By George & Josh Bate
WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for Andor – Season 2, Episodes 7-9
In the first block of Season 2 episodes, we lost Brasso. In the second block of Season 2 episodes, we lost Cinta. Now, in the third block of Season 2 episodes, we lose the people of Ghorman.
Andor Season 2 once again skips ahead a year to a new block of episodes best described as disturbing and unrelentingly intense. Cassian and Bix now live on the rebel base on Yavin, a significant step moving the character and the audience closer to the events of Rogue One. The organization of the rebellion and Cassian’s involvement in this more formal structure of resistance are a tad unexplored in these episodes. Much of this development happens off-screen in the year between episodes six and seven and, as Star Wars fans, we can’t help but want to learn more about how the rebellion became so organized and regimented. Cassian had been working for Luthen and his tight-knit operation but now finds himself in what is amounting to be an army, with promotions, rules, and a hierarchy of leadership. This is kind of what happens in Star Wars though – things happen, developments occur, without much context. The original Star Wars in 1977 built an entire galaxy from purposefully withholding information and world-building through selective dialogue. As the current show is titled ‘Andor’ and not ‘The Origins of the Rebel Alliance,’ it makes sense that these episodes don’t go further into the background of Yavin, although a bit more context would’ve been nice.
The Rebel Alliance hasn’t entirely come together yet, which leaves the naturally rebellious Cassian in a precarious position. Rebel leaders like Draven see the potential in him, but rash decisions and unflinching independence persist. This rears its head when Wilmon arrives back on Yavin and, per Luthen’s orders, recruits Cassian to assassinate Dedra Meero. While this is the kind of a mission that would require sanctioning and bureaucracy in the Rebel Alliance, Luthen doesn’t work that way. Cassian and Wilmon simply agree to the mission, board a transporter, and leave, much to the dismay of Draven. The political landscape of the different rebel factions is fascinating and something Star Wars storytellers have done an amazing job expanding over the years. When introduced in A New Hope, the rebels are just the rebels – a single group of people. But, we now know that there are many factions and divisions of rebels, all with their own ideologies on how to defeat the Empire. Seeing Luthen and Cassian’s methodology and procedure diverge from the formal Rebel Alliance, while still sharing the same ultimate aim, makes for interesting, layered storytelling in these episodes.
Upon arriving to Ghorman, Cassian finds himself on a planet much unlike the one he visited a year ago. The ISB’s plan to create radical insurgents out of the Ghor has worked as the people of Ghorman and the Empire are engaged in an ever-escalating back-and-forth that is destined to culminate in something horrific.
The tension that slowly yet consistently rises leading up to the fateful Ghorman Massacre proves nearly unbearable. Everything from Dedra’s questions to Partagaz to Syril’s interaction with Ryland on the street to the increasing presence of stormtroopers and Imperial crowd control is so masterfully laid out by the writers, each piece pushing the dial of intensity that much further. Claustrophobia gradually creeps in as the people of Ghorman make their way to the plaza and, unbeknownst them, willingly to their place of slaughter. The chanting from the Ghorman in their native language evokes deep emotion and perfectly captures the unimaginable pain of a people desperately clinging onto their culture in the face of tyranny. The fact that this is all orchestrated by the Empire to provoke the Ghor into attacking and, in turn, portray the Ghor as violent insurgents leaves a horrible taste in one’s mouth in showcasing a new depth for the Empire’s villainy to reach.
When the first rock is thrown and blaster is fired (by an Imperial marksman shooting one of his own), chaos ensues. The once peaceful plaza, adorned by a memorial to a previous massacre that occurred here, becomes a hellscape of violence. Again, Andor is unafraid to feature mature, deeply relevant, and uncomfortable topics. The first block of Season 2 episodes featured attempted rape, the second block featured substance use, and this third block depicts genocide on-screen. It is uncomfortable viewing, especially for a franchise that appeals to children so strongly. But Andor should not be faulted for this. One of Star Wars’ greatest strengths is its ability to appeal to different audiences through different stories, and Andor falls on the more adult end of this audience. Andor doesn’t need to match the tone of Skeleton Crew or The Acolyte, much like stories in our real life don’t always adhere to a single tone. The galaxy far, far away is vast and encompasses stories ranging from heroic to horrific. This new block of Andor episodes most certainly falls in the latter category.
Amidst the violence in the plaza, Syril wanders around, dazed by what he sees before him. In the first episode of Andor, Syril was introduced as a character determined to uphold law and order. His arc through Season 1 isn’t one of a villain necessarily, but, rather, one of a man radicalized to support a tyrannical regime out of a misguided belief that this regime represents law and order. This belief comes crashing down in whopping fashion in episode 8, as Syril sees what his partner Dedra, the ISB, and the Empire more broadly are capable of. One could argue that Syril should have known this was going to be the outcome when he had infiltrated the Ghorman Front in the last block of episodes. However, his unwavering loyalty to the Empire clearly blinded him to the possible outcome of his actions. His conversation with Dedra before making his way down to the plaza was as close to redemption as we get for Syril. Seeing Dedra, who herself is grappling with the morals of what’s about to happen, try to justify her actions and convince Syril that they will be okay comes across as pitiful. Her regret at this late stage ultimately means little and thankfully doesn’t redeem Dedra in any way.
