#andor ep 7

[adeptnenyim]

Nobody expects Spanish Inquisition. D:

And nobody should expect proper body proportions from me either. (yet)

[mikimeiko]

Andor | Season 2 (2025), Tony Gilroy

[silasplaskett]

oh don’t tell me they’re mining the fuck out of ghorman to power the death star and cassian made parts to work the death star and he’s gonna get killed by the fucking death star it all comes back to the fucking death star

[sigelfire]

I 'm gonna enjoy the enjoyable stuff of this show as much as I can!

[macwisn00]

Andor already was in my eyes the best Star Wars series, even better than The Clone Wars, Rebels or The Mandalorian.

But Season 2 Episodes 7-9 were a pure 10/10 kriffing masterpiece.

Visual storytelling at its best

Cassian started out as a traumatised and selfish young man who loved a select few. Sometimes he made bad choices, all too often others chose for him. Slowly, the circle of people he cares about expands. He also finds hope in the midst of loss and conflict and wants to make a Home with the love of his life.

But that was never meant for him.

Sometimes the decisions others make for us help shape our path in life, whether we like it or not.

The Messenger is finally where he needs to be. The centre of the rebellion. In this beautiful shot – the symbol.

Bix chose the Rebellion and in doing that put the Messenger back on the path to where he needs to be.

[flyfreeskylark]

PTSD, recovery, agency vs. fate in Bix from Andor

I’ve been thinking a lot about Bix today. Yesterday, before Andor S2, episodes 7-9 aired, I was thinking to myself, oh gawd! Bix is gonna die in these episodes because she’s not around in Rogue One and has clearly been gone for some time. I’m glad they didn’t kill her off. I wouldn’t be surprised if she died fighting off screen because this is a Rogue One prequel after all, and it’s a story about the true cost of war where no one outruns death.

In S1 of Andor, Bix is a badass. She exhibits tons of agency and likes to be busy, industrious and contribute to the cause and community. We see people try to take these things from her: Gorst’s torture and being hunted down and assaulted as a refugee in the first arc of season 2. I don’t like seeing her as a punching bag because a) I love her, b) no one deserves that, and 3) abuse is too often used as an impetus for character growth in women, or worse, for the men in the story. I hate this trope so much because it justifies the abuse, implying that the cost is worthwhile when actually, it absolutely is not. But that’s not what happens in the story. Nobody is unaffected by abuse, badass Bix included, and we see the realistic effects of PTSD in episodes 4-6. Their relationship is strained; Cassian is controlling and paranoid and Bix is disconnected and struggling with addiction. I do love that she gets revenge on Gorst and kills the rapist because this is fiction and why the hell not.

I love that in the third arc (ep 7-9), Bix and Cassian have built a real, beautiful home together, full of love, where they are free to come and go. Seriously, I love that treehouse. They both so desperately wanted this in the second arc after all the trauma they’ve both been through. Bix seems to have recovered from her PTSD and addiction and reestablished a safe, loving home. But it’s still not perfect. Cassian is still controlling and dissatisfied with his work for the rebellion. Bix is still a bit isolated, and crucially, she’s unfulfilled. I’ve seen a lot of criticism that her character really fell flat in this arc because all she does is hang around the house being beautiful. But I think that’s the point and one of the reasons she leaves. She knows that Cassian loves her so fiercely and just wants to protect her. He thinks the best way to do that is to leave the fight and find a nice, quiet home. But from what we know of Bix from season 1 and the first arc of season 2, Bix thrives when she is productive, in community and helping others. She knows that Cassian’s perfect idea of the future is not what she wants or needs. In order to reclaim her agency, she needs to find a way to fight.

I think you could interpret the force healer’s vision as the reason Bix leaves. WE ultimately know how Cassian is the messenger because of Rogue One. I did love the suggestion from the healer that maybe Bix was his home because it’s a beautiful idea, but we know that it’s ultimately not true. Cassian said, “Welcome home” to Jyn because he was welcoming her to HIS home. I hope we see how that’s been established in the last three episodes. I didn’t love the implication that Bix left so he could fulfill his destiny as the messenger because this show and Rogue One are the antithesis to the concept of destiny. I want to believe that the force healer could see the future as a result of their choices, rather than their fate. Yes, Bix forces Cassian to choose the Rebelion by leaving him, and maybe that’s not fair. But by leaving, Bix also chooses the future that SHE needs that will fulfill her: fighting in the rebellion. In the end, it also fulfills Cassian. And it’s heartbreaking.

