Andor Season 2

This week, the series finale of Andor was released on Disney+. Andor tells the story of Cassian Andor before the events of Rogue One and shows how he grows into the rebellion agent we see in the film. I have never been as high on Andor as a lot of other people have, but I can appreciate what it was going for, and I hoped season 2 would win me over a bit more.

I found season 2 to be about as good as season 1, which was still pretty good, but I'm still not as high on it as everyone else. I liked how this season of Andor shows the growth of the rebellion from an unorganized mess to a true power and threat to the empire. Along the same lines, the show tackles ideas on the moral ambiguity of the rebellion and how some members do morally questionable things to reach their end goals. Even Mon Mothma, seen as a strong, righteous character, has to compromise some of her values to each the desired outcome of the rebellion. The season also does a good job of showing Cassian's change over time. We see him very skeptical of the rebellion at the beginning of the show as as the second season goes along, we see him transition to more of a loyal member as he goes on more and more important missions. I also liked the structure of the show, with 3-episode arcs taking place a year apart. They each have their own little mission, but also contribute to the greater mission of the rebellion and how they uncover what the empire is actually up to. The season finale does a great job of tying things right into Rogue One as the final moments of the show lead directly into the introduction to Cassian in Rogue One.

However, there are a few issues that keep this show lower for me. I thought there were too many different character stories going on. While I liked the 3 episode arc structure, it doesn't allow for any of the characters to fully develop. I thought Cassian and Mon Mothma's stories were fine, but everything with the imperial officials was just really hard to follow and didn't feel like they went anywhere. Along the same lines, for being the titular character of the show, Cassian Andor didn't have nearly as much screen time as he should have. I think they needed to cut out the imperials and spend more time with Cassian.

Overall, I think Andor season 2 does a great job of continuing the tone of the first season as a more grounded Star Wars story that explores the messier side of the rebellion. However, there are just a few characters and plots that I just couldn't get into. Regardless of that, this is still one of the best Disney+ Star Wars shows.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+ Recommendation: Check it out