Warning.
Today's episode contains spoilers for the final chapter and Or season two episodes ten through twelve, so big spoilers be warned.
Hello.
My name is Jason Concepcion and I'm Mersey Night and welcome.
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Plus this episode. I can't believe it's already here. It doesn't feel real. It is the final episodes of Andor, and that means the final episodes full stop.
I kept watching the show and thinking, oh, we'll see these characters. No wrong, this is the final episode of a who knows, who knows?
Whether we.
Yeah, you know, I would. There's lots of people I like to see it.
Claia, Claia.
We'll talk about that and more once we get into our recap of the final three episodes of Andor.
Okay, episode two ten and Or season two. It is one year before the Battle of Yavin. A message alert flashes at Luthen's shop. Meanwhile, Lannie is heading into the office while Luthen and Claire are also preparing for some sort of operation. It's clear that a bunch of different strands are converging. And remember this is now some time after mon Mathma has been spirited off the planet. The Empire is really cracking down now, particularly on Coruscant, the capitol,
and everybody is on edge. Luthan and Clea are armed, and Luthan all but says goodbye to her, like every time they part. You get the feeling certainly that Luthan thinks, who knows, maybe I don't come back, maybe we don't come back.
Because it's so tense right now. He goes to meet Lonnie.
Lonnie says Deirdre is about to launch a mission aimed at finding spies, namely Luthan's network, who they're focused on. And worse, Lonnie says, I'm burned. It's only a matter of time before, like a matter of hours really before they before they know it's me, and I need to get out. I need to get out now, because we've got maybe I don't know, an hour to an hour and a half before they know it's me. And he's like,
I need to get out of here. We need to discuss my exit strategy, which you had promised me, and you.
Need we need to discress.
I got to get my family out and tells me right, and he tells Luthen, here's here's what's going on. I've had Deirdre's computer codes for a year. I've been in across all of her messages, everything on her computer. I didn't tell you because I knew if I told you, you would have pushed me to use it sooner. Which, by the way, Lonnie, you probably should have told him, because maybe what happens now would not have happened any.
If you'd have given him a little bit more leeway, like yea little bit more lead in a little bit more knowledge.
So Lonnie found something huge, like physically huge and uh and in terms of galactic politics huge. Uh it is we were about to found out find out the shadow of the Death Star in information and intelligence.
And he says.
Basically because Luthan is like, well, how do you know that they're not on you right now? And he says, if they were on me right now, I'd be dead, I'd be gone. And so then Luthen pushes, what is this thing? What did you find? What are you talking about? And so Lonnie in a rush puts all the pieces together. Gorman, what did we need on Gorman, the calkite Jetta, the crystals, the kyber on Jetta, what did we need that for? Scaref is involved in this. Also, there's an imperial and
scientist named Galen Er. So it all ties back to some massive weapons project, some huge super weapon that the Empire is making, and they needed all these ingredients from these different planets in different places to put this all together. And then Luthen tells Lannie, Okay, I'll get.
You to Yavin.
We'll get you out of here once I get what I need, he says, and then off camera he kills Lannie.
He shoots him.
And you know, I mean, luthn Is has been ruthless. He killed Tay, He's done stuff. This is the first time where I'm like, wow, I don't know about this one, Luthan, I really don't. I really don't know about this one, because Lannie he is part of the Empire now every
turn he has been there, and every turn. You know, it was him that put Luthan on the double agent in bail Organa's group that was gonna arrest man Mathma before she could make the speech right afterwards, and it was him feeding him information all the time about Gorman, letting him know something's going on Gorman. And now here he is giving you all the evidence you need to put together the Death Star project to understand that the Empire is working on this super weapon, and you kill him.
I think it's pretty tough. I think it's pretty great.
I think it's brutal, But I will say Luthen at this point has realized like, this is the thing, this is the thing I gotta make sure no one else finds out about. And they know that they have this torture instrument and the doctor who can torture info out of people. And I think this is a tying up, loose sentence, but it is incredibly.
Ruthless and shows you just how committed.
I also think is we saw him begin to crack up in the previous three episodes, the pressure getting to him, the way he's arguing with Claya, the way he's was saying to her, you know, I told you it was bad idea to put the bug in there. And the pressure is only ratcheted up now. And I think he's in such a fatalistic mood that he doesn't think any of them are getting.
Out, Yeah, exactly.
Claia and Luthen discuss this, that they're pulling on these threads, but they're not really sure where they go, and they separate and say, okay, we're gonna meet up later. Luthen goes back to the shop to destroy the communications equipment, pouring acid on it.
But then the doorbell rings and it's Deirdre. Oh this bitch, Oh, this fucking bitch.
And he puts on his mask, you know, that aristocratic art dealer mask, and he goes out and he's making chit chat. And then she takes out an Imperial StarPath unit, a navigator for hyperspace travel, which Luthan has been trafficking to the rebellion for some time, has been setting all, you know, like helping coordinate and manage the theft of imperial hardware to use for its use by the rebellion. And dejs elated at this moment. She's been waiting for this,
she's been waiting to catch access. She never got to do it, and here she is now finally putting, putting it all together, and it's and you could see how thrilled she is.
She's got the man speaking of people who are cracking up. Like the absolute just desperate obsession that Deirdre has is shining through in every moment here, like you know that this is not going to go well for you if
you are smart. Yes, actually she is not smart, and Denise Goff brings her to life with such an unbelievable kind of watery eyed, like edgy desperation where you can tell, if you've watched the show, you're like, wait a minute, this feels like it's jumped, like quite exponentially from the last place we've seen Dedra that she would be able to now command this grade.
And as we'll find out, that is not necessarily.
