Best episode yet: "Andor" Episode 6 (Spoiler Review-cap)

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[@YegRon]

One of the aspects of Andor I enjoy the most is how the Empire is portrayed. It is simultaneously frightening again while also being made personal. I mean, just something as simple as the scene with the pilots getting into their TIE fighters. It’s tense and menacing, yet we’re reminded that there are real people flying them. It’s brilliant!

[@azean84]

Yeah, I also like how they are humanising the Imperials, that they are not all out evil, the Colonel trying to save the boy. the wife of the Commandant seeming to be a nice person. Oh and showing the Imps to be competent, the plan that was only derailed by the efforts of a lone comms officer discovering the rebels signal and putting things together. It's a nice change from the moustache twirling fools the are so often portrayed as, making them more nuanced, intelligent and most of all the terrifying oppressors they are supposed to be, love it.

[@JohnnyLodge2]

I also think they do diversity well. For example we have queer coded (the imperial FBI type lady and her flamboyant assistant) jewish coded (the private security officer) antagonists instead of depicting the empire as hurr durr cis het white male oppressors

[@drumlessons833]

@@JohnnyLodge2 I disagree. I think by troping races and cultures they do a disservice to diversity, pigeonholing people into stereoptypes and dividing them.

[@JohnnyLodge2]

@@drumlessons833 bro it is way better than making the empire like literal Jordan Petersons or whoever the villain of the week is. It is a beginning of exploring just why it is people support the empire except for being iredeemably evil as previously depicted as.

[@taxult]

@@JohnnyLodge2 I could care less about the diversity, if they're good characters sure but if it's made for diversity its going to suck

[@dereklopez9060]

Truly, this show puts The Book Of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi show into shame.

[@chasehedges6775]

Soooo true. It’s better for sure

[@chasehedges6775]

Mandalorian and Andor are better than those 2

[@marcopaulo_]

@@chasehedges6775 i think this will be better than mando and mando season 3 will not be so good. but yeah agree with you

[@justcast1429]

First 3 episodes already proved that imo these last 3 are like a victory lap

[@PaDdOcKcHanNeL1]

Paint drying puts them to shame.

[@mecurian485]

I think the killing of Skeen was very much a subversion of expectations. The storytellers could have stretched it out with Skeen becoming a threat to Cassian that might have only been resolved episodes later. Instead Cassian just shoots him simultaneously ending the threat and showing us what kind of man Cassian is. He is calculating, decisive and pitiless when it comes protecting himself. He weighs up the possibilities, sees the likely outcomes, and acts in a way that minimizes threats. This is good writing. Pay attention Ryan Johnson, this is how it is done.

[@valzod3808]

That was Skeen. Sinta was the other female.

[@mecurian485]

@@valzod3808 Thanks

[@twit7380]

My only complaint is that I would have written it with skeen making a move towards his weapon first. We’ve been humanizing andor the past few episodes so for him to cold blooded murder again doesn’t move his character

[@mecurian485]

@@twit7380 Who shot first? 🤣 Actually the cold blooded part is what makes Cassian so fascinating. He is calculating and cold blooded, but at the same time he has a compassionate side, though he tries to deny it. I like him, and I want to know more of his story.

[@Philmagroin9]

@@twit7380 I liked Cassian shooting skeen because to me it showed that Cassian has some sort of car for the cause. He was hurt by skeen talking about leaving with the credits after most of the crew died. Loved the decision

[@PhasmaOfTsushima]

RIP Taramyn, you will be missed. He was who Finn should have been, an ex-stormtrooper who has his old life still inside him, but he acts on behalf of the good of all. I hope John Boyega doesn't get too discouraged to hear about it.

[@starwarsnewsandmemes8289]

He has no reason to be discouraged. It wasn't his fault Finn was poorly written in episodes 8 and 9.

[@madsketchy9261]

Had more of an ark than Finn did in his own damn franchise lol

[@evertonporter7887]

Kala from Obi -Wan Kenobi was also better written than Finn, sadly.

[@PhasmaOfTsushima]

@@starwarsnewsandmemes8289 well, discouragement that he was so wasted, and that it was so easy to do all along

[@Kris-Kash]

for real

[@JonasGrumby-OO]

This show is so good Tie fighters are actually scary

[@shadowscythes]

I thought the same thing

[@garavin]

And the reaction shots of the TIE pilots as they're chasing the freight hauler were really well done, I thought.

[@Einar730]

LMAO

[@MagnusTNT]

It's crazy how much different this was compared to episode 4 of Kenobi. In Andor they had to do all this setup with an inside man and took some casualties just to break into a random military base. Meanwhile in Kenobi they had Obi Wan and Tala break into the base of the INQUISITORS and made it out fairly unscathed, with the only casualty being Wade...

[@ronramen5827]

Dude Wade is worth 20 Nemiks and Taramyns

[@Hanoua2]

Wade... *Crying*

[@zakaryperrin7126]

Wade who??

[@jacob4920]

The only things I liked about "Kenobi" were episodes 3, 5, and 6. And it's not a coincidence that those were the episodes which featured Vader in them. Vader was the only good thing about "Kenobi." So far, this series has shown us that it doesn't even need Darth Vader to be pretty interesting.

[@benjalockridge6247]

@@jacob4920 I would agree if it had actually been Vader. That first fight was dreadful in my opinion. He snuffs out the fire he starts with the force, and then when it's restarted, Vader somehow forgets how to use the force and a droid gingerly drags Obi-Wan away. He doesn't force jump over the fire, or, I don't know, just go around it and pursue him easily faster than the droid was moving. The action was stupid and lazy. I don't understand the love. I was excited about Kenobi, I was not excited about Andor. Funny how it all turned out.

[@videovoidtv]

“One path. One choice. We win or everybody dies…” Such a great line!

