By George & Josh Bate
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Andor Season 2 – Episodes 4-6
Still grieving from the loss of the beloved Brasso at the end of the last episode, a new block of Andor episodes take the story one year into the future and emphasizes one of the series’ greatest attributes – the ability to create nail-biting intensity and suspense rivalled by few films and shows.
The one-year time jump from episodes 1-3 to episodes 4-6 makes this new block of episodes feel like another, separate Star Wars movie, which aligns with creator Tony Gilroy’s description of making “four Star Wars movies” with this season. Besides the continuity of characters like Cassian and Bix, this block also feels like a continuation of the last block due to the prominence of Ghorman. Ben Mendelsohn’s Director Krennic held a top-secret meeting with ISB officials like Major Partagaz and Dedra Meero to discuss an energy project on Ghorman that will require delicate handling by the Empire. Many predicted Ghorman and the eventual Ghorman Massacre would play a role in Season 2, and episode 1 planting the seeds of the Ghorman Massacre brought us closer to that unfortunate reality than ever. As opposed to the first block of episodes which merely planted this seed, episodes 4-6 centers on this plant as it grows.
Before we get to Ghorman though, the episodes begin with Cassian and Bix on Coruscant. Hiding out in a dreary safehouse, the two are laying low between rebel missions. After a lot of tension between the two in the first season and their separation in the first block of Season 2, Cassian and Bix are now a couple. The two have a long history dating back to childhood, but now feels like the first time in adulthood they’ve ever really been able to be together. It is heartbreaking then to realize that them coming together finally takes place during such a fractious period in the galaxy and, more specifically, their lives. The Empire’s villainy has shined brightly across a variety of Star Wars stories over the years, but this is a more subtle way in which the Empire oppresses its citizens. Bix and Cassian are committed to a cause that is vital for the betterment of the galaxy, and yet is detrimental to their relationship. For now, the two hold onto what they have, although something about it feels temporary.
After such a harrowing experience in Season 2 episode 3, Bix’s troubles don’t slow down. Bix now resorts to substance use to sleep and numb the pain. There have been deathsticks and spice in Star Wars, but never has substance use felt so real as it does here with Bix. She takes measures to hide her use from her partner. She pretends it is not an issue, despite it clearly being one. Luthen even looks at her and decides she is in no physical or mental shape to take on another mission. The attempted rape and myriad of losses she has experienced have become too much for Bix, who now finds her mental anguish deepened by the isolation of this Coruscant apartment. Adria Arjona phenomenally conveys this anguish and various nuances of substance use.
As Bix struggles alone, Cassian has made his way to Ghorman. Luthen meets his ISB mole Lonni Jung, who informs him that the Empire have a deep interest in Ghorman. Determined to uncover what this interest entails, Luthen sends Cassian to the planet to investigate.
On Ghorman, Andor arguably becomes more of an espionage tale than anything we’ve ever seen from Star Wars. Top-to-bottom, from secret identities to covert hideouts to code languages to discreet meetings to careful plotting, this is a spy story at its finest.
Cassian adopts a new alias and outfit to infiltrate Ghorman and investigate what’s going on. Seeing Cassian (through Diego Luna) evoke the role of a fashion designer is a lot of fun and quite the contrast to the more subdued Cassian we’ve come to know.
Cassian’s early interaction with a hotel employee integrates some intriguing information from Legends into canon. The two discuss the ‘Tarkin Massacre,’ an event that occurred shortly after Revenge of the Sith in which Grand Moff Tarkin landed a Star Destroyer on many people of Ghorman. Since then, the main plaza in Ghorman is adorned with a memorial in honor of the fallen. Tarkin’s act occurred in Legends; in fact, it was what is known in Legends as the Ghorman Massacre. With this block of Andor episodes though, it is made clear that Tarkin’s act of landing a Star Destroyer on Ghorman people is NOT what becomes known as the Ghorman Massacre. This means that Ghorman experiences two massacres committed by the Empire within less than 20 years.
Through Cassian’s investigation on Ghorman, the audience is also introduced to fascinating Ghorman culture. Tons of information about Ghorman’s economy, people, ways of greeting, and more are conveyed in these episodes. This dedication to deepening cultures is something we adore about Star Wars as it makes this massive fictional galaxy feel all the more real and lived-in.
