Andor: Jedha, Kyber, Erso

 "Do you ever sleep well?"

"No..."

So that's it. Andor is over, and we move immediately to Rogue One.

Much of the episode consists of the gradual process of the Rebellion's leaders coming to accept that the intelligence brought back by Kleya and Cassian is worth investigating, before setting up Cassian on the mission that will be followed up in Rogue One, with his inevitable death. Hence, as he walks to his ship, on what we know to be his final mission, we see that precognitive lady from a few episodes ago, looking at him...

There's more going on than that, though. There's the culture clash between the fierce independence that Luthen represented and the increasingly organised and disciplined rebellion that is developing... and Kleya will have to adapt from the former existence to the latter. At least she'll do so with Vel as a friend.

For the Empire, meanwhile... well, things have a long way to go until they fall apart. But the centre is, perhaps, just that little bit harder to hold. We see the disgraced Paratagaz, allowed to shoot himself instead of face arrest. And we see Dedra, in her prison cell, crying...

Then, finally, we see Bix, with... a baby. Surely not...?

The perfect way to end what turned out to be an even better season than the first. Andor is the best thing to come out of Star Wars for a long, long time.

Andor: Who Else Knows?

 "No. I want the names I don't know."

It's feeling more and more like Rogue One. Lots of Krennic. Cassian is with K-2SO, while the rebels are established on Yavin, becoming increasingly disciplined, leaving behind the late Luthen and the now-desperate Kleya. The episode, ending on a cliffhanger- Kleya is in hiding, so will Cassian or the Imperials get to her first? And yet, in the episode's standout scene, it becomes clear that Kleya realises she is doomed, and there's no place for her on Yavin. All that's left is to tell Cassian the vital information about the Death Star before she dies.

Meanwhile, there's the theme of whether or not to follow orders. The Rebels are increasingly disciplined and hierarchical, and Cassian and his accomplices are defying orders in rescuing Kleya... yet she genuinely does have vital information. Meanwhile, Dedra has been cutting corners and breaking rules, also in genuine pursuit of the Imperial cause. But fascism won't tolerate mavericks. I suspect her fate will not be good.

Not to forget, of course, that this is all a bloody tense thriller. The episode ends with Cassian and Kleya still on Coruscant, hunted, and just one episode to go...

Andor: Make It Stop

 "Am I your daughter now?"

Not for the first time... wow.

Ever since that speech last season, it's been foreshadowed that Luthen knows he'll never live to see the promised land, to get the glory and the acclaim and the medals, even if the Empire is defeated. And recently, as we've seen, it's been getting harder and harder to keep the façade. Luthen was always going to get caught eventually. Even the framing of the "previously on" makes it clear that this episode is to see it happen.

And it's suitably dramatic. Jung reveals how the net is closing in on both Luthen and himself, and that the Empire is building a huge new weapon (and yes, we, the viewers, know damn well what it is), which is what Ghorman and many other things were really about. And Kleya will doubtless impart that knowledge.

But not Luthen. At last we get the confrontation scene between him and Dedra. He's doomed, but he's managed to set up a Rebellion on Yavin. Horrifyingly, he attempts suicide to ensure he can't be interrogated, and Dedra- who's overstepped the mark one too many times here- panickingly gets him some medical attention.

We get flashbacks. Luthen was once a soldier who deserted, disgusted by the atrocities he'd been expected to perform... and Kleya was a captive child whom he freed and raised in his own inimitable way, mentoring her in the arts of resistance. 

So yes, it's exciting seeing Kleya do her action stuff to get to Luthen and let him safely die... but it's really about the tears, and how she kisses the forehead of the man who raised her. This is tense, exciting, emotional, brilliant stuff. Again, wow.

And... no Cassian at all.

Andor: Welcome to the Rebellion

 "The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil."

Mon Mothma's speech is, of course, magnificent, pointing the finger at the Empire and in particular at Emperor Palpatine for the unprovoked massacre at Ghorman. But the parallels with what's going on in the world are obvious. Genocide. Vicious culture war propaganda. An attack on the very concept of objective truth itself. In Trump, in Putin, in Orban, we have Palpatines of our own.

