Andor made you think Dedra was someone to root for

When she was first introduced in Andor, Dedra Meero, despite her status as a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Security Bureau, seemed like someone who deserved to win.

She was somewhat recognizable to a certain group of viewers: A hard-working, high-achieving being who still has to navigate being talked over, underestimated, and told to “stay in her lane.”

Then we saw her win. And that made us feel good.

Now Andor has made us feel bad for feeling good. Exactly as it planned to do. (Rude.)

Episode 9 did possibly the cruelest thing yet in this regard. It showed us Dedra at her worst, subjecting someone relatively innocent to a level of torture she may never truly recover from, and then it showed her being pursued by … whatever word you want to use to describe Karn at this point. Take your pick.

Even when Andor shows us how unforgivable Dedra’s actions truly are, we almost — almost — still feel sorry for her.

But she’s the kind of Imperial who will step on anyone necessary to make it to the next checkpoint in her career, no matter her underlying reasons for wanting to get there.

We can’t root for her now. We may want to. But that’s because she’s a well-written character — one in which we see parts of ourselves reflected in, the good and the bad. One that is relatable in the most tragic ways, but has yet to prove she’s on the right side of a brewing war.

She will do anything and everything to prove her worth and accomplish her goals. But people will die because of her choices. And that’s the most heartbreaking part of all of this.

She may have, in another life, used her traits to make the galaxy better rather than worse.

New episodes of Andor arrive Wednesdays exclusively on Disney+.

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