[@leefchapman]

Her response was bone shattering. I didn't know if Gorn was bluffing or not but she was having none of it.

[@videovoidtv]

@@leefchapman I agree. It was an “all or nothing” response. Thats scary with a gun to your head.

[@ryanb9749]

As an engineer myself I love how the Imperial decoded the message, its exactly the same process I would see myself using IRL when diagnosing some IT issue.

[@jacob4920]

He's clearly not just some "shlub" working overtime, because of that action, as it would have been so easy to have happen. No. The plan nearly falls to pieces because at least one imperial officer was actually doing his due diligence.

[@marcusanark2541]

I like that the boy's death shows that dying in sacrifice to something noble doesn't always look glorious...

[@KS-cz9qc]

Absolutely! I was sad that he died, but I loved how it was just a freak accident. He didn’t “deserve” to die b/c he was young and loyal and dedicated, but that’s how it works in real life. I also love that there was still hope for him to survive surgery, but didn’t make it-again a healthy dose of realism rather than defaulting to a cliche. And it’s a great message that just because someone dies from an accident, it doesn’t diminish his contribution to the cause or the sacrifices he made.

[@marcusanark2541]

@@KS-cz9qc True.

[@Bwa876]

Even if Disney had nailed the previous projects (sequels, book of boba, Obi Wan)… I still believe Andor would’ve been something truly special. I know we all love Star Wars, but the franchise has never really been known for its subtlety (excluding some clone wars arcs). Andor, thanks to its excellent writing, has added a needed dose of nuance to character decisions.. and I think that’s a main component of its success.

[@JonZiegler6]

Completely disagree. Good writing would have made all the shows special. I would even argue this show needs good writing the most becuase Andor isn't exactly a character fans cared a lot about (compared to the ones you mention). I left this channel becuase it was too negative, I'm glad people here appreciate this show and how it's written to tell a story logically, not just fulfill check boxes of events :)

[@villus9384]

Episode was fantastic. Deaths hit hard and Nemik’s death happening not for glory or for the rebellion but because of a mistake was really good. Nemik’s belief in Cassian has been great to see, and it was very satisfying to see this pay off with Cassian getting his manifesto as his dying wish. I’m looking forward to how Cassian reacts to reading Nemik’s work.

[@jacob4920]

I hate to ruin the outcome, but I think it's something involving a Death Star...

[@KS-cz9qc]

I’m enjoying Cassian’s character development in that he’s very much like Jyn at this point in looking out only for himself and not showing any interest in a higher cause yet. Will be interesting to see how this may start to change as the show continues and how he ends up in his position in Rogue One.

[@garavin]

As they were buttoning up the ship and starting to launch I kept thinking to myself that Nemik really ought to find someplace else to be. The fact that he was the only one who could navigate them through the Eye puts the lie to something Vel and Luthen said earlier, namely, that Andor was there in part for redundancy. Without Nemik the heist was doomed.

[@GoldeneyeDoubleO7]

I know some viewers don't like the two episode build up that leads to people eventually dying in the 3rd episode of the arc but I personally like the self-contained stories that these arcs tell. It increases Andor's rewatchability and with someone eventually dying in the 3rd episode showcases the stakes and how fatal fighting in a war can be. This episode was a masterpiece and I'm looking forward to more.

[@JonZiegler6]

I think they could have spent more time with Mon mothma and the ISB woman, and the guy with his mom... But it's still good :)

[@nightwish1453]

Think they will be around a bit longer anyway

[@lucajohnson8318]

I genuinely cried during the flight through the meteor shower scene. I think I cried simply at just witnessing such beautiful Star Wars. This series has given me a new hope for this franchise. My mouth hung open this episode.

[@mecurian485]

Hope you're a woman, because no man would admit to crying over a pretty picture.

[@kirani111]

Me too, I feelt overwhelmed with emotion

[@baritono81]

Well said, I didn't cry but it was very emotional and I could not tear my eyes away from this entire episode....will watch again for sure!

[@meg1827]

I also cried! It was so beautiful, and I was sad about Nemik

[@garavin]

"This series has given me a new hope" I see what you did there 😉

[@richardparadox163]

I’m a 24 year old man and unashamed to admit this episode made me nearly cry three times, when Taranyn died, when the Eye opened up (it was beautiful and I was putting myself in the place of the Aldani), and when Nemik died. This is peak Star Wars

[@garavin]

I'm more than twice your age, and I thought the same thing.

[@bowenhorne0616]

This episode was great, the tension was palpable and the action was exciting. It had the emotions of a good arc finale. I also really loved getting a small look into another interesting culture in the galaxy. One thing that really stood out in this episode was the cinematography and camera work. The episode looked beautiful, it was movie level. Edit: Also have to mention the acting. Everyone is great, but I’ve gotta give extra praise to Stellan Skarsgård. He starts out cheerful talking to his customer, then the guy mentions Aldhani and we see the mask start to slip and the fear creep in, then he learns the attack was successful, he goes to the back and we can feel his relief. And he shows all this in barely a minute.

[@jshooper7819]

Something that Andor has done a remarkable job of...is making every character on screen feel like a real person with hopes, dreams, motivations etc. Everybody has something going on that is interesting and compelling. No character is a throw away or filler. The previous SW shows haven't really taken the time to make the side characters feel like real people. They're just background filler or cartoon characters. I hope this show sets the standard moving forward for how TV shows are written and directed. It truly is a masterpiece.

