What a Festive Evening

Cassian insists to Luthen that the Ghorman Front is an inexperienced insurgent cell, and is resentful that Luthen secretly made contact with Bix to persuade her to return to action. Luthen chastises him for his short-sighted vision, insisting that an insurgency on Ghorman would be a boon to their efforts even if it proves calamitous. Vel and Cinta, sent by Luthen to aid the Ghorman Front, fully reconcile and rekindle their romance. The heist, secretly documented by Syril to Dedra and Partagaz, is successful, but one of the fighters disobeys Vel's orders and brings a blaster, only to accidentally kill Cinta when a passerby interferes, devastating Vel. At Sculdun's Investiture party, Krennic and Mothma get into a debate over the ethics of rebellion, unintentionally giving Kleya more time to extract her bug from Sculdun's collection, after forcibly roping Jung into the scheme. Bix breaks into Gorst's new office and uses his own torture device on him before leaving with Cassian, who remotely blows up the facility.

The episode was written by Beau Willimon, in his sixth writing credit for the show, and directed by Ariel Kleiman, after directing the previous five episodes of the series.{{Cite web |last=Lovitt |first=Maggie |date=April 8, 2023 |title=Tony Gilroy on the Race to Finish His Final 'Andor' Season 2 Script |url=https://collider.com/andor-season-2-tony-gilroy-script-comments/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408223151/https://collider.com/andor-season-2-tony-gilroy-script-comments/ |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |access-date=June 24, 2025 |website=Collider}}{{Cite web |title=Andor (2021–2024) |url=https://directories.wga.org/project/1225499/andor/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240609150719/https://directories.wga.org/project/1225499/andor |archive-date=June 9, 2024 |access-date=June 24, 2025 |website=Writers Guild of America West}}{{Cite web |last=Lovitt |first=Maggie |date=November 3, 2022 |title='Andor's Season 2 Directors Revealed by Series Creator Tony Gilroy [Exclusive] |url=https://collider.com/andor-season-2-directors-ariel-kleinman-janus-metz-alonso-ruizpalacios/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114191104/https://collider.com/andor-season-2-directors-ariel-kleinman-janus-metz-alonso-ruizpalacios/ |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |access-date=June 24, 2025 |website=Collider}} During an interview with TVLine, Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy said he treats the kiss between Vel and Cinta as "a regular thing" and described their relationship something which connects to bigger themes "about revolution and what it costs you to be involved in it, and the kind of courage it takes" and defended the death of Cinta, saying that if people don't die, "it would really be disingenuous", while adding that calling for Cinta to die was "tough decision to make, tough phone calls to make to the actors".{{cite web|last=Mitovich|first=Matt Webb|url=https://tvline.com/interviews/andor-same-sex-kiss-season-2-episode-6-cinta-dies-1235441025/|title=Andor Creator Tony Gilroy Shrugs Off That Star Wars 'First' in Episode 6, Stands by 'Tough' Cinta Decision|website=TVLine|date=April 29, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250507160642/https://tvline.com/interviews/andor-same-sex-kiss-season-2-episode-6-cinta-dies-1235441025/|archive-date=May 7, 2025|url-status=live}}

Varada Sethu, who plays Cinta, told Variety, in an interview, that she was glad to see that "people cared about Cinta in the way that I care about her", calling it heartwarming, and saying Cinta's death was "cleverly done and...truthful in how people experience death", while saying it is "shocking", she predicted that Cinta would "die in the rebellion", and adding that if Cinta and Vel had survived, they would dream of going "into hiding somewhere if they could" but would actually "end up staying in the rebellion".{{cite web|last=Moreau|first=Jordan|url=https://variety.com/2025/tv/features/andor-cinta-death-varada-sethu-1236383791/|title='Andor' Star Varada Sethu on Cinta's [SPOILER], Her Future With Vel and Killing Tay Kolma: 'It's Like Death When She Turns Up'|website=Variety|date=May 1, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250503152647/https://variety.com/2025/tv/features/andor-cinta-death-varada-sethu-1236383791/|archive-date=May 3, 2025|url-status=live}} In an interview with Elle, Sethu said that the death of Cinta "made perfect sense" while tragic and clever, adding that she could "fangirl about this show forever" noted that the kiss scene between Vel and Cinta was "a bit...off-the-cuff" and called the relationship between Cinta and Vel as a real and flawed which is a "mirror into the world".{{cite web|last=Puckett-Pope|first=Lauren|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a64622706/andor-season-2-varada-sethu-interview-cinta-kaz-death/|title=Why Cinta's Shocking Fate in Andor 'Made Perfect Sense' to Varada Sethu|website=Elle|date=April 29, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250516213901/https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a64622706/andor-season-2-varada-sethu-interview-cinta-kaz-death/|archive-date=May 16, 2025|url-status=live}}