The mistake on her part, I think, and we'll talk about it later, but yes, I'm glad you brought that up, because the depiction of the Empire is a complete snake pit where where that is run by ambition by two powerful forces. One the ambition of all of these players who are looking to move up the hierarchy to get
closer to the emperor yep. And two that desire to please the emperor and not the target of his anger leads to this intense backstabbing type of environment that Deirdre does not truly realize that she is in it turns it. She tells Luthen the shop surrounded, you're not getting out of here, and that's it. And then Luthen takes a victory lap anyway, which I love for him, where he basically says, it's too late.
You know, you got me. That's fine.
Rebellion is spread. It's everywhere now, it's everywhere around the galaxy. They all see you, they know who you are. You you know, like you can't do anything about it. And Deirdre notices that the comms have been that they're smoking in the other room. She runs over there to go see what's happened, and when she turns back, Luthen is like cut his like a samurai has taken in that one of the ancient blades from his shop room and like cut open his belly.
Menex rush him away.
Deirdre is desperate in her hope that he lives. And in the crowd, Claya is.
Watching all of this, Yeah, because Dedra, like the thing that's important to recognize here as well, is this is about access. It is about the imperial stuff that's being kind of, you know.
Shipped around. But Dedra has always known.
That it is likely a kind of rebel, kind of circuit that is the origins of the rebel and rebellion.
And honestly, she's not wrong.
And so she needs Lutheran alive because she wants him to tell her everything. She doesn't just want to catch the guy who's been selling Imperial you know, secrets.
She wants she has exact evidence.
Unless she brings him in, she has no trophy. And it's that pride that brings her down.
So Partigas complaints absolutely to Dedra, like, okay, this raid went poorly.
This guy is almost dead. Who told you to do this on your own authority?
And then he gets the news that Lannie is dead, and you know, the ISB is like going through the shop.
Dedri doesn't really realize that she's in trouble at this point.
I think she's still one.
She thinks she's she's like riding a high, even though she realizes this is like if he doesn't live, it's a it's a problem. Clay goes to the safe house, where she is utterly devastated, and now we get a flashback. We hear we hear Imperial radio chatter about like an
ongoing massacre that the Empire is doing. You just hear them talking about wiping out pockets of resistance here and there, and it's luthen Is in some sort of command ship, you know, uh, at the comms and listening to all of this and clearly like shaken, And this is Clay's reminiscence. Luthen Is is clearly upset and tortured at the sounds of this massacre. He's a sergeant in the Imperial Army, and he's making every excuse to not take part in this, like, oh I came into. I came in to like change
my shoes. Oh I had to I had to reboot the thing, you know, Like he's making all kinds of excuses.
Yeah, And also like there's this moment where he's basically just like crying in the and he's like.
Just make it stop, just make it stop.
Like you can tell that he is struggling with his role in this space.
So he finds in a very Aliens type moment, he finds Alien in a like event of his ship, a young girl who's hiding from this masker, and he keeps her safe back at the safe house. Present, Claya gets some gear that's hidden like in the safe house, and she heads out to go to the hospital to At the time, I was very hopeful that she's trying to rescue Luthan.
Yeah, but she is had. I had a realization.
Very early on, like as they were doing the flashbacks, and I was like, oh, she's going to save her Like sorry, get that.
And then I was like, oh, no, what would what would Luthan?
What would Luthen do? What would her father? Yes?
Exactly, So he is alive. Luthen is alive. He's clinging to life in the hospital. They're pouring the bacta into onto his abdomen and but sadly for Deeterer, he's he's unable to be interrogated at this time. They think maybe tomorrow, maybe in a couple of days. Claya fakes an injured arm. She gets in the hospital. She it's it's a uh. We get to see her in action, which is like wonderful.
She's a excellent spy with incredible nerves. And Deirdre meanwhile, she reports the part of gas that he'll be ready for He'll be ready for interrogation tomorrow, Luthen will, but unfortunately she is being arrested by a party gas and here's where she messed up. You know, I think it's it's it's so interesting that like people have been lauding this character for like being a girl boss.
And the thing.
About the empire is don't outshine your boss. That's the that's the rule. And has told her this multiple times. Yeah, he's like, keep me in the loop. Don't out shine because if you outshine your boss, now, your boss is gonna be gonna run, feel that you're a threat, and also be unable to protect you when you step out of line. And this is what she has done. This, this mission of hers, this rate of hers, has gone sideways, and someone is to blame. And it turns out that
and rebellion spy has had access to her computer. There's all sorts of evidence that points at Dedra and it's bad.
So she's arrested.
Meanwhile, we get another flashback to Lutheren and Clay now on the run, living by their wits across the galaxy and Claia is a little older now they see imperials rounding up prisoners, partisans. It turns out like like you know, just rebels who went into the hills to take pot shots at the empire or whatever. And maybe they're truly that or maybe they're not. It doesn't matter. The empire just like guns them down. They're mostly kids, but the
empire executes them. And Claia, against Luthan's admonitions, is like, I need to watch. She wants to watch him, kind of like in the way that when you lose the NBA Finals you want to watch the winning game. You got to get that anger in your heart, you know. And she catches up with Luthan and she's furious, of course, it's seeing kids her age gun down. And she says, when do we start fighting back? You you never want
to fight back? When do we do it? And he says, I think the thing that is the core of his philosophy we fight to win. That means we lose and lose, and lose and lose until we're ready. And that is that is Luthen in a nutshell. We can't if we strike back now, they'll crush us and we can't win. We need to be careful and we need to be quiet, and we need to get strong, and that means we need to take this.
We need to wait for the moment that's going to be worthwhile.
Claia, it like, eventually gets into Luthen's room and she does this by you know, killing killing a bunch of stormtroopers, them slowing up some stuff, and she gives Lutha a tender kiss on the forehead and it's very emotional, and then she unhooks life saving equipment and she stands there for a moment to make sure that he's dead.
And then he dies, and then she.
