When Andor finished its second season, we had a near-perfect series. Yet, as this article indicates, “some characters got their stories shortened” because of the need to condense the storyline. Perrin Fertha, Mon Mothma’s presumed “deadbeat husband,” is case in point. Based on a cut scene, he may have had more depth and knowledge than we thought. Even without this scene, we can see that Perrin was warning Mon about her old friend, Tay Kolma.
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The Cut Scene
Writer Tom Bissell recently revealed that a cut scene would have had Mon Mothma visiting with Perrin Fartha one last time. As the writer of Episodes 10 to 12 of Season 2, Bissell had Mon return to Chandrila to ask Perrin to watch over their daughter Leida and say goodbye. In that moment, Perrin’s story would have changed.
Perrin would have revealed that he knew what Mon was up to the entire time and was on her side. He would have said, “They talked to me. Every week, they’d interrogate me. I never said a word. You didn’t trust me.” This dialogue would have altered Mon’s trajectory, with her feeling “double heartbreak” over leaving her family and not trusting her husband.
This scene would have also dramatically transformed how we view Perrin. Beneath the veneer of “a charming and superficial man” absorbed with “luxury and gambling,” we would see him as a hidden agent of support for Mothma and, by extension, the nascent Rebellion. Some bemoan that we did not see this final twist, with Perrin “protecting Mon from afar.”
Yet, we may have seen some of that hidden ally after all in the wedding episode of Season 2.
Perrin Warned Mon
As fans indicate in this discussion, we most likely saw a glimpse of Perrin indicating he knew what Mon was doing and warning her about Tay Kolma. In Episode 3, “Harvest,” we have Perrin’s toast capture the most attention, but there was also a side conversation when Perrin comments about Tay.
A fan noted above how Perrin said about Tay, “he’s always been weak,” which we may take as a shot at Tay’s character, especially as he gets drunk at the wedding. He may have said it out of jealousy over a possible relationship with Mon. As Mon’s “old school friend,” they share a history. But, we can also detect that Perrin has figured out that “Mon was funneling money to the Rebellion” as he inspects Tay.
His comments about Tay then are more about warning Mon that Tay could turn on her, as he did in the episode. This video explores the conversation where Tay laid out his grievances and demands. Mon was “stunned” and ultimately gave in to the idea of dispatching with Tay.
That Perrin was already suspecting this turn of events supports the premise that he could be the “most underestimated character.” We can see in his speech and conversations with Mon and Davo Skulden that “he’s more observant than Mon recognizes” and had already “accurately sized Tay up long before Mon did.”
Even without the cut scene, we find the evidence that situates Perrin in the middle of the “chaos” in Episode 3 and, really, the entire season. With knowledge of the deleted scene, we can conclude that Perrin knew that “a genteel shakedown was afoot” and that Tay represented a true threat, aligned with Luthen’s thoughts on that matter.
We could have seen Perrin take on a larger role, but at least we saw a glimmer of his true self.
Two Characters Who Could Have Been Developed More
As the cousin of Mon, Vel Sartha is one character who could have been developed more. Knowing a little more about how she “sacrificed personal comforts” and bolted from her family to join the nascent Rebellion would have been appealing.
Like Mon and Perrin, “based on her socioeconomic status and family ties,” Vel may well have stayed put with the Imperial side or, if she resisted, have worked “against it from the inside like Mon Mothma.” Yet, we see Vel taking a direct fighting role, including the Aldhani heist from Season 1.
Timm Karlo is a second character that may have been extended somewhat. At first look, it seems that jealousy alone is what drove him to report on Cassian. Yet, his motivation to protect Bix Caleen provides more depth to him. Timm appears to be “a complicated enough character for him to have a complex mixture of motivations.”
Perrin and Mon
The deleted scene between Perrin and Mon at the end of Season 2 would have truly brought out Perrin as a complex character. However, we did get some insight into his hidden role, knowing about and supporting Mon’s activities. It would have been rewarding to see this arc fully brought out, but the creators had to make choices about what to leave in and what to leave out.