Getting the Money and Flying

What an incredible episode of Andor last night, and a very good pay-off to some wonderful buildup.

The closest I have to complaints are two little things. I wish the Aldhani had been aliens and I wish Rael had waited to hear if the attack had been successful before he started laughing. But I can understand if budget considerations prevented there being alien Aldhani and maybe Rael's celebratory reaction was meant to indicate that the very fact that an attack occurred, whether successful or not, was an achievement. At any rate, it was a fascinating moment, after a heist of such complicated feelings and loss of life.

But, wow, the last twenty minutes of this episode were captivating. The Eye was the amazing light show we'd been promised all that time--I loved the Imperial soldier whining, "But we'll miss the Eye!" when he's ordered down into the base. But it's twice as amazing because it becomes wrapped up in the tension of this heist. There was never a moment when you didn't feel these Rebels were in terrible danger.

The Commandant was a brilliant piece of writing. We unexpectedly meet his family which morally complicates the situation in a way the show doesn't overplay. And when he's trying to put on his belt it's hard not to think of Cassian's early line about how the Imperials are "so fat and satisfied". It distracts you from even thinking of the possibility that he'll have a heart attack at a crucial moment--not that you'd ever expect to see something like that in Star Wars. But it worked, and was just another reminder from this show that rendering a complicated galaxy can be about more than locations and costumes.

And as great as the TIE Fighter chase through the atmosphere was, the big moment was the snap moral decision Cassian had to make. You could argue quite a bit about whether he did the right thing or not, but prolonging the debate in his head could very well have been the thing that got him killed and killed the Rebellion on the spot. It also definitely showed Cassian's heart is in this more than he's quite ready to own up to.

Andor is available on Disney+.

Twitter Sonnet #1631

The double pallid face could see the glass.
Another inch of rust defined the drain.
A mark denotes exams the eyes'll pass.
A curving wing collects the landed sane.
A tipsy gnome discussed a cane with birds.
Decisions rest behind the bark of trees.
We ate a basket poor with wicker words.
The angel pod was full of devil peas.
A nickel cross rewards the flying man.
Beneath a fragile glass the fish await.
A pretty sky diverts the useful tan.
A bigger fish perceived a plastic bait.
The green of tying ghosts pursued the whale.
A heavy thing disrupts the drifting sail.