Only a year ago, I finally finished watching Andor Season 1 and wrote my (short) review about it. Like most, I was absolutely stunned at this marvel of television and would still recommend it to everyone.
I also mentioned, however, the reason for being so late to the party. After watching the first few episodes, the show felt a little too slow for me, and it took a year before I finally sat down to watch the back half of season 1. It must be noted that I simply don’t devote a lot of time to watching shows (or watching anything of any kind), as I’m a hyperactive person that prefers to play games or sports in my free time instead. But the fact that I dropped Andor season 1 for so long still illustrates my biggest gripe with it: a very slow start. Remember this—it becomes important later in the review!
Last week, I finally finished a huge pile of work and felt I needed a break. You know the deal: you’ve been working just a little too hard for weeks or months now, and your body and brain are telling you to take a few days off … or else. And so I made the time to watch Andor Season 2 over the course of ~5 days.
Like many, I had high expectations. So high that I almost immediately felt the dread of being disappointed. The inevitable fate of any creative work: reaching a peak and declining afterwards.
Well, I’m glad to say I was not disappointed! I will give it the same rating as Season 1, but I’ll also explain why it’s not just “more of the same”.
What’s it about?
Andor Season 1 was about Cassian Andor and his journey from being a vagabond thief to becoming part of the Rebellion. In a way, that season is about showing how the spark of rebellion and revolution is ignited in people, no matter how much they might resist it.
Andor Season 2 continues this thread by taking the next step: showing how the efforts of a few individuals (Andor, his boss, his friends) escalate into the full-scale organized Rebellion that we meet in the very first Star Wars movie.
Season 1 was cut into 4 smaller arcs of 3 episodes each, and Season 2 follows the same structure. That’s why I can’t give any more specific information as to “what’s it about”, as there are simply several smaller (mostly standalone) stories.
This time, however, the pacing is much faster and each arc is “bigger”, which is underlined by the fact that there’s a one year time jump between each. Tony Gilroy (the writer of Andor) has explained that there was a plan for 5 seasons of Andor, but they realized they just didn’t have the time and effort to do it. Him and Diego (the actor for Andor) decided they only had enough in them for one more season, so they condensed the whole plan for 4 more seasons into those 4 arcs (3 episodes each).
In a way, Andor Season 2 is just 4 very high-quality movies back to back. At the start, Andor is still very much an integral part of a small disorganized rebellion. Twelve episodes later they’re a massive undertaking and he’s just one of many, and they’re ready to take on the empire.
As most people also know, this series was a prequel to Rogue One. Also: the only good Star Wars film made under Disney’s leadership. It has been a while since I saw Rogue One, and even longer since I saw the first Star Wars movie, so I did not remember where everyone ended up. If you do remember those details then many developments in the last few episodes of Season 2 will be expected. But I’ve heard hardcore Star Wars fans say that it was still very interesting to see how things ended up there.
What did I like?
I read back my review of Season 1. All my positives from back then remain true for Season 2.
I don’t think it’s useful to copy-paste or repeat myself, so I’ll try to give a summarized version that focuses more on Season 2 specifics.
Season 2 starts in a funny way. I mean that both literally (there’s a major storyline that’s almost completely comic relief) and figuratively (the choices made for the first arc are very unexpected and stand out to me).
The director has said this was indeed meant as the (rare) comic relief. He cast his own two sons to play two idiotic leaders of a small band of rebels (the Maya Pei Brigade), and all they do for several episodes is fight about who’s the boss (while keeping Andor captive).
Some people hated this. They said Season 2 was off to a very rough start or even stopped watching when they cut back to that storyline time and time again.
I, personally, liked this. Or at least understand the reasoning here. Season 1 started all serious and expositional. People didn’t like it. So they attempted to start with a bit more activity, a bit more humor, in a less expected place.
For me, I found this storyline to be a nice counterweight to the others and thought Season 2 started more lively than Season 1. Without giving spoilers, let me just say that most of the other storylines for arc 1 are very dialogue-heavy and low-impact—like before, they’re mostly exposition and getting to know characters better. If that was all we got at the start, then it would be an even slower/worse start to a season than Andor Season 1!