The bulk of this episode is an exciting, actioned filled sequence with Cassian getting Mon Mothma out of the Senate and safely to Yavin after breaking all her bridges with her speech. And it's gripping, naturally, a real extended set piece. But it's really about the unreadiness and splits between the rebels. Bail Organa has to stay on Corustcand as Yavin isn't ready. There's a traitor in amongst his agents. Meanwhile, one of Mon's most trusted confidants is working for Luthen, which she sees as betrayal. And there are two rival extraction attempts. It's all such a mess... but Cassian succeeds, in the end.

And then, heartbreak. Cassian wants to give it up for a peaceful life with Bix, the love of his life. So... she leaves him. Not because she doesn't want to be with him, but because she's putting the Rebellion above her own happiness. Wow. That packs a massive emotional punch. Especially as... well, we've seen Rogue One. We know they'll never see each other again.

And so does the episode as a whole. This second half of the season, so far, is on fire.

Andor: Who Are You?

 "Rebellions are built on hope."

Wow. There was only one way this episode was going to go- the Empire manufacturing a riot on Ghorman to justify the "crackdown", straight from the fascist playbook- but seeing things unfold, slowly and inevitably, was brutal. This episode is just extraordinary.

It all unfolds in slow motion. The demonstration. The careful escalation of imperial policing. The cynical use of a sniper to fire on the Empire's own troops. And then the use firstly of Stormtroopers and then of unstoppable droids that simply hurl demonstrators into the air. The effect is one of real horror. And... yeah, all while disturbing things are happening in the USA right now, except their Palpatine is much more orange and much less intelligent.

Then there's the tragedy of Syril and Dedra. Syril always was, despite the career advancement, a pawn. And the moment where he confronts (and, implicitly, dumps) Dedra for her amoral and appalling behaviour carries so much power. His death in the riot is almost an afterthought, the last words he ever hears being Cassian's "Who are you?".

Denise Gough is superb as she portrays Dedra's utter despair at the end. She's done so much, made such terrible moral sacrifices... and for what?  

The final shot is of Syril's mum, inconsolable. She may not have been the best mother, but in the end she was in many ways right.

Again... wow.

Andor: Messenger

 "He's a messenger. There's some place he needs to be."

The moment epitomises by the quote is truly chilling to all those of us who have seen Rogue One. It's as though, via the Force, fate somehow exists, at least for certain individuals, and Cassian is one of them. Yes, there's some minor drama in that Cassian expresses scepticism about the Force healer and Bix can't help believing... but we, the viewers, know that Cassian is on an unavoidable journey to sacrifice and death.

As is Ghorman. Another year has passed, and the Empire has fine tuned its narrative of "terrorist acts", ready to justify its cynical destruction of Ghorman via propaganda. This thread has been woven very well indeed throughout the series (there are some very obvious real world examples!), and now a visibly nervous Dedra has to put the final stages of the plan into action. And Syril, despite her obvious affection for him, is kept in the dark, a pawn. No doubt this will go well and they will both live to enjoy their "reward"...

The Rebellion is now slowly growing at the base at Yavin which we know from the films. Yet there's starting to be a bit of a crack within the Rebellion, between Luthen and Yavin, which is interesting. So, when Cassian and Wilmon head to Ghorman to try to kill Dedra, this immediately causes conflict wit the Yavin hierarchy and Vel. Power seems to be shifting away from Luthen, perhaps?

Things are getting closer to the world of the original trilogy, yet the mood is one of deep foreboding. I'm absolutely fascinated to see where this is all going.

Andor: What a Festive Evening

 "You'll make up for this forever..."

Wow. Even by Andor standards this is quite an episode.

We begin with an intense and very revealing scene: last episode Cassian was distinctly unimpressed with the amateur and doomed nature of the putative Ghorman rebellion, seeing that it would be a self-destructive gesture. He cares about people. Yet Luthen sees things differently. He cares only for the rebellion, the greater good, and cares not if people have to be sacrificed... hence a fascinating row.