[ane33mone]

In defense of Bix:

While I’m not one to normally actively join fandom discussion regarding characters, Andor has taken over my whole life, so I wanted to add my thoughts on Bix and the direction that her character was taken in in S2Ep9. (obvious spoilers ahead for Andor S2)

I have seen some opinions floating around that Bix’s entire character was ruined by S2, that she should have done more for the rebellion (or didn’t do anything at all), and that her final decision to leave Cassian fell into the standard cliche of ‘woman deciding to leave a man so he can save the world’ type of trope. I personally see Bix’s final decision as her ultimate contribution to the rebellion. Leaving the rebellion is for her as much a sacrifice as “officially” joining the rebellion is for Mon.

At the start of S1 Bix is already actively helping the rebels. It’s one of the first things we learn about her. It is actually through Bix (albeit indirectly) that Cassian first comes into contact with the rebels, with the end result of him fleeing Ferrix along with Luthen. As we all know, in the wake of this, Bix ultimately gets arrested by the ISB and tortured for any and all information she might have on the rebels. This experience will leave Bix scarred, broken, deeply traumatized. This is something that is established and explored in the first half of S2. We see her experiencing nightmares and other trauma-related symptoms. In eps 4-6 it is mentioned that Bix and Cassian actually go on missions together for Luthen (which means that Bix is very much contributing actively to the rebellion), but due to Bix’s worsening mental state, she’s had to sit out a few missions. It is also made very obvious in these episodes that Cassian does not want to be separated from Bix. This gets to the point where he breaks all rules to confront Luthen in the shop about the latter visiting Bix without mentioning it to Cassian. Now, Luthen’s dubious actions left aside, this is already a very clear sign that to Cassian, Bix and her wellbeing stand above everything. Even the rebellion.

Back to Bix, at the end of ep6 she gets her revenge and kills her tormentor. It is not only a way for her to deal with her trauma, it is also something that ensures that no one will have to suffer as she did at the hands of this man. To me it seemed that while in the episodes 4-6 we most obviously see Bix’s struggle with her trauma, there is also a real anger underneath it all. This anger became more obvious in the episodes 7-9. Bix wants to beat the empire, or at least die trying. To Cassian she comes before everything, before the rebellion. But to Bix nothing comes before the rebellion. She’s experienced first hand how cruel the empire is to everyday people, and she knows that nothing will stop the Empire from doing this again and again unless they are stopped. 

Then, Cassian tells her he wants to leave. He’s done. He wants to run away with her to a place in the galaxy where the empire hasn’t sunken its claws in too deeply yet. Now, at this point Bix might already know she is pregnant, she might not. Either way, it's a tempting offer: to start a family and live with the man she loves in peace. Only, she knows that there will be no peace. No place is safe from the empire as long as it stands. They might live in peace for a while, but inevitably the empire will extend its influence and it will be the everyday people that will suffer the most. 

Bix knows and believes that Cassian’s role in the rebellion is not done yet. He is a messenger, as the force healer said, and he has yet to complete this task. Yet Cassian is unable to accept this, because he sees this possibility of a future with Bix. Bix, who, to him, comes before everything. So, Bix makes a decision. She might want this future with Cassian, but she knows that this is not possible as long as he has not completed his role, as long as the empire is still standing. Bix might want to stay and fight against the empire, because to her that is the most important thing right now, but she realizes that her ultimate contribution to the rebellion lies elsewhere: if she stays, she will not be able to resist Cassian’s offer to leave, and she knows that he has to stay. So, she will leave the rebellion on her own.

Bix is the one who first delivers Cassian to the rebels, just as she is the one who will get him to stay with the rebels when it matters most. She sacrifices her desire to fight against the empire for the rebellion. She chooses to leave, and live somewhere as far away from the conflict as possible, all with the hope that with Cassian staying, the rebellion will have a bigger chance at succeeding. As much as she might wish that she could fight for the rebellion, her leaving is, perhaps, her greatest contribution to it.

