Andor: Who Are You?

 "Rebellions are built on hope."

Wow. There was only one way this episode was going to go- the Empire manufacturing a riot on Ghorman to justify the "crackdown", straight from the fascist playbook- but seeing things unfold, slowly and inevitably, was brutal. This episode is just extraordinary.

It all unfolds in slow motion. The demonstration. The careful escalation of imperial policing. The cynical use of a sniper to fire on the Empire's own troops. And then the use firstly of Stormtroopers and then of unstoppable droids that simply hurl demonstrators into the air. The effect is one of real horror. And... yeah, all while disturbing things are happening in the USA right now, except their Palpatine is much more orange and much less intelligent.

Then there's the tragedy of Syril and Dedra. Syril always was, despite the career advancement, a pawn. And the moment where he confronts (and, implicitly, dumps) Dedra for her amoral and appalling behaviour carries so much power. His death in the riot is almost an afterthought, the last words he ever hears being Cassian's "Who are you?".

Denise Gough is superb as she portrays Dedra's utter despair at the end. She's done so much, made such terrible moral sacrifices... and for what?  

The final shot is of Syril's mum, inconsolable. She may not have been the best mother, but in the end she was in many ways right.

Again... wow.