The Eye

If every episode before this one seemed slow and laborious, it is because it has slowly and carefully built a tower of dominoes which is now complex and anxious to behold. Then, with perfectly organized chaos, it comes crashing down in a spectacle of awe, complete with betrayal, shots fired, fear, all while trying to escape the countdown of certain doom. "The Eye" is Andor's best episodic achievement to this point. It blends action relatable to our time here in 2022, and transfers it to a galaxy a long time ago, far far away.

There are documentary camera techniques where the camera operator clearly walks with the camera, creating a feel that is nothing like Star Wars. The colorless hues in the filming portray a deep sense of noir and realism. Of course, these are things which we see throughout the series, but they become ever the more evident when innocents are threatened, morality is cheapened, and obstacle upon obstacle is encountered and tensely and viciously navigated.

This is not your Grandpa's Star Wars. And the creators behind it will admit as much, and in fact intend as much. If there is any criticism to be had, it is exactly because of that - the somewhat campier and fantastical feel of the original Star Wars is gone. There is no mysterious otherworldly Force that controls destinies. Gone is the grand classical score of Williams, replaced with a techno score reminiscent of Bladerunner. The exotic props, sayings, and destinations of the Star Wars universe take far less stage, and you could just as easily transfer the entire plot to a modern 2022 setting and it's likely that the feel of the show would remain precisely the same. This is probably both the show's blessing and curse. It has deviated so far from the Star Wars feel that it is likely to have complaints from someone, somewhere. But if you were looking to find something that far exceeds the mediocre dribble that was the Book of Boba Fett, and you are willing to see Star Wars in a much darker light, "The Eye" has now turned "Andor" into the roller coaster ride we always wanted. Though it is my personal hope that aesthetic feel of the show does not trend in this direction, "The Eye" turns "Andor" into a remarkable achievement.

The mission gets underway.

This is a strong action thriller with plenty of tension and exciting spectacle.

There is little about the plot I can say without spoiling, except that the mission sequence unfolds very well with good suspense, visuals and performances.

There are also some good character moments in the aftermath and it keeps certain characters interesting and the intrigue high about what comes next.

One scene involving imperial officers discussing the Aldhani people is slightly moustache twirly and a bit heavy on the exposition, but apart from this everything flows very well.

Visually the episode is superb, with lots of moments that should entertain Star Wars fans that do not feel like pure fan service, particularly the relevant use of TIE Fighters and the scenes in the Imperial Senate. The music enhances everything.

What can I say? Absolutely stunning throughout. The cinematography and effects were stunning, I was absolutely in awe of the visuals this episode. The acting and writing were spot on and engaging. Tense as anything with riveting action sequences. It almost felt like a Christopher Nolan movie at times. I love the three episode arc structure where we get the build up episodes and then the kicker at the end, it allows each storyline to fester and build so that the conclusion feels earned. Of course the real focus of this episode was the heist but Mon Mothma and Luthen both get attention back on Coruscant and I enjoy seeing their storylines simmer and flex in response to happenings elsewhere in the galaxy. Just a wonderfully well made and stunning piece of television which makes me sad more people aren't watching this show. 10/10 from me. Thank you for reading my review.

It's interesting how this show keeps showing us different sides of the Empire, showing us their suppressive ways on many worlds and how they differ from each other. In the sixth episode of this show, the second three-episode arc is brought to a close with a visual flare that this show hasn't utilized before now. It continues to show the unique nature of these worlds and how the locals see the Empire, most of it through the lense of people trying to rip them off. And it happened in a glorious episode that picked up the pace and brought the arc to a satisfying end.

This was probably the most visually impressive episode of this show to date. The Eye has been teased in previous episodes, but nothing could have really prepared anyone for the kind of beauty that is on display here. It's a riveting effect that makes a powerful statement about how CGI can really improve something if everything else looks like it's in-camera. The other shows have not utilized real-life sets in favor of their volume stagecraft, but this show proves that it always looks better like this. But the visuals isn't the only reason why the episode works, because it also features a riveting action sequence, finally delivering on the heist that has been teased through episodes. This show is absolutely great at teasing these epic chapters and so far, they've been able to deliver. It shows a dangerous foe that has never felt more threatening with the Empire, showing them as competent and good at aiming for once. But it also shows the gray areas that our heroes have to deal with, especially in the aftermath of the big event. And while this episode did not focus a whole lot on what was going on at the ISB, it was luckily not missed as much in this episode as it previously had, because of everything that was helping the pace a great deal. It also helped that the episode was far more brutal than expected with a lot of shock value to boost, showing me that this show is not afraid of doing things differently.

"The Eye" is a visually stunning episode of a show that is proving to not be scared to make changes and not do things orderly. It delivers on the promise of an epic heist and it goes off with a lot of unexpected twists and turns and ends the episode on a satisfyingly somber note.

All the slow-burn build-ups pay off in the most spectacular and awe-inspiring way in this amazing episode.

This is without a doubt the first time since Mandalorian I've ever enjoyed a piece of Disney Star Wars and is one of the most intense, fun, breathtaking, well-written episodes of any show I have ever seen, and The Eye was so amazing and jaw-dropping that makes me wanna write this review quickly so I can rewatch the episode.

This episode not only has "good looks" and scenes that are only eye candy, but also a lot of character development and story progression.

The action is really good, the visuals are amazing, no character feels one-dimensional and all of them feel complex and like actual characters thanks to the good writing.

Andor himself changes a lot in this episode and his motivations are evolved when he sees himself in Skeen and sees how other people see him.

This episode was all around one of the best things that have come out of Star Wars and it is just a joy to experience. It had spectacular visuals, great acting, good action, great pacing, and surprisingly really emotional.

This show is shaping up to be not only one of the only few great shows that have come out of Disney Plus and Star Wars next to Mandalorian, but a great show in general considering that you can basically watch this show without even having to watch Rogue One first, let alone the other 16 Star Wars movies and show.