Remember my anecdote at the start? The slow start of Season 1 made me “forget” about it for many months until I continued watching and was amazed. Season 2 started in a way that didn’t leave me a chance to forget it or be bored, and I think that’s an improvement.
Additionally, this start shows how organized rebellion doesn’t just magically spring into place. Yes, rebels occur spontaneously all around. But they’re usually disorganized, squabbling, lacking leadership or protocols. The bunch of bumbling idiots we see in episode 1 are not just comic relief or a trick to keep Andor separated from others in time of need, it shows (instead of tells) this fact about rebellion.
That storyline is mixed with one from Mon Mothma at her daughter’s wedding that many people also disliked and felt “went nowhere”. I was skeptical at first too, but I trusted Andor to deliver, and it did. That sequence also shows how ruthless Luthen is, shows how Mon Mothma finally realizes there is no “safe/clean rebellion”, as well as setting up a million other things with just snippets of dialogue here and there.
That’s one of the major strengths of Andor. It shows, instead of telling. It picks storylines to show a wide variety of perspectives on a specific topic. It’s one of the benefits of writing a story in 4 mini-stories: every one can highlight a different “pillar” of the rebellion.
For example, I don’t recall Andor ever having a big argument or discussion about views/perspectives. Everyone in the rebellion agrees to fight the Empire and save innocents at all costs. They just disagree about how to do it, so they all do it in their own way. We get glimpses of rebels elsewhere (such as those led by Saw) who have their own perspective and do things their own way. There’s no need for boring long dialogue scenes where they hash out the same arguments each time, especially because most of these rebels don’t change their ways. (Only main characters get an arc like that.) It would be pointlessand silly. Instead, the show simply shows different groups fighting in their own ways and making their own decisions.
This is certainly a good lesson I—as a writer—learned from watching Andor. When I watched Season 1, I had already learned the strength of writing in smaller “mini-stories”, which meant Season 1 just confirmed I should continue doing that. I feel like Season 2 showed how to do it well/better, and that I now need to go back to my current script and replace all dialogue scenes with something smarter that shows different perspectives ;)
The dialogue is good. The set pieces are fantastic. The actors knock it out of the park, all of them.
But that’s just superficial stuff, if you ask me. Great dialogue or special effects can’t save a story that, at its core, picked the wrong storylines and characters to follow. And that’s the biggest thing that sets Andor apart: it picks the right scenes, characters and storylines to dive into and focus on in the first place. If you do that right, it’s my experience that everything else will naturally follow. If you don’t do that, you’re just polishing a turd.
For example, by picking the right approach to scenes in the first place, you get really tense scenes in basically every episode of this season. It’s not a constant tension. It’s not “cheap” tension, with jump scares or inventing some random villain with an even bigger gun. Through smart setup, you can get 10 minutes of “action” in each episode that feels earned and actually has you worried for everyone involved.
Which brings me to my final point. Something I’ve been thinking about for years. This idea of a classic story or masterpiece story. A story so good and universal that anyone can like it, that it will stand the test of time, that it quickly becomes more than just a story. Even now, within weeks of Season 2 wrapping up, people online are having fierce discussions about real world oppression and propaganda because of this show. Because this show gave them a framework, or at least a strong feeling, to start putting effort into becoming rebels in the real world.
As such, I feel like Andor is one of those classics. It’s not perfect, but it shows the absurdly high potential of stories in a way that, unfortunately, almost no other mass media product is able to do (or even intends to do).
It shows that you can have a deep story and a good dose of action and tension. It shows that you can tell large-scale stories of societal change and focus on individuals and how they feel and change. It shows that you can put a lot more plot and information into one season/episode than previously believed. It shows you where the line is between explaining everything to the viewer in excruciating detail, and allowing the viewer to feel intelligent and fill in the gaps.
I’ve always disliked it when people claim a story should be firmly one genre or one “thing”. People who will never write even a hint of a deeper moment into their “cozy crime” novel, because they claim it can’t be done. People who believe that action blockbusters must be all fluff and pulp, because it’s just impossible to have great action and tension in a story with any meaning, right?