And then Cassian finds out about Luthen almost recruiting Bix for a mission last episode: Luthen, utterly amoral yet with a social conscience, in the abstract at least(!), is manipulating them. And, indeed, everyone. He's a fascinating character, on the side of "good" yet in some ways as amoral and manipulative as any of the imperials.

So, despite the imperials' plotting (poor Syril, for example, doesn't know the whole picture), Luthen's fingers are in all the pies here. Bix and Andor persuaded to go on a mission together. A genuinely captivating sequence, at at posh party (cameo from Bail Organa!) with Kleya trying to remove a listening device from an antique... successfully, but not in a way as to dissipate the general air of foreboding.

And, of course, the mission on Ghorman. As soon Cinta and Vel kissed I knew that happy-ever-afters were out of the question. But ouch, Vel's speech at the end is so powerful.

This is, so far, even better than the first season.

Andor: I Have Friends Everywhere

 "Revolution is not for the sane..."

I like where this season seems to be going more and more, as we dig ever deeper into both the moral compromises and the personal costs of rebelling against totalitarianism. All this, and it seems Ruby Wax is a big TV star in the Empire...

We see Cassian, with his new disguise, beginning to infiltrate himself into Ghorman and make contact with the rebels, at first disappointing them with his caution. The situation is, of course, highly complicated: the rebels think they're manipulating Syril, but he (with Dedra) is actually manipulating them. This is high stakes ten dimensional chess.

Meanwhile, Luthen sees that Bix isn't doing so well mentally- the constant fear and stress of rebellion takes its toll. But Luthen himself doesn't react well to the prospect of one of his bugs being discovered. The stress of spinning all those plates...

But most intense of all, perhaps, are Wilmon's experiences. He spends so long training one of Saw's underlings, only for said underling to be shot as a traitor... then we get a fascinating scene with Saw, who gets sort of his own version of Luthen's "What do I sacrifice? Everything!" from last season: he knows damn well he will never live to see freedom, so what's the point in maintaining one's grip on sanity?

Utterly gripping television.

Andor: Ever Been to Ghorman?

 "Everyone has their own rebellion, right...?

Yes, I know: I'm well behind on Andor. But I'll keep on at it...

A year has passed since last episode. Cassian and Bix are living in furtive domesticity on Coruscant, finding relative (but only relative) safety in being needles in the mother of all haystacks. But Bix is still troubled by flashbacks of a certain atrocity committed in the name of the rebellion, leading to some interesting debate between the two of them.

Yet this episode is clearly setting up all sorts of skulduggery, and deceptions within deceptions, as the Empire makes its plans ton seize Ghorman and mine it for its resources, rendering it uninhabitable. Hence a year of relentless anti-Ghorman propaganda, hence the Rebellion and the Empire turning their attention to it... yet Luthen can glean little, and the imperial manipulations proceed, with Dedra and Syril's undercover mission seeming to show the first fruits of success.

And it looks as though Cassian is about to go into Ghorman, too, to learn what's going on. I'm sure, with all this dialogue about him protecting Bix, that she'll be fiiiiine.

This is, really, an episode of set-up. Yet there's plenty of nuance and food for thought on the harsh realities and the compromises which must be made when living under tyranny. Superb television, as ever.

Andor: Harvest

 "I wish you were drunk."

Wow. Three episodes in and we get a truly great episode. All three subplots here deepen the series' theme- the grim reality of negotiating life under totalitarian tyranny. And it's done superbly, with script, acting and some particularly creative direction.

So we have Dedra meeting Syril's overbearing mother for the first time, petty tyrant that she is. One one level it's satisfying to see Dedra laying down the law against the abuse of her partner... but she does this by using her position in the Imperial state, with veiled threats. Still, given the initial inequality between them, Dedra clearly sees her new partner as highly capable, a kindred spirit, and worthy of respect. Interesting, too, to hear about her background, raised coldly by the state following her parents' arrest.

There's the tension of the imperial audit, as the net closes in on the fugitives... and the awfulness of that creep from last episode first insisting on sexual favours from Bix in exchange for not arresting her, a promise he may not even keep, and then trying to rape her, leading to her defending herself and ending up arrested. This horrible scene has no doubt played out many times over history, an appalling thought. Cassian may come to the rescue- although not without casualty- but the sheer horror of this lingers.