Has a single tear rolling down her face.
We get a flashback Luthen and Clia in nicer clothes.
Now she's very amidala coated. At this point, it looks like, you know.
They're on the way, young woman.
Yeah, they're on the way. The rebellion, for all we know, might just be them, you know.
Like I think at this point it definitely could be.
This is the nascent years.
This is like them and maybe Saw, but like they're not communicating in any kind of way, and they're scouting Imperial troops that are guarding a bridge.
She wants to strike.
She wants to They've planted some explosives out there, and she wants to blow it up. Lutheren says, patience. They argue about it. She calls him a coward for not doing it. He knows that she's just angry and she just wants to strike out. He's trying to teach her about patients. He gives her the detonator, but she hesitates, and then he reaches for it and he takes as it.
He presses it. The explosions happen on the bridge, and then he coaches her, don't look yet now, yeah, you know, don't know how to do it before because she wanted to see them explode.
I thought that was such a good, good moment. He's like, don't look because then they're fucking.
No, they'll know then look now look after.
It's exploded and everybody's screaming, and.
And then he's like, okay, now it's the time to leave. They're in this.
And he's also like he was like, you you made this choice. You wanted to strike so okay, I'm doing it. You can't take it back now, like this is the war.
And then we go back to the hospital. Cleya detonates some explosives that she planted in a locker is a distraction.
She gets up. She shoots a couple of stormtroopers, which is great.
Goes in unhooks Luthen's back to life saving equipment, kisses him on the forehead, make sure like she stands there for a minute to make sure that he's dead, and then she escapes and it's rip to absolutely one of the heroes of the Rebellion, secret.
Hero, true secret here is the Rebellion.
Also, like his name will never be said, he will never get a mess said.
It would just be us saying Lotha was right, Like he was hard he was hard core, but he knew what you had had to be done. He understood that this was the information, This was the moment, Like can we stop this this weapon? You know? Also, can I just say, like I truly we we talked about Tony Gilroy, you know, as we call him the tone Zone.
He never misses ever, never once.
I want to know how he pitched this to Disney and was like, Hey, so we got three episodes left, we're leading into Rogue one and the first episode isn't going to have and or in it.
How'd you feel about that? Like, it's an unbelievable kind.
Of almost it's not a bottle episode because it is so directly connected to everything going on, but it really is about Claya in a way we haven't focused on her before, and it is about Luthen and it's about Deddra, And by the end of it, I was just so emotionally invested in Claia and in this character and in the complexity because we've never known Lutheran as like a
loving person. In fact, Clayre constantly complains about working in the shop and her hatred for just like being there and the same people she sees every single day coming through, and I always thought that was kind of a reservation about what they were doing, but actually it's she was angry because she wants to be out.
Killing people more active.
Yeah, but Lutheran obviously wouldn't let her because he loves her and because he's trained her ever since she was a child, so she's an incredibly useful asset.
For him to have so close. And I just thought, like, what an unbelievable episode.
When the credits rolled on her kind of crying, I was just like, oh man, this show has got the juice.
Like it's never was questioned, but it's juicy as hell. It's juicy, it's saucy, it it's doing it.
Episode eleven, moments after Clea's raid on the hospital. It's a fucking debacle over there. The suspect is dead, no witnesses. The raid was so effective that they think maybe three people did it.
I know.
I love it that, like we're guessing, we're thinking about three people by how it happened, and I'm being that just one bad ass guys that wasn't you want?
Ready for her?
And Officer Heart of the ISB wants to place this who's was working closely with Lonnie previously in the season, wants to place this entire thing at Deirdre's at Dedra's feet. And one thing that I love about this show and the storytelling you said it, Tonzo never misses, is this contrast, this duality between the way this nascent rebellion is is training and becoming better with each passing generation, and the way the Empire is becoming more incompetent with each passing generation.
Because the rebellion needs good people, people who not just want to fight and have the will to fight, have that rebellious spirit, but eventually people who like understand what it takes, are patient enough or ruthless enough, who understand of when the moment is right to strike and there's this naturally almost like a sharpening of the blade process as people die, as Luthen dies, but the information he passed on to Cassian, to Clay, etc. Makes them better,
makes them stronger, and makes them a better weapon for the rebellion.
Meanwhile, on the.
Imperial side, because it's such a snake pit, you're watching and incompetent, like heret try to pin it all on Dedra. Now, to be fair, Deadra was politically inept.
I don't know this was DEDs scheme.
She's clear yet politically inept, but good at hunting, like good at yes, Like there's a world in which, right, there's a world in which you'd be like, well, Dead's good at this.
Let's just take all the other stuff off her plate.
And we get this good moment that come that's coming up soon where she kind of is like, yeah, I'm a fucking scavenger bitch like I had to be because you motherfuckers will never give me anything because.
Because of this this backstabbing. Everybody climb over each other, you know, put your boot on the other person's head as you climb up the ladder type of atmosphere. All that you're getting is the most ruthless and the most incompetent. They can't wait to kill somebody and move them out of the way so they can move up, and that's cure. And he very effectively places this the entire blame for everything on Dedra, who is in acceluating interrogation. Krenick enters
herself and he just says, who else knows? She's like, what what are you talking about? And he's like, what what would I be talking about? Why would I be here saying cryptic shit?
Like? Who else knows knows about? What? What's the only thing that I'm working on?
Shit?
She's like, do you mean Axis? And he's like, shut the fuck up, I'm shit. No, He's like, I am Ben Mendelssohn. Do you know how much they have to pay me to bring me into this show? Do you know how important.
This must be?
Well?
Am I connected to me?
And I'm like, come on, what?
And she's like oh, and he says, say say the fucking words.
Yeah, and she's like death Star and he's like, that's right. Oh, who else knows about it? And he thinks she's a rebel spy.