By March 2023, Benjamin Bratt had been cast for the episode in an undisclosed role, later revealed to be Bail Organa, replacing Jimmy Smits in the role.{{Cite web |url=https://www.lasprovincias.es/culturas/cine/actores-tecnicos-andor-valencia-espera-diego-luna-20230316013700-nt.html |title=Los actores y técnicos de 'Andor' ya están en Valencia a la espera de Diego Luna |date=March 17, 2023 |access-date=June 23, 2025 |archive-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317170239/https://www.lasprovincias.es/culturas/cine/actores-tecnicos-andor-valencia-espera-diego-luna-20230316013700-nt.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.hosteleriaenvalencia.com/noticias.asp?id=9153 |title=THE STAR WARS FILM CREW VISITS EL MERCADO DE LA IMPRENTA |work=HOSTELERIA EN VALENCIA |date=March 18, 2023 |access-date=June 23, 2025 |archive-date=March 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322200923/https://www.hosteleriaenvalencia.com/noticias.asp?id=9153 }} In "What a Festive Evening", marking his second appearance on Andor, Ben Mendelsohn reprises his role as Orson Krennic from previous Star Wars media, including Rogue One (2016), in which he served as the main antagonist.{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Rodrigo |date=June 24, 2024 |title='Andor': Ben Mendehlson Will Reprise His Orson Krennic Role In Season Two [Exclusive] |url=https://theplaylist.net/andor-ben-mendehlson-will-reprise-his-orson-krennic-role-in-season-two-exclusive-20240624/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625152306/https://theplaylist.net/andor-ben-mendehlson-will-reprise-his-orson-krennic-role-in-season-two-exclusive-20240624/ |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |access-date=June 23, 2025 |website=The Playlist}}

The original score for "What a Festive Evening", as with nine other episodes of the season's twelve,{{efn|All episodes of season 2 but "Ever Been to Ghorman?" and "I Have Friends Everywhere" credit Roberts as the main composer}} was composed by Brandon Roberts, replacing Nicholas Britell, the composer for the show's first season, due to scheduling conflicts.{{Cite web |date=April 11, 2025 |title=Brandon Roberts Scoring Disney+'s 'Andor' Season 2 |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2025/04/11/brandon-roberts-scoring-disneys-andor-season-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250416183502/https://filmmusicreporter.com/2025/04/11/brandon-roberts-scoring-disneys-andor-season-2/ |archive-date=April 16, 2025 |access-date=June 23, 2025 |website=Film Music Reporter}}

The soundtrack for the episode was released alongside that of the other two episodes in its block on May 2, 2025 via Walt Disney Records as part of the second of four volumes of the second season's original score.{{cite web |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2025/05/01/andor-season-2-vol-2-episodes-4-6-soundtrack-album-details/ |title='Andor' Season 2 – Vol. 2 (Episodes 4-6) Soundtrack Album Details |website=Film Music Reporter |date=May 1, 2025 |access-date=June 23, 2025}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Andor Season 2: Episode 6 (Original Soundtrack)

| total_length = 13:32

| title1 = Andor (Main Title Theme) – Episode 6

| length1 = 0:39

| title2 = Kafhaus Reunion

| length2 = 2:20

| title3 = Oathkeeper

| length3 = 1:04

| title4 = Sculdun Tower

| length4 = 1:43

| title5 = Crates in Motion

| length5 = 2:43

| title6 = Doctor Heal Thyself

| length6 = 2:22

| title7 = The Bix Is Back{{efn|Composed by Nicholas Britell}}

| length7 = 1:41

}}

"What a Festive Evening" was released on Disney+ on April 29, 2025 as part of a three-episode block, alongside "Ever Been to Ghorman?" and "I Have Friends Everywhere".

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% approval rating, based on 7 reviews.{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes |id=andor |type=tv |title=What a Festive Evening |season=2 |episode=6 |access-date=June 22, 2025}}{{cbignore}}

William Hughes of The A.V. Club gave a positive review, writing "This episode was tense, occasionally funny, well-acted, and with a couple of stand-out moments."{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/andor-recap-season-2-episode-6 |title=Andor ends its third year by telling us about the time the Rebellion nearly began |website=The A.V. Club |first=William |last=Hughes |date=May 1, 2025 |access-date=June 22, 2025}} Mike Redmond of Pajiba also gave a positive review, summarizing that "Instead, we're literally speed-running through this season because here's the very depressing reality: It's already halfway over".{{cite web |url=https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/andor-season-2-episodes-4-5-6-recap-space-drugs-the-movie.php |title='Andor' Season 2 Recap: Space Drugs the Movie |first=Mike |last=Redmond |website=Pajiba |date=May 2, 2025 |access-date=June 23, 2025}}