Then there are the multiple horrors facing Mon Mothma. There's the looming and imminent threat of blackmail, of course, but that can wait a few days. Even worse, as shown by the early scene between her and Leida, as Mon is forced to confront what she's done. She's doing what she's doing to help the rebellion, but at the cost of a forced marriage of her daughter to some oaf. No wonder she gets drunk, like her own mother at her own wedding... and the trippy camerawork is exquisite. Just like Andor as a whole.

Andor: Sagrona Teema

 "I feel... undervalued."

The "A" story here, of many plot threads, is the one featuring Cassian himself, and a lot of action, as he uses both manipulation and opportunism to finally escape with the TIE fighter, free... but very, very late.

But the other story threads are, interestingly, far deeper, with the more action-based "A" plot freeing the other threads to be a lot more about world building and subtext. So, yes, everyone is worried about what the Imperial audit will uncover... but the way this develops, at least initially, is with a seemingly jovial Imperial lieutenant trying it on with Bix, being "nice" about it but expecting to get his own way sexually. Brr!

Dedra resents her new job with the Ghorman project, but she's told it's a real opportunity... although, in this context, an opportunity is a double edged sword. And she's also plotting things with Syril, who is as intense as ever- Kyle Soller is excellent here.

Then there's the wedding, and Mon Mothma slowly realising that Tay, falling apart after his divorce, is coming back to the well for more money, and likely won't ever stop. Even worse than that, though, is Perrin's speech at his daughter's arranged marriage, which is bleak as Hell. Forget love, expect discord, find happiness where you can...

As ever with Andor, it's not simple and you have to pay attention. There's a lot going on. But this is a very bleakly real world of compromise and suffering under a background of real tyranny. And it's utterly gripping.

Andor: One Year Later

"If I die tonight, was it worth it?"

Before I praise this episode, a bit of a whinge: yet again, a streaming service has debuted a much-anticipated new season by dropping THREE episodes at once. Can we not do that, please? Many of us do have lives, and there's a certain pressure to watch the episodes quickly to avoid spoilers. it's a genuinely inconsifderate thing to do. So don't do it again, Disney Plus. Oh, and Amazon, I'm looking at you too. For this, in relation to The Boys, and also Jeff Bezos' recent behaviour in inserting his tongue up Trump's malodorous derriere. Because how one chooses to respond to the jackboot of fascism is very much Andor's threme, is it not? (The Boys too, come to think of it...).

Anyway, we begin right on theme, with Cassian on a mission to steal a new model of TIE fighter- or perhaps TIE fighters themselves are new? Either way, we first see Cassian through the eyes of his accomplice, already a legend of the Rebellion after just a year. She's in awe of him, but some wonderful, world-building dialogue shows us, as ever, the scrifice of resistance. She can never go back after this, even if she survives, and her sacrifice will never be rewarded.

Elsewhere, an imperial census promises trouble for Bix and the others. Mon Mothma's daughter's arranged marriage proceeds as there is much intrigue. Tay Korma- now separated from his wife- wants to discuss matters with Mon, which seems ominous. Luthen is there, waiting anxiously for news from Cassian but clearly up to something. So much going on... as we see, in a long scene that seems to be a single shot. The costumes and decor, too, very much seem to evoke the late Roman Republic, which is a very obvious historical paralle.

And then there's the top secret Imperial plot, known only to a small group convened by the Emperor himself, to undermine the planet Ghorman and claim it for the empire. Not for its spider farms producing fine twirl, no: for its minerals. And they care not that it seems very likely to destabilise the planrt itself. Such is totalitarian. Indeed, our gimpse into the methods of the "Ministry of Enlightenment" is chilling.

And this is where Dedra is now ensconced.

Much of the episode, nevertheless, concerns Cassian, and best laid plans gone agley. Yet it's not the action and excitement that makes this such bloody good telly. It's the themes. Fascism and resistance. For those the other side of the Atlantic- and also many this side- this is a timely thing.

Andor: Rix Road

" Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that."