I just have to say I love this moment because This is so presciently in conversation with the audience. From the first time we met Dedro, we were all like, why is she so obsessed with this? Like why is she specifically connected to Axis? Like is she And there was a lot of conversation, is she a rebel spy? Is she like so deep undercover and she's forgotten it?
And I love that. Actually the answer is no, she is a fascist, but she became so obsessed with the rebellion that she was keeping things to herself.
As we find out.
She has been keeping secrets from the empire and even the man that she would love to impress, Krenick think she's a rebel spy because of her behavior. I mean, that's such brilliant storytelling, because there's no you would never be.
Like, oh, he's so dumb, She's so loyal, why would he think that. No, she's consistently been.
Going against the orders of the empire, not for a good reason, and again.
She loves glory.
And again it's this great contrast between like, you know, Luthen was similarly a secret didn't tell people about anything, didn't tell Cassie, and then he went to visit Bit. But that was by necessity in this very small, tight knit group, whereas in the bureaucracy that Deirdre finds herself and the fact that she knew all this stuff that she wasn't passing on because she, I think naturally felt like, well, if I tell, if I'd move this information on, it will just get lost in the shuffle.
That's but that's not your job.
Credit, Yes, And I love the fact as well that we learn here that Dedre is not the most like loyal kind of servant that she would portray herself to be because she accidentally, as we know from season one, ended up with all this intel, which is how she found access and how she became so obsessed with it.
But now we learn that that intel.
Was also talking about Galen Erso, also talking about the death stuff, and she never told part of guys. And now she's in trouble because they essentially see her almost as a whistleblower. But she didn't blow the whistle, but she has that exaction that's dangerous.
That's actually exactly right. Galen Arso has been disappeared off the face of the galaxy. Nobody knows about him, and that he's working. That's nickers I love it, but Dedra knows, and because Lannie has had for a year access to her computer, the rebellion probably knows now too, which she is mind blown about this.
Yes, and they have his login to her, uh you know, her info. They're like, he was there for three hours And Kranick has like this fucking his finger on her head and he's like, what do you think what do you think that he was getting out of there? What do you think Lannie was getting from there? And it's so scary, like and Denise Gov's acting is so good in this moment that I couldn't tell. I was like,
does Krenick use the force? Like it looks like he's physically harming her, but I think it's just for not for the first time, she is understanding like, oh, I was meant to catch these people, but now I've given them the information that they needed and I've failed to a level that I could never have even imagined. She is so scared in that moment, She is so horrified, and she's so upset because she's not going to get that glory she's been seeking this entire time.
So Krenick is like, why did you go to you know, if you knew that it was this important. Why did you confront Luthen alone? That was dumb And Deirdre's like, well, we need to look for Claya the assistant and all this, and she thinks I think at that point she still thinks she's getting out of this cell, which she never will.
Yeah, yeah, she's like, I know what's next, guys, I'm gonna go.
She's still thinks she's good.
She thinks she's still running this investigation, which here goes to the hospital where he's now running point on the investigation, and we see his methods. Now he's suspicious of everyone. He's he's threatening everyone with the rest if they get in the way. He's and he is just like a sledgehammer. No subtlety at all to this guy. The idea Claire eventually.
I was gonna say, but he is the only one who understands and spots her out, like there's something to his methods. He's the one who's like, there's not three people, it's just her, Like we need to find this woman. But yeah, it's very interesting to see the difference between him and Dedra because they have a similar obsession with gaining traction in the empire.
But he is. Yeah, he's not keeping any secrets.
He's telling everyone like just do this, do that, and this is the person we need to catch.
He he did tell Dedra earlier.
I believe last episode or maybe in the last chunk of episodes, he said, did you ever consider the reason that Park has made me in charge of this is because I don't care about the glory? And I thought that was a very interesting I think this is a man driven by just hatred.
He just wants to kill Clay.
And he's no, I don't even think it's said. He's just an attack dog. He is.
To put the thing about a dog is it's loyal and you can kick it in it come right back, Dedra. Don't want to be in charge of the dogs. You know, she wanted to be the boss. She wanted to.
Move up the dog and that was ultimately her downfall.
Cleia digs some old coms gear like out of the walls and takes a huge risk to send a message of a like a distress message to the rebellion. We go to Yavin, where you know the rebellion is gathering strength. People are arriving all the time. Will Uh comes home to Drina telling him, Hey, what's this box in your bed.
That's like beeping? And Will's like, oh, ship, that's the distress message.
Specifically or from the network on Corousont, but likely Yeah.
So Cassian is in his tent.
He's playing cards with Melchie and K two and they're having a great time and they're teaching, you know, K two is learning about humans. It's a wonderful Then Will comes in and basically says, hey, we got to we got to stress signal from the network on Courson isb armed with Claya's ID, put her face all over the galactic news everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, Critics like I want her found, Search every farmhouse, hand house, out house, and doghouse until you find her or else.
And he looks here and he's like, it's your fucking ass.
You're gonna be it'd sell next look fucking DEDERM.
I am not.
In any way like this is what you get for being a fascist, But this episode I was like, man, you guys are fucked, Like this is the this is how it is. You're never gonna rise up the ranks, You're never gonna get credit for anything you do. You're gonna commit horrific acts and have to live with them and then probably get either killed or put in a fucking prison cell by the very people you are trying to impress.
Maybe there's a lesson here, guys.
Maybe obviously nothing reliable to this in real life, but and maybe there's a lesson about this.
Critic is very, very disappointed with ISB, which is dans now for part Now, party Gas is feeling heat and he comes up with a story about how they can put Claya's face out there. He's like, she's got some crazy disease and anybody who comes into contact her with her will get it and die.
Perfect go with that.
I'm like, pot of Gas, you are spin master General. That was incredible too, because uh, he can't just.
Didn't know what to do.