Now, this is how I personally interpreted Bix’s character arc. Are there things that could have been handled a bit better? Probably. It is okay to disagree with me. The beauty of a well written show like Andor is that it can be interpreted in various ways. There are also more dimensions to Bix’s arc (especially regarding her trauma, and her journey with that), but if I added that, this post would have gotten even longer. It is already ridiculously, embarrassingly, long. 

Anyway, if you’ve read this far: thank you! I hope this made some sense lol.

[macsriles]

Mourning the fact that tomorrow is the end of Andor, so here are my thoughts on the last couple of episodes. (If it’s not obvious, SPOILERS for Andor s2 ep 7-9)

- Cassian and Bix: I think this was the best ending for them because it illustrates why they never truly worked as a couple and sets the stage for why he and Jyn work better together. (Again, no hate to Bix or Cassian/Bix shippers; this is just my opinion.) Throughout Season 2, we see Bix and Cassian hold on to their life on Ferrix and the comfort they find in each other, but their relationship is actively holding both of them back.

Then, after a year-long time jump, we see Bix trying to force Cassian to confront his destiny, but he resists. He chooses her and a peaceful life, but she ultimately takes that choice away. I understand her motivations, but it highlights another reason why Bix and Cassian would never work: they loved each other, but they were no longer in love. Both were clinging to the only thing they knew in a world they no longer recognized, and in the end, just like everyone else in Cassian's life, she made the final choice for him. She knew he was using her to escape, just as he had attempted with Maarva in season 1. Cassian never wanted to be a rebel, but he was consistently forced into situations where rebellion seemed to be the only option. He wanted to fight, but was never all in. Bix was his way out, but she refused to be that for him.

While this was necessary, it is still a tragic situation. I don’t hate Bix for her decision; it was her choice to leave, and he could have still left without her. It’s sad, but I believe this was the best ending for them and provides insight into why Cassian is the way he is in Rogue One, and why his relationship with Jyn was ultimately healthier. In their brief time together, he gave her a purpose, and she gave him a choice. Together, they chose the rebellion: she chose to fight for her new home, and he remembered why he was fighting in the first place.

- The Gormahn Rebellion: The entire thing was devastating. It hit very close to where we are now, which made it all the more heartbreaking. I cried the entire time.

- Syril: I know some found Syril’s ending anticlimactic, but I thought it was perfect. The way he died, realizing that he had been on the wrong side all this time. The government he dedicated his life to, and the woman he thought he loved, ultimately used him. Then in the midst of the massacre, he saw the man who started it all, Cassian Andor, and almost killed him, only to realize that Andor had no idea who he was. In the end, Syril died realizing how insignificant he truly was in all of this; he died as he lived—a pawn of the Empire.

-Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Luthen: What I love most about the series is the depth it gives to the rebellion. We see the various types of rebellion and how each plays a part in overthrowing the Empire. Bail Organa operates within the system. He isn't naive or a coward, but he understands that his role is to work from the inside. Then there's Luthen, who sees people as tools. He crosses ethical lines and sets aside his morality for the “greater good.” While he may not be a good person, he recognizes that he's necessary for achieving that greater goal. Mon Mothma, on the other hand, believes that goodness can prevail. She feels she can no longer operate within a corrupt system, and her morals guide her decisions. She recognizes the wrongs around her and feels compelled to speak out. Mon reminds those who have sacrificed their lives and souls that there is still hope and that goodness exists. Each of these characters is important and necessary to the rebellion, and I love that we get to see how they all fail in areas where others succeed. They are all essential to the success of the rebellion.

I have so many more thoughts, but this post is long enough. I can't believe this series ends tomorrow. Andor is one of the best projects in the Star Wars franchise, and I will miss it and the characters so much.

[major-comet]

an analysis of andor, autonomy, and the trappings of destiny - spoilers up to episode 9

i think it’s important to remember as we discuss episodes 7-9 and cassian’s arc within them and throughout the rest of the show leading up to where/who he is in rogue one, that the conversations he has about wanting to be done with all of this, of wanting to take bix away somewhere safe and live out the rest of their lives there, happen in the immediate aftermath of surviving a genocide.

let's step back a few episodes really quickly. by the time s2:eps 4-6 roll around, he’s starting to feel deeply distrustful of luthen and his intentions, and i think is possibly starting to regret his choice to put his - and subsequently bix’s - life into his hands. not regretting rebellion per se, but regretting doing it through luthen. the conversation he has with luthen in the shop is so illuminating;

Luthen: "Kill me or take me in." You're in! "Oh, but Ghorman looks too painful. Bix is too vulnerable."

