‘Andor’ Season 1, Episode 6, Recap & Review: “The Eye”

The Eye. It’s what the Imperials stationed on Aldhani were waiting for. It’s what Aldhani pilgrims were waiting for. It’s what Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his band of rebels have been waiting for. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for.

The Eye is a celestial event celebrated by the locals — a part of their culture. It’s something to behold. It’s the Leonids on steroids. It’s being used as cover for the escape when Cassian and his crew commit their heist of Imperial payroll to help fund the Rebellion. It’s happened, along with the heist, in episode 6 of Andor; so now what? The heist itself seemed like it was going to be the main event, but we’re only halfway through the story. Now we’re invested in characters of depth. Those who survived have completed their mission. Here’s the thing: The getaway left monkey wrenches in its wake.

Did you expect a clean getaway with a handful of predictable casualties? No good story goes without a bit of betrayal, a few unexpected snags, and at least one misunderstanding. “The Axe Forgets” left us at the dawn of the heist. “The Eye” brings our crew from the nervous beginnings of the long-awaited moment of truth to the emotional and twisted conclusion of the act itself. The stage is set, providing the much-needed Imperial arrogance that will allow the heist to play out. The motivations of the rebels are restated through nervous dialogue. Local pilgrims of Aldhani who’ve traveled to witness the Eye walk us through the steps of the event, bridging each moment and directing us to the next stage.

Directed by Susanna White, “The Eye” is not only the episode with the most action; it’s also the episode with the most loss and emotion. It could almost stand alone as a story in itself. The previous story we’ve watched had given us the playbook, but it’s also slowly cultivated our relationship with the characters. The direction of this particular episode pays off our investment and leaves us coming to new conclusions about the characters we didn’t realize we were falling in love with. For starters, we already knew Cassian Andor was capable of being a cold-blooded killer. He’s decisive and confident. Here, we find he is a badass with scruples. When confronted with the option to betray his team for profit, he chooses the high road even when it makes him look bad.

RELATED: CHECK OUT OUR ‘ANDOR’ COVERAGE HERE

He didn’t have much choice. One can’t expect loyalty and honesty from someone willing to cut and run away from those who’ve trusted them. There is no honor amongst thieves. Cassian can’t afford to wait to see what happens when someone shows him their true colors. He acts. The most dangerous part of cooperating in a crime with strangers is trust. Years of planning and months of preparation can be wasted in a moment when simple greed comes into play. It doesn’t even have to be planned. Temptation will always be a wrench in the works when the chips are down, but not with heroes. Andor is a hero and has yet to understand that of himself.

The midpoint episode leaves us wondering how much more will go wrong, and it most certainly will. We know Andor is a prequel story for a character who can’t die in this series. We know most of the characters in this series don’t have life insurance to make it past the finale. Here’s the difference between Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Andor episodes 1-12— We knew what the ending would be in Rogue One. We knew the Death Star plans would have to somehow make it into Rebel hands. We have no idea whether the money stolen at the midway point in Andor will ever make it to the Rebellion. Given that the first opportunity to run away with it has already presented itself, the story of Andor joining the Rebellion may be about being there despite the lost mission.

The Star Wars way has always left us with hope. Even in the darkest chapters, we’ve found hope: the stolen Death Star plans, Luke Skywalker surviving his first duel with Darth Vader. We still don’t know whether the Andor series is a dark chapter that ends with a silver lining or a story that builds a tower of hope. It’s not looking good, as we have two characters who were left out of episode 6. Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) and Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), two security officers on separate trails leading to Cassian Andor, will serve as the one-two punch that takes out Cassian’s new allies who may or may no longer trust him.

RELATED: WHY STUDIOS SHOULD TAKE A LESSON FROM ‘DREDD’ WHEN ADAPTING COMICS TO FILM

We leave Cassian with him taking his agreed cut, but Susanna White’s superb directing sends us away with Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) celebrating the news of a “successful” heist. You get the feeling he’s not celebrating the windfall as much as he’s enjoying the recruitment of Cassian Andor. Leaving with his cut is an instinctual survival move. “If money is all that you love, then that’s what you’ll receive,” Leia said to Han after her rescue. You’re all clear, kid. Now let’s blow this thing and go home!” Han said to Luke at the Death Star battle. “I knew you’d come back, I just knew it,” Luke said to Han in the temple hangar on Yavin 4 after the destruction of the Death Star. Andor is Han Solo in this scenario. “I’m being paid” is his superficial justification because he is a rebel in his heart but doesn’t trust his heart to be exposed. Luthen Rael understands his talent and the value Andor has to the Rebellion. Cassian won’t be gone from the movement long.

The final scene with Luthen gives the impression of orchestration. Something’s up with that guy. He’s not who he says he is. There’s no question Luthen is a “good guy,” but as we’ve seen, Cassian has killed someone for their weakness and threat to the cause in both Rogue One and Andor. We don’t know what Luthen is capable of. In all likelihood, he is Cassian’s Obi-Wan, someone who sacrifices himself to harden Cassian’s resolve to fight for the good of the galaxy.

We’re hardworking geeks who love to geek out, but we can’t do it without you! If you enjoyed this article and want to see more like it, please consider tipping our writers. Also, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.