And in that moment, Krenik's looking for an answer and pas like, I'm an old hand. She's got an infetious disease and she's gonna kill anyone.
Everyone will be calling in like get away from me. She's sick. She's sick, and Cretic's like, yeah, this is my guy, my white guy, this is the guy.
Kreanig then leans on party Gas and it's basically like you better fucking find her. Okay, listen, here's how the hierarchy works. Okay, the Emperor electrocutes Darth Vader, Darth Vader strangles me. I shit on, you go fucking find her.
Yeah.
On Yavin, their discuss seeing the message, which they can't read. They don't know what it is, but they know where it's from.
Also, I just have to say, like this sequence with KS two O and Melchie and and Or, and you just see them kind of hanging out, and you see this friendship that they've managed to create in Yavin while they've been hiding.
From It was an important scene.
I love it so much.
I love the Melchie stuff, I love getting a little bit more insight into who he is before Oguan, and I just think like Kwo s is already one of my favorite droids, but the level of personality and time we get to spend with him here is so fantastic. And the absolute horror of what a K two so so droid can do that we see here in a way that was not portrayed in and Or as obviously horrific,
and we get to cheer him on. I just I truly thought that was like one of the most important and best scenes, because again it's about how it's kind of like the whole of Avatar The Last Airbender. The question is how do you find happiness in a world where war has to and everything a paw, And in that moment we get to see them experiencing that happiness, ripping joking like it's it. I thought it was very moving.
So the message comes through again while they're arguing, and Cassiine immediately understands what it is. So he's like, I need a ship, we need an off the bookship, and we need to leave and we can't tell anybody. And of course Cassine is already on thin ice with Draven and with the rebel leadership about taking ships and leaving and not telling any where he's going. But he's done
it again and they're fucking pissed again. Heret goes to visit Dedra in her little cell and he says, Luthen is dead, Clay is on the run.
And this is a.
Very interesting scene because Parrot, again incompetent, not as smart as Dedra, doesn't know what he's doing, but he's much more ruthless.
He's the reason.
Basically, he's one of the reasons that she's in this cell, and he starts out by bullying her, but then he's basically comes out with.
But like like what do I do? Help me? How do I find?
I don't know what to do? And he asks about the Crenic project, like what is it that chief stole because like they seem.
Really and why is it so important?
Dedah now paranoid is like is this a test that I would that I would talk about it. I don't know what's going like he doesn't understand what dangerous ground he's treading on, and Dejah basically says, you know, look for old discontinued radio frequencies. That's probably how they're communicating. Will tells Draven on Yavin what's going on, like, we've got this message and we need to get the and it's maybe it's Luthen and we need to go back there.
Draven is fucking pissed.
He's like and I and I get it, because what if the Empire figures out there on Yavin. They're not ready for that kind of fight and that could be disastrous.
Yeah, also as well, it's a very interesting situation because the let's say, like the respectable side of the rebellion is now running things, but you still have these leftovers of these people who were raised under Luther, and Will, who is mentored by Sore, who's clearly still addicted to to ridiom, and and like, I think it's very interesting to see the way already they're playing into the notion. And then we saw this last episode with pretended chunk of episodes when they.
Pretended gold Squadron that saved her not not I think it's.
Very interesting to be in a position where we're already seeing the and they're not wrong. Like I get it, Momothma, bail Or Ghana, like I understand what they're talking about, and Yavin, but also like Will Cassie, and they have lost everything, they have committed everything to this fight, and they are already kind of being like sign out of the story and sidelined, And I think that's really heartbreaking.
I agree with you. I think that there is To me, there's.
It's kind of like the natural progression of the rebellion as it becomes more of a legitimate fighting for us, right, I think that this is some of this is natural. I also think clearly from an organizational standpoint, why is it's like the rebellion has a political leadership, and the political leadership is is in charge of the military leadership, which is the ships, the infantry, et cetera. But there seems to be like no connection with the intelligence, like
there's no rebellion intelligence chief. It's still just these pockets. And I think organizationally, this doesn't make like you guys need to figure out like put Casting in charge of the spies or something. Put Clayer or Vell or somebody in charge of the spies, Like why are you doing it like this?
Anyway, it's a very it's a it's a confusing question because also, you know, I was thinking about a lot. I don't know if you ever watched this show with Kifa Sutherland Designated, where it's like about who would.
Everybody was in the one room and they all got.
Jason. Well please, there are so many planets. I get it, but like, let's split them up a little bit because one uh one little bee and I don't.
Disagree with you. Well, they don't know about that.
They don't know about the super weapon yet, so I think it makes sense right now, but they don't know about the super weapon yet. So unfortunately, the Empire fixed picks up Clay's feed and they figure out where she is. They get to fix on her location and they start heading there at the same time that Cassian and Melchie are also heading there. K two, who still has Imperial radio frequencies like as part of his like operational abilities,
picks up on these communications. He knows the Empire is there, uh, closing in on the safe house, so he swings into action and starts, you know, taking out Imperial forces to try and get in there. He's getting the drop on Imperial as he's It's awesome.
So good. It basically is like a Star Wars horror movie. I think it leans towards that, where it's almost this slasher movie where you're just seeing kay my baby k to so absolutely destroying everyone boom, throwing him into a wall, boom, throwing him over a bridge, boom. And I love the notion that he was essentially brainwashed and programmed by the Empire and what the rebellion did. They didn't fill him
with some mysterious programming. They just took that away and then treated him like some propaganda.
Did choose to believe in this case, I don't.
Choose to bellion, so I choose to believe K to is choosing to kill.
Cassie and gets into the safe house with Melchie and Clay. And Clay are just like in a rush. It's like telling him like all the information, like and heart.
