Series Review: Andor: Season Two
Film
Andor: Season Two
Creator: Tony Gilroy
Lucasfilm
Streaming on Disney+
As a lifelong Star Wars fan whose tastes and life interests were shaped in part by the original trilogy, my feelings on everything that’s come since 1999 have been complicated. Still, I’ve found some degree of enjoyment in all of it, even the extremely problematic The Rise of Skywalker. The new era of tales from a galaxy far, far away has created enough volume in content that it’s naturally going to vary more in terms of tone and approach, and the two seasons of Andor have emerged as a prime example of why I’m about to make a somewhat inflammatory statement: I’ve become a Star Wars fan who generally despises Star Wars fans.
Andor: Season 2 charts the final steps of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna, Milk, The Terminal) toward becoming the rebel hero seen in Rogue One. Spanning four years across distinct arcs, the season explores the formation of the Rebel Alliance through political intrigue, ideological conflict and personal sacrifice. Cassian’s journey deepens, as Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly, The Dry) maneuvers within the Senate, watching as brutal developments on the planet Ghorman pushes her to fully embrace open rebellion. Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård, Dune) faces the cost of his covert operations, Dedra Meero (Denise Gough, Monday) oversees key operations on Ghorman as the insecure Syril Karn (Kyle Soller, Poldark, Anna Karenina) follows her on a tight leash, and Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona, Good Omens, Hit Man) struggles to recover after her imprisonment and torture. The story culminates in the establishment of the Rebel base on Yavin 4, setting the stage for full scale war and leading directly into the events of Rogue One.
Since the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999, millions of voices have been crying out in tantrums because they went to a movie theater to relive their childhood and got a kid’s movie. And absolutely, it was a movie that was lacking in many respects, with stilted acting and groan inducing dialogue that only got worse with Attack of The Clones. The fact remains that they wanted to enjoy what appealed to them in their youth on a new, grown up level. This wasn’t just a big ask, but a ridiculous expectation to put on anything and yet in two exceptional seasons, Andor has managed to give it to us. Unflinchingly gritty, insightful, intelligent and suspenseful, Andor is to Star Wars what Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight trilogy was to Batman, giving us something that maintains all of the integrity of the original material while putting it into a starkly real and adult context. And in response, a large section of the fans simply whines in shrill time that puts both Luke and Anakin to shame that it doesn’t feel enough like Star Wars. Season 2 immediately deals with this complaint in a rollickingly entertaining sequence, wherein Cassian steals a TIE interceptor, and adds more space opera eye candy and fun. It also gets even heavier into the realities and horrors of fascist oppression and of war itself, and does so without creating jarring shifts in tone. Still, the incessant whining continues, particularly in regard to an admittedly disturbing and pivotal moment when (spoiler alert ) Bix is sexually assaulted by an imperial soldier. As much as I’m particularly sensitive to sexual violence being used as a cheap plot device, it’s neither cheap nor manipulate here. It’s a realistic portrayal of the way abuse of power trickles down through the rank and file under a totalitarian regime, and those who are willing to watch the all 12 episodes before forming an unwavering opinion will mostly find it to be an effective and necessary story element.
Perhaps the single best element of Andor: Season Two is the chance to Mon Mothma fully become the towering figure who impacts the history of the galaxy in a way that is far superior to anything we ever got in that regard with the character of Darth Vader. The raw power of Mothma’s stirring words culminate in the besh speech in any version of Star Wars, one that applies so perfectly to the current state of the state in America today that it’s startling and essential viewing. The evolution of Cassian Andor from the person we meet when the series begins to the jaded but unstoppably driven warrior and leader he is in Rogue One is brilliantly done, and the long awaited introduction of one the most memorable characters in that film makes the last few episodes as entertaining as we could possibly ask for them to be.
It’s tempting to call Andor: Season Two Star Wars at its very best, yet I’ll stop short of that, both in deference to the original trilogy and because I wholeheartedly embrace a wider view of the galaxy that allows us to see great stories as varied in tone as Skeleton Crew and Andor, each bringing a uniquely appealing view of this vast fictional universe. Andor is, however, the smartest, most mature and insightful version, and deserving of a place of high honor among fans and critics alike. —Patrick Gibbs
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