This is, if not unexpected in what happens, a tense and taut finale with lots of intense character moments as everyone gathers round for Maarva's funeral- with her fiery death speech inspiring the people of Fennix to rise against the empire. Hope may, indeed, lie in the proles.The riot is glorious.

Other sruff happens; Mon Mothma lays the ground of a cover story for her financial doings, but nevertheless introduces her daughter to that dodgy bloke's son in a possible forced marriage, Ouch. But it's mostly focused on and around the funeral, with Andor rescuing poor Bix and getting his friends a way off the planet. Interesting that Syril Kane should save Dedra from certain death. He clearly has not only ambition but a huge crush on her. To be continued, I've no doubt.

The ending is something of a cliffhanger; will Luthen, who will do anything for the cause, murder Andor to keep him quiet? Cassian calling his bluff is an extraordinary piece of acting from Diego Luna. And this is an extraordinary finale.

Andor: Daughter of Ferrix

 "Everything's all right..."

After last week's extrsaordinary drama it's back to getting all the pieces in order for the final two episodes. It's an episode of prep, not bnecessarily of action. So we get Andor and Melshi- and very possibly no one else- off that prison planet hellhole. We, and poor Andor, learn that his mother is dead. We, but not Andor, see that the funeral is being prepared by Dedra as a trap.

Yet the rest of the galaxy, under the Empire's horrifying totalitarianism, remains a prison. We are reminded of Bix's awful torture. Mon Mothma condfides to Vel how much trouble she's in, and how she will have to accept the betrothal of her only daughter to the son of a monster for the greater good, a particularly harsh example of the kind of brutal moral choices made routinely by Luthien- one of which is revealed to a horrified Saw.

Luthien gets the coolest moment, of course, as his little ship rather awesomely outmaneouvres a Star Destroyer.

It's all character and plot thread development with no fireworks. But the fireworks are coming. And yet again the world building is superbly on theme.

 

Andor: One Way Out

 "I burn my decency for someone else's future..."

This is an extraordinary episode of television. Obviously the focus is on the priso escape, a heost in reverse, full of drama and tension. But, more than that, it's about the intense and extraordinary performance of Andy Serkis, whose performance deserves recognition come award season, as Kino Roy, a man of such intense and nuanced character who saves everyone yet must be left behind because he cannot swim. It's that good. That alone is enough to elevate this episode to the sublime.

And then we get Luthen, coordinating the Rebellion, making harsh decisions, choosing to let the empire kill fifty men rather than reveal the existence of a spy. And his speech, when challenged by the spy, is a thing of art, expressing the moral ambiguities which one must face when destroying fascism.

Thois is an upbeat episode. A moment of triumph, as five thousand men escape. Yet the existential horror of tyranny remains. The Empire is not some movie serial space tyranny. It is Lukashenko. It is Khamenei. It is Trump. It is Crown Prince Mohammed. It is Putin. As ever in Andor.

Andor: Nobody's Listening

 "I can't help him. I can't help anyone."

Andor continues to be the best television exploration of totalitarianism. Where to start? With Dedra being menacingly evil while having Bix tortured, with her being scarily efficient at uncovering everything? With Mon Mothma be caught with her funding rebel activities, and by the way Vel is her cousin? 

All these things emphasise the sheer intensity of Imperial oppression. Yet there are those who benefit. Dedra, despite the tightrope she walks. Syril Kane, who seems to be obsessed with her as much as his own ambition. That's a fascinating and creepy dynamic.

But the focus is on that prison, The horror of it, the hopelessness of escape. Yet, slowly, even Andy Serkis' prisoner supervisor starts to see the hopelessness as an old man, forty shifts from release, has a stroke and is euthanised. And it's realised that no one ever leaves; released prisoners are simply reassigned. There are only life sentences. That's evil.

And even the supervisor turns against them.

This is bleak, powerful stuff.

Andor: Narkina 5

 "You think the Empire stops to catch its breath?"

The episode begins like the Space Fall episode of Blake's 7 as a pseudonymous Andor and others are transported to a  prison planet, but soon takesa darker turn as we are forced to see the shher awful grind of life in an Imperial factory prison.

