This episode proved that Andor is not just good Star Wars. It's great tv, period.
As TV show episodes go, this was one of the finest! Edge of the seat good till the very end! So so good!
How can they release a crap like Obi Wan and then Andor which is damn amazing. This episode was a masterclass.
This was in many ways not what I was expecting. I thought there would be more fireworks. However I enjoyed every damn second of it. The tension was so thick, you could cut it. It reminded me a bit of "The Guns of Navarone" (if anyone here is old enough to remember that). You know that at some point it would all go sideways, that there would be casulties. But I did not expect practically the whole team going down. The Eye looked spectacular and the soundtrack is great, too.
A darn well excecuted episode.
Holy cow this episode was fire! Everything was building up to this and it paid off spectacularly. 10/10
[9.5/10] This is some top tier Star Wars. Here’s the thing that makes “The Eye” so impressive. You pretty much know that this has to work. You know, given Rogue One, that Cassian makes it out alive. You know from the nature of Star Wars, even this more grounded, grittier version of Star Wars, that the rebel mission almost certainly succeeds. And yet, this is still as exciting, tense, and full of meaning as you could hope for given the degree of setup we’ve had to this point.
That is an achievement. It speaks to the level of craft on display. Heist stories lend themselves to these qualities, but you have to believe the stakes of the mission, care about the characters, and feel the risks even if you intellectually know they’ll be overcome.
We buy the stakes of the mission not just because of the gold in the vault, but because of the devotion of those on the ground, and the anxieties of Luthen and Mon Mothma. We care about the characters because we had two episodes to learn their backstories, understand why they’re in this fight in the first place, and watch them bounce off of one another. And we feel the risks at play because of the superb production and texture at play, with crisp choices in editing and riveting score that play up the peril in any given moment.
Even now, the show isn’t done. We’re introduced to the Commandant of the Aldhani outpost, who is another functionary in an unhappy marriage, with just enough texture to his family to show us he cares but is a bad guy. We see the way both he and the colonel look down upon the locals. We witness how the indigenous people of this place are marginalized, condescended to, treated like uninvited guests in their own land. The atmosphere of why this fight wafts like incense through the entire episode.
And like all great heist stories, things go wrong. The timing is off, to where people are late and they can’t ship out all the payroll they wanted. Vel is hesitant, continuing her unease at being the leader despite appearances to the contrary, before finally deciding to pull the trigger on the operation. One enterprising corporal realizes something is off when the comms go down, and he brings a squadron of soldiers down to the vault to investigate. Enough goes right to where we can buy our heroes’ success, but enough goes wrong to where they earn it.
That includes the loss of life here. When it comes to storytelling, meaningful victories come with a cost. Who knows what happens to Lt. Gorn and to Cinta, who are left behind and seem likely to suffer the consequences of their hand in this robbery. Taramyn dies fairly quickly, which, candidly, is no great loss considering how little shading he got. If anything, we find out his interesting backstory -- that he’s a former stormtrooper who chose to join the Rebellion -- just in time for him to perish.
You feel it for Nemik though. He’s the young idealist. He absolves Andor, saying that mercenaries are a necessary part of their revolution, no matter what he believes. He almost makes it out, surviving the assault from the corporal, but having his insides crushed in the great escape, a bitter irony. His chances for survival are compromised when Vel using the sci-fi equivalent of a jolt of adrenaline to keep him alive just long enough to provide Cassian the coordinates to pilot his way out of there, possibly compromising his chances to recover. And he dies on the operating table, despite the valiant efforts of a sympathetic doctor (who looks like a cross between Maz Kanata and Dexter Jettster), bequeathing his manifesto to Cassian.
Here is idealism crushed under the bootheel of necessity. Here is innocence ground up under the wheels and treads of a rebellion that must roll through the muck. Here is a symbol for what’s inspiring about the alliance to restore the republic -- someone who is green but genuinely believes in freedom and justice and a better world for all -- sacrificed in the name of ensuring others have the lucre necessary to carry on that dream. His is a loss that’s felt, but feeling that loss helps turn the heart of our protagonist.
I like that Andor isn’t suddenly a true believer. (Presumably that’ll take half a dozen more episodes at least.) He doesn’t want the manifesto. He never wanted to be a part of this in the first place. But it’s hard to see such genuine idealism, paid for with the price of one’s life, and not be at least a little moved. The operation on Aldhani has been an exercise in Andor comprehending the sort of cause that good men and women would devote themselves to, and it’s a first step toward believing in the same.
