Andor Episode 6 Review: The Heist is afoot in ‘The Eye’ (of the storm)…
Vel and Cinta are on a stealth mission to disrupt Imperial communications so that their radio frequency will be the only one in use during the heist.
Lt. Gorn is commanding his troops in such a manner which puts most of them on the ground among the Dhani people with a view of ‘The Eye’ (this natural phenomenon occurring once every three years providing a necessary distraction), and sees to his commander’s personal escort.
The ‘Trojan Horse’ crew of Taramyn, Skeen, Nemik and Clem (Cassian Andor) have the fortunate business of escorting the commandant & his family from the temple to the garrison, where they quickly take control of the situation.
Where things start to go south is that one officer stationed at the dam tunes into the rebels’ radio frequency and overhears some suspicious talk pertaining to the vault. He sends word to a nearby airstrip to launch support TIE fighters. Grabbing what troops are available to him, he proceeds to the vault to intercept.
The rebels have put their captives to work, including Gorn’s commanding officer, loading pallets of credits onto the getaway ship. Nemik is running diagnostics to ensure their escape. Cinta and Vel join the rest of the team as they prepare to disembark.
The suspicious officer from the dam arrives with his troops before the rebels can get away, which results in a shootout once they realize there is a robbery in progress. Taramyn is shot; while Cassian, Nemik, Vel, and Skeen take off into the meteor-shower-filled sky.
In their haste, Nemik is crushed by a pallet full of heavy credits. Vel attempts to keep him vital with a medical injection, however, he is badly wounded. Skeen lobbies for him to be taken to a doctor even though Vel would rather not sacrifice mission.
The TIE fighters do not survive the maelstrom, and Cassian successfully flies the ship to the location of a doctor ally. In a surprising turn of events, Skeen tries to convince Clem to split the credits 50/50 & leave Vel and the Rebellion behind. Cassian shoots Skeen dead as soon as he realizes that he intends to double-cross the crew, a level of betrayal that clearly enraged Andor.
Meanwhile, Mon Mothma is trying to appeal to the Galactic Senate with matters of diplomacy, but there is a very clear distraction with the news of the colossal theft from the Empire. The Security Bureau calls for all hands on deck as they intend to buckle down and determine how exactly this robbery was able to take place. Upon hearing the news in his antique dealership, Luthen goes to the back room to celebrate this major victory for the Rebellion.
Cassian confronts Vel and tells her he will take what he is owed, purchase the doctor’s ship and be on his way. Cinta and Gorn are still on Aldhani, but they won’t be safe there any more. The mid-season finale ends with Cassian having survived the mission, gotten paid and walked away like he said he would.
This heist operation that ends with the Rebellion having obtained enough credits to make them a going concern was filled with suspense and all of the elements that make up a good spy thriller (action, intrigue, and subterfuge). The three-episode format with which Tony Gilroy, writer Dan Gilroy and director Susanna White choose to tell their story benefits from front-loading the setup of this action set piece with character development and fostering relationships throughout the team. Few survived the skirmish, but they will be forever-changed by the experience.
The payoff of the heist was exhilarating, providing a satisfying conclusion to Andor’s ‘Aldhani Adventure’. Though Cassian appears to have briefly departed from the Rebellion, we know that their paths will cross again. The question becomes: What compels a man who will fight for adequate compensation to take on a bigger risk (for more than just credits) and become fully invested in the cause?