The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Editor’s Note: The recap below contains spoilers for Andor Season 2 Episode 5.

Andor Season 2 Episode 5 breaks with tradition and opens without the fanfare of the normal opening title screen. Instead, it begins with the static of a tuning radio, hopping between frequencies (Corellia 2-2-2, Ryloth 7-4-8) until it settles on the scattered radio chatter of Sculdun 3-4-3. Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) listens in as Sculdun (Richard Dillane) discusses an alleged forgery in his gallery with his assistant Mishko (Mia Soteriou) — which turns into a major subplot throughout the episode and into the next. When Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) enters the room, Kleya shuts off the radio and avoids telling him what she’s doing. This isn’t the first time that Kleya and Luthen have been shown at odds with each other throughout the series, but it does establish that Luthen is starting to see an end in sight for their machinations on Coruscant.

Later on in the episode, Kleya listens in on the Sculdun frequency once more and learns that he is (rightfully) suspicious that he’s being surveilled, and he intends to have all the items in his collection re-certified after his upcoming gala. This is a plan that is then reconfirmed by Mishko when she comes to visit Kleya at Luthen’s gallery to warn her about Sculdun’s concerns about the provenance of his pieces. When Luthen returns, Kleya finally admits to what she has learned: when Sculdun sends off his collection for re-certification, their bug will be discovered, and it will be traced back to them. Luthen is, understandably, quite frustrated with the situation, especially since the bug in Sculdun’s place was Kleya’s idea, not his. She points out that they have retrieved valuable information from the bug, namely proof that Wullf Yularen was lying, the Holo-Net News buyout, and that Sculdun was courting the Grand Vizier, but these are all deemed inconsequential by Luthen, who believes that they’re “drowning” and he’s no longer able to keep track of all of their schemes.

Despite Luthen’s belligerent attitude, Kleya makes it quite clear that they will have to retrieve the listening device during the party, otherwise they will have to be prepared for what comes next. It is fascinating how Andor continues to position Kleya as the more dedicated and cutthroat puppet master behind the rebellion, when Luthen is the one viewed as the leader of the movement. To an extent, it speaks to the historical — and concurrent — phenomenon of women being the leading voices behind political movements, while men often get the credit.

Syril Karn Has the “Greatest Day” of His Life in ‘Andor’ Season 2 Episode 5

Episode 4 establishes that Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) is working as a bit of a double-agent for the Empire by embedding himself within the Ghorman Front to feed them intel and provide Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) with vital information about what the Ghor are planning. While there are indications that Syril feels some degree of empathy for the plight of the Ghor, Episode 5 makes it quite clear that being a valued asset to the Empire is the most important thing to him.

At the top of the episode, Syril tells his mother Eedy (Kathryn Hunter) that he is planning to come home soon, citing impending travel restrictions coming to Ghorman that may make future travel difficult. Much like the Sculdun subplot, Syril’s plotline focuses on surveillance, and the Front is listening in on his conversation with his mother — and the ISB knows. As Syril wraps up the call, Lieutenant Grymish (Kurt Egyiawan) marches into his office with an order to sweep the place for bugs, which surprisingly upsets Syril. While the tech sweep is going on, Rylanz (Richard Sammel), Dilan (Théo Costa-Marini), and Enza (Alïs Lawson) discuss Syril’s history with the Empire, particularly in regards to the sealed records from his time on Morlana One. They discover that he was fired by the ISB — and they see that as an opening to exploit his feelings about the Empire for their own benefit.

Syril is quite frustrated with the tech sweep, and when he meets with Rylanz, Enza, and Dilan after work, he expresses that frustration, admitting that he was interrogated for two hours and made to feel like a criminal. He even goes so far as to theorize that the ISB did the sweep as a ruse to place their own listening device in his office. Enza does her best to twist the knife, characterizing the situation as “humiliating” and, to some extent, Syril seems to be in agreement about the situation. His frustration doesn’t appear to be an act. Rylanz suggests that the Emperor doesn’t know what the ISB is doing in his name, alleging that they are running a shadow government, and Syril humors the idea. Tapping into Syril’s insecurities with the ISB, Rylanz proposes that they work together for the good of the Empire to discover what’s really in the transport deliveries. While Syril insists that it’s just construction material, he does retrieve information about the cargo when he’s at work the following day.

Before leaving Ghorman, Syril drops the information off with Samm (Abraham Wapler) while “buying” a spider to take home to his mother on Coruscant, and it provides the Front with confirmation that the Empire is transporting more than just construction material through Ghorman. Syril does actually give the spider to his mother (who names it Syril), but not before swinging by Dedra’s place for what feels like a painfully scripted conjugal visit. At the suggestion of Major Partagaz (Anton Lesser), Dedra had Syril followed to her home, which seems to unnerve him almost as much as being told he can only stay for an hour. While things seem to be very much not going in Syril’s favor, his return to Coruscant proves to be the “greatest day of his life” after his official meeting with Dedra and Partagaz at the ISB.