That ties into the echo of arguably his most memorable scene in Rogue One. Skeen seemed like a kindred spirit, a true believer who’d nonetheless been through the shit as much as Andor has. And indeed he has. But he came out that much more cynical and craven, thinking he’s found a fellow fox in the henhouse, ready to climb over their comrades if it gets them comfortable and unencumbered. He wants to steal the winnings and split them 50/50.
So Andor shoots him. It mirrors the way he shoots the informant at the beginning of Rogue One, defining his characteristic as someone willing to take the most direct route between her and his goals, no matter how bloody. But here the goal is a noble one, to stop someone from thwarting the purpose of this mission, from betraying those who gave their lives to liberate those funds for a better cause. He may claim that he simply wants to win and walk away, but you can appreciate his good-for-nothing decency here. He wants his cut and to get out, but he won’t let these people down in the process.
The little glimpses we get of the reaction to this event are just enough to whet our appetites for more. Watching the ISB scramble while Major Partagaz instructs the lot they won’t be going home tonight signifies how big a deal this is. Seeing the Senate (I guess they repaired it after Palpy tossed it around) murmur in shock while Mon Mothma is mid-speech communicates how this event resonates through the halls of government as well. And there may be no moment more cathartic in the episode than Luthen laughing with relief and letting out one big exhale, a sign that the mission he staked so much on went off.
Along the way, the creative team delivers its thrills and then some. The suspense as the rebel crew await the signal to go is supreme. The juxtaposition of their duress-filled operation inside and the celebration of the native Aldhanis on the outside helps put this individual mission in a broader context, giving it an almost spiritual dimension and reminding us of those hurt by the Empire’s actions. And the simple starfighter chase between the freighter and the tie-fighters through a sci-fi aurora borealis is magnificent, showing how Cassian and Namik earn their stripes and this desperate mission just barely succeeds.
It is a tour de force, if you’ll pardon the expression. Even if you’d watched no other episodes of Andor, could appreciate this heist story for the pure craft alone, with how it sets up what’s at stake on the mission, the bumps in the road, and the catharsis of success. Yet, it also pays off so much character building and setup along the way, to where it rightly feels like the culmination of this three-episode arc, and much more. And in the broader scope of the franchise, it helps you understand the character journey of the title character, and the wider cause of the rebellion, in riveting terms. What more can you ask for?
great episode. it was the culmination of everything built to up this one. Can already feel some other gears turning. having watched only prequels and original trilogy, I don't even know who these people are, but I'm excited to see how it's gonna unfold.
Really exciting. Sound track is also very good in this series.
This was dope. Tense, thrilling, and very tight writing for a more quickly-paced episode. This was the perfect example of how to do spy/undercover/action scenes that are very exciting yet not too over the top and appropriately grounded. The episode also took events and certain characters in directions I genuinely wasn't expecting which added another level to the emotional aspects of the show and made things even more engaging. I'm not sure if I 100% love where they took things with every character but that's more of a personal preference. And not to mention the visuals in this episode may have been some of the best in all of Star Wars. All in all this show is turning out to be really great and I'm excited to see where things go from here.
Wow, an absolute brilliant episode.
Up there with some of the best material Star Wars has ever produced.
That episode was unbelievable. Such a great episode. I LOVED IT. I was so so tense. 10/10 for me
AMAZING
Thrilling, tense, rich with character and a world that feels achingly real, and jaw dropping sets and visuals. This is Star Wars at a new level.
The Eye was just Beautiful and elegant AF
Perhaps the best thing that ever come up since Disney's Star Wars buyout. The whole episode about the heist was intense. From the shaky march, the hesitated jamming, the heist itself, the botched consequences, the climax, and the wrapup. It's really tense even until the wrapup as conflict still arose and quickly resolved. During the climax it has a really great visuals of the Eye - quite a spectacle as the commandant would say - although TIE fighers ended up becoming cannon fodder again.
Well done! Obi-Wan and The Mandalorian writers should be ashamed.
This was the best 50 minutes ever spent in the Star Wars universe. Flawless.in every respect.
my heart was not ready for the fucking STRESS of this episode. Just masterful tension-building and reversals. I sweated through everything and bit every nail. it was all just too much. absolute masterpeice.
