Andor: Season Two – Review
Having recently watched the previous Star War series, Skeleton Crew, watching the second season of Andor was a bit of a whiplash in terms of tone and maturity levels.
While Skeleton Crew was definitely aimed at young audiences, Andor is for maturer audiences, dealing with some very dark themes.
This season picks up where the previous season left off. Both seasons deal with the development of the Rebellion against the Empire. While it is technically about the main character, Cassian Andor, it is really developing a larger picture of ow the Rebellion begins both in high places and on the ground.
The perspective is from both that of the Rebellion and the Empire. Leaders in both groups have plans and are manipulating situations and people for their own purposes. Innocent people will dies and people on both sides see this as an acceptable price to play.
We see in this series the complexities of carrying out a conspiracy, attempting to use the influence available, but at the same time attempting to avoid suspicion.
We also see the cost on the personal side. Many of the main characters are suffering from trauma in general and in some cases PTSD. This is where some of the mature themes come in. For the first time in the Star Wars universe, we see things like addiction and attempted rape.
There are jumps in time in this story, with each jump bringing us closer to the first Star Wars move: A New Hope. In fact the years are measured in BBY, Before the Battle of Yavin (destruction of the Death Star).
Of course before we get to A New Hope, we must cross Rogue One. Rogue One is the movie that both seasons of Andor are prequels of. The last couple of episodes of this season bring us right to Rogue One, one of the best Star Wars movies of the recent crop.
I really enjoyed Andor. I did get bored every once in a while, mainly because this is presented in as realistic way as you can within the science fiction genre. Not every step of Rebellion is an attack on stormtroopers. Some of it is quiet plotting.
Andor moves back and forth from slow moving to high pace and back again. It offers much to think about and it is not just action escapism.
The other part of Andor is that it is very much character-driven. The characters are fleshed out and we find ourselves really caring about them and what happens to them.
Andor, both seasons, will long be seen as high points in the Disney era of Star Wars.
