What Mon Mothma’s Dance Scene In Andor Season 2, Episode 3 Really Means, Explained By Genevieve O’Reilly Herself

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Andor season 2, episodes 1-3.Mon Mothma’s dance scene in Andor season 2, episode 3 has several layers of complex meaning, which Genevieve O’Reilly herself has commented on. The story of Andor season 2 begins with an introductory arc, one that features a celebratory scenario for Mon Mothma. Reprising her role from past Star Wars projects for Andor season 2’s cast, Genevieve O’Reilly continues exploring the somewhat tortured Imperial senator who is seeking a way to break free of the Empire. As the timeline of the franchise confirms, this later becomes Star Wars‘ organized Rebel Alliance.

Before she becomes integral to later chronological Star Wars movies, though, are the events of Andor season 2. In the first three episodes, Mon Mothma’s story centers around a wedding, specifically between her daughter and the son of Davo Sculdun, a shady businessman who coerced Mon into accepting the union in exchange for help funding her rebellious activities. In Andor season 2, episode 3, the wedding celebrations get underway, prompting Mon to drink and dance. Speaking exclusively to Screen Rant, Genevieve O’Reilly outlined exactly what this scene means, tying it to Andor season 2’s wider themes.

Mon Mothma’s Dance Scene In Andor Season 2 Shows Her Diplomatic Mask Slipping Away

The Calm, Collected Mon Mothma Disappears

One of the more immediately visible layers to Andor season 2, episode 3’s dance scene is how it shows a very different side to Mon Mothma. In every single one of the character’s Star Wars appearances, Mon has been shown as “the face of diplomacy,” as O’Reilly voiced it to Screen Rant‘s own Ash Crossan. O’Reilly went on to say that this mask has been worn throughout Mon’s life, both as a member of the senate and as someone building a rebellion against the Empire from within. For this reason, Mon has always had composure.

In Andor season 2, episode 3, however, Mon’s dance scene shows this diplomatic, collected mask slip away. Mon begins to drink and dance, with O’Reilly explaining how “it’s in a cultural celebration where you can lose yourself in the sea of this, hit this dance number…” For the first time in Star Wars history, Mon Mothma has shown a more wild, free side to her. Andor season 2, episode 3 focuses on this a lot, showcasing Mon dancing around a Chandrillan ballroom while other characters are dealing with their own hurdles and obstacles.

Andor Season 2’s Dance Scene Has A Dark Double Meaning For Mon Mothma

There Are Tragic Undertones To Mon Mothma’s Scene

Although this celebration is one way of interpreting Andor season 2’s dance scene, O’Reilly delved deeper into what it truly means for Mon Mothma. One of the main subplots of the wedding storyline in Andor season 2’s first three episodes involves Tay Kolma, a childhood friend of Mon’s who helped her conceal rebellion funding from the Empire in season 1. Andor season 2’s timeline places this story a year after that, leading up to bigger, more consequential galactic events in the Star Wars universe.

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As Andor season 2 quickly outlines, the year gap has not been kind to Tay. This piles more stress on Mon Mothma, adding a duality to her dance scene. O’Reilly insisted that:

You can be wrestling with a pain, a personal torture or a chaos. And so what’s so beautiful about that piece is that you can see dance or drinking, which might be celebratory to everyone else that’s there, but actually she’s dying inside.

This immediately adds another layer of context to Mon’s scene. To everyone else at the wedding, Mon Mothma is simply getting merry and enjoying the celebration of a traditional Chandrillan wedding. To the audience, Luthen, and Mon herself, on the other hand, the latter is simply trying to escape. Whether it be in Star Wars or the real world, many people tend to drink and dance and indulge to avoid or escape stressful situations. In Andor season 2’s dance scene, Mon is doing the same.

Mon Mothma’s Dance Scene Has Her Substitute One Mask For Another

Mon’s Layers Of Deceit Go Deeper

Where the aforementioned Tay Kolma is concerned, his addition to Mon’s storyline causes her to let loose. It is revealed that Tay’s wife left him in the year between Andor season 1 and the ending of Andor season 2’s first act. In desperation, Tay attempts to extort Mon, stating that he wants more money in exchange for his role in helping her build the rebellion. Luthen Rael finds out about this and has Tay unceremoniously killed, removing him as an obstacle to their fledgling resistance against the Empire.

Linking to both prior points about masks and Mon “dying inside,” Tay Kolma’s death was the catalyst of this. Mon removed her mask of the senate for those in attendance, letting them think that she was letting loose at a party. However, this was a mask in and of itself. In reality, Mon’s descent into the chaotic dance moves represented her own guilt, grief, stress, and trauma being washed away, if only briefly. Knowing what happened to Tay drove Mon to this, stacking yet another complex layer to the dance scene of Andor season 2, episode 3.

Andor Season 2’s Mon Mothma Scene Shows The Maturity & Complexity Of The Show

Andor Adds Adult Context To So Many Star Wars Elements

Above anything, Andor season 2’s Mon Mothma dance scene proves how mature the show is. More so than any other Star Wars TV show, Andor caters to a more adult audience. Several scenes from season 2, episode 3 highlight his, from the attempted sexual assault of Bix to Mon’s dance scene. The former is more overtly mature, but the latter scenario’s depth for what is so simple on the surface provides Andor with a whole other level of complexity. To further showcase this, there is another aspect that ties into Mon’s dancing scene that is not as overt as the Tay subplot: the wedding itself.

As was shown in Andor season 1’s ending, Mon did not want her daughter to be subjected to an arranged Chandrillan marriage, yet had to see this come to fruition for the rebellion. Andor season 2, episode 3 continues to outline Mon’s guilt over the situation, which also feeds into her decision to cut loose. All of this is much more mature and complex than most Star Wars storytelling proves to be, solidifying Andor as a truly superbly written show in a galaxy far, far away.

Andor

8/10

Release Date

2022 – 2025-00-00

Network

Disney+

Showrunner

Tony Gilroy

Directors

Susanna White

Writers

Dan Gilroy