SPOILER Andor Ep. 6 Discussion

I can't wait to be tonight.

 

Ep. 6 - The Eye

This episode is why you hire Tony Gilroy to do a Star Wars.

We've seen dozens of heists and infiltration stories in SW already, but never has it been as suspenseful and tense as this one. On the top of my head, this is the best example of that kind of story I can remember having watched, not just in Star Wars, so I give it a 10/10. (That does not mean I think it is perfect Star Wars -- 'cause it is lacking something in that regard -- but as a military/insurgency/spy story, it works perfectly).

As for predictions... oh boy was I wrong. Nemik was true and pure (and his manifesto will help steer Andor towards rebellion from now on), Skeen was the traitor bastard after all (which means that set-up/pay-off was extremely simple and straight-forward, which was a surprise), and they did not all die. Actually, Cinta, Val, Gorn (I think), Taramyn (right?), they all live and I bet we'll have a rescue mission for one or more of them down the road.

Some "complaints":
--I'd like more non-humans in my Star Wars. They can sort of get away with it by saying Aldhani and Ferrix are (almost) strictly human colonies, but at some point we need to see more diversity in this show.
--Similarly, I'd like more weird in my Star Wars... even some silliness. The doctor alien was silly, but the tone was so dark it didn't really count. We know there are some Babu Friks coming up, so that might go some way towards infusing Andor with much-needed silly charm, but dank farrik this show is serious!
--By the Whills, I miss Alan Tyduk.


Some call-outs:
--The writing is incredibly on the spot. So tight, so exciting, and so very effective.
--Everyone's GREAT in this show! Especially in this episode, the acting -- be it rebels or Imps or civilians -- was 100% all throughout.
--That scene when Val hesitates to call the "go"? Yeah, that was the most suspense-inducing scene in all of Star Wars, I think. In that moment, she's so very afraid, and she knows she'll lose Cinta (at least for now). Marvelous!
--That scene when Mon Mothma argues the Ghorman relief effort in the Senate, and everybody leaves over the news of the major Rebel attack on Aldhani? An extremely important moment, the type of which Star Wars very often lacks = it shows context. Bravo!

 

Agreed. For what it's worth, the next 4 episodes will be neither written or directed by Tony Gilroy or any of his brothers, so perhaps that could signal a return back to more faithful SW tropes

 

Personally, I love the fact that we're getting a Star Wars story that doesn't rely on the "cute factor" to any measurable degree. No stuffed animals, no little kids in Greedo masks, no "Alvin & The Chipmunks" voices. Just people facing unbelievably steep odds to try to cut the first little chips out of a monolithic Empire.

It's a fresh take on the GFFA, and IMHO the experiment is paying off incredibly well.

The heist didn't go at all the way I had expected. The showrunners seemed to find a new source of tension in virtually every moment, and even Cassian's role in the mission resolved on a discordant note. As always, this episode demands a rewatch.

I was also struck by how empty the Senate was, even before the representatives began leaving to go follow the news of the rebel heist. That told another very unexpected story - subtly and wordlessly.

The Eye, on the other hand, was anything but subtle and did not disappoint! Very glad I've avoided trailers, as this was a spectacle that I think was much more effective for my having seen it for the first time in full story context.

I love that we're still only at the halfway point in the season!

 

I love how perfunctory most of the script is. I mean in a good way. Like it's not paper clipping moments of character revelation onto moments of action or pauses in between them. e.g. We don't get two characters stopping in the middle of the heist for one to say to the other "You never told me that's where you learned to swim..." or something.

Sure, that can be economical and even desirable at time. But I like that Andor is staying away from that and maintaining a style of its own. For instance, and I might be reading way too much into it, but the moment when Vel takes out the "med spike" and Skeen ask what it is. Like he's surprised that she either has it or that she's going to use it. And then a moment later Cassian is asking "what the hell did you give him?". It suggests that she might have given Nemik something just to keep him conscious to help pilot the ship but could hasten his death. Or it could be that Cassian and Skeen are just surprised that Vel could have had anything that could have revived Nemik at all.