Cassian meets with the Ghorman Front, a group of Ghor who are concerned about the Empire’s increased involvement on their planet. From their language to attire to motivations, the Ghorman Front definitely resembles the French Resistance in more ways than one. Seeing the birth of a localized rebellion like this is fascinating as the people’s initial questions and concerns eventually culminate in an act of escalation come the sixth episode.
Even though not much time is spent with any one member of the Ghorman Front, such is the strength of Andor’s writing that these episodes are populated with tons of interesting side characters. From the father leading the group to his daughter to the hotel employee and beyond these episodes emphasize how outstanding the writers of Andor are at crafting captivating characters who make a lasting impact despite having fairly little screentime or dialogue.
Cassian isn’t the only one evoking James Bond in these episodes. Syril Karn is back in what amounts to a surprisingly substantial role. Although Syril is shown in the trailers for Andor Season 2, we weren’t certain how big of a role he would end up playing, which made us pleasantly surprised to see him feature so heavily in episodes 4-6.
Syril now works for the Empire on Ghorman, a position his mother views as a demotion. In a position of potential value, Syril is courted by the Ghorman Front, who notice that he may be receptive to their plight. Syril plays along, even going to a meeting with the Ghorman Front, only for it to eventually be revealed that he is a double agent. Syril is working with Partagaz, his partner Dedra Meero, and the ISB to escalate the conflict on Ghorman. The hope is that Syril is able to provide the Ghorman Front with information that they will use to hatch an attack against the local Empire, in turn creating a conflict that will eventually turn perceptions of the Ghor into radical insurgents. This plan, if it succeeds, would allow the Empire to strip the planet of all of its kalkite and face less outcry from other planets as public opinion of the Ghor will have dropped so drastically.
Syril’s deception makes for fascinating viewing. A man working for the Empire pretending to be part of the resistance as a means to provoke the Empire into greater conflict. It is layered plotting and character work, things that Andor succeeds so well with.
As Cassian rightly declares that the Ghorman are too naïve and inexperienced to effectively launch a resistance campaign against the Empire, he departs the planet, returning to Coruscant and his partner Bix. There, he learns that Luthen visited Bix to determine her suitability for a mission. An enraged Cassian, protective over his partner, confronts Luthen in a scene that has Luna and Skarsgard acting at the top of their games. While Luthen desperately tries to retain the façade of the antiquities shop, Cassian’s anger gets the best of him, culminating in him leaving the store without taking the item Luthen offers to him. This is a small scene and, in the grand scheme of the show, a relatively unimportant one seemingly. And yet, the scene is so compelling. It is difficult to not hang on every line of dialogue from the two men and to empathize with Cassian’s conflicting feelings – a loyalty to and protectiveness over Bix and a commitment to Luthen’s mission (while also harboring a reasonable distrust of Luthen).
In these three episodes, Luthen also finds himself up against the wall. An investigation into Davo Sculdun’s art collection has revealed that some may be forgeries. This spells disaster for Luthen and Kleya as Davo’s collection will soon be subject to a thorough investigation, which would uncover a listening device Luthen and Kleya placed there. In keeping with the espionage theme of these episodes, Luthen and Kleya launch a plan to covertly retrieve their listening device. This plan entails them attending a party at Davo’s home, where Kleya must separate from the group and collaborate with none other than ISB mole Lonni Jung to take back the listening device. As we noted in our overall non-spoiler review for Andor Season 2, these 12 episodes are filled to the brim with palpably intense culminating events and moments, and the heist of the listening device in episode 6 is a perfect example of one of those events. The mission gets your heart racing as Kleya, who squeezes the device so hard that blood starts to drip from her hand, desperately attempts to get the device without Orson Krennic and others noticing.
Speaking of Krennic, Ben Mendelsohn’s character engages in a riveting back-and-forth with Mon Mothma that highlights their fundamentally opposing philosophies of the galaxy. Only a show of Andor’s caliber could situate such enthralling dialogue with a heist that has you at the edge of your seat, engaging you both intellectually and viscerally.