In the eighth episode’s sole comedic moment, Syril spots Cassian in the Ghorman crowd and proceeds to attack him. In many ways, Syril and Cassian have had opposing journeys in Andor – Syril became more attached and dedicated to the Empire, while Cassian became more dedicated to fight the Empire. Syril’s obsession with catching Cassian, the man he blamed for ruining his life, finally comes to a head here. The ensuing fight between Syril and Cassian is great, both in terms of choreography and directing. The frenetic violence surrounding them serves as a poignant context to their fight, with Syril’s rage toward Cassian rendering him oblivious to the danger all around him. Star Wars doesn’t frequently feature hand-to-hand combat like this and certainly not hand-to-hand combat as gritty and raw as this, making this fight really refreshing for the franchise.
As the fight concludes and Syril manages to aim a blaster at Cassian, our lead character delivers a jaw-dropper of a line. “Who are you?” The simplicity of this line strikes such a strong chord. For Syril, Cassian is everything – the catalyst that aligned him closer to the Empire and has now seemingly made him completely put aside the genocide he is surrounded by. But, for Cassian, Syril is no one. Cassian doesn’t remember Syril from Season 1 episode 3, nor has he ever spent even a fleeting moment ruminating about Syril. The “Who are you?” that Cassian so deftly poses to Syril is the kind of line that stops an audience in its tracks. And it also stops Syril, who lowers his blaster for a brief moment only to be killed by a stray blaster shot. Although our ‘grief’ for Syril is nothing close to the devastation we felt in the wake of Brasso and Cinta’s passings, we have to admit that there was a definite sadness upon seeing Syril’s life come to an end like this. Syril wasn’t a ‘good person’ (whatever that means), but his journey was so carefully laid out that it leaves it difficult to not empathize with him. To see his life end in such pitiful fashion, with the man who he is obsessed with not even knowing who he is and to die by catching a stray blaster shot to the head, certainly left us with a feeling of deflation. Once again, Tony Gilroy and the writing team behind Andor demonstrate why this show has proven so powerful and different from anything we’ve seen in Star Wars before. A character with the level of complexity and muddled morals as Syril is seldom seen in any film or television show and is far more interesting than a generic ‘good guy’ or ‘bad guy.’ Syril, like Luthen and others in Andor, exist firmly in the grey and, as such, create great contemplation in an audience.
At the end of this episode, the audience gets to witness the first meeting of Cassian and K-2SO. Much speculation circulated about whether the one-shot comic depicting their first meeting would be retconned, and episode 8 answers that question. Although it is not ideal, scrapping previous books or comics in favor of a new canon depiction sits fine for us as long as it is not done too often and if the new material is worthwhile. That seems to be the case here as K-2 makes a surprising debut in Andor. Plowing through the streets of Ghorman with terrifying ferocity, K-2 throws people around like rag dolls. Right before he reaches Cassian and Wilmon, a Ghorman Front member drives a transporter into K-2 and splits the K-X security droid in half. Cassian takes a look at K-2 and sees potential in him if the rebellion can rewire him and make him one of their own. Tony Gilroy described the first meeting between Cassian and K-2 as a “meet-cute,” which makes this one of the most terrifying meet-cutes we’ve ever seen. Seeing how their strong bond all develops from this initial moment of horror reconceptualizes their entire relationship and made rewatching their interactions in Rogue One a different experience.
And all of this happens by the end of the second of three episodes in this block. There is still a whole other episode to go.
Naturally, the third episode of this block focuses on the aftermath of the Ghorman Massacre, namely Mon Mothma’s life-altering decision to finally speak out against Emperor Palpatine. This pivotal moment in Star Wars canon was depicted in Rebels and has been referenced in a variety of other stories, but has never been so central as it is in episode 9 of Andor Season 2.
As we’ve spoken about in previous reviews of Andor, the series’ ability to continually produce nail-biting, heart-pounding culminating events is unmatched by any other show (not just any other Star Wars show). This comes about once again in episode 9.
The episode hauntingly begins with the Ghorman chanting over the title card, a simple yet effective way of evoking the pain elicted from the previous episode. The Senate is in disarray after the massacre, with many unsure what to make of the situation that has unfolded on Ghorman. Mon consults with Bail Organa about this in the first of various scenes that had us missing Jimmy Smits in this role. Benjamin Bratt is a great actor, but Smits has truly made Bail his own and his absence in Andor is really felt. The scenes between Mon and Bail would have been far more effective with Smits playing Bail as this would have more strongly tapped into memories of Bail from the prequels, Rogue One, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. As we noted in a previous review, there is probably a very good reason for why Bratt replaced Smits in the role and yet, regardless, the result is the same – that Bail is not as effective as a character when he is not portrayed by Smits.
