REVIEW: Andor – Season 2, Episode 2, “Sagrona Teema”

“Ghorman is a gift. Take it, then win it.”

Television Reviews

In “Sagrona Teema,” the Rebels in Yavin 4 find the bloody remains of one of their own. Dedra has qualms about the assignment on Ghorman, but Major Partagaz makes clear her obligation to Krennic and the opportunity this truly represents. Perrin has his suspicions about some of the wedding guests. Back in Yavin, the two sides of Rebels begin trying to kill each other as they starve. On Mina Rau, Brasso’s contact Kellen warns the Ferrix crew about the coming inspection but thinks they may be passed over. An officer visits Bix and gets a little too comfy until Brasso arrives. The wedding party hikes up a mountain to perform a sacred ritual. Vel tells Mon that she hasn’t heard from Cinta, and Luthen won’t tell her where she is. 

On Yavin, the party without Cassian begins turning the TIE fighter towards his party to shoot them. Syril arrives home, pleased to find Dedra but disappointed that she won’t cancel a mysterious visit. At the wedding, Mon finds Tay to discuss his concerns. He wants compensation in light of his wife leaving and his investments going badly. Luthen questions Mon about Yay, worried he’ll meddle with the Rebellion or Sculdun. Perrin toasts Leida and Stekan’s union. On Yavin, the Rebels try to come to an understanding, but Cassian takes the opportunity to escape with his ship. 

I understand that the subplot on Yavin is happening to show how disorganized and un-unified the Rebellion is at this time. Rebels and Rogue One went into the different factions within the Rebellion and their variations in method and extremity. And this storyline has grown on me upon re-watching the premiere episodes; I notice new things, I understand the dialogue better, and the point these scenes drive home becomes abundantly clear. The Rebellion is a mess, something I think Luthen and Mon Mothma are about to fix. However, the Rebels on Yavin are easily my least favorite section of these episodes. I can feel Cassian’s frustration with their quibbling and poor planning. His continually pointing out the obvious, like needing to save water when it rains and creating a perimeter, is very funny. But I don’t like these people, and it’s difficult to feel sorry for them when the problem is their own fault(s). How do they expect to take on the Empire when they’ll kill each other for some moldy bread? Again, I understand that this is the point. It’s just incredibly frustrating to watch, and Cassian is the only character involved that we care about. All other subplots have at least two important characters, whether it’s Mon and Luthen, Syril and Dedra, or everyone from Ferrix. I have to be honest, and I don’t know how it could have been improved, but this is an easy pick for the weakest link for me in terms of story. 

Dedra and Syril each only have a couple of scenes in “Sagrona Teema,” separately about their jobs, and together in their apartment. I still can’t believe how much I ended up enjoying these two characters. Season 1 built Syril up as a sort of Inspector Javert archetype, consumed by his singular search for Cassian. And Dedra is a cog in the Imperial machine; we definitely shouldn’t root for her, right? But that’s the brilliance of this show’s writing right there. In many ways, Syril is more moral than Cassian, who spends much of season 1 just trying to survive without caring for anyone or anything else. What they did with Dedra reminds me of Zuko from Avatar, giving her foil characters within the Empire who present her with adversity. I don’t think Dedra should be redeemed. I doubt it, anyway; she agrees (reluctantly, but nonetheless) to occupy Ghorman and suppress its residents for Krennic and the Empire. I don’t know how you come back from becoming mini-Hitler. Syril’s re-introduction is too silly for my taste. I understand why they did it, and yes, he can be a little corny. But I like it better when his moral rigidity is played straight. I like the idea of him introducing a new hire to the job, much like he was brought in himself last season; I just would have done it differently with the camera angles, music, etc. It makes sense for Syril to think he did something amazing by finding out about people stealing Imperial supplies. It’s the framing and tone that seem off; the show is laughing at him. I really like the scene where he and Dedra link back up in their apartment. When he saved her at Ferrix, I thought they might get together, although I didn’t expect it to be done before we saw them next. This is one of the tragedies of shortening Andor to two seasons, of which I expect there will be several. I like these two together; their neuroses pair nicely, and they share similar beliefs. I don’t know how I expect this to play out during the season, but I look forward to it. 

I like Kellen, Brasso’s friend who looks out for him and the Ferrix gang. It’s a great moment when he says Cassian’s boss needs to know what’s happening on Mina Rau, to Brasso’s response that it’s “going on everywhere.” This is basic dialogue, nothing like what we get with Syril and Dedra or the Chandrilans. But the delivery is perfect, and you can feel everyone’s anxiety about the Imperial inspection. I also like the scene with Bix and the Imperial officer. It starts out calm and casual, almost like the guy isn’t a total creep. And the way Andor has been built since the beginning of season 1, one person can be terrifying. Look at how huge the TIE fighter looks in this episode and, especially, the previous one. Not a ton happens in this subplot in “Sagrona Teema” because this is all setup for the third episode. But I like the tension-building; it’s very effective. 

My favorite storyline continues to be Mon Mothma. For me, her husband Perrin becomes much more interesting in “Sagrona Teema.” Firstly, he’s a lot smarter than I thought, eavesdropping on Luthen and Kleya (which I misspelled in the previous review, as well as Sculdun’s name). This is very ironic, too, since Luthen is normally the one doing this, turning wedding small talk into intel for his Rebel cell. He also accuses Mon of cheating on him with Tay, keenly aware of all the time they’ve been spending together. It’s funny that what she is doing with Tay is arguably worse since it threatens the whole Empire and the Mothma family’s way of life. So it’s not like she can just say, “We’re not dating, honey; we’re just conspiring against the Empire.” I got the feeling in season 1 that Perrin was just a meddling, silly husband. To Andor’s credit, that was never implied or outright stated. I must have read that into the situation because he and Mon didn’t get along, and she hides so much from him.

My favorite scene in the episode is Perrin’s wedding speech for Leida and Stekan. Here, Perrin talks about life’s difficulties and how they will find you no matter what you do or how well you plan. But he encourages the newlyweds (betrothed?) to seek out life’s simple pleasures. This monologue is superbly written and acted, owing much to actor Alastair Mackenzie. I don’t know if this is the show’s intent since Mon Mothma is right about the Empire, the Ghormans, etc. But I felt a hint of truth in Perrin’s speech; yeah, life will knock you down every chance it gets. And we should care for other people and try to do the right thing, but don’t you have to occasionally slow down and enjoy the little things? Won’t you go crazy if you focus on the bad constantly? It’s easy to see why Mon, Vel, and especially Luthen would scoff or find this naive. But they’re also all miserable all of the time. I’m left conflicted, wanting to agree with Perrin but reminded that people’s lives are at stake. It’s just really great stuff. This ties the episode together for me because it’s a running theme in the show: what you’re willing to give up for the greater good. Even though none of the characters are Jedi, it’s a very Jedi-like mentality and very Star Wars. Luthen said himself that he sacrificed everything for the warmth of a sunrise he’ll never live to see. That’s all very beautiful from the outside, but much easier said than done. Is it worth it to burn down your personal life and happiness for the safety and happiness of others?

I don’t like “Sagrona Teema” as much as “One Year Later” as a whole, but again, I think this episode is mainly setup for the next one. I love the buildup with Syril and Dedra and especially on Chandrila with the wedding. I’m glad Cassian escaped Yavin 4, as I was getting tired of the Rebels quickly. I can tell something big is coming on Mina Rau, and I’m scared rather than excited, which shows how palpable the tension is.

***

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