To make matters even more intense, all of this occurs while the Ghorman Front, Vel, and Cinta (under the watchful eye of Syril) execute an operation of their own. Vel and Cinta reuniting in this episode brought a massive smile to our faces (which eventually evolved into tears come the end of episode 6). The two had such an understated romantic relationship in Season 1 that resonated with many due to its LGBTQ inclusivity and just how normal and everyday the relationship felt. Akin to Bix and Cassian’s relationship, Cinta and Vel’s relationship is tested by the cause the two commit their lives to. When they finally reunite in these episodes, Cinta has recovered from a near-death experience that she chose not to disclose to Vel. Seeing the two love one another so strongly yet be pulled apart by their commitment to the mission makes for a fascinating dialectic to observe. As the sixth episode concludes and Cinta is killed, Vel’s pain and anger resonates strongly. The naïve Ghorman Front member, who was told not to bring weapons to the heist, stupidly gets in a skirmish that results in Cinta being needlessly killed. Vel’s subsequent conversation with Cinta’s murderer packs so much emotion into a single scene. Vel promising that this young man will have to carry the burden of Cinta’s death with him for the rest of his life, and her disappointment that someone as accomplished as Cinta died so casually and needlessly, gives new depths to the concept of grief in Star Wars.
As the block of episodes conclude, the Ghorman Massacre grows ever closer. Syril and the ISB have succeeded in escalating the conflict on Ghorman as the Ghorman Front is now an established insurgent group. The back-and-forth between the Ghor and the Empire is already beginning, with the Ghor playing directly into the hands of the Empire. Cassian’s conversation with Luthen about the necessity of letting situations like this escalate rings especially true here. In a strange way, it seems as if both the Empire and Luthen are happy with the outcome of the Ghorman transport incident as both parties want to see the conflict escalate (albeit for different ends). Andor deserves immense credit for how thoughtful and multi-layered its themes are, with this point in particular altering our conception of what it means to be a rebel. This poses all sorts of interesting ethical questions, primarily: is Luthen a bad guy? He is committed to achieving a galaxy liberated from the Empire, but his means to achieve this goal see many suffer. A character as complex, nuanced, and intriguing as Luthen doesn’t come along often, and Star Wars has never featured anything like him before.
A rare misstep for Andor, however, occurs with the portrayal of Bail Organa. The pivotal Star Wars character, who featured in the prequel trilogy, Rogue One, and more recently in Obi-Wan Kenobi, is perplexingly not played by Jimmy Smits here, but, rather, Benjamin Bratt. Bratt is a great actor, and his inclusion in a Star Wars project is definitely a welcomed one – just not as this character. With fairly little screentime, Smits has truly made Bail Organa his own. There is probably a good reason as to why Smits did not return as Bail in Andor Season 2, but, regardless, his absence seems like it will leave a hole as the character will inevitably play a bigger role in subsequent episodes.
VERDICT: 8.5/10
Andor Season 2’s second block of episodes moves the series worryingly closer to the inevitable Ghorman Massacre. Drawing influence from espionage stories like Ian Fleming’s James Bond and John le Carré’s iconic spy novels, episodes 4-6 captivate with hidden aliases, covert missions, secret motives, disguises, double agents, and more. After bravely facing sexual violence in the previous episode, Bix faces another challenge in substance use, marking this as yet another serious and real-life issue previously unexplored in Star Wars that prominently features this season. Meanwhile, learning more about Ghorman culture fascinates as Syril enacts an ISB plan to escalate tension on the planet. The resulting disruption of an Imperial transport on Ghorman reflects one of Andor’s greatest attributes – an ability to cultivate palpable intensity through culminating events and moments. There’s two for the price of one here as the events on Ghorman occur simultaneously with Luthen and Kleya’s mission to retrieve a listening device, made all the more engaging with a philosophical back-and-forth between Krennic and Mon. Just as quickly as we are re-introduced to Vel and Cinta, the latter is killed, delivering another emotionally devastating moment for fans to reel over this season. The dialogue afterward shines a different kind of spotlight on grief, loss, and the anger that accompanies them, while the dialogue exchanged between Luthen and Cassian raises moral questions about Luthen’s character and whether the ends justify the means. The perplexing recasting of Bail Organa aside, episodes 4-6 continue to command one’s attention. Few shows engage the audience as intellectually, emotionally, and viscerally as Andor.