She's had to kill She's had to kill Alida. And then she shows up and essentially sounds like a racing on the tick because she's just been going over in her head this is the thing we need, this is the thing we need. And I thought that was really heartbreaking and also really realistic. I love the way they dealt with like who would believe her and who would go on a mission based on what she's saying.
And so they argue about this, and because Clay doesn't think she's getting off the planet, She's like, you need to leave now and bring this information to the Relion and Cassian's like, no, you need to come with us. Meanwhile, the Empire is closing in and they have no idea that the Empire is closing in, And we go to episode twelve. Yeah, episode twelve, Cassian continues to try and convince Clay to come to Yavin. They need to tell
the rebel leadership about the death Star. They they don't understand that the empires right outside the door, but the is s B doesn't understand that K two is on their ass and he's all in them. Like, Party Gas is in the control room, like why am I? Why
can't I contact anybody? Like what's happening? K two gets up there and with K two's help, Melchie and Cassian take out the tag team like and it's it's it's fucking nuts with K two like picking up like by the nape of the neck and using him as like a body shield.
It's nuts. Party Gas is freaking out.
He is like, you know that I I recently bought a very fun bootle like shirt featuring one of the Creature commandos with GI Robot and it says would you like to kill Nazis with g I Robot? And now I'm like, we need a K two s No. One because this motherfucker is absolutely destroying them. It's almost like
a monster movie. It's really because also they do this great moment in the opening, which is so tells you so much about the rebellion and the people who are truly loyal to it, which is they just send Melchie out to like stand in front of them and count how many of them there are, and then he quickly runs away, you know, but it's so dangerous and reckless, but you can tell that it's also part of how
they do this and why they make it work. And I think that the melchie K too, and and or I never really saw this little trio coming, but now it's very much. I would die for them energy, Like they fucking smashed through this, like army of ISB agents and stormtroopers, like it's crazy.
On Yeavin, the rebel leadership draven Man Bail Organa are in communication with Saw, who is on Jedda and it's been there for a little while, and they're trying to tell him listen, the Empire is on your ass, like be careful. They've got this destroyer parked over Jetta lay Low, stop doing shit, be careful. But Saw is at this point totally paranoid. His drug addiction is seems like it's gone too far, and he sees enemies everywhere, and he thinks maybe even the rebellion people are spying on him
and they're trying to set him up. So it's going nowhere, honestly.
Like I'm not gonna say that he's wrong, like that is I think even though, SOA is paranoid. You know, we are saw ger eras are you guys know we're sore apologists. But I will say in this moment, while the intensity of his paranoia is very clear to see, and it's definitely his addiction has made it that the horrible things he's had to do.
Also, I get it because he is that old god Luthen but more brutal side of the rebellion, who are fucking like jump in like what he said to Will, He's like, dive into the rebellion, baby, like we'll go back to Lutheran.
Don't be a porn. So I think I understand his feel but.
I understand his fear also.
But I also feel like, you know, everything, uh, everything has its has its time, and I think his time sadly has at this point it's past. Like he's not he's not effective anymore. News of the U Wing hits the rebel leadership, the stolen U Wing that is now coming back from correusconting about to land carrying Claya and Melchian Cassian. Bail is furious because what if again, what if the Empire followed them here and then we're fucking fucked in an unsupervised mission. We don't even know what
this is. We don't know who's on there. Do we shoot it down?
What do we do?
Ratus goes to handle the air defenses, and it's very, very tense. Draven receives the U wing when it lands, and he's pissed and he brings Cassian to the leadership and calls him to the carpet, and Cassian briefs them on everything he's heard. You know, Jedda Gorman, Galen or so Death Star, et cetera. Bail is being an absolute fucking bitch about everything.
They all like that. They're so obsessed at this point with the concept of like doing things properly, but it's like, babe, you're not and listen to this man, Like listen.
Right after this, I went and watched Brogue one, and it is notable to me that at every turn the political leadership and I listened, they were important because the legitimacy that they gave to the rebellion was extremely important. At the same time, at the same time they were they had to be dragged, kicking and screaming into every like they didn't want to go to scare It was because Ratus and fucking Gin and a bunch of other yahoos were like, no, we have to go fight that.
That happened here, you're seeing it again. They're having they're having to be dragged into this, and I get it also because it's natural that they would be much more conservative with Again, it's that conversation of like people with something to lose, they had, this rebellion is just getting started, and their fear is like, we can't lose it before we even start. I get it, But they're also like not, they're not respecting the expertise of people who have been
in the trenches from day one whatever. Bail, you know, wonders if Cassian's judgment is flawed. There's this the whole conversation, Cassian says, and it's clear they don't respect Luthen's contribution at all. They're not really respecting or at least they're not being there. They're acting like, who the fuck is Luthen? What's this sounds like? Asian points out that like, I'm being lectured right now by people who have given a
fraction of what Luthen has given to this rebellion. Bail thinks that lu And stayed on course not too long, which I understand because he doesn't understand the importance of this information that Luthen had to stay there to get what if he's been turned, which is again like, but that's a good you know, I get.
It, I get it, I get it. But we have the dramatic irony effected.
There's all these things they can find.
Cassi into quarters, but he requests, He's like, may I have permission to go see Claia in the infirmary, and mon immediately grants it before Draven or any of the other or bail Yes or any of the other fucking cowards has an opportunity to say no. Draven then tells Cassian about saw and Jedda and the very troubling zoom conversation that they had with him, and they tells him about the Imperial destroyer above Jedda and it's urgent there.
Cassian apologizes to Clea for the fact that the rebel, the rebel leadership has received them with like very cold shoulders, and he promises, like, whatever happen, and it's like Luthen's sacrifice will be worth it, even if it's just us. Then understands that Mathma goes to see Vell cousin Bell Luthen is dead, she tells her, and Cassian is grounded, but she asks for Bell's advice, like what you know,
what do I do here? And they basically come to the conclusion that they need to find out if this information is correct either way, like we just need to it whether it's bait or not, or reel or not.
