REVIEW: Andor – Season 2, Episode 6, “What a Festive Evening”

“And if it goes up in flames?” “It will burn. Very brightly.”

Television Reviews

***SPOILERS***

In “What a Festive Evening,” Cassian warns Luthen not to work with the Ghormans. Luthen counters that they could be useful, but Cassian wants no part of it. Vel is sent to Ghorman to handle things for Luthen instead. Cassian arrives home, to Bix’s delight. Meanwhile, Perrin struggles to juggle multiple Senate Investiture parties. Cassian confronts Luthen about his little visit to Bix. Dr. Gorst is granted a full program for his research within the Empire, and Major Partagaz assigns Lonni and Heert to represent the ISB. Cinta arrives on Ghorman and meets up with Vel. Partagaz reminds Dedra not to tell Syril what the Empire is doing with Ghorman.

Meanwhile, on Ghorman, the Ghorman Front plans their attack with Vel and Cinta. At Sculdun’s Investiture party, Mon clashes with Director Krennic. Lezine unexpectedly appears and questions the group of Rebels, leading to one of them accidentally shooting and killing Cinta. Meanwhile, Bix ties Dr. Gorst to the same chair he strapped her into, puts the headphones on him, and leaves him in agony as Cassian sets off an explosion at the Imperial compound Gorst was working at. 

The exchange between Cassian and Luthen at the beginning of the episode is excellent. This was in one of the trailers, but of course, it wasn’t clear at that time exactly what would “burn very brightly.” Luthen wants people to rebel against the Empire at any cost; he doesn’t care who dies or gets captured. I like the dialogue and performances in this scene a lot, but another thing that interests me is that it forces Cassian to switch sides a little bit. Earlier in the season, he was acting and talking more like Luthen when Bix felt guilty about the soldier he killed to protect her identity. Cassian couldn’t appreciate Bix’s concern for that Imperial soldier, but now he’s on the other side of the same issue. He doesn’t want everyone on Ghorman to meaninglessly throw their lives away to fight an Empire they have no chance against. But Luthen can’t see things in terms of individual lives anymore; he only cares about what’s good for the cause. Who cares if anyone on Ghorman dies if it puts more planets into open rebellion? It’s chilling. I like scenes like this and Cassian comforting Niya in “One Year Later,” because it contrasts him against Luthen despite their obvious similarities. Luthen’s line, “We are not who we were when we started,” could just as easily have been Cassian talking to Bix. It’s cool to actually see Port Steerguard, where Luthen picks Cassian up. This location has been mentioned a lot in the show, but not shown before. 

I don’t get Cassian expecting Luthen not to offer Bix work when he’s away or without his consent. Bix is an adult, and they’re both essentially employees of Luthen’s. Bix is unwell, and they’re both worried about her, but Cassian isn’t entitled to sign off on her jobs. I understand his frustration when Luthen is disappointed that Bix told him; it’s murky. A war is happening, but you’d think anyone would be mad if their wife lied to them for any reason. By the way, I don’t know if Cassian and Bix are technically married or just together, but she has called him her husband twice in the show now, so that’s how I’ll refer to them unless stated otherwise.

Mon Mothma’s scenes are compelling as always. We will look back on Andor as the show that turned this figurehead into a real character with feelings and struggles. Much like Bix and Cassian to a lesser extent, Mon can’t master Luthen’s detached style of rebellion. She wants to know that Vel is alright, if she can’t know exactly where she is or what she’s doing. Luthen wants his little chess pieces to be compliant and quiet, and pays no attention to the needs and limitations of working with people. This goes along with Vel’s concern for Cinta, as well. This relationship is one of the casualties of shortening the show from five seasons to two. It was clear that Vel and Cinta were an item in season 1, mostly to show their differing priorities. Cinta puts the cause first, but Vel loves Cinta more than she hates the Empire. This wasn’t touched on much, which makes sense in a season packed with so many characters and storylines. I think they feel particularly glossed over in season 2 because, due to the time jumps, we go from Vel missing an aloof Cinta to a brief reunion to Cinta being shot dead. This would have been paced very differently if each of these arcs were a whole season as initially planned. I don’t know how much better or worse the overall show would be (I don’t see how it could be much better), but this subplot would feel much more impactful. I’m disappointed in how little I care that Cinta is dead. I think about what happened to Brasso and how upsetting that was at the beginning of the season, and this can’t compare. We haven’t spent a ton of time with Vel, but we’ve seen Cinta, and their relationship, even less. I’m not asking for sexy scenes, just some context to be more invested in them and the bond they share. This isn’t a deal-breaker, but it’s a weak part in the episode due to a lack of time that could weaken the whole season. I suppose we’ll never learn about Cinta’s past accident she references, no doubt part of the tragedy for Vel. 

Back to Mon Mothma, we can already see the cracks beginning to form; openly arguing with Director Krennic at a semi-public, high-profile event like the Sculdun party is bold. I can understand her frustration with the way Krennic talks about conquered civilizations; history is written by the winners, and all that. You can see how uncomfortable this is for Perrin, as well. He’s the one who wants to party and socialize, so I can’t imagine he’s happy with his wife for getting into this squabble. I haven’t watched the more recent three episodes yet, but I get the feeling this is setup for whatever is to come.  

I think I love Major Partagaz a little bit. “I’m counting on you to keep watch on these idiots” is the kind of inter-departmental snideness I’m here for. I wouldn’t have hated to see more of Heert and Lonni, although the latter gets some time with Kleya at the party. I like Dedra a lot, but I also find the other ISB agents interesting. Maybe it’s for the best to be left wanting more, though; in an alternate universe, perhaps we’d be complaining about how boring Heert’s personal life is. I feel bad for Lonni; he’s playing both sides and doing the right thing for Luthen and the Rebels, and Kleya is risking his life and potentially his marriage here. “They’ll just think we’re flirting;” yes, Kleya, because that would be good for Lonni. He really needs people to think that. Removing the listening device from the Codex is more important than this man’s personal drama, but I feel his frustration. I like that Lonni is smart, and he was really listening to her story about the Tinian Codex. It’s genuinely tense when Krennic asks Kleya why the Codex is so important; she freezes, and Lonni tells him about it instead. I also love Luthen’s remark that he and Kleya should have killed Krennic while he was at the party; most of the audience would agree. People have been talking about Bail Organa being recast as Benjamin Bratt, which evidently boils down to scheduling conflicts with Jimmy Smits. I don’t have a strong opinion. It’s weird and jarring, but not terribly so. Unless he has a juicier role in one of the later episodes, he could have simply been written out. But I’m guessing he is important later on, or that would have happened; Tony Gilroy doesn’t include things just for nostalgia.  

“What a Festive Evening” is another banger, although I’m disappointed in Cinta’s death simply because I didn’t know her enough to care more. Bix’s revenge is delicious, the party is tense and exciting, the Ghorman Front’s heist is nerve-wracking, and I love the drama within the ISB. This episode left me wanting more in many ways, but that’s better than the alternative.

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