“Andor” - Episode 6 Review
After a lot of planning, plot and character development, the Aldhani crew finally begin their mission in “Andor” Episode 6 titled “The Eye.”
This episode does not hold back in any facet. The Aldhani mission is as serious as advertised.
Under the stunning visuals of the celestial event celebrated by the Aldhani locals, the rebels attempt their high stakes heist.
The show does not sugar coat the tension of the rebels' actions. They are brutal and unrelenting to the imperials they hold at blaster point.
They are not the knights-in-shining-armor rebels illustrated in the original trilogy of Star Wars films. They are instead terroristic and extremely serious. You can even see some fear as they progress on the mission.
I appreciated this take on the rebels as this was only dabbled on in Rogue One and it’s nice to see the idea carried out here. The “greyer” characters on both the rebel and imperial sides have been nice to see as the show has progressed in general.
Ultimately, the kicker of the episode was the traitor in the rebels' midst as it turns out Arvel Skeen was in it for the money the whole time.
I appreciate how the director and showrunners threw in subtle hints of Skeen’s intentions throughout the episode. For example, Skeen did not properly cover Tamaryn in the vault shootout and allowed him to die.
It was very satisfying to see Cassian swiftly kill Skeen when he learned of his true motives. I was also surprised to see Andor not completely committed to the rebellion after the mission, he simply takes his pay and leaves.
Despite focusing almost exclusively on the Aldhani rebels, I enjoyed seeing the brief looks at Mon Mothma, Luthen and the Imperial Security Bureau.
Mothma pleading in a half-empty senate chamber was a nice subtle look into the political climate of the time. It is vastly different from the full and bustling senate chamber of the prequel trilogy.
I also liked seeing the pure and authentic elation had from Luthen when he learns from a customer in his store of a rebel heist on Aldhani.
The ISB in a scramble displayed the severity of the rebel heist with the officers having to work overtime to plan a counteraction.
It would not be right if a whole “Andor” review was written without mentioning the stunning visuals.
As mentioned earlier the half empty cold, quiet senate chambers were neat to look at, but the star of the show was the Aldhani celestial event.
The colorful shooting stars making up “the eye” were beautiful to look at, but I loved how chaotic they got when the rebels flew close to them.
It was a colorful spectacle that lingered over the episode and made for a fantastic visual. It’s hard to imagine how any other episode can top that set piece.
Maclain Young is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email macyoung21@gmail.com.
