[This article contains spoilers for Andor's Season 1 finale]
Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) has become one of Andor's most fascinating characters because he's just so miserable and incompetent. He went from being an overeager Deputy Inspector for Preox-Morlana who got swept up in a murder investigation to another unemployed millennial living at home with his mother Eedy (Kathryn Hunter) after he got fired for disobeying orders. After his mysterious Uncle Harlow helped to get him a new job, Syril became a thorn in the side of the Imperial Security Bureau, which put him on the path of Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) who is another miserable and purpose-hungry individual.
In the season finale, Syril sets his sights on Ferrix in hopes of finally catching Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), but with tensions mounting between the Empire and the residents of Ferrix, a riot breaks out during Maarva Andor's (Fiona Shaw) funeral and chaos ensues. Swept up in the fray is Dedra, who finds herself on the receiving end of the angry mob of mourners. But before they can inflict serious damage, Syril sweeps in like a knight in self-tailored armor, and saves her life. The scene that follows is a far cry from their last interaction and the energy between them definitely veers into the realm of deeply uncomfortable.
Earlier in the season, Syril's obsession with tracking down Cassian Andor puts him on the radar of Dedra's own investigation into the rebellious activity across the galaxy. While there's nothing particularly remarkable about Dedra's line of questioning, Syril sees it as someone finally validating his suspicions about Cassian and the first time someone has viewed him as valuable. This, unfortunately, leads to him stalking her at work and drawing Dedra's ire. But that ire seems to be completely gone after he saves her life in the finale, which is why Collider's own Steve Weintraub had to ask Andor's creator Tony Gilroy about the interaction.
During an interview ahead of the finale, Gilroy briefly spoke about the moment and even seemed to allude to the fact that those fan theories that there could be something more about these two characters might not be entirely unfounded. Speaking about the discomfort that some viewers might feel during the oddly charged scene, Gilroy said, "If they were your neighbors across the hall, you'd be very interested in them. I mean, yeah, absolutely. I want you to be fascinated by them for sure." He went on to talk about whether his white knight move might play into their future in Season 2, "I don't think it pulls them apart. I mean, it's the ultimate Tinder date there, isn't it?"
It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that a pair of miserable and determined boot-lickers would find common ground with each other, but it doesn't quite lessen the "ick factor" of the way that Syril has essentially stalked and obsessed over Dedra after she showed him the tiniest amount of attention. But Andor certainly hasn't shied away from incorporating real-world struggles into the series.
Who Is Else Coming Back for Season 2?
After that stressful season finale, it was a relief to learn that Gilroy isn't looking to kill anyone off-camera when we reunite with the cast of characters in Episode 13. In addition to Soller and Gough, the second season will see the return of Diego Luna. Given their connection to Rogue One, fans can also anticipate the return of Genevieve O'Reilly and Duncan Pow, as well as Stellan Skarsgård who was the first to reveal that the series would return for a second season. Adria Arjona, Joplin Sibtain, Elizabeth Dulau, Faye Marsay, and Varada Sethu are also anticipated to return at some point since they survived the finale. Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz, and Alonso Ruizpalacios will be joining Season 2 as the new team of directors tackling 3-episode arcs, with scripts by returning scribes Dan Gilroy and Beau Willimon, and newcomer Tom Bissell.
The entire first season of Andor is streaming now on Disney+. While you wait, check out our interview with Soller and Gough from before the premiere: