***Spoiler Warning***
In just a few short episodes, Andor has introduced us to a band of rebel characters, fleshed them out into complicated and psychologically-defined heroes, and made me (and a whole host of other fans) fall in love with them and their cause. Episode six of Andor, titled ‘The Eye’, finds the rebel group – Gorn, Vel, Skeen, Cinta, Barcona, Nemik and titular hero Cassian – undertake their daring robbery of an Imperial payroll stored on the outpost planet of Aldhani. Directed by Susanna White and written by Dan Gilry, the episode is a masterclass in exponentially rising tension, devastating set-piece moments, and yet another instance of the series making it known that it is unafraid to depict the devastating consequences of dictatorial oppression and the violence suffered by those who dare to fight back against it. In comparison with last week’s mostly conversation-driven ‘The Axe Forgets’, this week’s installment delivers on its promise of action and spectacle, centered around a heist played out against the safeguarding cover of a beautiful-yet-deadly comet strike across the planet’s skies. And yet, it is the blunt, often traumatic deaths of major rebel characters in the midst of the rebel action that truly packs the emotional punch of this episode, with individuals we have come to love falling to the onslaught of Imperial violence in a manner that is as shocking as it is abrupt. Indeed, very few make it out of this week’s episode alive, and this fact leaves a clear impression on Cassian who is steadily becoming more and more aligned with the rebel cause. Halfway through this first season, episode six continues the hot-streak of Star Wars world-building and storytelling that Andor has carved out for itself; a show that seemingly no one asked for, but one that has now firmly announced itself as the gold standard of the franchise’s television output.
Notes from the Multiplex 