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.

All this build up and character development, all leading up to a climactic episode. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time! The tension was on point. At every turn I suspected something to go wrong and I was not disappointed.

The visuals are phenomenal! The score literal perfection. The heist itself was flawlessly executed. Nothing felt undeserved and easily acquired.

The stakes were high and the humanity was never lost in a sleek rebel vs empire fight we get in most star wars stories.

The previous episodes were all leading to one hell of a climax and I cannot wait how it goes from there. I cared so much for characters I hardly spent any time with just because the development was amazing. I was shocked and conflicted by the end.

I cannot stress this enough how much of a fan I am of this show!

Among a great cast and crew, the unsung heroes of "Andor" are its writer Dan Gilroy and composer Nicholas Britell. The first one has created smart SW characters and intertwined them into a surprisingly absorbing story, the second one added soul and raw emotions to the story as it unfolds in front of our eyes.

"Andor", to me, is doing the impossible. It's making me interested in Star Wars again. Yes, Grogu is great, but The Mandalorian (2019)'s simple storytelling doesn't keep me very engaged. With "Andor", we get a behind-the-scenes peak that's more akin to The Wire (2002) than any previous SW iteration. Until now, I didn't know this was exactly what I wanted.

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.

Unique, dramatic, adult, unpredictable... one of the best episodes of all Star Wars to date, it will bring tears to your eyes.

Andor is so surprisingly good as a Star Wars series, he can only be match by mandalorian series of course, but this is good, really good, from all characters, since the rebels to the imperials, so well written, they feel very real, very emotional, each one with their motivation's, but in the end the goal is the same... for the rebellion!!!

This episode didn't disappoint a bit, the end game of this three episode chunks is truly spectacular, with a bittersweet and dramatic ending, man, i can't wait for what comes next.