#perrin simply being an ass is too easy for a show like andor

[tarabyte3]

I think it's fascinating that Perrin referred to marriage as Chandrila's greatest tradition. I think that says almost as much about him as the joy and pleasure parts of his speech. Especially when we consider that (on the outside and with very little knowledge of their past together) Perrin and Mon's marriage doesn't seem like a happy one. Undoubtedly they were both pressured into it by their families as very young teens, IF they were given a choice at all (unlikely). All season 1, they trade barbs intended to hurt, are begrudgingly in each other's company for appearance's sake, and seem like complete opposites in nearly every way, including their morals. She doesn't trust him. She throws him under the bus to save her own skin.

And yet, he ensures she's eaten breakfast. She steals his tea and takes a sip. And yet, they joke and smile at each other—genuine smiles. She makes sure she doesn't miss Perrin's speech and seems affected by the sentiment. And yet, he's clearly jealous of Tay. He was hurt when she seemed to believe he had been gambling again after he promised he wouldn't. And yet, he notices when she's crashing out on the dancefloor and it brings him to a stop.

Genevieve O'Reilly and Tony Gilroy have both hinted that we'll get a closer look at the two of them and their relationship, and I cannot wait. This show has already played with our expectations by presenting Perrin as the awful husband and Tay as the close friend who shares her morals and offers her the support she so desperately needs—the one we're rooting for because of course Mon deserves someone like him, instead, surely—only to pull the rug out from under us. Now Tay is showing his true colors and turning on her when things get difficult, and quickly too! He drops threats and puts her (and the rebellion) at risk, something Perrin, for all his faults and poor company, has never done. So I look forward to seeing what else we've been missing. To hopefully being able to understand Perrin enough to know what HE meant by "our greatest tradition."

(Plus, won't it be horrible and delicious if Perrin ends up being something more? An excellent day for tragedy enjoyers and a MUCH better story than "Mon just plays cutthroat politics and is a vehicle for plot the rest of the season.")