[@ajdz1840]

The problem franchises have is that they feel the need to keep one upping themselves with every sequel until they reach ridiculous levels, Exhibit A Starkiller Base. I love that Andor is bringing everything back down, grounding things to the level of the Tatooine scenes in A New Hope. Star Wars feels like a real place in a galaxy far, far away again

[@ProdCritic]

While I do believe there are layers to the decision (part of what makes Andor so great, there is real nuance) the primary thematic reason why Andor killed Skeen is because he functions essentially as a black mirror version of himself. They were both in prison & both jaded soldiers. So in effect, this was Andor "killing off" the worst version of himself, the version he could be if he gave up hope. Andor has a sister he is trying to find, Skeen lied about having a brother for his own gain. Now a boy lays inside dying and instead of caring he uses it as a distraction to run away. This is Andor's first step to becoming a hero.

[@dankokamcevski]

I like how everyone in the show has a family. It sort of limits them and limits are what makes it all feel real. It's like shading, they cannot just be anyone, anywhere, doing anything, without ties to any person in the world. Even Skeen has a family, which is virtual, just as his feeling of rebellion is. Also, it makes psychological sense for him to act suspiciously about Andor in the previous episodes: diverting attention is what he needs. Writing is excellent as always, visuals really grand, especially the Eye which was carefully prepared as a magnificent event that anyone would like to see, including the stormtroopers. And yeah, it really was magnificent. A strong A from me.

[@tayh.6235]

I really appreciate how they have humanized everyone. We see the not so pretty side of the rebels in a very realistic way and we see the mundane side of the empire. It's so easy to paint your opponents as faceless evil, but this show forces you to reckon with the fact that they are also just people like you are and all the messiness that brings. Very well done.

[@rsdillbot3646]

@@tayh.6235 I think my favorite bits of diolgue is with the empire, especially when it's the soldiers being casual. Like the pilots being late because nobody told them where they should be (relatable) and the one guard giving them slack for it was really nice to see

[@KS-cz9qc]

I feel like I’m reading a novel as I’m watching the show. It takes its time introducing the characters, setting the chess board, but the payoff is amazing. I think part of the reason I was so invested and on the edge of my seat for Ep 6 was that the setup in the previous episodes was so effective. Plus, I was very impressed that the story didn’t “give” anything to the characters in the heist. I felt like they were having to work for it every single moment, and even though I knew Andor at least had to survive, I found myself forgetting that detail because there was so much at stake and so much that could go wrong. In summary, I’m loving the high-caliber writing that I’m getting in this show, for plot, for character development, and the dialogue. I’ve missed this level of quality in Star Wars.

[@PorchPotatoMike]

I was sorta getting a “Where Eagles Dare” or “Force 10 from Navarrone” vibe throughout this episode. Loved it!

[@silverroxas358]

An important detail was that Skeen was going to betray the group was when the former stormtrooper was going to help and asked Skeen to cover him, he nodded, shot 1 shot then hid again letting him get killed. He chose to stop covering when he had the heavy blaster rifle. That was a very well made scene and easy to miss

[@garavin]

Haha, yes. When he ducked back after firing a single shot, I thought: That's not really how cover fire works, dude.

[@Metallic-Sun]

Oh yeah, I noticed that, and then almost immediately forgot about it.

[@Minty_Blitz]

My favorite episode so far. I love that the whole operation has "weight" and that Nemik's death will have some impact overall either on the rebellion or Andor. And the last scene of Luthen laughing was chilling.

[@L33Reacts]

I think Luthen is going to end up an extremist and go too far.

[@L33Reacts]

You don’t cast an actor like Skars as a costar unless your gonna do something interesting with him lol

[@jacob4920]

He's the Rebellion's "Darth Sidious," in a way. Constantly manipulating, and covering up, from behind the scenes, while he laughs, in a dark room, over his masterplans coming to fruition. lol

[@ic0nic707]

@@L33Reacts I mean, he already kinda is.

[@L33Reacts]

@@ic0nic707 depends on how you see things I suppose. that’s the beauty of nuanced story telling and not what we’ve been used to getting from Disney lol

[@ogieogie]

During the firefight the Imperials had the high ground.

[@shironasama0445]

I also love the humanization of the Empire. We see the Commandant’s family and their own relationship problems. The guy sitting down at his post, and the soldiers watching the event with the natives.

[@zacharyclark3693]

I loved how nothing felt too convenient or contrived in this episode. Even when the TIE Fighters couldn't hit the transport, it made sense because they were flying through the meteor shower and their sensors had interference.... not because the director suddenly needed the bad guys to be incompetent. The Empire feels like a threat in this show. And they're not all idiots. Like when they intercept their radio frequency and alert the airbase. Unlike in Kenobi, TIE Fighters are not just wall decorations. Plus, the way that Stormtroopers were talked about briefly made them sound like something serious. Now that I think about it, even the rebels seemed much more competent in this show than in other recent films/series. As you pointed out, there was thought put into how the extras and minor characters should react. It made them feel like real people. Not just an extra just standing in the background. Much more thought put into the little details. It makes other Disney+ series feel shallow. I was not expecting that ending, and I'm unsure where Cassian will go from here, but I am excited to see where this show will take us.

[@Hanoua2]

When the kid was crushed, I went:"NOOOO!" The show made me care, I knew that he wasnt going to make it, but I wasnt expecting his death to be an accident, I was expecting the cliché heroic death, but no, he was injured and slowly died afterward... Damn

[@rsdillbot3646]

Ironic. He died by the credits, his ideals.

[@garavin]

And he still got to be the hero because he navigated them out of danger.

[@nomadicsongs]

I think with the “tell me you’ll be alright” we can be confident that the plan was for Cinta to remain behind, and have her own evacuation plan. I’m wondering if Gorn was supposed to leave with them too, or maybe he was to retrieve Cinta and escape together. Either way I think we’re going to see the tail end of the heist where perhaps Cinta escapes, or is captured along with an injured Gorn…or is slain like Gorn. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

[@FFS-Vert]

What a great episode. Literally felt the tension in my body throughout the episode as they switched back and forth between the heist and the Dahnis chanting and the eye opening up. I loved Skeen’s line at the end about luck running the galaxy. Reminded me of Anakin and Ahsoka’s little exchange about luck before the siege of Mandalore. Anakin: “With any luck this will all be over soon.” Ahsoka: “Obi-Wan always said there’s no such thing as luck.” Anakin: “Good thing I taught you otherwise.”

