'Andor' Season 2 Recap: Somehow, The Force Awakens

Folks, I’m going to put my cards on the table here: I am confounded by the creative choices made in this latest chapter, possibly even infuriated. Andor Season 2 already had the Herculean task of living up to its first season, which was an absolute triumph. Don’t get me wrong, this season has beautiful moments that make this show such a masterpiece. Andor continues to be the most well-made piece of Star Wars of the Disney era, but holy sh*t, did it slam into a wall and slam into it hard. The flight path was already wobbly because of the rushed release schedule, and yet, that can’t be blamed for what happened in this latest arc. I can’t believe we’re doing this.

Is Cassian a Jedi?

Going all the way back to Season 1, if you read any comment thread on any site about Andor, you would undoubtedly come across Star Wars fans praising the show for eschewing the Force and Jedi to depict actual people on the ground fighting the Empire. It was practically a selling point. Not anymore!

In an absolutely gobsmacking decision, Episode 7 opens with Bix tricking a wounded Cassian into seeing a Force healer at the Rebel base on Yavin where they now live. Cassian is reluctant because his mother tried one of these healers before, and the experience was more snake oil salesman than helpful. Is this a great opportunity for Andor to depict how most of the galaxy has extreme reservations, if not flat-out disbelief of the Force? Totally, and it seems to go that way until, oh god, the healer senses something special about Cassian. This cannot be happening. You have to be sh*tting me.

Again, one of the great things about Andor is that it shows how everyday citizens pushed back after feeling the Empire’s boot directly on their necks. Cassian was one of those people. He was just some guy who got tired of sitting around being ground up by the Imperial machine. Now? Now, he’s a special hero who may have magic powers because this whole mess somehow got worse. Not only did the Force healer sense something about Cassian, but we got two more very deliberate moments that heavily imply he’s Force sensitive.

1. Cassian tells both Kleya and Luthen that he wants to make his own choices. However, Luthen notes that Cassian keeps showing up whenever he needs him as if he’s being directed by something else. Luthen all but says that Cassian’s actions are predestined. Does this heavily lean into the theories that Luthen is Jedi-adjacent? Yup. Yes, it does. This arc got super sloppy with the Force, folks.

2. Cassian tells Bix that the only skill he brings to the table is luck, which is historically an indicator for Force sensitivity as well as being an excellent pilot. A job title that Cassian is very notably saddled with in this arc. But on the luck front, just this season, we’ve watched Brasso and Cinta get taken out in shockingly mundane fashion, hammering home that death happens without warning. Cassian, on the other hand, continues to make it out alive. (For now.) And, yet, this show apparently decided to upgrade his plot armor to basically magic. What in the goddamn hell?

The Time Jump Momentum Suck

Before we get into the story elements, I also want to note one other problem with this batch. When we ended things in the last arc, Wilmon was being radicalized by Saw Gerrara, and Cassian and Bix seemed poise to go HAM on the Empire. Absolutely all of that was gone, like it never happened. Wil is still doing missions for Luthen and very much in the fold of the proper Rebellion. He is not raising hell with Saw. As for Cassian and Bix, they’re living such a domesticated life on Yavin that Bix has literally been reduced to the girlfriend waiting at home. What happened to all that fire and fury from last week? Did everyone just mellow out over the past year? Again, a confounding arc that I truly cannot believe went this way.

The Ghorman Massacre

If you know your Star Wars history, and what 2 BBY means, you knew the pivotal event that was coming: The Ghorman Massacre. Thanks to an unwitting Syril, the Empire has easily baited the Ghorman Front into creating a situation where martial law can be declared without raising eyebrows. (Did the Empire also bomb some of its own facilities? Maybe!) However, the Emperor has grown impatient and he wants that sweet Kalkite out of the ground.

Despite overseeing the operation on Ghorman, Dedra not only gets pushed aside, but she gets repeatedly chastised by Major Partagaz for being “animated” and “not controlling her emotions” when the timetable is moved up. For all her efforts, her mentor has no qualms giving her the “bitches be crazy” treatment, and that’s only the beginning of things going south for Dedra.

Once again, and for the final time, the Empire baits the Ghorman Front into storming the town square, and Syril is starting to realize some serious sh*t is happening. That’s only further underlined by Dedra telling him to go home and pack his bags. It soon becomes very clear to Syril that he was not helping the Empire lure “outside agitators” to Ghorman. His girlfriend used his ass to stuff a powder keg that’s about to go off. He does not take that realization well at all. In fact, Syril storms right into Dedra’s office and starts choking her. Turns out the real powder keg was the mommy issues from the past 20 episodes.