Yet the prison works also as metaphor for totalitarianism under Empire, with all civil liberties and natural justces eroding into utter tyranny. Yet, like a boiled frog, much of the populace, particularly privileged senators on Coruscant who, unlike a Mon Mothma desperately trying to hide her illicit funds, come out with statements like "If you're doing Nothing wrong, what is there to fear?" 

Yet all prison sentences are doubled. Arrests and imprisonment are, as we've seen, arbitrary. One is reminded of the vile, disgusting, tyrannical leaders of Russia, China, Iran, Myanmar, Belarus, Saudi Arabia and others. Palpatine is no different, but there is hope despite the oppression. As Luthen says, tyranny begets rebellion. And I suspect we're seeing that in the person of Kassian. Even Bix is arrested...

Absolutely first class.

Andor: Announcement

 "Watch your back..."

And so we have the aftermath. Luthen got what he wanted: the Empire has been rattled. On the one hand, some are inspired to resistance, such as Maarva. She refuses to leave with Kassian, inspired to work with the Resistance against the Empire.On the other hand, we have a crackdown. Hence Andor returns home briefly home to find Stormtroopers everywhere. And then, as an anonymous rich tourist, he is arrestedand sentenced to six years on trumped up charges.

Such is totalitarianism. And that's the side of the Empire that Andor shows so well. No Jedis. No magical thinking, just the hard moral choices one must face while living under tyranny. Some, like Mon Mothma, try and undermine it from within, but take enormous risks. The stakes are high. 

I see many parallels with Iran today- death to the dictator. Women, life, freedom! And with Russia- may Putin die horribly. Living under tyranny, it iseasy to conform, as Maarva kindly admits to Kassian; she makes no mora judgement. Why rebel if it means your kids will suffer? Such is the harsh reality. Yet brutality begets resistance. And glorious revolution.

I love the secret service intrigue on Coruscant, too, with Dedra this time getting the upper hand. But this is all very much Gestapo on Trantor. And I'm loving this very political approach to the Star Wars universe.

Andor: The Eye

 "We win, or everyone dies..."

As expected, this episode is full of tension and entirely concerns the heist, which is more or less a success, albeit not without some hairy moments, nor is it without tragedy. The episode is brilliantly shot and extremely exciting, with Andor actually taking something of a backseat until the latter part of the episode. This is very much an ensemble piece.

And there are lots of ensemble case moments. Poor, young, idealistic Nemik dies for the cause. Skeet, so seekingly principled, turns out to be a mere mercenary, far more cynical than a disgusted Kassian, who just shoots him. Vel turns out to be nervous, but reliable when in the swing of things. Taramyn is a former Stormtrooper. This is a well-characterised gang of individuals.

We get the sense of what a big deal this rebel raid is, too. The Empire israttled. Mon Mothma, in the Senate, gets the coldest of shoulders. It's clear that a big crackdown is coming.

And Andor is alone again, off into the galaxy with his share of the loot. I won't pretend I'm a fan of non-stop acion, but this was very well done. Most importantly, it did not neglect the characters. For an episode full of bangs, this was not bad at all.

Andor: The Axe Forgets

 "Who brings a treasure to a robbery?"

This episode is brave and interesting. We finished the last instalment poised to execute a heist... yet we slow down and examine the characters before vthe heist, with Andor being distrusted until he admits he's being paid. The character dynamics are excellent. This is bloody good, a slow burning series that develops its characters.

We further explore the relationship between Mon Mothma and her toxic husband. Syril Karn, at rock bottom and humiliated, is about to be found a new job by his equally poisonous mother. It's clear that he will clash with Kassian again. We learn why Lieutenant Gorn has turned against the Empire- love has made this fundamental everyman realise that he is serving evil. He is like many a colonial soldier. Colonialism is a clear theme.

We have a brief look at the rivalry between them two imperial officers on Coruscant. Yet the meat of the episode consists of Andor experiencing friction with his comrades, and we, along him, get to know them.

This is slow, considered, bloody good telly, and, for Disney Plus stuff based on Star Wars, it's nothing like The Mandalorian. I'm loving it now. I'm confidient I'm about to love it even more.