cassian’s been bothered by a nasty blaster burn that’s been slow to heal and is still remarkably sensitive to the touch.

Cassian gets another pain as Wilmon returns. Again, the time jump hurts with character development in Messenger. There’s no mention of Wil’s apprenticeship with Saw Gerrera. Apparently now he’s a true believer in Luthen’s mission and is here mainly on his behalf to see if Cassian is ready for a new gig. Since we know what befalls him for taking the Rebels’ assignment, it’s hard not to play “what if” Cassian took Luthen’s job instead?

Bix takes Cassian to a healer, who is immediately drawn to him. She seems like she has some Force ability and seems to have had a vision of what awaits Cassian. The healer tells Bix that Cassian is a messenger, and he has somewhere to be. Jedha, maybe?

Over on Ghorman, the Empire has spread enough propaganda through constant newsfeeds that the smear campaign is officially in high gear. Major Partagaz tells Dedra that the Marines are leaving and it’s time for her to leave. The pillaging of the planet has left Ghorman in a dire state, so the Empire is beginning its evacuation procedures for its important operatives like Dedra, and by proxy Syril. Martagaz is decidedly on his don’t kill the messenger vibe, here.

Martagaz dispatched Captain Kaido (Jonjo O’Neill) to lead a tactical ops unit along with a squadron of Stormtroopers to enforce martial law. Dedra isn’t happy with this development but knows this is a losing hand to play.

andor - messenger review - dedra

Dedra actually shows some rare outwardly physical emotion — in public no less — when telling Syril he needs to pack up and get going before kissing him. Syril seems slightly confused since he knows the rebels aren’t this well-organized to pull off what they’re being accused of doing.

Syril tries to give Enza a head’s up that things are going bad. Playing the messenger for both sides to the point he doesn’t know where all of loyalties lie. Enza suggests she could help if she gave him a few lower tier names, they could get away. She slaps him instead. Given the nature of his relationship with Dedra, he might just be into that kind of thing.

The Ghorman rebels are doing what they do best — chatting and second guessing their latest course of action. The inner circle now has a new member — the town hall loudmouth whose actions led to Cinta’s death. He tries to rally the group, but it feels like it might already be too late.

In Coruscant, Mon Mothma meets with another Senator, who thanks her for her efforts to look out for Ghorman and warns her to protect herself. Mon has made plenty of enemies, but it’s hard to feel too bad. At least if she has to go on the run she can finally get away from her husband and bratty daughter. Now it feels like that stretch of episodes focusing on her wedding was a brief interlude that showed what Mon was leaving behind for the sake of the Rebellion.

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Wil convinces Cassian that Dedra is the true threat on Ghorman they need to take out. They won’t get a better chance than now, so they speed off on an unauthorized trip to the chagrin of Draven (Alistair Petrie), the same general who ordered Cassian to get the job done in Rogue One. With Cassian gone, Vel pays Bix a visit to share that Draven and Gen. Jan Dodonna both view Cassian as a leader. None of them are Luthen’s puppets anymore.

Messenger keeps reiterating these key, crucial points that would have been great to see play out on screen instead of these off the cuff comments. Vel, Cassian and Bix ditching Luthen would have been a powerful scene that we don’t get to see occur.

Cassian finds Ghorman in a very different state than when he left it. He gets a room at the same hotel he did last time. The bellhop, who’s now working the front desk, gets him a room along with the reminder that he remembers Cassian’s previous identity.

It’s closing in on the time for Cassian to attempt to make his big move. Will Cassian serve as the messenger for Dedra with a laser bolt or something a bit more sophisticated? No time like the present to keep watching to find out. Let’s see if Messenger was the high mark of this stretch of episodes this week.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Disney

Enjoyed Messenger? Check out the Andor: The Complete First Season on 4k now on Amazon.

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