We need to find out.
Cassian then tells Will that Luthan is dead. Well goes to I have a hug. Bell goes to talk to Cassian to kind of take his temperature, but also to see what he has to say. They toast to the dead Sinta, the gores Cassian's mom, you know Luthen et cetera. Bell asks, you know, is the Luthen story real? He's like yeah, and Cassian's like, and by the way, the rebellion none of this, ye haven't and none of this shit happens without him, and he lays out the story again.
Claya wakes up and as we as she's waking up, there's this incredible transition where we hear Nemeck from season one his incredible manifesto on freedom versus tyranny, and we realize as the transition happens that on course on party Gas is listening to this manifesto.
I love this moment because I think that nemeic we are Nemic lovers here. I think the writing around Nemes manifesto is so incredible and I love that we see here and we kind of confirm that they released that shit, like that shit is everywhere. That's Nemes mixtape is the number one mixtape in the galaxy. Like if pot of
Gas can listen to it, so can everyone else. And I think that's amazing because I do think that Neme's kind of freedom and tyranny talk, it is a it's a battle cry, and it will inspec I have people to remember that one little action is better than none, you know. And I love that speech so much. And Potas, Oh baby, he realizes.
He knows that he's in it now, he knows that his ass is in the shopper.
It's all gone sideways.
They lost Luthen, The entire cell has managed to get off of the planet. The ISB tag team that they sent in has been taken out piece by piece, and now they look like incompetence. Krenik is calling for him and party, Gaz asks for a moment to collect his thoughts, and everybody knows that he's going to kill himself. Like everybody understands that he's taking the honorable way out, and basically they're letting him because nobody wants to deal with that.
Yeah, he's the guy who called him is obviously he knows what he means.
Yeah, I know what he's doing.
There's a great moment where he stands outside with the stormtroopers and you hear the gun go off and the stormtroopers are ready to go in, and he's like, it's very it's okay, yes, it's we are getting there. It's interesting to see who thinks that they are that important because also, like part I Gas, he just doesn't want to go to prison, and we treat it the way
that other people are treated. But he could have survived this, but he's like, oh, oh, rebellions come in that I'm going to be the first one up against the wall. Let me do this myself. Brutal moment, but very in line with and Or and what the tone zone has been putt in.
Well, then on Yavin tells Cassian, you know you should reconnect with Bicks. Maybe that this is and he's like, not yet, when this is all over, I'll do that. Well, then find Claya wandering around in the rain and they commiserate. Draven finally releases k Twu and Melschie and then comes
to see Cassian. He says, we've gotten a flash message from Tivik aka the guy Cassian shoots and kills Spoiler at the beginning of Rogue one after receiving intel about Galen or So and other stuff, and he's got important information. He'll only give it to Cassian. He's the only when he trusts. He's on Caffriine for one day only.
You got to go.
Also, there's that Imperial destroyer of Jetta and saws there, and there's a lot of things are bubbling, and we've got to be careful because it really feels like war is imminent at this point. And they both wonder like if this is a trap, and if it is a trap, I think they both agree, well that it's so well designed that they have to take the risk.
Man, And what can you do.
It's like it's made, it's made.
It's almost too good, yeah, man, and Draven Cassian then has a dream of his life before all this and we see in this moment, and super producer Joel pointed it out. He's talking to his sister that we met in when there were kids in season one, and it's the same girl who sneaks into Luthan's ship to hide. So shouts to Joel Claia.
Yep, Joelle and Justin, unbeknownst.
To each other, are brother and sister. I wonder if Luthan knew.
That is we are making it a ninety nine percent. We are sure about this, But I think this.
Is so I thinks. I think.
I think. I think he puts you and two together, and he did, That's why he kept them apart.
Well, I think he put two and two together, which is why he's working with both of them, but didn't tell them because he knew it might yeah, fuck up.
And he loves to keep a secret. You know, he loves to keep a secret. Also, you know there is also a chance that Claia knows because Lutheran loved to tell one person a secret and make them keep it from everyone else. But I don't think so. But you know what, I will say, I love this. I also think it adds a lot of weight to the moment. Where Cassian is so desperate to bring Claire, even though in the past he has left people behind, in that moment,
he will not leave her. There's something about how he needs her to come with him, and not just to tell the story because he tells the story himself, because she is so messed up. But I think like there is a connection there that even if they don't know, they know, you know. And I really love that. And when Joel text did that to me, I was like, that shit blew my mind because I was like, oh my god. Yeah, they're on the same island, same girl, but it's obviously a connection there.
K Two wakes casting up from his dream to tell him that Bail Organa is here to see him, and Bail basically says, hey, get back out there.
You're back in the game.
Draven has his orders, we have ours, and it's time to start really fighting back. We see Melchie training the recruits. We see we get these wonderful little kind of vignettes of the rebellion growing and getting stronger. We see on Coruscant that Paren has already moved on. Now he's in full with Manow.
He's fully my god.
I mean, I said, actually because it's pathetic.
What he's a good moment, He literally is just sitting drinking. Mom, She's no mom, are you mad? But and he's so depressed. You can see the kind of resignation of what his life, the emptiness of his life. His wife is just pure surface now, you know, just pure Like can you wanted to enjoy the good times while you can? Okay, empty drinking.
Through empty luxury that you're living in. We see Claya recovering. We see Tetra in prison. Sorry, babe, she.
Is in the exact same prison so as Angel. So you know she's getting getting spicy and she ain't never getting out. Watch good luck, babe, like and she just crying. Imagine if you didn't just love fascism, you could also you could have just been happy with Cyril. But now you in prison forever RPTU because you're gonna die in that, because you're an imperative.