[@spartan117zm]

24:51 the tension in this shot is palpable and I loved it. For a second when it played (and of course before it panned to the guy in the chair) the way the guy delivers his line while asking that question, it almost made me think it was a StormTrooper or an ISB agent who’d found Luthan’s connections to the Alliance and had come to take him in for questioning after news breaks about the heist.

[@TheMightyMarlo]

This was just great. I think the episode hits different because of the “slow burn” approach they’ve taken as well. Great Star Wars

[@MedalionDS9]

The impressive thing about this ep is to continue to go to the finer ground view of all the players involved, not just the Rebels but the aldhani's and even the Imperials'... their thoughts and feelings, their personal situations... all the moral grey, and the heinous acts that have to be carried out to kickstart a resistance/rebellion against an Evil Regime. One person's terrorists is another's Freedom Fighters... again, a topic explored in a neighboring franchise of Star Trek, specifically Deep Space Nine. What if the Eye is... a physical manifestation of the greater Cosmic Force... looking down and providing the cover needed for the plan to succeed... but it still comes at a cost... The Force works in mysterious ways and it's not all just blind good fortune for the "good guys".

[@Coleslaw693]

Really enjoyed this episode. To see Andor kill in cold blood again is like woah, did that just happen? Makes me rethink passing on the black series figures!

[@PhasmaOfTsushima]

"Andor shot first" someone should make that a Tshirt 😤

[@jetblast190]

@@PhasmaOfTsushima Lol! Let’s hope that doesn’t get retconned. 😬

[@PhasmaOfTsushima]

@@jetblast190 now that Han Solo is gone, nice to have someone kinda like him fill the shoes for this era

[@thomaslacornette1282]

Cassian seems to know when he had to kill before being killed and prefer shoot first, i like that.

[@deaconbluezz8827]

He really had no other option, if he refuses, then Skeen will be forced to turn on him, if he accepts, he betrays the crew and runs the risk of being betrayed by Skeen later on. I wouldn't call it killing in cold blood really, more out of necessity.

[@CaptainLore]

One thing that I thought was really strong was that, at least at the beginning of the heist, they make the team look like the villains who are kidnapping and threatening innocent bystanders. I also really liked everything after the heist with Mon Mothma, Luthen, and Nemik. This episode is my favorite Live Action Disney Star Wars. Everything is just so well done.

[@garavin]

The scene of Mon Mothma railing against the Ghormon situation to basically an empty Senate was very evocative of the political state. It would be 5 more years before the Emperor dissolved the Senate, but we can already see it's nothing but a shell for people to get wealthy while doing nothing. Yes, the Aldani news caught everyone's attention, but it seemed like pretty much no one was listening to her even before the news broke.

[@shariqhasan6220]

Props to that one Comms officer who was smart enough to figure out what happened. Everyone else assumed communications were down was because of the Eye but he didn't.

[@garavin]

Yep. You can certainly see how the Imperial War Machine would have a lot of incompetence baked into it (see the Russian troops in the current conflict in Ukraine for a contemporary example), but it's also true that they can't all be incompetent, or it wouldn't operate at all.

[@ryandodrill6904]

I really love this show. Speaking of Cassian not being noble made me realize they so far have absolutely nailed the antihero. The antihero is not some dark brooding hero, he’s someone who is not noble, who is not necessarily likable, but ultimately ends up fighting for good. I wonder if they’re trying to make us view Rogue One in a new light developing Andor into a true hero. Lucasfilm needs to get more good writing like this.

[@CantankerousDave]

He’s a good guy AND/OR bad guy. Disney Star Wars names are as subtle as a brick to the head.

[@nevermorethan12]

@@CantankerousDave like Dr. Quadpaw, the character that operated on Nemik

[@SirDenzington89]

Am I the only one that’s surprised by how much I like this show? This episode was just great and competently made. The heist plan all worked and made sense. Finally the empire isn’t portrayed as bumbling idiots. The comms guy figures out something’s wrong, the troopers can hit their shots. They launch TIEs. It felt like there were some real stakes. The visuals were also gorgeous at the end. Big props to everyone working on this thing.

[@d15p4tch6]

Yeah absolutely. Some of the best star wars content we've ever gotten

[@mecurian485]

Fantastic show. I'm really impressed at this show. It really is building the universe in a down to earth non-mystical way. I love it.

[@pacihu962]

Amazing Episode. But I think there could be more to the story of Skeens “betrayal”. What if he was testing Andor one more time. The whole story about stealing the money and his “fake brother” was just a lie in order to test Andros loyalties. Hear me out: Before the episode, we all would describe Skeen as a guy who lived for the cause and was driven as he said by “revange” for his brother. He was always loyal to the crew and was the most skeptical of them all towards Andor. Moreover it was Skeen who challenged Andor by holding a knife to his throat, while everyone else just seemed to accepted his part by now. Thus revealing Andors true motivations for of the operation. Money. If Skeen would be a traitor to the group, he would probably, now knowing he is a gun for hire, collaborated with him or work together to kill off the crew after a successful heist. So after all that happened Andor really delivered by staying loyal and decided to bring Nemik without hesitation decided to to the doctor, Skeen began to think if Andor could perhaps be convinced to be more than a gun for hire and become part of the first rebel crew. Since they desperately need new trusted and trained guys for jobs like this. On the new planet they had a few calm moments and Skeen tried to test if Andor would be worthy or again not to be trusted with that amount of money for something he doesn’t believe in. Perhaps down the road he could betray them. So what if Andor was wrong with his decision to shoot him so immaturely. Betrays like that are everything he became to known in his life. “Just another manipulator. It's either me or him.” So Andor just shot first before Skeen could reveal that it’s all just one last test to see where his priorities lie. I mean Luthen did something very similar to hire him for the rebellion, just a lot quicker and in a little different way. Even Val couldn’t believe it, and they seemed to spend some time together. Skeen just didn’t seem like he was a traitor after all that we saw of him. Sure, he was rough but he was loyal. So yeah. Andor might just shot a friend … or not. Skeen could’ve tested Andor, but he also could betray the crew. The truth is we don’t know, and we can only speculate. And this is what I so much love about the show. We don’t get an answer to this. We are left with this to think about. That’s what great storytelling is. Absolutely amazing.

