Michael Suarez
The following recap contains spoilers for the Season 2 premiere of Andor, S2E1, “One Year Later”; S2E2, “Sagrona Teema”; and S2E3, “Harvest” (written by Tony Gilroy and directed by Ariel Kleiman)
“So, what do I sacrifice? Everything!”
– Luthen Rael (Season 1, Episode 10)
Per the title of the first episode of Season 2, it’s been one year since the events of Season 1 of Andor. Rather than play catch-up with all of the main players in the first episode, showrunner Tony Gilroy uses the three-episode arc format of this season to unfold his narrative in a way that shows us how far some characters have come. The show accomplishes this with point of view.
There are six storylines in the first three episodes:
1) Cassian stealing an Imperial ship and trying to get back to his friends;
2) Bix, Brasso, Wilmon, and B2EMO, who are waiting for Cassian’s return;
3) Dedra Meero and her dealings with the ISB, Syril, and Syril’s mother;
4) Mon Mothma, who dealing with her young daughter’s wedding and confronting a truth;
5) Luthe, who is getting more and more frustrated with how things are at the moment; and
6) Vel Sartha, who struggling to come to terms with sacrificing love for the Rebellion.
Each has their own points to make in regard to the Rebellion, and as a result, I understand how some storylines can be more interesting than others.
Gilroy made it no secret that Season 2 of Andor is structured in a very specific way. There are 12 episodes, and every three episodes tell a story from 1 year prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. What surprised me was Disney’s decision to release each three-episode arc over four weeks, rather than an episode a week. This, I believe, was the smart way to go. Given the structure, I doubt most audiences would be fine to see a piece of what is essentially a 2-hour movie each week for a few months.
It could work if Andor were a show that reveled in action scenes, and though they do happen and are certainly thrilling, this is a series that takes its time. It’s deliberate, and the result is something from which I could not look away. Even more than Season 1, I was enthralled by the inner workings of the Empire and the Rebellion, a truly ground-level approach at times that worked for me.
There are no Jedi or Sith. As a result, we’re left with human beings, most of whom are messy and selfish. However, rather than make the case that those in the Empire are really not that different than those in the Rebellion, the show simply gives us characters to show what life is really like, even in a galaxy far, far away.
Cassian, the show’s eponymous character, doesn’t get too much to do, aside from the opening and closing of the three-episode arc, but his story is an important one, and not just because we find out he’s stuck on Yavin IV, the rebel base from A New Hope and Rogue One. It’s interesting because we see a part of the Rebellion that never gets highlighted: the regular people who want to fight but have no idea what they’re doing.
If you were annoyed by Maya Pei Brigade, I’m pretty sure that’s not a wrong reaction. Others could include amusement and frustration. These kids are in the middle of going all Lord of the Flies (or Yellowjackets, if you prefer), and though there is some sloppy shooting, the biggest way to settle a conflict, apparently, is a version of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Seriously, they don’t know what they’re doing, just that they’re the good guys, and Cassian, who showed up dressed as an Imperial pilot flying an Imperial ship, must be a bad guy. I honestly cannot blame these kids. Their hearts seem like they’re in the right place, but they need structure.
The Rebellion needs to get its act together. Meanwhile, Bix, Brasso, Wilmon, and B2EMO are on a harvest planet called Mina-Rau, waiting for word from Cassian, who cannot communicate with them, not just because he’s being held captive but because Imperials are conducting an audit of workers, jamming all communication. This was probably my favorite storyline, a slow burn that you just know is going to end badly.
Bix has PTSD from her torture last season, Brasso is still Brasso, Wilmon has fallen for a local farm girl, and B2EMO is still worried about being left behind. I hate that he ultimately is at the end of the arc, but I hold out hope that someone will come for him before the series’ end, though I’m not sure that’ll happen.
Eventually, Brasso is found out, and Bix is nearly raped by an Imperial. Cassian arrives in the nick of time to save Bix and Wilmon, but he cannot save his friend. With no time for a burial or for Bix and Wilmon to say their goodbyes, they leave Mina-Rau (and B2EMO) behind, possibly to never return. For those on the ground, losing a friend is something that happens and will continue to happen. And, frankly, I don’t believe that is something Mon Mothma and her cousin Vel understand.
That said, by the end of Episode 3, both seem to finally be confronting this truth. It makes sense, I think, that these two would take so long. Both are rich and carry themselves with a certain air, regardless of what they’ve done for the Rebellion. Remember, Vel was actually part of a dangerous mission in Season 1, and Mon Mothma is neck-deep in the Rebellion. However, both have to play Bruce Wayne and attend parties and such. Still, let me start with Vel.