 

I popped into this thread not really paying attention and read the lines above before realizing a new episode of Andor was out. The best part of it is: after watching the episode, I wholeheartedly agree!

THIS!, THIS!, THIS! and THIS!

I've been hearing a number SW fans beg for a more darker and more adult Star Wars series ever since The Mandalorian first came out. Then, when we get one, other SW fans complain it doesn't feel like Star Wars. Example #1274 that you can't please everybody.

 

I've been asking for a darker and more adult SW series since Rogue One. I was pleasantly surprised with The Mandalorian, and this show is exactly what I was waiting for. I always thought Lucasfilm was skipping over a big part of what the story *could* be, by not showing the seedy underbelly of the rebellion. While the pacing hasn't been perfect (the first two episodes could have been combined), the story has me locked in. This was a great episode.

I was left scratching my head when they left Cinta with the Imperial staff -- I couldn't figure out how she planned on rejoining the team to escape, without killing them all. She simply walked away. I'd hope that, at some point, they revisit her character.

 

OK, now that was some really good suspense right there. I loved not knowing what was going to happen. I'm also glad we didn't break away to see Mon Mothma or Luthen till the very end.

Dr. Quadpaws!! Thank you, Star Wars.

Can somebody help me out--is Cinta Aldhani? Is that why she just walked away to...home, I guess?

Was I the only one who just wanted to watch the Eye phenomenon?

 

As far as I can tell, the why's of that was not hinted at. Cinta's family was killed by Stormtroopers and Taramyn used to be a Stormtrooper, so I sort of wondered it there was some connection there, but nothing was indicated, I think.

 

Given the set-up for the heist, you might have expected the suspense build-up to include Mon Mothma and especially Luthen. But I thought that was some clever writing to end the show with them. Luthen's private little moment of exultation was the perfect ending to the episode.

 

OK, thanks! I was confused because of all the Imperial talk about killing off the Aldhani or else taking their land, and then that bit came up... I wasn't sure if she was connected with the Aldhani or just the fellowship of people who had been abused by stormtroopers.

 

Could Skeen have just wanted to test Cassian truthfulness when he offered him the deal... ? It's painful to me to buy he was an actual traitor


(edi) ... and I miss Syril Karn's reaction time, too

 

Ouch, if that was true, Skeen picked the wrong person to test...Cassian just straight-up shot him. (Our man is quite the killer...)

 

Incredibly impressive episode.

The Eye was beautiful- I hope these VFX artists were well treated, because they did such a great job.

 

I was incredibly excited about this series when it was first announced…I was even more excited when Gilroy was attached to it. And yet…It has exceeded all of my expectations! It’s well acted, has incredible dialogue, gorgeous visuals, an amazing score and every scene matters! This is the Star Wars series I was waiting for! I absolutely love it. I literally cannot wait for each episode to drop and I’ve re-watched every episode so far. I cannot wait to see where this goes for the next 6 episodes, let alone another whole season. Just love this!

 

I wouldn't want silliness like Jar Jar Binks in TPM, (btw, not a fan of Babu Friks... haha) levity would be a nice touch in a show that is so serious and dramatic. Game of Thrones/House of Dragons is able to implement fantasy in an adult manner, and that is all I want from a serious Star Wars program.

TPM and AOTC were campy and a bit goofy, I'm waiting for the Ahsoka and the Acolyte series, maybe I'll get some of what I yearn from a Star Wars show; nevertheless, I'm truly enjoying this series.

During this time period Jedi were unfortunately scant, so I fully understand why there are no Jedi in this series; however, a serious adult driven show with Jedi can be created with the right creative team... anywho, John Knoll pitched a film depicting the events of how the Rebels commandeered the Death Star plans, and it was successful, so now we have this tv series continuing a story focused on the common soldier:

RIP Taramyn Bar... (former Stormtrooper) and Lieutenant Gorn... thanks for your service... you are now one with the FORCE!!! Saw Gerrara will hold the torch... and continue the fight... this is WAR!

 

So a great episode, many heroes died to bring home the credit,s this was off course my favourite shot of it.