He relays what he has learned from his conversations with the Ghorman Front — naming Rylanz as the leader of the group — and insists that they believe everything he has sold them. He informs Partagaz and Dedra that he believes they are making plans, but they will require outside help to achieve them. Just as they planned, they are baiting outside agitators (namely, “Axis”) to intervene. Syril insists that in order for their scheme to work, he must continue to give the Front accurate information, and the cargo shipments must remain regular. Dedra agrees: she wants the Front to see what winning feels like to embolden them. The successful operation on Ghorman earns Syril hard-earned praise from Partagaz, which prompts him to declare that it’s the “greatest day of his life.” While her face tells a different story, Dedra remarks that it’s good to see him happy, which, given how dour they both are, is likely a rare occasion.

Cassian Andor Goes Fashionably Undercover in Season 2 Episode 5

The aforementioned “outside agitator” arrives in the form of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who was asked to visit Ghorman in the previous episode. In the first few minutes of Episode 5, Cassian visits an unassuming shop in Coruscant where he meets Bon (Elliot Rennie) and Niki (Pui Fan Lee), who provide him with his assumed identity for the mission in a sequence that feels like something straight out of a spy movie. For the duration of his visit to Ghorman, Cassian is Varian Skye: an assistant designer who was born on Tahini and has been living on Coruscant since the age of twelve. The identity is surprisingly thorough, providing him with a brother (Patrio), an address on Coruscant (on Level 4888, no less), and specifics about his job (a dressmaking studio in the Fashion District).

Cassian dons an ensemble befitting a highbrow fashion designer and checks into a hotel located at the heart of Ghorman’s capital city, Palmo. He questions his bellhop, Thela (Stefan Crepon), about the monument in the center of the plaza, dedicated to the victims of the Tarkin Massacre. Ahead of Season 2, Tony Gilroy promised that the Ghorman Massacre would play a “very significant part” in the season, and this is the first indication that Andor intends to do something different with this event. What Thela describes as the Tarkin Massacre — Moff Tarkin landing his cruiser on unarmed citizens — was previously referred to as the “Ghorman Massacre” within non-canon Star Wars lore. In one stroke, Andor canonizes a piece of Legends history while setting the stage for another potential massacre down the line.

Thela tells Cassian that he isn’t supposed to discuss the massacre with guests, but that doesn’t stop him from admitting that not only was he present for the massacre, but he lost his father in the attack, too. He also makes a poignant comment about how the citizens believed there was safety in numbers — something that feels particularly relevant as Cassian meets with the Ghorman Front later in the episode. There’s some interesting microcommentary at play with Thela, in particular, when he tells Cassian that his wife thinks he’s insane for staying on Ghorman after what he experienced. It’s a privilege to be able to leave your homeworld after an act of violence perpetrated by an authoritarian regime. Thela works as a bellhop. He’s clearly middle to lower class, and it can be assumed that the death of his father when he was twelve cut him off from accessing any form of upward mobility that would have given him the means to leave Ghorman.

Related

What Does the Empire Really Want With Ghorman in ‘Andor,’ Anyway?

Evil has rarely been so casual.

After getting settled in at the hotel, Cassian — or rather, Varian — heads to a nearby café, where he encounters Enza Rylanz. Unlike Cassian, who does well with maintaining his cover, Enza is quite bullish about the whole thing. She talks about the declining tourism to the planet, and all but says exactly why Varian is on Ghorman. With a hushed voice, Cassian cautions her to be more careful — he could be ISB, and her eagerness could have just landed her entire family in a cell. Cassian points out that people die rushing into things, but Enza notes that it’s hard to be patient when the world is falling apart. In between her blatant comments about Varian’s presence on Ghorman, Cassian maintains the breezy tone of his persona, commenting about the fabric he intends to buy from her father. Before they part, he warns her that the people she has following him are drawing too much attention, which speaks to the inexperience of the Ghorman Front.

Cassian meets with Rylanz at his twillery showroom the following day, where he learns that the business has been in the family for nineteen generations (which makes it one of the youngest twilleries in Palmo). Rylanz makes a rather snide comment about Enza’s previous conversation with Cassian and assures him that it’s safe to talk in the twillery, despite the presence of other customers. Despite the red flags all around him, Cassian presents Rylanz with a code crystal for the Front to use in the special radio they received from a pilot they recently rescued. Rylanz brags about their “source” within the ISB and disregards Cassian’s advice that their source might be feeding them information that the ISB wants them to have.

Rylanz reveals their plan to target the cargo shipments that they believe to be carrying weapons, and Cassian is (quite understandably) hesitant about backing the plan. Rylanz admits that they lack tactical expertise, and he seems hopeful that Cassian might be their advisor. Despite his reservations, Cassian agrees to meet with the Front later that evening to review their plans. They watch the cargo shipments being taken through the city, and note that there are never more than three cargo shipments at a time (which feels like an echo of “never more than twelve”). They walk Cassian through their plan of attack, which includes dumping the stolen cargo down a nearby covert, where they will have getaway transport waiting, and the whole thing raises concerns for Cassian. The following day, he politely declines to provide Rylanz and the Front with reinforcements, citing the fact that they are advertising their plans and “living at the scene of the crime,” and Rylanz is incensed by Cassian refusing to help them. Cassian is correct about the Front’s lacking ability to pull off a heist, but Rylanz is also right to feel like they are being left to suffer under the boot of the Empire.