In case it wasn’t clear that these psychos were made for each other, Dedra still tries to work things out with Syril, but he dumps her on the spot. Is he mad about all of the massacring or being played as a fool? Gonna say mostly that last part, but the massacring isn’t helping. However, he does get one little treat. Cassian also happens to be on planet. He arrived the night before hoping to shoot Dedra in the head, but instead, found himself in the middle of a bloodbath. The two finally cross paths, which comes as a complete surprise to Cassian because he literally has no idea who Syril is. Some random dude just starts beating the crap out of him, and he’ll never know why because their brief brawl is ended by the leader of the Ghorman Front shooting Syril in the back. Turns out that guy doesn’t like being played for a fool either. RIP mommy’s creepy little cereal boy.

As for Dedra, it’s completely up in the air how she’ll react after all of this goes down. She’s clearly rattled, but trying her damndest to keep her composure. She could easily go right back to being an obedient ISB agent or run into the arms of Rebellion. Knowing this show, they’ll probably make her a Jedi. Why stop now?

Listen Up, Y’all, It’s Genocide

With The Ghorman Massacre checked off the list, the final episode of the arc hits the next pivotal moment in Star Wars history: Mon Mothma publicly rebukes the Emperor and openly joins the Rebellion. Set a day after the slaughter, the ISB is keeping a close eye on the senate to make sure no one counters the official narrative that the Empire had no choice but to take control of Ghorman. Mon is on the list of senators most likely to cause a problem, so she’s under tight watch and for good reason.

Mon and Bail Organa have been preparing for a moment like this, and they’re ready to go. The plan: Mon will deliver a scathing speech to the senate exposing the Empire’s actions on Ghorman and calling out Palpatine. Immediately after, Bail’s people will quickly fly her from Coruscant to Yavin. There’s just one small problem: Bail’s team has been infiltrated. Fortunately, Luthen is well aware and tries to warn Mon. However, she’s apprehensive of the man who murdered her childhood best friend right as she’s becoming a liability. But Luthen’s intentions are pure, and he has a more trusted operative to get Mon off-planet: Cassian.

What follows next is a deliciously tight cat-and-mouse game as Mon manages to deliver her speech, which is broadcasted to the galaxy despite the ISB’s efforts to cut the feed coming from the senate. And she goes for it: She spells out that what happened on Ghorman is genocide and warns everyone that Emperor Palpatine is monster who will do anything and everything to maintain power. (Sound familiar?) Thanks to his incredible “luck” that helps him survive two quick draws, Cassian safely escorts Mon out of the senate building. However, he won’t be taking her to Yavin. The Rebellion has chosen to go with a more splashy exit, and also — deep sigh — the events of this show smack into an episode of the Star Wars Rebels cartoon. Yeah.

It’s Not You, It’s Me (and the Rebellion)

It wouldn’t be Andor if things didn’t end with a gut punch, and we get that with the weirdest f*cking decision this side of Cassian and Luthen might have the Force. After the Mon Mothma mission, Cassian is ready to pack it in. He’s put in his time and all he wants to do is ride off into the sunset with Bix. Unfortunately, Bix loves the Rebellion so much that she can’t let Cassian quit because of her, so she straight up leaves in the dead of night. Drops the poor dude a Dear John letter that says they’ll get back together when this is over. If you’ve seen Rogue One, you know how that ends. It also comes out of nowhere because for this whole arc, Bix has been a pretty dormant and complacent figure. It’s a stark 180 from the fiery woman who threw a bomb into Dr. Gorst’s face last week. Do space anti-depressants hit differently?

Obviously, Cassian is crushed, but before we even get a chance to live in that, we’re already barreling into K-2S0 time. I’m talking Cassian gets dumped, one second beat, who’s ready for their new robot pal! I understand the grip on those droids has to be insane, but dude, Bix barely left an hour ago.

Mike Drops

— I know I was really hard on this arc, but to its credit, it was a breezy watch unlike last week. Episode 9 was particularly great, and I did not feel chained to my couch. That said…

— This season is really creaking under the weight of having to set up Rogue One and the Original Trilogy. We know Cassian and Mon are going to be fine, but it’s also making her frustratingly inert as a character. The dramatic tension from Season 1 and the first arc of this season is completely gone, and there’s just too much floaty senate chairs and, well, Star Wars. Genevieve O’Reilly used to be electric to watch, and now, she (and the whole show) is just rushing through a franchise checklist.

— Anyone else feel like Luthen was weirdly absent? It gave Elizabeth Dulau a chance to crush it as Kleya, which is always great, but Luthen felt more detached than ever during this arc. Probably just chilling with Yoda.