Cassian: I give you everything.

Luthen: This is everything? This fury? This lack of control? Violating every protocol we live by? Soft on Ghorman but willing to protect Bix at any cost.

Cassian: We... We are not droids, Luthen.

a lot of people have been interpreting this as the emotional element - that he and bix have feelings and luthen can't just completely discard that factor if he wants to keep making use of them - which I think does definitely play into it, but i think it's primarily a line about autonomy. as a given and with very few exceptions, in the world of star wars droids have no autonomy. no say in whether they will follow orders or not, no say in anything at all. either they follow their orders, or they'll be scrapped in favor of one who will. that's how cassian feels working for luthen - either he does as he's told, or luthen will put him down like star wars old yeller in favor of an agent who will continue to follow him unquestioningly. that is the choice cassian gave luthen at the end of season 1, after all, "kill me or take me in." cassian desperately wants to affirm that they're not droids in that sense - that they aren't going to just blindly follow orders and not worry about the very real costs of luthen's tactics.

to me, cassian’s arc throughout this season - and quite honestly an important theme for him throughout the whole show - is one about autonomy and control. i think he’s felt wildly out of control of his life and his circumstances since he was a child, being taken off of kenari by maarva and clem. it was probably at least part of the reason for all the trouble he got into as an adolescent on ferrix, and i think he deeply believes that almost every choice he actually gets to make is the wrong one - often leading to other people getting hurt.

all of this is happening to a guy who has always struggled with choice and feeling in control of his own life. all of this is happening to a guy who already carries the guilt of being a survivor with him everywhere he goes. sole survivor of kenari, one of two remaining aldhani heist survivors, one of only two known narkina 5 prison break survivors. he survived the empire's attack on ferrix during his mother's funeral, he was too late to save brasso on mina rau, and now he's also a survivor of the ghorman genocide. and now, in the aftermath of both ghorman, and of the conversation with that force healer, that feeling of being out of control of his own destiny has finally come to a head. if i recall correctly, listening to the desperate radio broadcast on ghorman is the only time we've seen cassian cry throughout the whole series thus far. he's rattled, and he's scared, and he feels guilty that once again - he's left to tell the tale. the healer was right, he's a messenger, destined to carry the weight of everything he lives through with him until he gets where he needs to be - which we of course know to be scarif.

cassian is scared, and feels wildly out of control and desperately wants to make a decision that would keep him and bix - bix who he feels is only in this mess because of him - safe and get them someplace where they could actually rest and let their guards down and feel completely in control of their circumstances. and obviously he would never be satisfied if he walked away from the rebellion - he'd carry the guilt of that with him just as he carries everything else. kleya knows it, and calls him on it in luthen's shop before he extracts mothma. bix knows it, and cassian knows it too, even if it’s buried deep down under the fear at the moment. but that doesn’t change the fact that at present, he desperately wants to know that he can still make a decision that matters, and won't get those that he still has left killed in the process.

and i think it’s very interesting and deeply, utterly tragic that the way bix handles it is by making the choice for him. once again denying cassian the agency to make an important choice for himself. after a lifetime of not being able to stay anywhere - kenari, ferrix, mina rau, this is the place he can't leave. destiny decrees that he must stay on yavin in order to deliver his message, but in order to achieve that bix can't stay there with him.

and now, two of the few people he has left in this last year leading up to following destiny and delivering his message on scarif, are the k-x that by bringing back to yavin for reprogramming, cassian has given the chance to experience some level of free will and autonomy, and the only other known survivor of the prison break he helped plan and carry out - a desperate grab for freedom, for autonomy. k-2 and melshi have been liberated in ways that cassian was very much - at least in part - responsible for, and yet he himself doesn't feel he has that same freedom of choice.

that's how we get to the cassian andor of rogue one. he's given everything in service of this fight, and feels that he truly has no other choice than to continue on the path destiny has laid out for him.

and if this is the plan the stars laid out for him, then i suppose he never really did have any say in it, did he? maybe that's the real tragedy in his story.

