What I’m Watching: Andor

Andor: Season 1, Episode 6 “The Eye” (B+)

This was the first episode that really drew me in, uniting its characters in a common cause and having them take the irreversible step to put their rebellion into action. Shooting one would-be hostage right away was a firm method of establishing their dominance, and Vel in particular was in no mood to be nice to her captives. Commandant Beehaz also didn’t want to play along and also repeatedly insisted that he didn’t have the codes they needed to open their target, but they had a way to get in that seemed to startle him. Trying to maintain their operational cover even when unexpected elements threatened to interrupt it was a worthwhile strategy, although their heist surely did come with casualties that will make them enemies of the Empire, a label they’d embrace even if it means that the Empire will be gunning for them. After all of the talk of how the rest of them shouldn’t trust Andor, it turned out that Skeen was the one with ulterior motives who had planned on betraying everyone, and relaying that news was not an easy job for Andor, who saw the seriousness and urgency of the moment that didn’t permit him the time to argue and explain it all. The most potent response to this major space chase was the ending laughter from Luthen, who was thrilled that it had been successful, happy to quietly celebrate a victory that will almost certainly be followed by plenty of violence, unrest, and strife.