She’s selfish, but she’s also someone clearly in love. I can understand how she must be feeling, knowing that her love is off doing things she cannot know about. At the same time, Cinta Kaz understands that the Rebellion is more than just the two of them. I can see Vel’s heart break when she and Cinta lock eyes near the end of Episode 3, but I can also shake my head in frustration with Vel. Here she is at an elegant and clearly expensive wedding, while Cinta is probably going to have to assassinate Tay Kolma and who knows what else.
Tay Kolma makes it known to Mon that he is considering selling out to the Empire, unless he can get money to make up for what he’s lost during his time supporting Mon. While she deals with a husband and a daughter who seemingly hate her, no matter what she’s doing for them (whether they know it or not), now comes her childhood friend, putting himself in a position that Mon knows is not good. For a good part of the arc, she seems to be in denial of all of these things. Following Perrin’s pointed toast, Leida’s verbal slap in the face, and Luthen pretty much telling Mon that Tay is going to have to be killed, she drinks and dances. Fair enough, I suppose.
However, we cut back and forth from the wedding to what’s going down on Mina-Rau, and I can’t help but see the differences between individuals who are on the same side. While Cassian and his friends run for their lives from Imperials, Mon and Vel are safe and sound. I recognize the danger these two women are in, but it’s not the same. Brasso is not the only person Cassian has seen die in the name of the Rebellion, even before it was called that, and we know it won’t be the last.
That Mon and Vel are just now coming to terms with loss can and does frustrate me more than the kids on Yavin IV. The latter didn’t know any better, and I believed the former did. Apparently not, but I am curious where the cousins will be when we catch up with them a year later. What will be their relationship with Luthen?
Speaking of which, who is Luthen exactly? I love that we know he’s important and could be considered the leader of Rebellion at this point, but damn, the guy calls all the shots. Who is he that so many people listen to? To be fair, I’m not necessarily suggesting that any of the characters not listen or stage a mutiny of some kind. I’m just curious, and honestly, I hope we don’t get too much more information about who Luthen is. I like that he keeps everyone, even the audience, at bay for the sake of the Rebellion.
I do love how Kleya Marki only puts up with Luthen because she believes in the cause, but she’s also willing to talk back to him and stand up for herself when the occasion arises. I honestly love this character, though I’m sure she’s headed for a bad end. I also love that when Vel comes to her to complain, Klyea doesn’t have time for it, annoyed and angry that Vel is more concerned about her love life than about people possibly dying because communication with Cassian isn’t possible.
Yes, Luthen and Kleya are in positions that make them safer than Cassian and them, but they are much more in the thick of it than either Mon or Vel at the moment. I’m looking forward to seeing where this is headed. I’m not sure I can say the same about Dedra and Syril.
While we get some ugly Imperial intrigue in Episode 1, most of the time spent with the Empire in this arc involves domestic drama, which on the surface could seem like a waste of time or a strange way to mix in levity. However, it seems like the show wants to present the Empire through the idea of the banality of evil. Without the Sith present on the show, all we have are people. Dedra is going to be involved in something horrific, and yet at home, she’s dealing with a mother-in-law who’s driving her crazy.
This is what happens in fascist regimes. It’s easy to see certain people as monsters, but so many of them live mundane lives, where they have to go get their own groceries and do their best to duck any humiliation directed at them from their own mother. Andor isn’t suggesting that Imperials are just like Rebels or that a character like Dedra isn’t bad. The show simply shows that these bad people are just people. We shouldn’t fear the individual. It’s the policies, the plans, and the lack of proper oversight that allows an officer to rape a woman that should be feared.
Meanwhile, it’s the Empire that should fear the individual. Cassian, Bix, Wil, Mon, Vel, Luthen, Kleya, and Cinta are just a few of who knows how many Rebels who are fighting. The Empire sees and uses people autonomously, so it makes sense that no one individual could make a difference. The Rebellion is different. It should be different. According to V from V for Vendetta, “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”
As far as I’m concerned, Andor Season 2’s first three-episode arc delivered an excellent examination of the point of view. We got to see the Rebellion from the ground level, the middle, and the top, as well as the side of the Empire the films never show, an expansion of what we saw last season with Syril and his mother. I felt a lot of emotions during my initial viewings of these episodes, and I firmly believe that when I return to them after the series concludes that I will enjoy them even more with the full story giving certain things more context.
Andor remains one of the best shows on television right now. Everyone in front of and behind the camera is doing exceptional work. Here’s hoping it sticks the landing.
