What a Festive Evening
A heist on Ghorman ends in tragedy.
"What a Festive Evening" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American science fiction political spy thriller drama television series Andor, and the eighteenth episode overall. It was released on Disney+ on April 29, 2025 as part of a three-episode block. The episode received generally favorable reviews from critics.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Andor
- Director
- Ariel Kleiman
- Writer
- Beau Willimon
- Photographer
- Christophe Nuyens
- Editor
- John Gilroy
- Released
- 29 April 2025
- Length
- 55 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Cassian Andor meets with Luthen Rael and expresses doubt about the inexperienced rebel group the Ghorman Front, advising Rael not to get involved despite Rael's insistence on aiding a heist to send a message rather than succeed. Rael criticizes Cassian, who refuses to return to Ghorman. Kleya Marki sends Vel Sartha to Ghorman instead, where she reunites with her estranged girlfriend Cinta Kaz. Cinta reveals she was in a severe accident that Rael kept hidden from Vel; both admit they refused to join the mission without the other. They meet the Ghorman Front and plan to rob imperial shipments, with Vel ordering that only she and Cinta carry weapons, noting frustration from members Dreena and Samm. Vel and Cinta later reconcile and affirm their love. Meanwhile, Andor returns to Bix Caleen on Coruscant, angered by Rael's interference in her recovery, and confronts Rael at his gallery, threatening their cover to protest their autonomy. Bix continues using drugs and sees a rebel mission message she wants to join. Kleya and Rael attend Davo Sculdun's investiture party to extract a listening bug; ISB mole Lonni Jung is recruited by Kleya to help. Mon Mothma and Perrin Fertha attend and encounter Orson Krennic, whom Mothma verbally spars with. Lonni and Kleya successfully remove the bug. The Ghorman heist begins smoothly as Cinta deactivates convoys and the Front uses tunnels. Syril Karn monitors from afar, reporting to Dedra Meero and Lio Partagaz. Dreena leaves to guide away a civilian; Vel searches for her. Samm disobeys orders, pulls a blaster on passer-by Lezine, and accidentally fires, killing Cinta. Lezine carries Cinta's body while a devastated Vel is helped to the getaway vehicle, where she angrily chastises Samm, saying he will carry her memory forever.
Production
The episode was written by Beau Willimon, his sixth writing credit for the show, and directed by Ariel Kleiman, who directed the previous five episodes. Showrunner Tony Gilroy told TVLine he treats the kiss between Vel and Cinta as a regular thing and described their relationship as connecting to themes about revolution and its costs, defending Cinta's death by saying if people don't die it would be disingenuous, and calling it a tough decision. Varada Sethu, who plays Cinta, told Variety she was glad people cared about her character, called the death cleverly done and truthful, and predicted Cinta would die in the rebellion; she told Elle the death made perfect sense and noted the kiss scene was off-the-cuff. By March 2023, Benjamin Bratt had been cast in an undisclosed role, later revealed to be Bail Organa, replacing Jimmy Smits. Ben Mendelsohn reprises his role as Orson Krennic from previous Star Wars media including Rogue One. The original score was composed by Brandon Roberts, replacing Nicholas Britell due to scheduling conflicts. The soundtrack was released on May 2, 2025 via Walt Disney Records as part of the second of four volumes of the second season's original score.
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% approval rating based on 8 reviews. William Hughes of The A.V. Club gave a positive review, calling the episode tense, occasionally funny, well-acted, and with standout moments. Mike Redmond of Pajiba gave a positive review, summarizing that the season is speed-running because it is already halfway over. The death of Cinta Kaz received mixed reactions. Some critics called it a misstep, a slap in the face furthering the emotional arc of her white counterpart, reinforcing regressive tropes like bury your gays, and the franchise's bad track record for LGBTQ characters, while calling inclusion of Vel and Cinta a step forward. PinkNews and Den of Geek reported fans were rightfully upset with a mixture of heartbreak and rage, asserting the series deployed negative tropes. Other critics said the death was a painful reminder of how rarely queer stories are fully told, following a Hollywood trend. Critics for Gizmodo, TheGamer, and Polygon argued the death did not follow negative tropes, treating queer characters as full characters by sometimes putting them at risk and treating them the same as straight ones, with weight rather than shock value, though they acknowledged the franchise has work to do on LGBTQ representation, called the death bitter and retrograde, and praised Vel's speech to the killer.
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