Star Wars: Andor season 2 picks up the pace as we jump forward another year to 3BBY for the next three-episode arc.
Cassian goes on a scouting mission to see if there's potential for a new rebel outbreak on Ghorman, and finds the population woefully unprepared for what they are about to unleash. Meanwhile, the ISB begin spinning a web to catch the insurgents and put a stop to their activities before they've really had a chance to begin.
The first three episodes were a slow start for the season, slow, directionless, and with little in the way of action, if they'd been cut entirely, it wouldn't have made much difference to the show. Now, things are picking up a little, with plenty going on as the various disparate plotlines twist into one.
At the forefront is the rebellion brewing on Ghorman, as the normally peaceful planet begins to stir into an uprising against the Empire. This was clearly taking inspiration from WWII and the French Resistance in its tone and style. The Ghormans have vaguely European accents, there are secret meetings in street cafes, listening in on conversations, and there's a mention that they once helped out a rebel pilot who crashed on the planet, similar to what the evasion lines did, getting Allied airmen back to Britain from the continent so they could continue the fight.
This was great stuff, but sadly it's underused. There's so much material here, with the effects of the occupation, the risk of making things worse by rebelling, and the fact that most of the people involved have no clue what they are doing, or just how dangerous this is. There could really have been a whole show here about this and the characters involved, but there isn't space to go into it too deeply. This is partly to do with the focus on established characters like Val and Sinta.
In fact, there isn't really much time to focus on them either. Sinta was barely onscreen for a moment before being taken out, and there was nothing to explain what happened in the intervening years, so her death fell rather flat, similar to Brasso's in the first arc. It's almost like they were just inconvenient loose ends that needed to be cut. Of course, it could lead somewhere in the future, but considering this show is leading up to Rogue One, where none of these characters appear, it's more likely they are just being quickly shuffled offstage to leave more room for the important names.
This is the unfortunate outcome of trying to cram so many events into so short a series. It might have been a better choice to drastically cut the number of storylines, or at least focus it just on the immediate lead-up to Rogue One. As it is, the constant jumping from character to character, and the jarring one-year leaps between episode arcs doesn't allow for any buildup. No matter what the characters have gone through this week, it will be all over for them next week, as we move closer to the Battle of Yavin.
That's in contrast with season 1, where everything moved slowly (perhaps too slowly) and there's a feeling like there was a full treatment planned for five seasons, large chunks of which have been mercilessly cut in season 2, Like the way Bix dealt with her tormentor Dr. Gorst in a very convenient and unsatisfactory way. Luthen needed her healthy and so does the plot, it seems.
It's definitely a much stronger three-episode block than last week, but still not perfect. The parts with Luthen and Mon Mothma are great, looking at the opposite side of the rebellion, away from the fighting. Combined with the events on Ghorman, it makes for a solid narrative. On the other hand, there's Saw Gerrera, who feels out of place, crowbarred in for his part in Rogue One, but so far without anything useful to do.
You might have noticed that I've barely mentioned Cassian Andor, even though the show's named after him, and that't because he's really not such a big part of the story. He has the least development, the least impact, and the least input. He's more a plot vehicle than a main character, similar in fact to his movie appearance, and I don't feel like that will be changing anytime soon.
Even so, you can see more of the story taking shape here, and where it's all leading up to, though it's surprising to think that we're now halfway through the season, with another six episodes to go. If it can continue to build up momentum, then we could be in for a very special finale.
Episode grade: A-
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