[@garavin]

Could be... In that case, Skeen overplayed his hand and paid for it.

[@pacihu962]

@@garavin yep

[@shironasama0445]

Probably the most time I’ve been on the edge of my seat since Rogue One

[@DefactoOverlord]

I love that every scene has a purpose. Even them showing that commander got fat which leads to him having a heart attack later in the episode.

[@silverscion2144]

I just love this show challenges your preconceptions in meaningful ways. Even though I knew this was a suicide mission, my prior Star Wars knowledge made me expect one, maybe two deaths on the team. Instead, this mission played out much closer to how it would in real life. They planned for as much as they could, but things still went wrong and it cost most of the team their lives. It really shows just how much the rebels have to sacrifice and compromise their morals in order to reach the victories we see later in the series.

[@benjalockridge6247]

I deeply love this show and this episode. For once, a prequel has tension, and this has been unpredictable from the start which is a refreshing take from what we have gotten recently. Skeen dying was a shock, especially how abruptly it happened. But what seals it is the acting in those final moments of the episode. You can see the conflict in his face, but he's fighting some old deep rooted instincts, and unlike most films/shows, he fails in this moment. It's like a flash of panic from the conflict, and he just shoots the guy, because a human would do that with this mindset. It's not easy to change. This has been refreshing. I know many have noted how real the show has been, but for me it's even been on an FX level, and I finally pinpointed why that is. You see as a filmmaker, I know that current visual effects have given storytellers ways of breaking the rules and physics that you are placed under when setting up a shot. The camera can do whatever you want it to do in the digital age, but the approach in Andor is, yes the FX are there but we are going to force everything to live with the rules of physics as if the effects were not that at all, and so the camera has to behave like it would in a truly practical way. This has given this show a deeper sense of realism that is appreciated by this guy. MORE OF THIS PLEASE!

[@ADDOITALLDAY]

Wow this episode was like a mini Rogue one with survivors. The tension the build up and payoff, excellently executed.

[@fruitylerlups530]

9:43 I think this is a great reflection on Dorn's character, he's letting the man have his two cents, he knows his resentment, so if that man needs an Imp to chew into, Gorn will play that role. Its a subtle detail, but his actor, Sule Rimi nails the emotional subtlty of being a doublecross, likewise with Skarsgaard. The acting is impeccaple.

[@baritono81]

All the characters are so real and nuanced. I hope Gorn survives and I think he will he has potential. Even the commandant was interesting. You noted he died conveniently on cue of a heart attack after intense physical activity, but note the psychological part of this scene. He is instantly made to choose to condemn his family to be executed by the rebels if he tells his men to attack or he condemns himself to be executed by the empire if he tells his men to stand down. A terrible frightening reality, not just black and white but with real life complexity. The series is filled with moments like this. Impressive for Disney.

[@spartan117zm]

That’s an excellent point I hasn’t even considered.

[@esharp86]

I love that Cassian always shoots first. The character is so layered and yet so consistent, I feel like I know him really well and both admire him, and pity him. The line of being born in a hole and spending his life climbing over others to get out, was so great. He saw himself in skeen there, but you could see his revulsion, and his trauma in that moment, but as always his pragmatism wins out. Great writing great acting… can’t remember the last time I felt this way about a show.

[@davidwindell]

Can’t believe you skipped over the tears Cinta is shedding as she goes outside and joins the locals to watch the eye. The tears may be out of joy as she watches her successful friends fly away, but likely the tears are because she had to kill the family in order to protect her identity and the identities of all the rebels involved. Nobody wants to kill a kid but sometimes evils are necessary.

[@CH-ke9rm]

I honestly wasn't thinking about that possibility until you brought it up. It makes perfect sense, to clean up loose ends. Now I wonder if they make light of this next week

[@baritono81]

Good point I also didn't think of that

[@runninwizard8609]

Gareth Edwards is a master of subtlety, I love how he leaves things like this up for the audience to infer instead of being all in your face about things. I think this is why I enjoy Andor much more than most of the other Star Wars and Disney D+ shows

[@kaygee2121]

@@runninwizard8609 You mean Tony Gilroy?

[@MegaSpideyman]

@@runninwizard8609 Yeah, Edwards never did this.

[@migueltrujillo8929]

I'm liking how this episode shows how even the most well thought out meticulous plans fall apart when they come contact with reality. Quite often there's either an oversight or just plain bad luck that will complicate things, as we see in the heist attempt. Furthermore, while the heroes managed to pull off the heist, it came with a steep price - only four manage to escape the planet and only two of those four are alive at the end of the episode. While we see such break in attempts quite often in Star Wars, in almost all cases the heroes come out alive (if anyone of the heroes dies it's usually a heroic death of sorts) - that is not the case here. Furthermore, those heroes who die are those whom we've gotten to know and as such their deaths are more emotionally impactful. They're not throw-away redshirts (like Wade in Kenobi) who are only there to demonstrate the peril that the heroes are in. And finally I like how the villains, the imperial soldiers are humanized. They're not just cartoon bad guys. You get the sense these are everyday guys who are just doing their jobs and are trying to make it in the galaxy. It adds to the moral complexity of the story being told. All in all I'd say this is the best Disney Star Wars show thus far. It is quite like reading a good novel.

