I Can't Believe 'Andor' Actually Made Me Feel Sorry for Syril Karn, but That Moment Was Devastating

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Andor Season 2 Episode 8.Love him, detest him, or just enjoy his comedic interludes, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) is a divisive figure within and outside Andor's universe. A fan-favorite villain, his laser-focused fixation on Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Season 1 never quite hits the notes audiences expect from the Javert archetype — i.e., the frenzied police chief from Les Misérables whose conveniently simplistic worldview is destined to self-implode. Handing that zealotry to an awkward, overeager young man who decorates his childhood bedroom with Stormtrooper figurines and eats cereal with an unrivaled level of mournful ceremony nudges Syril away from the stylish connivers we associate with Star Wars villains and into a realm that's somewhere between compelling and annoying. Instead of the insidious Emperor Palpatine or Darth Maul, who continues to corner the market on revenge, Andor's main antagonist is a mediocre dreamer who uses ambition to compensate for his insecurities (including his embarrassingly obvious need for validation).