No, all the things can go together. Action is more meaningful when you care about those involved and have no clue how it will end. Personal moments are more intense when they’re the break from massive action. Humor is more valuable when it contrasts sadness and darkness; dark gloomy shots in a movie actually pull their weight when the rest of the movie looks bright and colorful.
And when you try, you get masterpieces like Andor (Season 2).
What did I not like?
As stated, this is basically 4 seasons worth of complex drama in just 1 season (with 4 mini-arcs). There are certainly times where you feel the rush. Where they cross the line and leave so little information that you, as the viewer, feel as if you accidentally skipped ten minutes of the episode.
Look, I am all for high-paced storytelling. I do it myself, for sure. I have a hyperactive brain (and body), so the length and pacing of these episodes, even at their most rushed, feels perfect to me. But Andor Season 2 sometimes leaves out a bit too much or already escalates/wraps up something when I felt we really needed one more episode for it.
It’s similar to House of the Dragon. They cover a large amount of time in the very complicated Targaryen history, which means they absolutely make scenes and dialogue as succinct as possible. There are time skips, more things are unsaid than said, and you have to be a very active viewer sometimes to catch things.
Most of the time, this is great. You’re rewarded for watching intently. You can have a lot of things happen in very little time, very efficient. But they also certainly cross the line sometimes and leave you Googling “what does X mean?” or “why on earth did Y have to be killed?” because there’s just too little information in the show itself.
My few specific criticisms are all a consequence of the above.
I felt that the dialogue was sometimes absurdly sparse. People talk more than that in real life! Why on earth is everyone being so cryptic? Why on earth do most conversations just end by someone walking away or refusing to talk any more when someone asks a pretty simple question? It feels as if a full dialogue scene was written, but they cut out 75% of it and only left the slimmest of threads you have to pull for a while to get an idea of what they actually wanted to say.
At some point, it gets a bit annoying when someone asks a legitimate question (or makes a legitimate remark), and there is no response/walking away or just a very curt response that boils down to “I’m angry/no time for this/just do as I say”. Then again, if people would actually say full sentences and speak more clearly, episodes would be 15 minutes longer.
Similarly, there are a few characters who meet very sudden and abrupt demises. And who are basically never mentioned or shown ever again.
I’m not necessarily against this. I felt it was well-done in most cases. And whenever my brain thought “wait, what happened to X?” it only took a bit of thinking/remembering to realize I didn’t connect a few dots and I actually know what happened. Which, again, feels rewarding and makes the story more than just a story.
Buuuut I feel like a few of them would have been more interesting if they had actually been allowed to continue their arc a little further. I just feel like it’s a missed chance. Like the potential of keeping them alive, or keeping them around for a few more episodes, was far higher than the message that Andor continually pushes: in a war, people die, often without any glamour.
Nowhere is this more clear than in the final episode. I already explained how I didn’t remember anything about Rogue One. Well, this made the final episode not feel like a final episode in any way! Season 2 flawlessly leads into Rogue One, yes, and that’s nice. But this requires it to leave many things “open-ended”—because that open end is now the interesting start of Rogue One. Which means that, if you don’t remember that and aren’t expecting it, the finale lacks a climax, a final twist or punch, a wrapping up of at least most threads.
After watching the finale, I was like … it’s over? Now what? This is really the final episode? It was good, but I just need to see a little more? Where does X go? What does Y do? Why does it feel like the story was just cut off when it was getting good again? Some people are suddenly name-dropped in that last episode, developments come out of nowhere, and now it just … ends?
And maybe that’s all intentional. This feeling was so strong that I went and watched Rogue One as well, just to get closure on it and finally get the final puzzle pieces from Andor Season 2 to click into place. In truth, the real “finale” of Season 2 happens in episodes 10/11. Episode 12 is just the prologue to Rogue One.
And if we look at it that way, then Andor Season 2 had only banger episodes and a great, great finale.
Conclusion
It should be no surprise that I would recommend Andor Season 2 to anyone.
