Eric Geller

Eric Geller @ericgeller

There's a great moment when Tay reassures Mon that Davo won’t suspect her true activities b/c "he'll think you're just like everyone else he works with.” You get the sense that that idea is even more repellent to Mon. She’s *not* one of those people, and she takes pride in that. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Much as Mon resisted Luthen's collateral damage, she's repulsed by the idea of dealing w/ wealthy lowlife Davo Sculdun to scrub her transactions. You can tell that she's still not used to getting her hands dirty or working with criminals — but that's what she's about to become. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Mon's scene with Tay Kolma is really great too. This show is so well-written, it can make a discussion of accounting seem exciting. The incriminating nature of Mon's transactions adds an air of danger to their conversation about her needing to mask her movement of funds. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

You can tell how much Mon loves Vel and how important it is to have her as a secret ally. But Mon's also deeply worried about Vel. When she tells her to play the "spoiled rich girl," it's about keeping her safe. Mon not knowing the risks Vel's facing only makes her worry more. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

We knew Mon was uncomfortable w/ collateral damage, but not that she thought rebel efforts might be futile. I love seeing these inner doubts emerge. We’re used to seeing Mon fully committed to the Rebellion, but this show's giving us a totally new side of her. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

But the best Mon stuff in the episode is her conversations with Vel. (More on her in a bit.) Mon says she's "starting to think we’re in over our heads." Later, she asks, “What have we done, Vel?” Mon's beliefs haven't changed, but her confidence in the cause is wavering. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

This is a tough episode for Mon Mothma. The Senate scene does a beautiful job of showing how irrelevant her impassioned pleas for liberty are. I love seeing her try not to get rattled by the shouts — or the clanging of pods being deactivated as people tune out. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

This new Syril/Dedra dynamic is not what I would have predicted for either of them, and I find it fascinating. I love that I have absolutely no idea where Syril's story is going. He's such a wild card right now. His mother was right to worry about him! — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Syril presumes a kind of connection to Dedra that clearly doesn't exist. The things he says ("Just being in your presence, I realized that life was worth living"), and the way he says them, show how much he now depends on her support and validation. Yikesy trikesy! — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Syril's drive to catch Cassian has clearly destabilized him. He thinks an interrogation is a sympathetic chat. He waits outside ISB HQ to see Dedra. He grabs her arm. He even admits he might be "deranged" for thinking he's proven his worth & deserves a brighter future. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Syril's encounter w/ Dedra reveals that he feels a deep kinship w/ her based on their shared ideology & shared desire to transcend sclerotic systems. Not 100% clear if he also has romantic feelings for her (tho there are signs!), but either way, his attachment to her is creepy. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

If our familiarity with Dedra makes us recoil in horror at her gruesome activities, our familiarity with Syril makes us recoil in a totally different kind of disgust. As someone on Reddit put it, "They made simps canon in Star Wars." — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

We've seen Dedra experience a lot of relatable things, from routine moments to bureaucratic struggles. That familiarity only makes us recoil further as we watch her tamp down her cruel excitement about her instincts being validated and her appalling plan working. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

There’s a tiny moment, after Dedra tells Partagaz about watching Maarva, where a smile flickers across her intense gaze. At this point, she’s really proud of herself. She has the resources & authority to pursue the leads that have been bothering her, and she’s getting results. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

When Dedra authorizes her colleague to hang Paak, it doesn't just remind us how evil you have to be to unflinchingly grant such a request like it's routine for you (and surely it is). It also links Dedra to the long-ago hanging of Clem, which we already view with horror. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Dedra claims to take a more nuanced approach to interrogation than her colleagues, but Bix correctly ascertains that Dedra has already concluded she's guilty. Dedra almost seems to admire Bix for recognizing the situation she’s in and wanting to dispense with the artifice. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

This is the episode when even our faintest instinct to cheer for Dedra seeps away, replaced by the cold chill of disgust at what she's willing to do to serve the Empire. This is the first time we see what her job entails — why the ISB is, as Bix says, "the worst of the worst." — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Kino's growth and transformation in this episode are absolutely amazing. I’m happy for Andy Serkis that he finally gets to play a well-thought-out character in Star Wars. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Then we get the awful truth of level 2. And this mass killing to cover up release being a lie convinces Kino that there's no freedom waiting for any of them. This, combined with Ulaf's euthanization vindicating Cassian's claim that they're disposable, finally radicalizes Kino. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

By the time the medic tells Kino to keep Cassian in line, Kino has become disillusioned enough to take Cassian’s side and demand answers about level 2. Ulaf's summary euthanization has left Kino just as anxious as Cassian et al. to know what happened. He's on the edge. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

When the doctor calls for a bag and trolley to dispose of Ulaf’s body, the guard says they’re on their way. It's an exquisitely horrifying moment. The guard’s instant, bored response conveys the fact that this is routine. Cassian was right. It's easier to just replace them. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Kino's humanity comes out brilliantly as he urges the medic to get Ulaf back on his feet because Ulaf is *so close* to getting out. Cassian glares at Kino, hating him for lying. But Kino still really believes it. He needs to — otherwise there's no point to everything he's done. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

One of the best moments in the ep is when Kino starts to flip. Cassian says they need to be careful not to show how much they know. And instead of telling Cassian to shut up, Kino silently moves on. And this time, when he barks order, he has to fight to maintain his composure. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Kino is invested in the system working as promised. He's a company man, which is fascinating to see from a victim of the "company." But the mysterious mass killing of inmates starts to shake his faith. Even as he tells his prisoners to fall into line, he's clearly rattled. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

At first, Kino genuinely believes that the Empire releases prisoners when they're done serving their sentences. He's happy that Ulaf's about to leave. He silences Melshi's suggestion that they're not getting out. He discourages panic over signals from prisoners in other wings. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

I don't think there's ever been a SW character who's undergone as rapid, profound, and well-written a transformation as the one that Kino undergoes in this episode. Frankly, it's rare to see any transformation like this on TV or in movies. It's somehow both subtle and stark. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Cassian knows enough about Imperials to know that they aren’t listening to the prisoners because they don’t think they need to. They’re so confident in their overwhelming dominance that they're not worried about prison breaks. “We are nothing to them.” Great scene. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Cassian's quick development of an escape plan based on the realization that the lift isn't electrically wired shows you his emerging tactical skill set, one that we know will be invaluable to the Rebel Alliance a few years down the line. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

From the very first scene, we can tell that Cassian has already gotten used to prison life. He's talkative, familiar with the work, and comfortable enough to make jokes in front of Kino. But he also hasn't given up on getting out. I wonder what he was doing to that wall pipe. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

This week’s #Andor episode was stunningly rich, heartbreaking, disturbing, and impressive. Basically, it was another episode of Andor. But it was the most Andor-y episode yet. If that makes sense. Anyway, let’s get into it. #JusticeForUlaf — PolitiTweet.org