Andor – The Eye Review

It’s truly something that a series, centered around a character we all know will be making it out alive and well, can create such a deep feeling of suspense that it has you on the edge of your seat during a heist like this one. But Andor pulled it off – completely – making us care about the fates of characters we only just met, hoping against hope that things would go off without a hitch but being well-aware that such events rarely do (in real life or in the world of Star Wars). After all, when only one character in the team has plot armor, anything can happen. And kudos to the Andor team for not being afraid to kill their characters, allowing them to die in service of their goal while dealing a blow to the Empire.*

*It’s fitting that one of the key elements that made Rogue One stand out in the Star Wars cannon was its willingness to sacrifice its characters in the end is also present in the series detailing Cassian’s transition from loner hiding away on a remote planet to a man willing to risk it all to potentially save the galaxy. While I don’t see Cassian becoming a card-carrying Rebel any time soon, this is definitely the first step in his becoming the man we see in Rogue One – still wary, but much more willing to do what he knows must be done, even at his own expense.

And, to be frank, that was the most surprising part of the episode: The heist was successful, but lives were lost in the exchange. It’s incredibly rare, in this day and age, for a series to be willing to sacrifice characters in service of the story. But not only was writer Dan Gilroy willing to show the human cost of such a mission, he was able to write the episode in such a way that each loss stung for its own reasons. Tamaryn, the ex-Stormtrooper, ran into the gunfight in an attempt to rescue a pinned down Vel – and succeeded in getting her free by drawing enemy fire. Skeen showed his true colors – not sure if that particular turn was earned or not, but I’ll give it to them – and Cassian showed his, letting us better understand his moral compass as he leaves this wing of the Rebels and moves on to something else in his life. And poor, young, Nemik (who I predicted was not long for this world last week) completed his part and died as the result of a freak accident on the ship. Because, sometimes, good people die as the result of mistakes.

The close of this vignette of Andor brings with it new questions. Where will Andor, still eluding the authorities, mind you, go from here? His Inspector Javert of Syril Karn is still out there, awaiting word from his uncle on what new job he might be perfect for. Who wants to bet that this unnamed job will put him back in Cassian’s orbit sooner rather than later? And then there’s the fallout for the Empire. This is the most brazen attack yet by the Rebels – who is going to pay for this grievous error? If there’s one thing we know about the Empire, it’s that someone is always to be blamed when things don’t go their way. And this one was a doozy. Finally, how will this blow impact the nascent Rebellion? We know Lucien is overjoyed at the news the heist worked – and he’s going to be even happier when he finds out that the two people who could be linked to him made it out alright (I’m assuming someone is going to extract Cinta at some point? Maybe Vel?). Mon Mothma appeared shocked when she heard the news, but this is a key moment for her as well. The speech she was giving – regarding the continued protection of the Ghormans – lets us know that the Ghorman Massacre, the reason she spoke out against the Empire and went into hiding, is still yet to occur.

Things are moving forward in the timeline of the founding of the Rebellion as we knew it in A New Hope. How instrumental Cassian will be in helping lay that groundwork, time will tell. However, with him out of Lucien’s orbit for the moment, it will be particularly interesting to see how the series will tie the Rebellion side of the story (which includes the work of Dedra Meero in attempting to thwart it) with Cassian’s continued journey to hide from his own wanted posters. We know he can’t just head back to Ferrix and start over. So, what’s next for our titular character as he escapes this latest job? Is there a new gig on the horizon? Will he meet up with K2 at some point? I can’t imagine the Rebellion – or one of its more guerilla wings – is completely done with him though. He’s proven himself far too valuable.