'Andor' Season 2 Episodes 1 - 3 Review
Image Source: StarWars.com
The first arc of Andor Season 2 has premiered, and oh boy, does it punch right to the gut. Seemingly called “Time” based on a BTS video uploaded to YouTube the same time as the premiere, this arc features the episodes “One Year Later", "Sagrona Teema", and "Harvest", and chronicles three days across the lives of almost our entire main cast. CultureSlate will be reviewing the three episodes together as they truly are part of a single, film-sized story, and it will help keep the weaving storylines coherent.
WARNING: This episode contains SPOILERS for Andor Season 2.
We begin with Cassian’s story. It turns out our speculation about his heist of a TIE Avenger was far off the mark, as Cassian steals the ship from a world owned by Sienar Fleet Systems. Pursued by advanced TIE models, Cassian loses them and then flees to an innocuous drop-off point…only to be attacked and taken hostage by other Rebels who have been left at the same location in a confusing situation, and who have killed Cassian’s contact. Members of a Rebel cell mentioned in Season 1, they just lost their leader in an attack, and their ship has seemingly left them, leading to intense division within the group.
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Image Source: StarWars.com
This division becomes a full-on split in an explosion of violence as one half of the unit retreats to the ruins of the ship that should have taken Cassian to safety, and the others huddle around the Avenger. The one pilot of their once combined crew is killed in the initial fighting, and Cassian is now their only way off the world. This part of the arc is perhaps the most directly comedic. These fighters are not hardened or seasoned, and Cassian has to repeatedly suggest logical decisions to his half of the divided unit. Their leader was clearly their guiding star, since without them, these people are largely ineffective. We imagine this part of the arc will also be strongly disliked by many for the comedy at play in many of these scenes, but frankly, given the gravitas of the other storylines, a bit of levity and a lot of symbolism with this group alongside a major reveal helps buoy their storyline.
Next, we shift over to Dedra and Syril. Dedra and Major Partagaz have been roped into efforts by Orson Krennic to begin planning for the demonization of the Ghorman people, as it is revealed that the Empire wants critical minerals on their planet. Dedra’s suggestion to Krennic is to plant assets in what will become the Ghorman resistance to ensure the Empire can help steer and fully control the narrative. Meanwhile, in her “home life” with Syril, we get a strong taste of their strange new relationship. They appear to be a couple, but physical affection is absent, and their lives are governed more by their work and Dedra’s meticulous planning. Eedy, Syril’s mother, enters the picture for a well-prepared meal with her son and his new girlfriend, though the dynamics at play have to be seen to be enjoyed. These parts of the episodes help set up the future of the coming Ghorman Massacre, and both Dedra and Syril’s roles in it.
Image Source: YouTube
Then there’s Mon Mothma. In a surprise turn, the wedding between her daughter and Davos Sculdun’s son happens in this first arc. Mon’s world begins to fall apart as Tay Kolma, her friend, her ally…is blackmailing her. He’s unhappy, as Rebel activity has soured some of his investments, and at a truly ostentatious wedding full of wealth and displays of opulence, he feels underappreciated. This, along with the stress of the three-day-long festivities, and on seeing her daughter wed in a way that Mon herself rejects, builds and builds into an explosion of kinetic energy. Mon downs shot after shot, and then begins to dance, to briefly follow the advice of her husband and seek the embrace of joy and pleasure to offset the anxieties of the wider world. We doubt it will bring true enjoyment to her, but the acting by Genevieve O’Reilly is superb at balancing Mon’s smiling exterior persona and her genuine, nervous interior.
Luthen is at this wedding too, as is Kleya briefly, given that Davos is a client who wishes to present the married couple with a new gift. However, Luthen realizes what has happened with Tay and speaks to Mon several times, while he is also nervous about Cassian’s latest mission. Meanwhile, Kleya plays the part of the stern assistant, who ultimately goes back to Coruscant when no word continues to come in about Cassian’s mission.
Image Source: StarWars.com
This leads us to the final storyline, and the one with the most emotions given what happens in it, and for what we’ve learned in the hours since the premiere. Cassian’s friends, the “Ferrix Four” as we dubbed them, are fully aware of his activities, and it seems likely that he lives with them on the agricultural world of Mina-Rau between missions for Luthen. The big reunion happened off-screen at some point in the recent past, though we aren’t disappointed because the construction of the arc still plays into the idea of his absence and eventual reunion. The Empire has come to Mina-Rau for a census, though the presence of illegal workers (including Bix, Wilmon, and Brasso) is a problem, as the Empire will remove them if discovered, and probably send them to prison.
While Wilmon has a sweet romance with a local woman, similar to Brasso having found companionship with another local, Bix is tormented in her dreams by her torturer, Dr. Gorst. Unfortunately, Bix’s struggles grow worse when one of the surveying Imperials takes a deep interest in Bix, an uncomfortable interest. This results in his justifiable death when Bix defends herself from his aggressive, unwanted advances. As a result, the Empire is on high alert, and Cassian swoops in with his TIE Avenger to try and save Brasso as the man rushes for safety after being captured.
Image Source: YouTube
We say try, because Brasso sadly dies in the attempt. In their grief, the Ferrix Four become two, as Cassian and his friends then leave B2EMO behind and flee the planet. B2 had been left back with Brasso’s friend Talia for his own safety, but because the other three Ferrixians divided due to the oncoming Imperials (Brasso pursuing an errant Wilmon, Bix packing their gear to try and leave town), he isn’t there for when everyone is reunited. This exclusion of the character, sudden and heart-wrenching, is one of the few direct negative elements of the episode because there is no on-screen confirmation that they left him. Instead, it was up to a StarWars.com article to confirm this. Hopefully, this event is addressed in the next arc, or we see B2EMO return in the coming weeks.
Through all of this action, and the complex narrative, are incredible sets, incredible costumes, amazing actors, and plenty of commentary and discussion worth breaking down in detail for its nuance and startling parallels to modern events. Much like The Mask of Fear, these parallels are not purposeful attempts to link to the recent weeks and months of global politics, but they are sadly part of patterns that repeat across all of history. With so much served up in just one arc, next week will hopefully prove just as bountiful and rich for fans of Andor, Star Wars, and great television.
Rating: 9/10
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Source(s): Andor, YouTube, StarWars.com [1], [2]
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