This is it. This is the best Star Wars spin-off product Disney have made and it's not even close. The tension, the characters, the intrigue; it's all fantastic and almost impossible to believe it came from the same people that made Obi Wan and Book of Boba Fett. These "boots on the ground" stories told in the Star Wars universe are what Disney should be aiming at more. There's just something so much more relatable and investable when the franchise steps away from the Jedi and focuses on the smaller, individual stories available to tell. This episode really is fantastic, what a show.
Gee, what a ride, this was freaking intense!
The atmosphere of this show is incredible. I really felt immersed.
They planned this heist really well. It's nice that the mission succeeded but it sucks that there were these complications (the "backup" squad and that "fat" guy getting a heart attack).
Andor rocked though! That quick blaster shot was really unexpected but that guy had it coming and I guess it was the right/safe thing to do.
Oh, and this is still only the beginning of the rebellion. I cannot wait to find out how this'll play out.
I was a bit disappointed by the payoff after having spent two entire episodes doing the setup for it. But on a more positive note, at least the Disney bean counters will be happy to see so much payroll being cut!
Wow what a payoff. Stunning on every level.
Whew! Those first four episodes of slow burn paid off.
Fantastic episode! And the presence of Walter White Tribu is 10/10! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
In term of "firework factory" episode, I slightly prefer the third one, but this is still very tense and thrilling. Some visually gorgeous imagery too.
If he tells you it's about a resistance commando trying to attack a German installation, you'll believe it.
The rebel attack goes about the way we though, namely sideways. Loyalties are revealed, and quickly dealt with, and some teammembers are lost.
Visually excellent, the score during the attack was excellent... and the end Cassian's just as alone as before, but with a new ship.
Finally some action. About time.
The chase through The Eye was as good as anything in modern Star Wars. Stunning, well paced, well acted, well choregraphed and well scored. The score in particular gets a shout out.
Had high expectations after seeing all the praise for episode 6. Eh... Kind of a letdown for a heist episode. I did like how unpredictably they killed characters, though.
So they spent two weeks on building up characters and then kill almost everyone?
Still find this extremely boring and very slow, so many unnecessary scenes.
How is this at 80% rating. If this isn’t a 10 episode of television, I don’t know what is. Masterful
now this is a fucking payoff, while also just setting up so much, especially for Andor's character that we all know and love in Rogue One. Plus, the tension here was fucking immaculate, excellent episode all around
I have no idea what’s going on, the show is moving at warp speed. Everything is on the line. Everyone is in crisis mode. The empire characters are up against a wall. This ragtag team with Andor are totes in survival mode. Talk about stacking stakes. Honestly its dope though — feels like Star Wars should be.
That laugh and sigh at the end was exactly how I felt after this episode. Absolutely wonderful.
Spoilers. I always had problems with Cassian since Rogue One but this series takes it to another level. He is a walking cold blooded serial killer! This series starts with him killing 2 people. He walks around killing regular people but not taking down an equivalent of a Nazi ranking officer at the beginning of the season. Then comes this episode that enraged me the most. He kills another person for absolutely no reason. The whole point was that they stole the Empire money so it doesn't matter who does what. The Empire has less money. He could have done hundred of things like actually tell them, hey guys this guy wants to steal the money or other stuff instead of being a judge, jury and executioner. And since when he cares about someone stealing some thing from someone else. I can't write enough to say how much I dislike Cassian Andor.
This episode was superb,a hundred times better than the best episode of obi wan.
This episode proved that this is the only live-action series among all the content released this year that make the disney+ service worth it. (Not include the animations)
Marvel shows released this year are mid same as the Boba Fett series and the garbage Kenobi!
Well that was PACKED with suspense even though I didn't care one bit for the characters except for Cassian - who is conveniently protected by living to experience Rogue One.
I could have done without all the literal explaining who does what why in the first half and I didn't quite get what everyone was doing during the heist. The plan didn't feel any bit bulletproof either.
All in all everyones behaviour felt a bit too familiar and lacked greatly in the alieness I would expect from a Galaxy Far Away. And whay the heck is going on with everyone being human?? Were the people in the Senate really all human?
Nonetheless this was really enjoyable for the suspense and cinematography alone.
Shout by Tank0BlockedParent2022-10-12T08:20:34Z
After 2 weeks of world and character building we finally get to the heist and I was maybe just as nervous as those guys. Everything felt natural and logical so the events unfolding seemed very realistic for a bunch of motivated amateurs. We all knew it would be risky and although everything happened like I expected, I was still surprised how it happened. That's as close to a magic trick that a writer can come.