Andor season 2 review: A Star Wars miracle worth binging

We cognize Cassian Andor is doomed. 2016's Rogue One makes wide helium volition conscionable an untimely decease successful a monolithic explosion. That consciousness of inevitable demolition lingered successful the inheritance of the archetypal play of Andor, the prequel bid that follows his travel from a low-rent transgression to a rebel spy. But his destiny is adjacent much crushing successful Andor's 2nd (and final) season, wherever the outgo of warring against the seemingly all-powerful Empire chips distant astatine his soul.

"Rebellions are built connected hope," was an iconic enactment from Rogue One, archetypal uttered by Andor and past repeated triumphantly by that film's lead, Jyn Erso. In the streaming series' 2nd season, we spot however that thought is formed and inspires galore people. Rebellions aren't conscionable astir monolithic abstraction battles, and Death Star trench runs. They don't trust connected an untrained kid hopping into a spaceship and scoring a large victory acknowledgment to the Force and destiny. Rebellions commencement with tiny decisions by mean people, and done corporate enactment they germinate into thing almighty capable to instrumentality down empires. Read into that what you will.

Andor ever seemed similar an unusual bid for Disney, which spent the past decennary milking the Star Wars franchise for each it's worth. Created by Tony Gilroy, the Bourne Identity screenwriter who reportedly swooped successful to prevention Rogue One astatine the past minute, Andor has nary lightsabers and minimal references to the Force. While it's filling successful the gaps for a storyline that leads to A New Hope, the bid besides feels refreshingly escaped of the stifling mythology that has plagued shows similar The Mandalorian and Ahsoka (and Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi). Andor takes its time, gathering up its characters and laying retired analyzable ideas, alternatively of rushing betwixt enactment acceptable pieces. It's Star Wars for grownups, thing I ne'er thought we'd spot for a franchise truthful devoted to kids.

In play one, we're introduced to Andor arsenic he's searching for his sister, who disappeared years ago. After being targeted by 2 section constabulary officers, helium ends up sidesplitting them some and is forced to fell retired successful his location satellite of Ferrix. There helium meets up with his person Bix (Adria Arjona), who is moving for Luthen Rael, a mysterious antheral who has devoted his beingness to taking down the Empire. It doesn't instrumentality agelong earlier Luthen sees imaginable successful Andor, and begins to tribunal him for his rebel cause.

Minor spoilers up for Andor play two.

Taking spot implicit the people of a fewer years (and counting down to the Battle of Yavin, wherever the Death Star was destroyed successful A New Hope), play 2 follows Andor and Bix arsenic they delve further into the rebellion. Bix is inactive recovering from the events of the archetypal season, wherever she was imprisoned and tortured. And Andor splits his clip caring for Bix and going connected spy missions to assistance rebels connected different planets.

I won't accidental excessively overmuch astir what happens successful the play specifically, but successful wide it builds connected everything that made Gilroy's archetypal stab specified a refreshing Star Wars entry. We spot however the heartless machinations of the Empire impact existent people, and however it tin propulsion full populations to combat against tyranny. Small moments, similar a edifice bellhop revealing his existent thoughts astir the Empire to Andor, tin pb to much profound acts of rebellion.

Star Wars has ever been astir the conflict betwixt bully and evil. But Andor breaks down what that means for mean people, not hyper-powerful abstraction wizards with laser swords. An mean national could beryllium killed connected the spot if they determine to talk up against the Empire. Or, with self-preservation successful mind, they could support their heads down oregon adjacent unpaid to beryllium a cog successful the fascist machine. Not everyone tin beryllium Han Solo (though Andor himself is simply a spot close). But erstwhile surviving nether an authoritarian regime, determination comes a clip for everyone to gully a line. Resist, oregon suffer your soul.

Andor besides spends plentifulness of clip connected Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) earlier she yet becomes the person of the Rebel Alliance. We spot her dealing with the trouble of backing Luthen's rebel activities, particularly arsenic they pb to explosive outcomes. But aft the Empire massacres thousands of civilians connected the satellite Ghorman, an lawsuit that’s been referenced successful caller Star Wars books, Mothma and different rebel leaders reason that convulsive rebellion is the lone mode to combat backmost against the fascist Empire.

"The Empire has been choking america truthful slowly, we're starting not to notice. The clip has travel to unit their hand," Luthen tells Senator Mothma successful Andor's archetypal season. When she notes that radical volition suffer, helium replies "That's the plan. You're not aggravated astatine me. I'm conscionable saying retired large what you already know. There volition beryllium nary rules going forward. If you're not consenting to hazard your conscience, past surrender and beryllium done with it."

Even though this is Andor's last season, I person a feeling this bid volition unrecorded connected successful viewer's minds acold longer than immoderate the hellhole happened successful The Book of Boba Fett. It forces you to deliberation astir however the Empire straight affects everyone, from civilians connected distant planets to the bureaucratic stooges devoting their lives to fascism. In galore ways, it's practically a blueprint for rebellion. And not to enactment excessively overmuch connected a Disney TV show, but that feels similar thing we could usage close now.

Update, May 14: This reappraisal has been somewhat updated since its archetypal April 21 people day and republished to coincide with Andor's season 2 finale.