[@kiyanhakim384]

This show is splendid. It really really gives me the vibes of the old EU empire era novels and media. It's just great to finally have a show that is aimed more or less at us adults though I am sure a lot of kids are watching and enjoying the show like my little cousin who hates star wars but finds this show good because I told him to give it a try. And really you know that a show us good when the only thing you can complain about is that the goats are called goats or that blasters are called guns at one point. It also does something tremendous in the aspect of world building. Which we didn't have a long time now in star wars where everything just randomly happened and nothing was every explained. I cannot stress how much I am enjoying this show and the fact that we, the star wars community can finally overanalise star wars content again, because let's be honest none of the last media was actually worth exploring in depth because there was none. What is also interesting to not is how somehow all of us "racist" star wars fans seem to genuinely enjoy all the characters in this show and show no hate. It's truly as if people don't actually care about race but rather the content of a show. Magically people are nor racist anymore when the show is good... hmmm. Props to Tony gilroy and the entire team behind this work of art as I am glued to the screen every Wednesday.

[@АлексейМомот-щ7о]

Now the show is racist because it killed off the only two black guys

[@ImTheReverse]

@@АлексейМомот-щ7о And yet the lead is Hispanic and Cinta is played by an Indian woman. Gorm may have died but he was the only good Imperial on the planet. And most of the bad Imperials were white.

[@ArcticWolf00Alpha0]

@@АлексейМомот-щ7о Also the show: Kills two white guys in its opening scene...

[@LennarthAnaya]

well written, well acted, well produced, I can't believe it

[@TeenageMutantZuckerTurtle]

I think the commandant called the hide a “goat” hide as a way to show how little he cares for the Aldani traditions. In Star Wars, usually the only time a real-world animal names like cat, dog, goat, bug, etc are only used in dialog is in an either ignorant or derogatory way. People who are native to the planet (or take the time to learn about the wildlife of the planet they’re on) use the animals’ proper names or at least local nicknames for them. Someone who just calls wildlife general terms like “bugs” or “goats” (which seem to function as very general terms in galactic basic) is either a new visitor, or a less-recent arrival who either simply doesn’t know or have the means to learn the names of local fauna, or just doesn’t care to use the correct terminology because they don’t care. His casual use of the word “goat” while the entire line was dripping with disdain and elitism, just proves how little he cares. He COULD easily learn what exactly the animals that roam the planet he’s stationed on are called, even just through casual conversation. This is what most characters do. This guy, however, just cares so little, that to him, they’re all goats, everywhere he goes. If he visited Tatooine he’d probably see a Bantha and call it a big wooly goat. He’d probably go to Hoth and call Tauntauns upright goats. He doesn’t care, he’s a bitter career Imperial on a dead end assignment on what he considers to be an empty backwoods planet.

[@blitzwinger999wright6]

Honestly, the stress level of the Commandant is probably what led to his heart attack. Of course his put on weight probably would be a contributing factor, but I think that the stress paired with the physical exertion would be enough to put an aging man into cardiac arrest.

[@thorskywalker]

Good point. Probably a bit of both.

[@ioannistsak9843]

Also even if he had survived, his career would be over and a court-martial would be coming for him right after. You can't fail your job when you work for a totalitarian regime.

[@ArdaSReal]

I expected the least from it yet for the the first time in years i feel a new found exitement for Star Wars! I am in love and i havent felt like this in a LONG time I thought obi Wan or ahsoka would do it for me but Andor has awaken my hope for Star wars again, now im even more existed for ahsoka

[@LumVaughan]

The Commandant was the first Imperial on screen that we've seen with a family. It surprised me to see that they went with him on his assignment, but it brought a deeper sense of humanity to the cold, heartless soldiers of the Empire. I think Andor's killing of Skeen actually showed some maturity of character. He could have simply shot him and taken the 80 million credits and left, as clearly Skeen was going to end up killing him. Instead, he only took his cut, bought a ship from the sadly named 'Dr. Quadpaw' and left, but not before returning Luthen's kyber necklace to Vel. He is already making less selfish and more focused choices, as he lost a lot of money by doing it the 'right way'. I'm sure Nemik's manifesto will further mold him, but the change has began already. Cinta seemed a bit more ruthless in this episode than I imagined that she would be, killing the colonel quickly. Unless she murdered the hostages, she should be easy for the ISB to find, even disguised in an Imperial officer's uniform. It was a very smooth, carefully crafted episode that flowed in a path different than I had speculated it would.

[@ArcticWolf00Alpha0]

Im calling it that the Empire finds her and kills her relatively quickly. Her holding the family at Gunpoint will easily be a public offense in the Empire's eyes. No way she survives this with what we know comes next.

[@garavin]

Feels very similar to frontier life for soldiers in 19th century America-- an army fort out west, most likely in hostile native territory, maybe there to protect some settlers. They'd bring their families with them. Heck, even modern military bases have family housing on them.

