The second season of Andor is here. The critically acclaimed Star Wars show follows Cassian Andor, one of the heroes of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as he transforms from a self-serving mercenary for hire into a key member of the Rebel Alliance who will eventually save the entire galaxy by obtaining the plans for the Death Star.
This season splits the story into four arcs of three episodes apiece, each taking place a year apart. We're thrown straight into the thick of things as the first episode, "One Year Later," opens with Cassian on a mission to steal a TIE Avenger, a new type of starfighter being developed by the Empire. Meanwhile, the evil guys in gray continue to increase their grip on the galaxy as they look for new planets to harass, putting the pressure on Andor's friends who are in hiding after the events on Ferrix.
Creator Tony Gilroy has said there were originally plans for five seasons of the show, but it was cut down to just two, partly to make it a more manageable production, and also to stop the stars from aging to the point where we don't believe they could be in Rogue One. You can see how that might have affected the story here, with the way we seem to enter into the middle of the plot. There's no clear indication of what's happened in the period since season 1, how Cassian has become so involved with the Rebellion, risking his life to steal important equipment, or how Bix recovered from her torture, or indeed, how Syril Karn and Dedra Meero have ended up dating; they're far from where we left them at the end of season 1.
Star Wars: Andor review: "One Year Later," "Sagrona Teema" and "Harvest"
There wasn't as much set up as I imagined, especially as season 1 was in no hurry to get to its destination. If these events has taken place over 12 episodes, rather than three, it would have allowed for more time to establish the state of play for all the characters.
Strangely enough, while there should have been plenty to fill time here, the episodes feel quite slow and drag in places. I thought the truncated timeline might have made things move a bit quicker, but not so. Cassian spends most of the first two episodes as a captor in a very muddled stand-off between rival groups of rebels, almost as if he's being held in place so he can't mess up the rest of the story.
He's not the only character who feels redundant. Fan favorite Brasso has little to do, despite his inciting influence in the first season, and is unceremoniously killed off before he has any real impact, as though the writers weren't sure what to do with him, another hint that his intended story was cut short.
A lot of the pacing problems also come from the strange decision to drop three episodes at once, which adds up to well over two hours worth of content. That's quite a lot to get through for a show like Andor, which can be heavy going at the best of times. I've heard it described as a "movie a week," but I don't agree. Movies need some kind of conclusion to get fans interested in a sequel, whereas this is very open-ended, and with the story jumping ahead a year or so next week, it's unlikely we'll pick up with these characters in the same state.
Star Wars and sexual assault
Out of all three episodes, there was one scene that's had fans (and non-fans) talking online. The scene where an Imperial officer attempts to rape Bix. This is something that's never been shown before in Star Wars, and is another example of how Andor differs from the rest of the franchise, with a more mature tone. The question is, should such things be shown in Star Wars?
Naturally, violence and assault are often present in war and under tyranny. It's easy for an all-powerful occupying force to take advantage of their position, knowing there's little anyone can or will do about it, but the problem here is more about execution than inclusion. There have been moments in the franchise where an unpleasant, salacious character has been depicted, such as Jabba the Hutt with Leia and his Twi'lek dancers, or Azmorigan and Hera in Rebels, but their actions were implied, not explicit. Granted, this wasn't as graphic as a similar scene on a show like Game of Thrones might have been, but it's still pretty extreme for Star Wars.
It seems to be the case that the "mature" storytelling often loses its subtlety and has to spell things out explicitly. It would have been fine to suggest things and let the viewers work it out for themselves, as it would naturally be something people would suffer under the Empire. But showing sexual violence onscreen feels out of place in this galaxy, and doesn't do anything to enhance the story being told. It certainly changes the child-friendly nature that all Star Wars has had up to this point, and sets something of a precedent for future projects under different directors who might want to take things even further.
It's something that's been a problem with Andor since season one, where if it's placed up against the majority of other Star Wars projects it feels out of place, even in comparison with Rogue One. It looks, feels, and sounds different. More like a gritty sci-fi show that just happens to take place in a galaxy far, far away, rather than one that's fully immersed in this world.
With the danger of this scene becoming the only talking point, I would say that the rest of the three-episode arc is more "fine" than exceptional. Considering the quality of season 1, and how that had done the hard work of laying the groundwork and introducing the characters, I thought this season might have hit the ground running, but not so. Perhaps things will pick up in the next arc, now that we know where everyone stands, so things can get going in earnest.
Naturally the show looks good, as you'd expect, but it felt more like it was crawling out of the cave after a long hibernation rather than being eager to get going. The best part, interestingly, was the arranged marriage of Mon Mothma's daughter. This gave us plenty of good character work, as well as a deep dive into Chandrillan customs, the kind of world building that makes a show feel real. Far more real than the awkward relationship between Dedra and Syril.
In all, it's not exactly a triumphant return for the highest-rated Star Wars show, but hopefully it will take what it's established and build up to something spectacular by the end.
Episode 1-3 grade: B+
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