[padmestrilogy]

i don’t think sol’s characterization in “choice” is a real contradiction of anything he’s done before tbh. obv it’s a big reveal that he killed mother aniseya and chose osha over mae and lied about all this, but his motivation for doing so—a sense that he was meant to train osha, a paternal protectiveness, an easily triggered impulsivity, those “noble intentions”—these are all traits he’s shown from the start. we were shown his thinking resulting in love before we saw it result in violence. in a way, the reverse happened with mae. we saw her obsessive nature drive her to kill, before we saw it drive her to abandon the dark side and embrace her sister. these characters have not changed so much as been put in new situations. and yeah then the lesbian space witches dissolved into black mist , pretty good show

[obiwong]

The more I rewatch Andor, the more my love for Season 1 Episode 7 Announcement has grown.

It was a weird transitional episode that broke out of the 3 episodes per arc structure, and I remember when it first came out many felt the cut to Niamos jarring. But watching it again now after seeing the whole text in it’s entirety – especially in terms of looking at Season 1 as a complete work in and of itself, but also in terms of both seasons together – God it’s fucking good.

It may lack the spectacle of end-of-arc episodes like eps 6 , 10, and 12 of season 1, but it has so many of my favourite moments and scenes packed in it:

Luthen and Mon – “Has anyone ever made a weapon that wasn’t used?”

Mon and Tay - “Smile”

Maarva and Cassian – “That’s just love. Nothing you can do about that.” 😭😭

Kleya strutting all over the Barbican (I’m a slut for some good Brutalism)

The whole sequence of Cassian getting arrested

That gorgeous ending shot with Syril in his new cubicle farm hellhole.

Definitely one of those episodes that’s even better on rewatch, especially knowing what comes next with the Narkina arc.

[jyndor2]

from what i see from spoilers, i remain convinced that this would all be better if cassian was 19 at MOST at this point in his evolution. so that's probably what I'm going to have him be in my andor!headcanon because LMFAO no im sorry a year out from rogue one this is not where he needs to be. nope sorry it really does an injustice to his entire motivation during rogue one.

i got maybe 5 min into ep 7 and im already like... enough of this professional fanfiction 🤡

[rambheem-is-real]

andor eps 7-9. that's it thats the post. literally best tv show ever. saw a tweet that said there's been no other show thats felt like you're watching it held at gunpoint and yeah that was episode 8

[colleybri]

Just completed a fifth viewing of Andor season 2 and I’m finding more and more to love in the depths of the dialogue. Echoing lines and motifs abound. One favourite is “worrying about” someone. Mon tells Leida that she didn’t sleep the night before the wedding for “Worrying about you”. Krole taunts Bix by asking “Doesn’t [her husband] worry about you?” when emphasising that the comms on Mina Rau have been shut down. When Wilmon returns from a mission in Ep 7 Cassian says of Bix “She’s been more worried about you than I have”. All of this illustrating that connection between worry and love first established back in season 1 ep 7, with Cassian nastily snapping at Bix (re his leaving Ferrix) “You won’t have to worry about me any more!” and of course most notably by the lesson he gets from Maarva in the next scene: from “ I won’t have peace. I’ll be worried about you all the time,” to “That’s just love: nothing you can do about that.”

In the light of all this I’m also increasingly enjoying the Luthen dynamic - with Kleya obviously, but also with Cassian and Bix (on screen) and Vel and Wilmon (off screen). I’m really impressed by the way it’s established quite easily and believably that Wilmon replaces Cassian as Luthen’s protégé (once Cassian and Bix decide to go to Yavin)… or without a single scene with Luthen and Wil together. Vel also does not meet Luthen outside of s1.

The real killer line for me this time came in the ep 10 flashback when Luthen tells Kleya “Life shows us what we stand to lose.” He goes on to explain to the young girl how they “fight to win” the necessity of losing repeatedly, until “we’re ready”. 

If I had to pinpoint the main message in all this, I’d say that for Luthen it has been a case of suppressing those emotions that he considers weak or detrimental to the fight. Whereas for most of the others, including Cassian and Vel, love in all its forms is the reason to fight - to protect the living and honour the dead. This ideological difference drives the rift between them. 

“Life shows us what we stand to lose”. Sergeant Lear thought he had lost love along with his decency and thought it best to continue to live without it. But Kleya - his daughter “when it’s useful” - kept at least his empathy alive.