So Cassian heads out to his meeting with Tivik and we see him go past the Force Healer. They lock eyes and it's clear the Force Healer is again since the importance of this person in what's going to happen in the next few months.
In this moment she's seeing the moment she saw on Jetta.
We see Krenick overseeing the growing death star, and then.
We look at and we go to Big Wheat for the finale. The final moments on.
Big Wheat, b two has friends now, which is wonderful. B has like a robot little joy friend no crew, and Bix is with him, which is going to make him feel good. And Bix is holding her child with Cassian as she walks through Big Wheat.
And Wow, what an episode. I love how somehow and kind of this is very reflected in Rogue one as well, but like, how do you make an ending that is hopeful out of such a bleak, heartbreaking show? But you get that moment with you know, you see Will and Drina eating like those even there, they get their quiet moments together. They find love, they find connection, and Bix looks healthy, safe and has a chubby little baby with her, So we know that the rebellion will continue, The rebellion
will keep on. Something me and Joel are discussing too that I think is so interesting is who they leave us with, Because Joel made a great point where it's like it's Clayer, it's Bis, it's more Mothma. Like the future of the Rebellion and this franchise, if they decide to carry on from here, is in the hands of women. There are multiple different women that could lead whatever the next series is going to be, you know. And I feel so much for people who haven't seen Rogue One
who watch this because the ending is so hopeful. You see and or fling off, You're like, yeah, I can't wait for this, and then you put on Rogue One, like me and Jason both immediately did one. I mean we were already Rogue One fans, but after this show, it is like.
So much richer now.
That opening of Cassie and killing that guy. I always loved it because I did feel like, yeah, there's got to be that in The Rebellion, but now like the weight of it and the reason he goes in so brutal, being that Luthan died for this and this is the chance they have oof Man, that opening just absolutely changes everything. And yeah, and obviously I love to see more sore legendary cast I you know. Okay, So Jason, let me ask you a question. This is a fun question because
the show is essentially like pretty much perfect. If there was one character from Rogue One that you would have loved to see in the finale make an appearance to it.
It be gosh, that's good. Who didn't Yeah?
Who we didn't get to see.
You know.
I I've always because he's so great in the comics, I've always thought, and but he's in it.
Ratus is in both Rogue One.
Admiral Rowy, Yeah, hero of the Battle of Scaif at least that designed the air attack and uh and the crucial improvised move of using the Hammerhead corvette to take out the destroyers that then opened up the gate Mahamahad Corbett.
And he's in.
I think he's in. He's in parts of you.
Like minutes a couple of minutes with him, but you would like to.
But I always think that he's a real one, you know, he's like, he's one of the real ones.
And one of the things.
He never questioned and l he didn't say, like this plan sounds a fake. He was like, I'm right.
One of the things you notice that doesn't get remarked upon that much is uh. You know, this is a very human centric rebellion and obviously a human supremacist empire, right, there are no there are no alien races in the Empire.
It's US humans.
And then you know the rebellion, You've got Ratus, You've got a few others, but it is you know, primarily the humans who are running things. And you contrast that with Saw and the first band of outlaws who wanted to be out there doing it, and it's the most diverse group of creatures.
Like you've ever seen. And I think that because of that, I've.
Always liked learning more about about the non humans in the rebellion.
Yea, what is that?
Like?
What? What were there?
What were the things that they did that helped, you know, move the rebellion towards victory written out of history, written out of history, just as we're about to see all of these, you know. I think that's one of the lessons of Rogue one is like, it's going to be like the here man Mathma deserved hero of the Rebellion, but it's gonna be Bale Organa and Luca who shots the bail Organo, who did harbor Lea. That was very important, but in terms of like moving the pieces around, not
a big not a big guy Okay, sorry, Draven. He was important a little bit kind of you know, kind of you know, and then John de Donna, which I still don't know what he did.
You so much Lucas, send an email, tell us.
Explain, explain somebody, somebody tell us what Didonna did, because it didn't seem it seemed like he just came in. And then by episode four is like leaning over the you know, the displays and standing in front of the screens and saying stuff that it's like, okay, but what we just watched his I'm not sure what you guys like he's writing like the missives, He's like John Dennna was really powerful, like he was sill a great job.
Definitely let him look over No. I love that answer. I think you're right. The creature work has always been such a key part of Star Wars, and it's very interesting to see the kind of alien dynamics and the thing is as well. I think it's fun to imagine them and want to see more of them in a space like this where Tony Gilroy is so thoughtful. It's not that there's a lot of suspicious alien activity and
analogy in George Lucas's Star Wars. I think that's a great answer for me, I'm not gonna surprise anyone here. I would have you know what, I don't need them to be in it, like fully in it, because I think I unders like the story they have in roguee is so amazing, But I would have liked to see a little trut and bas just chillin on Jedi. You know Donnie Yen in Star Wars as like a blind Master who isn't a Force user but is connected to the Force. Like that relationship between the two of them
was so powerful to me. I literally have like so many Rogue one spinoff novels because they wrote a lot about chur and Bays And yeah, I love the Jedda crew. I love saw, I love a kind of ragtag found family, So that definitely would have been my one like wish fulfillment thing. But also I don't need to be fan serviced because I'm being sad and this is fantastic TV.
The next few episodes of X Ray Vision. On Friday, we're bringing back the Jedi Council for another roundtable, the final three episodes of and Or season two, and then on Monday, we're celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the Empire Strikes Back and on Tuesday, we returned with the last of US episode six plus stick Around and did the weeks that follow as we prep for Mission Impossible, the Final Reckoning.
That's it for this episode. Thanks for listening.
It's Summer of I p mcgeddon Baby, We're covering the Mole. We're covering a moll like Pokemon Go.
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X Ray.
Vision is hosted by Jason Sepsion and Rosie Night and is a production of iHeart Podcasts.
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