Mon comes to the conclusion that she must speak out against Palpatine following the Ghorman Massacre. Such public opposition will invite Imperial retaliation though. After delivering the speech, Mon will immediately become a target of the Empire and her escape from the Senate building will be near-impossible. Mon’s plan to make it out alive relies on Bail Organa, who is dispatching three individuals to help Mon. But Luthen has concerns over this plan. During a secret meeting with Mon, Luthen tells Mon that Bail’s people can’t be trusted. Unfortunately, he also conveys to Mon that he cannot be trusted as he reveals that Mon’s right-hand man is actually working for him. Mon’s reaction to this betrayal terrifies the Chandrilian senator as she poignantly tells Luthen that he is the person she is most fearful of right now. This is a striking moment, one that further explores the intricacies of Luthen’s distorted moral compass. Luthen wants to see the Empire come to an end more than most, although he is damned to use the tools of his enemy (as he memorably stated in that iconic Season 1 speech). At what point does Luthen cross a line though? At what point does he become as bad as the enemy he so desperately wants to defeat? It’s a fascinating question, further brought to life by this interaction between Mon and Luthen.
The next day, the Senate is convened to discuss the Ghorman Massacre. After a collection of Senators decry the violent Ghor and thus play directly into the Empire’s hands, Mon bravely takes the stage and delivers a speech placing the blame on the Empire. Genevieve O’Reilly has impressed time and time again in this role and, in many ways, this speech feels like a culmination of all of her brilliant work to date. O’Reilly has played Mon as a more deceptive rebel up until this point. She has had to subdue her true nature and intentions in order to keep up appearances and maintain her role in the Senate. All of this changes here though as Mon finally lifts the veil and tells the galaxy where she really stands. This is a huge moment, not only for Mon but for Star Wars canon, and, thankfully, O’Reilly and the show’s writing team pull it off. The speech is phenomenal, both in words chosen and performance delivered.
As Mon and everyone expected, the big speech would be a game-changer. And, as such a seismic game-changer, the Empire are quick to pounce on the treacherous senator. Exiting from the Senate floor, Mon runs into Cassian, who, given her recent run-in with Luthen, is not greeted with open arms. In a few brief moments though, Cassian is able to convey a humanity and groundedness that resonates with the desperate Mon, who ultimately chooses to trust him and let him guide her to safety.
The resulting escape marks yet another addition to the seemingly endless run of intense culminating events in Andor. The traitor in the midst of Bail’s trio of rescuers, the collaboration with Mon’s right-hand man, and the attempted intervention from Mon’s driver Kloris are just some of the exhilarating elements of this escape sequence as Cassian welcomes Mon to the rebellion.
With Mon taken to safety and out of Cassian’s hand, Cassian makes his way back to Yavin with the destroyed K-2SO. A rebel mechanic manages to piece him back together, leading to Alan Tudyk’s trademark sense of humor finally making an appearance in Andor.
At this point, all the pieces are in place for the last three episodes of Andor to lead directly into the events of Rogue One. Mon Mothma has joined the rebels on Yavin, K-2SO has lined up with Cassian, and Melshi is here as well. Without a doubt, episodes 7-9 of Andor Season 2 are the show’s most breathtaking. And by breathtaking, we literally mean breathtaking. The raw intensity of the Ghorman Massacre and Mon’s escape from the Senate building had us holding our breath in anticipation so many times. In thinking back to the number of television shows we’ve watched over the years, we struggle to pinpoint a duo of episodes that were as suspenseful as episodes 8 and 9.
VERDICT: 9.5/10
Years after it was introduced into canon and several episodes after its seeds were planted, the Ghorman Massacre finally occurred in Andor. The claustrophobic build-up to the event itself already had us at the edge of our seats, especially as the Ghor gathered in the plaza and unwittingly presented for their slaughter. Few, if any, occasions throughout Star Wars history have elicited such visceral discomfort in us as the violence that ensues, especially as the violence was so calculated and mercilessly executed by the Empire. Akin to the show’s approach to sexual violence and substance earlier this season, Andor does not hold back in its willingness to depict difficult and uncomfortable topics on-screen. While some may find this to be a bit too more mature and disturbing for Star Wars, we think that it highlights one of the franchise’s best attributes – its ability to lean into a variety of tones depending on the story being told. Finding himself in the middle of the massacre is Syril Karn, whose arc wraps up with surprising sadness on our behalf and highlights the incredible complexity of this morally complicated character. Things don’t slow down there though as the aftermath of the Ghorman Massacre sees Mon Mothma deliver a speech to the Senate in which she finally denounces Emperor Palpatine. The speech is phenomenal, both in words chosen and performance delivered by the exceptional Genevieve O’Reilly, who continues to add new dimensions to her performance as Mon Mothma. The ensuing escape from the Senate building evokes some of the series’ most intense moments and once again showcases Andor’s expert propensity for cultivating suspense. A harrowing “meet-cute” for Cassian and K-2 tops off what is a near-perfect stretch of three episodes and the best three-episode arc of Andor to date. At this point, words can hardly describe the gargantuan achievement that Andor is. Seldom have we ever been so emotionally touched and viscerally activated by a piece of media.