I think it’s safe to say, by the evidence of his protecting her in various ways throughout their life together, that Luthen … worried about Kleya all the time. His attempt at coldness was his coping mechanism but also in many ways his downfall. Some of my favourite scenes are where you can see him struggling to maintain that mask. The ep 5 scene with Bix where genuine sympathy and respect mingles with his pragmatism and ruthlessness; the ep 10 scene where he tells Kleya “Move” and she allows herself a rare smile at the poignant memory we later see unfold in the flashback - and his eyes go soft with kindness and… yes, I’m going to say it: love. 

Rogue One ends with a sacrificial act of universal love. Andor builds up to it beautifully by emphasising all the influences, for better and for worse, that love has on life’s choices. “There is no revolution without love,” says Diego Luna. At the same time, personal attachments often need to be sacrificed - at huge emotional cost.

I think it’s why the story hits so hard for me. We’ve seen revolutions against evil empires before. What Andor does so well is emphasise the importance of love (rather than duty or revenge) to the fight. And with love comes hope. Hope for a better future for our loved ones, and - through the ultimate sacrifice - even for strangers. Rebellions are indeed built on Hope. 

[nijigasakilove]

“Welcome to the Rebellion” Episodes 7-9 of Andor are truly one of the greatest stretches of television in history. Episode 8 in particular will be with me for many years to come. The die is cast. There’s officially no going back and we are starting to see the rebellion as we’ve known it over the years really come together, but at what cost?

I could write about this episode for ages, but I’ll focus on my favourite parts, most of which are episode 8, but of course that last 25 mins of episode 9 are incredible too. First off, the Ghorman GENOCIDE is easily one of the darkest, if not the darkest, thing we’ve ever seen in Star Wars. All the build up we’ve had to if culminating in that massacre during a peaceful protest just for the crime of having a mineral that the emperor wants. Watching all the innocent fleeing protestors get mowed down made my stomach turn, it was so visceral and had way too many parallels to real life stuff. Then for the imperial news outlets to try and downplay it and paint the Ghor as the aggressors.. 🤢

Episode 8’s other big highlight is Syril’s ALMOST redemption arc. Bro was handed the opportunity for one of the greatest character redemptions in TV history on a silver platter and fumbled it because of a petty grudge with Andor.. A grudge that he realized was pointless at the end 🤦🏽‍♂️ he’d finally stood up to Dedra, his mother and understood how the Ghor people were victims and then boom, doesn’t even complete the arc. Sad, but the parallels to he and Andor gradually souring on Luthen are cool.

It seems like even Dedra might not be the monster she’s made herself out to be either. The way she reacted when she realized what she’d done to the Ghor people was telling. Deep down there’s some semblance of a human being, but it’s a bit late to be doing all that crying now 🤦🏽‍♂️

The ending scene of episode 8 will be with me forever as the emergency broadcast cried out for help “is there anyone that will help us” give Diego Luna the Emmy!!

Episode 9 was just as powerful though. Mon Mothma fully committing to the rebellion and openly calling the Ghorman massacre a GENOCIDE on galactic TV and naming the emperor as the perpetrator took so much courage. There was no way she could’ve stayed in the senate after that. The escape scene was so tense, credit to Genevieve O’Reilly again for another amazing performance. All the emotions she went through in that last hour and we FINALLY see she and Cassian on screen together!

“I’m choosing the rebellion” I hate that this is a prequel and we know how things end for Cassian because that breakup with Bix is killing me, man fuck. Way to totally kill the mood after that emotional high from last week with them moving forward together. 😢 last 3 eps next week are gonna be so hard to watch

[krownest]

andor ep 7 notes

are you telling me ghorman resistance going on for a year and it's still the same 20 ppl. huh

force healer is a white woman w a british accent. honestly tired of this lol star wars brunette white woman never ceases

DRAVEN IS THAT YOU LOL IS HE THERE FOR ONE SCENE

k2 where are youuu it's like ep 7 out of 9

so tired of ppl w facial scars being the enemy honestly.

omfg syril choked her??? damn

syril making me hate white men w his inaction

lol at syril's death. die white man

holy fuck how is cassian getting k2 out of this...

i bet wilmon helps him