The following are my thoughts upon finishing Episode 9 of Andor Season 2 - in particular, Syril Karn's character (who I really came to adore and even decided was to be the prototype for a character in my current work-in-progress).

🚨🚨SPOILERS AHEAD! 🚨🚨

.

.

.

.

---

Syril Karn just learned that he had been used by someone he thought truly loved him.

He stumbles out of Imperial headquarters, confused, hurt, dazed -- his old mother wound had just ripped open so vastly that he feared he'd never zip it closed again.

The Ghorman Square blows up all around him as he stumbles around like a lost child.

I thought for sure this was it: he was going to join the Rebellion. So tired of the Empire jerking him around, disrespecting him, using him.

Treating him like the piece of shit his mother always knew he was.

And besides, hadn't he kinda grown to respect the Ghor?

Or, in the very least, hadn't they shown him the respect he's craved his entire life?

Then Syril sees Cassian Andor - the man Syril has obsessed over bringing to justice.

The man Syril believes is responsible for his every failure going back years.

And he attacks.

No woman or Empire telling him what to do - just good old fashioned rage.

Then the final insult: with a blaster pointed at his face, Cassian says, "Who are you?"

And Syril finally realizes that everything he's done up to this point - every move, every obsession, every action - has all been for absolutely naught.

Even the man responsible for his ruined career -- who he's hunted for years -- hasn't a clue who he is.

And in that moment of realization and hesitation, Rylanz shoots Syril dead.

The beautiful irony in this is that his death will mostly likely spur his lover, Dedra Meero, to even greater, more ape-shit lengths to squash the rebellion.

So in a way, did Syril finally do something of worth?

---

This is the nuance and emotional pull I utterly crave in stories. The thing I seek out above all else.

And when it's done well, as in Andor, I'm literally hyped up for hours thinking about it.

---

PS: On Bix -

I think that Andor will likely lose everything in the coming episodes. Even Bix, who we know has left him "for the rebellion."

While I understand her role as the One Who He Would Give Up Everything For, I also think the writers did her a bit of a disservice.

Then again, the Lone Wolf character (Cassian) cannot have a Bad Ass Woman hanging around. It wouldn't work because he wouldn't do his job (eg: save the world) -- as shown in Episode 9.

But also, how come Bix couldn't have chosen to leave him behind because her skills were needed elsewhere and she wasn't about to give that up for a man?

Instead, the writers played it out that she was choosing to sacrifice her love for him so he'd stick around and save the world...🥱🥱

Anyway, I do believe that Bix will most likely meet her end. Otherwise, I don't think Andor would sacrifice himself in Rogue One.

Something needs to happen that catalyzes him to give up literally everything for the cause -- the cause he's waffling on in Episode 9.

And usually that means the death of all your friends and family.

---

Update on Bix:

She didn't die. In fact, she gave birth to Cassian's child.

Which....I think is okay. Like, I'm satisfied with that. A tiny bit disappointed (yes, I know: disappointed that she didn't die? Really, Kendra?!), but mostly satisfied.

To be honest, the entire ending of Andor was a little bit of a let down.

I would've liked to have seen a bit more action in the last 2 episodes. A bit higher stakes.

However, I completely understand why they did it the way they did: they were setting it up (beautifully) for Rogue One.

If Andor had suffered a loss like Bix, he would've had to have shown more emotional devastation in Rogue One. Instead, his role was to support Jyn so she could be the hero.

All that having been said, the way Andor took the smallest bits of information from Rogue One and built out an entire backstory was a masterclass in reverse engineering.

It's something writers are sometimes told to do in order to develop a story: take what you know and build out a backstory and (sometimes) a whole world.

That is not a skill I typically have...but maybe that's why I would've put Bix in the ground 😑