The death of Cinta Kaz in the episode received mixed reactions from critics and fans. Some critics called her death a "misstep", a "slap in the face" which furthers the "emotional arc of her white counterpart", furthers "regressive tropes" like bury your gays, reinforced the franchise's bad track record for LGBTQ characters, and said that fans were "rightfully upset", while calling inclusion of Cinta Kaz and Vel Sartha a "step forward".{{citation|last=Arens|first=Bryanna|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/andor-season-2-represents-a-win-and-a-loss-for-queer-representation-in-star-wars/|title=Andor Season 2 Represents a Win (and a Loss) for Queer Representation in Star Wars|website=Den of Geek|date=May 1, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250502052959/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/andor-season-2-represents-a-win-and-a-loss-for-queer-representation-in-star-wars/|archive-date=May 2, 2025|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Scott|first=Lyvie|url=https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/andor-season-2-star-wars-cinta-kaz-bury-your-gays|title=Did Andor Season 2 Just Bury Its Gays?|website=Inverse|date=April 30, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250501143829/https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/andor-season-2-star-wars-cinta-kaz-bury-your-gays|archive-date=May 1, 2025|url-status=live}} PinkNews and Den of Geek reported that fans were "rightfully upset" with the death of Cinta, with a "mixture of heartbreak and rage", and asserting that the series was deploying negative tropes in the process.{{cite web|last=Wratten|first=Marcus|url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/02/andor-star-wars-cinta-death-varada-sethu-fan-reaction/|title=Andor viewers 'heartbroken' after episode six twist: 'I'm p*ssed'|website=PinkNews|date=May 2, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250514222022/https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/02/andor-star-wars-cinta-death-varada-sethu-fan-reaction/|archive-date=May 14, 2025|url-status=live}} Other critics and commenters said that the death of Cinta was a "painful reminder of how rarely our stories are allowed to be fully told", and was heartbreaking, following a trend of how "queer relationships often get written in Hollywood".{{cite web|last=Epstein|first=Mika A.|url=https://lezwatchtv.com/2025/is-queer-love-doomed-even-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away/|title=Is Queer Love Doomed Even in a Galaxy Far, Far Away?|website=LezWatchTV|date=April 30, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250501031915/https://lezwatchtv.com/2025/is-queer-love-doomed-even-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away/|archive-date=May 1, 2025|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Stevenson|first=Rick|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1846225/andor-season-2-star-wars-queer-storyline-trope-fridging/|title=Star Wars Finally Gets Queer In Andor Season 2, But It Embraces A Miserable Trope|website=Slashfilm|date=May 1, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250502015541/https://www.slashfilm.com/1846225/andor-season-2-star-wars-queer-storyline-trope-fridging/|archive-date=May 2, 2025|url-status=live}}

Critics for Gizmodo, TheGamer, and Polygon gave a different view. They argued that the death of Cinta did not follow negative tropes, but that treating queer characters as full characters requires "sometimes...putting them at risk" and has queer characters being "treated the same as straight ones", with her death treated with weight rather than pure "shock value", with no character safe from death in the series. These critics acknowledged that the franchise has work to do when it comes to "introducing prominent LGBTQ characters", criticized the queer representation in Star Wars as "incredibly bleak", called her death "bitter", "retrograde", and praised Vel's speech to the one who killed Cinta.{{cite web|last=Whitbrook|first=James|url=https://gizmodo.com/andor-season-2-cinta-death-lgbtq-star-wars-2000597135|title=Andor Walked a Delicate Line With Its Latest Tragedy|website=Gizmodo|date=May 1, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250502191018/https://gizmodo.com/andor-season-2-cinta-death-lgbtq-star-wars-2000597135|archive-date=May 2, 2025|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Krur|first=Tessa|url=https://www.thegamer.com/andor-cinta-vel-season-2-lesbians-deserved-better-war-violence/|title=Andor's Lesbians Deserved Better, But Not From Its Showrunners|website=TheGamer|date=May 5, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250505171027/https://www.thegamer.com/andor-cinta-vel-season-2-lesbians-deserved-better-war-violence/|archive-date=May 5, 2025|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Millan|first1=Zosha|last2=Polo|first2=Susana|url=https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/567194/andor-cinta-vel-death-ghorman-bury-your-gays|title=Should Andor have killed [redacted]? Let's discuss|website=Polygon|date=May 1, 2025|access-date=June 23, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250505190931/https://www.polygon.com/star-wars/567194/andor-cinta-vel-death-ghorman-bury-your-gays|archive-date=May 5, 2025|url-status=live}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb episode|20603302}}
• {{Star Wars.com episode|andor/andor-season-2-episode-6-episode-guide}}
• {{Wookieepedia episode|What a Festive Evening}}

{{Andor (TV series)}}

{{Ariel Kleiman}}

{{Beau Willimon}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Andor (TV series) episodes

Category:2025 American television episodes

Category:Television episodes directed by Ariel Kleiman

Category:Television episodes written by Beau Willimon