Andor episode 11 review – Daughter of Ferrix
By Ian Walter
Cassian must find a way to say farewell to the Daughter of Ferrix as he stares out over uncharted waters.
In a lot of ways Maarva Andor represents the Mother of not just Cassian but of the Rebellion, as she has been raging against the machine her whole life, and even in her old age has stood her ground on Ferrix to continue the fight in her own way. Episode 11 sees each character head into uncharted territory as it lays the groundwork for the debut season’s finale in Episode 12. Cassian learns of Maarva’s passing and would be tempted to return home (but “It’s a trap!”), Vel and her cousin Mon Mothma are navigating their sacrifices for the Rebellion and will have to make difficult choices for the cause, and Luthen is putting Saw Gerrera on the spot while literally outrunning the Empire as they attempt to tighten their grip.
The episode opens up on Andor and Melshi, on the run (barefoot) in their prison garb and desperately looking for a way off-planet. They come across two Narkinians who manage to ensnare them, yet once they are assured they are also anti-Empire, agree to take them in their Quad-Jumper (The Force Awakens, anyone?) back to Niamos. Andor manages to recover his blaster, credits, and comm. link from where he lived prior to his arrest; however, agrees to part ways with Melshi (at least one of them must survive to tell people about their ordeal on Narkina 5) once he learns of Maarva’s death.
On Ferrix, Brasso is consoling Bee (B2EMO) while conveying the importance of aiding the Daughters of Ferrix with the funeral preparations (both Cinta and an ISB agent are watching intently). Bee convinces Brasso to spend the night, showing unmatched vulnerability in a droid. The spying ISB agent orders men to stay on the big guy.
Dedra orders the officers on Ferrix to allow for a private funeral for Maarva in the hopes of drawing out Cassian (though I’m hoping that this will backfire and serve as the setting for a rebel uprising on Ferrix in the finale). Bix is weary from constant torture and is brought in to identify whether Anto Kreegyr is her contact. Whether or not she survives, her perseverance throughout these interrogations is remarkable.
Vel dismisses protocol to seek out Luthen, but is met with Kleya’s stalwart resolve and tells her to advise him of Maarva’s funeral. She then returns to her cousin and asks Mon why Leida is participating in a Chandrilan chant of the old ways, who claims she is doing it of her own accord. Mothma confides in Vel that she is in deep financial trouble that she might have to make questionable choices at the behest of Tay Kolma to stay out of the Empire’s watchful eye.
Syril Karn receives a patchy call from Kostek and is advised of the opportunity to draw out Cassian to Ferrix for his Mother’s funeral. Karn waits for his own Mother to leave before he prepares his own departure for Ferrix. It is clear that the climax to this season of Andor is building towards a confrontation on Ferrix that is shaping up to involve many key players.
Meanwhile, Luthen visits a justifiably paranoid Saw Gerrera and tells him not to go on the Spellhaus raid in aid of Kreegyr, because the ISB is on to them. Saw accuses Luthen of conspiring with the ISB and questions if he has a spy inside his camp, to which Luthen says it’s Two-Tubes. Before Two-Tubes can take reactionary measures to this unfounded accusation, Luthen pulls a gun on Saw long enough to tell him that it is his choice alone whether they should warn Kreegyr and sacrifice their mole inside the ISB in doing so.
Luthen then gets stopped by an Imperial cruiser equipped with a tractor beam and uses all of his advanced (stolen) weaponry to evade capture, destroying some TIE fighters in the process before making the jump to light speed. Between his order of Cassian Andor’s assassination and his disregard for 31 rebel lives including Anto Kreegyr all in the interest of keeping his network in tact, Luthen is certainly losing his grasp of what they are fighting for. Given that he pushed the choice to Saw Gerrera to decide the fate of Anto Kreegyr and his rebels, it’s no wonder that when we catch up with the character in Rogue One that he has completely cut himself off from the Rebel Alliance and can trust no one but his own men in their continued struggle against the Empire.
This series has reached a boiling point as we approach the finale in Episode 12, thanks to the writing of Benjamin Caron and the brilliant direction of Tony Gilroy. Though there will be at least one more season before we catch up with Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, things have come to a head on Ferrix and there is also an ambush being planned on Spellhaus (with the Empire setting up on Anto Kreegyr). Cassian will likely return to Ferrix and help take the fight to the Empire after learning of Maarva’s death (which is what Dedra and Syril are counting on), and Luthen still seems hell-bent on tying up loose ends which includes taking out Andor for knowing too much. With the highest episode count on Disney Plus to date, Andor has built up a special series in a galaxy far, far away; as we approach the highly anticipated season finale on November 23rd, 2022.