[@Killerbee4712]

"Youll sleep when the mission is done" Now thats *foreshadowing*

[@chair6703]

yet again, the combat/action feels really good because of all the build up, i prefer this over constant mindless action. Additionally, the combat itself is wonderfully done, it looks like how that type of engagement would go down, a lot of rounds down range to suppress the enemy, and then moving to cover, both sides did that and it looks just like how a firefight in an urban tight space goes down. its chaotic and messy, people get hit, but a lot of rounds hit nothing. in mando for example, it feels like no one uses cover or concealment, and the good guys have aimbot and the bad guys have the worst aim ever (unless theyre aiming at mandos beskar). it feels so cheesy and contrived, andor is such a breath of fresh air in so many ways

[@waynetyrrell5026]

I like how not all people are good and evil black and white but elements of grey

[@niccistarkiller1131]

This is what the series hasbeen building up for, and it was amazing. We got to see both emotions and action. I start with Andor shooting Skeen was cause he know Skeen would have shoot him instead. But also becaus of Luthen. He saved him and then was the first one that has belived in him and seen that it's posible to trust him. He wanted to do right by him. But he has no feeling for the cause. It was a job and its done. The build up made us care for the ones eho didn't make it. Taramyn had a very intresting backstory, like Finn but well written. Gorn might stil live. Nemick I hoped would make it, but hus manifesto will turn Andor. I'm not sure about Cinta. Was it planned from the beginning, Vel seemed to be worried about her part of the mission and the way they looked at each other when Vel left Cinta it looked like the wouldn't see each other for a while. This series is so good I still want Gilroy to make the next movie. He know how to build up a story and characters. He maybe need a little help with lore stuff, but there are people who can help with that.

[@rebel4403]

This show is so good I'm wishing that they were going to do all 5 seasons they originally planned instead of shortening it to two the one thing that stood out was if Taramyn used to be a storm trooper so was more of an elite soldier then Casian should not have to point out who should walk where based of how they shoot Taramyn should know that

[@BlankAreAthletes]

Wow this episode was good. Didn't pull punches and left enough out there to keep us ready for the next episode and gave us a great look at Cassians outlook on life at this point while also being a wild ride. But not just a wild ride with no thought behind it. Everything done makes sense and all the characters seem to act with a lot of thought. Better than any episode in Kenobi or TBOBF.

[@MoFiTheMagnificent]

Nemik was my favorite and I'm so sad to see him gone. So realistic

[@MaxRamos8]

I love the detail when they March in front of Gord and Gord notices that nemic is not in step with the rest of the squad. As a marching band member, I felt the pain and shock

[@garavin]

Unfortunately, as soon as we saw Nemik's red hat, my wife and I both said: Red Shirt 🤣

[@Raddekopp]

Edge of your seat the whole episode! What did it for me was this: Lt Gorn translated the leader’s thing about the eye opening for the empire to find some wisdom to a relatively positive statement in English. This seemed to have confused the elder. Maybe he understood, or he was waiting for a negative reaction.. well as this was missing and with the scenes cutting back to the tribespeople throwing the rugs in the fire I thought that they might attack and throw off the rebels‘ plan. Oh boy, that kept me on my seat!

[@garavin]

We certainly see that the Dhani people aren't the simpletons that the commander takes them to be, at least not all of them.

[@lowkey2494]

I really appreciate the approach that the show writers took in fleshing out one of the more official acts of the Rebellion. Solid, solid show and I looked forward to the next episode.

[@Yashu1105]

In my opinion Andor is by far the best Star Wars show. Man this Episode was tense and the build Up was great.

[@FSfraud]

This is probably the best "star wars" we've had in a while it just shows what they can actually do when they aren't giving us this child friendly galactic adventure stuff they gave us in Kenobi and boba Fett, in my opinion I'd expect more of this tone from the book of boba Fett considering well he's boba Fett, as well as Kenobi which is set in probably the most dark and sad time in the galaxy.

[@starwarsnewsandmemes8289]

Your idea for a discussion about destroying a culture by distracting them with nonsense being reflected in the real world would be an AMAZING "let's talk some SW" video.

[@mherzog21]

I have played Squadrons too much ... I was rooting for the TIE pilots to do something cool.

[@MarvinMartinez2001]

The eye was the most beautiful visual in all of Disney Star Wars!!!

[@mrcat3493]

Andor is doing so well. I loved this battle sequence, it was the best I have seen from Star Wars since the Battle of High. I also loved the scene of the TIE Fighter pilots actually entering and getting their fighters ready for battle. It was so great and just added to the atmosphere that the Empire is actually a threat and terrifying and not just a bunch of chumps.

[@Magemo7]

To me this arc was one of the best Star Wars content I've seen

[@CharlieSmithJr]

Thanks for the amazing Andor episode recap, one important Easter egg I noticed was the similarities in the Rogue One shuttle escape scene. When Cassian flew his crew with K-2SO away from the Death Star destruction of Jehda City. In Eye episode he pilots the imperial cargo ship through a stream of shooting stars, that look a lot like Jedi light sabers.

[@victortran8540]

The ending credits music was also amazing

[@tashriser]

I still miss the alien species. We're having such a good moment watching this series (mainly because of the previous 2 ones that fail) that I even forget it's a Star Wars story.

[@darwinskeeper421]

6:53 I also hope that Andor shows how dangerous Stormtroopers can be. Consider how effective the Stormies were when they boarded the Tantive IV in the beginning of A New Hope. That's what Stormtroopers should be.

[@nihiluos]

Andor has turned out to my most favorite Star Wars show. At first I haven't had too much hope on it considering the catastrophic storyline that we saw at Kenobi. Though Andor approach to the universe much more seriously we do really able to see an Empire which is not only canon fodder for the good guys. They're able to think and react in logic like a simple radio operator gets something is going on and alerts others to find out what is, and then they do intervene to the heist and they do really managed to kill the good guys. In the meantime we aren't getting any special heroic monument for those who die just suddenly they got the blaster shot and dead. Wonderful job, this is the Star Wars that I have been waiting for years after Rogue One.

[@naotohex]

Such an amazing episode. I like how they show the aspect of the Rebellion that is not discussed too much. When Rebellions form they are typically unorganized at the start and are taking in basically anyone that will join. It leads to taking in people like Sceen who will abandon the cause just to get some easy money and like a better life.