‘Andor’ Season 2 Episode 5 Reminds Us of the Dire Stakes of the Rebellion

In contrast with Cassian’s apathy toward the fledgling resistance on Ghorman, Andor reminds audiences that there is an extremist group within the Rebellion that is just waiting to combust. Following his arrival on D’Qar at the tail end of Episode 4, Wilmon (Muhannad Ben Amor) is still training Pluti on how to use the Rhydonium-fueled explosive device he delivered to Saw Gerrera’s (Forest Whitaker) partisans. Saw informs Pluti that he intends to kill Wil once he learns how to use the device, and assures him that he will make it look like an accident so they don’t get any blowback from killing one of Luthen’s agents. While Pluti isn’t confident in the sequences just yet, he also doesn’t want Wil to die. He asks Saw to tell him what station they’re planning to attack so he can learn the appropriate variation and Saw reveals that the following evening they will be attacking the Station Four junction of the Markez Moon Pipeline in the Neen Valley.

Unbeknownst to Pluti — or anyone really — the entire plan is a ploy to root out a traitor. The following day, Saw and Two Tubes meet with Pluti and Wil to discuss Pluti’s progress in learning the variations. Saw acts as though he intends to kill Wil, but at the last second he turns the blaster on Pluti and shoots him point-blank in the head. Saw reveals that Pluti was a spy who had been feeding their plans to the Empire, and he retrieves a device from his person that confirms his suspicions. Wil is shaken by the encounter, but Saw gives him no room to leave now. He’s in too deep.

With the Empire waiting for them at the Markez Moon Pipeline, Saw and the partisans, with Wil’s help, attack another pipeline. While Wil works on inputting the variations, Saw monologues about his experience of being forced into a work camp on Onderon alongside two to three hundred other young men who were worked until they died where they stood. This is where his addiction to Rhydo began. Wil is startled to see Saw take a hit of the Rhydonium, but he is also easily swayed into following suit, removing his safety mask and inhaling the fumes, too. Saw gives a very impassioned speech about how everyone views him as being crazy — and they’re right: the revolution is not for the sane. In a series filled with inspirational quotes about railing against authoritarian regimes, Andor gives Saw one of the most poignant pieces of dialogue about why extremists like the partisans are needed within rebellions: “We’re the fuel for the thing when there’s too much friction in the air.” Given everything that happened on Ferrix with Wil’s father, it makes sense that his views would more closely align with Saw’s partisans, as opposed to Luthen’s quiet, Machiavellian resistance.

Bix (Adria Arjona) is relatively absent from Episode 4, which speaks to how her plotline is intrinsically linked to Cassian’s in Season 2. Early in the episode, Luthen comes to visit her at the safehouse and, at first, she believes he is there to tell her that something has gone wrong with Cassian. But no, he’s there to see her. They discuss her drug use, which she claims is just to help her sleep, but Luthen cautions her that it won’t keep the nightmares away forever. She admits that she isn’t loving Coruscant, and that’s plain enough to see. Cooped up in the safehouse, she seems like a shell of her former self — both on Ferrix and on Mina-Rau, where she was starting to find some of her shine again. Luthen remarks that he knows she’s struggling, and she thinks Cassian told him that, but he assures her that all he does is sing her praises. He has a job for her, but he decides he’d prefer that she remain on Coruscant until Cassian returns, and that’s the end of that.

Later on, Bix is shown to be watching Good Morning, Coruscant, which feels like a bit of superfluous worldbuilding, at least at first. The two talking heads (Ruby Wax) gossip about Vesty Week galas and celebrations, making light of the politics linked to the investitures that “vesty” is a shortened version of. Paired with Kleya’s comment about the Holo-Net News buyout, it’s clear that the Empire has seized control of the airwaves to ensure that the only news being broadcast is news that makes them look good. While Good Morning, Coruscant was likely never the paragon of hard-hitting news, Andor seems to be making a point about the trivialization of news that has been transformed into “entertainment” rather than “informative” today. As the old adage goes, the revolution will not be televised. These little details speak volumes about Andor’s dedication to depicting all the finer details of authoritarian regimes and the lengths that they will go to to control every aspect of their citizens’ lives — one of the many reasons why the series is a true marvel in these trying times.

The first six episodes of Andor Season 2 are streaming now on Disney+.

Andor

Cassian Andor heads to Ghorman, while Syril Karn has the greatest day of his life.

Release Date

2022 – 2025-00-00

Network

Disney+

Showrunner

Tony Gilroy

Pros & Cons

• Episode 5 delivers a perfect mid-arc story as Cassian comes face-to-face with the fledgling rebels on Ghorman.
• The metacommentary throughout the episode continues to elevate Andor in ways we have never seen in Star Wars before.