[@yvonnesmith6152]

Those little way stations with alcohol for the Dhani would probably be, in our society, kiosks equipped with “data pads” displaying the Amazon page with credits pre-applied by the Empire that the Natives can spend to their hearts content. Yep….that pretty much would dwindle down our numbers to 2-3. All Hail Emperor Materialism. Why are we rooting for this guy? Because we know his arc already

[@ellicel]

Even though I knew Cassian would live the writers still managed to add tension even to his fate. Personally I wasn’t sure he hadn’t lied about his expertise with knowing how to pilot the ship so I didn’t know if his lie would cost some of his teammates their lives. I also thought he might get captured. And even though tv tropes have taught us anemia would die, I think they still managed to make it surprising when it finally happened. And I don’t think anyone was too shocked that Skeen turned out to be a traitor, but it’s debatable whether this was always his plan or if his seeming care for Nemik was real. Overall, after Rogue One I think we all knew a lot, if not all, would die. But what surprised me was that the show managed to make me care not just about them, but also even about some of the “bad guys” who had barely any screen time. I worried about the commander’s innocent family, wondered about the backstory of the engineer (and if maybe he, like Gorn, wasn’t really a true believer), and felt bad over the communications guy who was just trying to do his job…and do it well. I think this causes us to consider the culpability or responsibility of people who are on the side of evil, even though they themselves might be honorable, if not completely innocent.

[@garavin]

It begs the question of where he learned to fly, but yeah.

[@d15p4tch6]

I think also with Skeens betrayal, Cassian thinks that Skeen only wanted to divert to the doctor so that he could steal the money. If they had gone straight to completing the mission, Skeen wouldn't have any chance to steal the money. Cassian realizes that Skeen didn't care about Nemik at all.

[@soutarm]

I fully expected the rebel they left behind to strip off her uniform to reveal a different outfit so she could blend in with the locals down the hill

[@bakes1324]

Another cool thing I noticed is that some of the E-11’s had longer barrels than we’ve seen before. Very cool to see in a show or movie as usually you’d only see stuff like that in video games.

[@MaxRamos8]

I love the detail when they March in front of Gord and Gord notices that nemic is not in step with the rest of the squad. As a marching band member, I felt the pain and shock

[@dorobooya4721]

Didn't realize before, that the scene is using the lightshow to show how similiar the imperial soldiers are to the natives....that they could enjoy a simple thing together. Reminds me of the Xmas armistice.

[@someguy9070]

I love how almost every time Thor says that’s a story for a bother time or we can discuss that some other time he throws up a picture of Maz Kanata. Perfection!

[@brickmatt6776]

I actually loved Cassian just blasting Skeen. The ruthlessness of it was brilliant and it's just very refreshing to see a "good guy" do something like that without hesitation, I think judging him for it or acting like it makes him less heroic just plays into the idealistic view that this show is refuting.

[@Mikeygee99]

On Taraman’s death, he tells Skeen to cover him, but he seems to do so half-ass. Maybe a foreshadowing that he wasn’t such a good guy, hoping the others would die so he could take the credits

[@ColtonRDean]

Episodes like this are what I was hoping Disney Star Wars would consistently produce.

[@daniellebcooper7160]

A great espionage/spy story thats being well told, and set in the Star Wars universe....Excellent !!.

[@MightyGalvatron]

There are so many small things in this show that I enjoy. Seeing Imperial pilots scramble to their fighters was something I never realized I wanted. I will admit that I don't understand why they didn't give us the traditional E-11 sound effects during the blaster fight though. They sounded more like Star Trek phasers to me.

[@garavin]

The blasters that Andor's team had were E-10's a precursor of the E-11, but I believe most of the base's troops did have E-11's, so yeah, they should have gone with the original sound effects for those.

[@ryanrichardson9915]

I think it has been very well done for the most part. I love how gritty it is.

[@azean84]

Loved this episode, I have never felt so much tension in any Star Wars show/movie and I'm here for it. The acting, cinematography and story are all so good, really hope the rest of the season is as good as the first half.

[@kdrewmorris]

Cassian being flawed is such a breath of fresh air tbh

[@dm9856]

I havent even watched one episode. Thanks for telling me its good. Will give it a shot.

[@caseyjp1]

I've made this comment before, but this series should have been released in 3-episode chunks. (Like #Arcane did over on Netflix.) This is more 4 movies than 12 episodes. Absolutely loving this story.

[@theonlysaj61]

being honest i didnt love this show for the first 3-4 episodes but man have i really come around on it. I also have to say it is in large part to you, who's breakdown videos have only increased my enjoyment for this series as a whole. Thank you for all the work u do thor!

[@mk80.]

Nemec's comment about mercenaries and their role in fighting against the Empire is interesting when taking account that not only does Cassian start out as a mercenary before joining the rebellion eventually, but also being critical to the success of the Battle of Scarif, but Han starts out as a mercenary too in New Hope as Leia even says to Luke after escaping the Death Star, and he becomes pivotal to the rebellion's entire success in the original trilogy.

[@simonyesh]

This episode was truly great. The pacing and cinematography was solid. There were stakes, I cared about what happened to the characters, and the tension felt real. One thing that I also really enjoyed was that, even though I wasn't rooting for them, I kinda felt for the imperials. Mainly the workers, communication officer, and the commandant's family. It humanized them. This show has been great at showing layers in people. Between the rebels, imperials, and people of the galaxy there is not just black and white to them, there is nuance to their actions and motivations.

[@LuketheDuke424]

The writing, pacing, cinematography, all of Andor continually proves that it's the best live action Star Wars show. I hope that the Mandalorian can learn from Andor and make season 3 much better than seasons 1 and 2 were.

[@АлексейМомот-щ7о]

How they'll learn from it when it's already written?

[@Loki_Yogi]

I don't think I've ever been this hyped and excited for Disney Star Wars. I hope we don't get spoiled by this show and hopefully the creative minds and powers that be will continue to give us high quality Star Wars. 🙏