The entire Andor story is, in my eyes, something as close to a “classic story” as it can get. The perfect balance of everything a story can be, which certainly requires a time investment but also doesn’t overstay its welcome. I guess a 3 season plan would’ve worked slightly better, but I can also respect keeping it to 2 seasons and going out on a high note. An example to all streaming services and writers, I would say! There really is no wasted time in this entire story, no wasted character, no wasted dialogue, no wasted set piece.
It has deep complicated characters and storylines, perfectly attached to the tense scenes and action that would flow from them. People keep saying this is “Star Wars for adults”, but I have to disagree. I know for sure that I would’ve thought equally highly of this show if I saw it as a 15 year old, or even younger. Granted, I was an “old soul” even when I was a young boy, which was further exacerbated by growing up in a family with lots of older siblings and parents that took us to the theatre regularly. I was basically always watching and reading and playing things far above my age.
But Andor doesn’t contain any “gore”, or sex, or even really things like smoking or gruesome warfare. It’s clean—at least, in the superficial ways that adults decided that kids shouldn’t experience. A child can absolutely watch this. There’s great action, more than enough references to Star Wars and its characters/events, the language used is clear and simple, many of the rebels are youngsters, etcetera. The heaviness comes from the topic matter, from the deep and layered interactions, but we know from experience that kids can either already handle/understand that or they’ll just gloss over it. Andor is no more “adult” than the old (and good) Disney movies were.
Andor, both seasons 1 and 2, is just a great story that’s told and shot in an amazing way. I would recommend it to anyone. I would recommend it to writers who want to improve their craft. I would recommend it to people in dire situations who are losing hope that their rebellious effort will ever make things better.
Watching Andor Season 2 did not help me relax. It left me drained. Emotionally, almost physically, also because I kept searching for answers and theories and more information online. My brain couldn’t stop thinking about it, thinking about the “what ifs”, imagining how things would’ve continued for a character, relating events in the show to current-day catastrophes.
I needed a few more days of rest before I could get back to work again ;) And then I wrote this review.
Spoiler Barrier
Stop reading now if you don’t want any spoilers! As usual, I just wanted to give a few more specific examples and thoughts about the show, but this requires giving a lot of spoilers
The Shakespeare Effect
Years ago, I learned that many of Shakespeare’s plays (or many old stories in general) start by telling you how it ends. Either without leaving any shred of doubt (“romeo and julia will perish by the end!”) or with vague/ominous/cryptic lines (“one of them will not return!”)
And still … we enjoy the story. Still everyone runs to the remakes of classic Disney movies. Yes, watching a story unspoiled is definitely a different experience than knowing how it ends. Your engagement with the story is different: theorizing what will happen instead of why will it happen. There’s value in both. I am actually firmly someone who never wants to hear spoilers and also (almost) never watches something twice.
But I’ve come to realize that a good story (maybe even a classic/masterpiece story, as I mentioned) is not spoiled by knowing the ending. I see this as one of the few truths. If you have no interest at all in a story anymore when you know what’s on the final page, then it’s just a bad story. Because it’s about the journey, not the destination. Yes, a good destination makes the story better, and resolving a mystery can be a large part of the satisfaction from a story. But it shouldn’t be the whole thing. Because the only reason that spoiling the ending would spoil the story, if if your story is so boring and empty that people only care about that final page.
And so we return to Andor. Most people have seen Rogue One and know where it ends for him: on that planet, stealing the Death Star plans, dying in that explosion. Most people know enough about Star Wars to know where the other characters end, to know they will survive this season, etcetera.
But it doesn’t make the story worse. You still want to watch and know the details, see the developments, know the how and why. It even allowed the show to put in a lot of foreshadowing and ominous remarks. In the very first scene of season 1, Andor is drinking and looking for his sister, and the alien servicing him says “You pay at the end”. It’s such a weird detail and ominous way to phrase it, that I believe it was put in intentionally and gave me the shivers.
And so this is another lesson for all budding writers. A good story can spoil its ending, or reveal characters will survive (or even where they will end up), and it is still good and people will still watch/read it.
This can only be achieved by having strong, deep characters. Because they can’t be “spoiled”. Because the viewer wants to just … spend time with them. Go along with them on their journey. Mysteries can be spoiled, ultimate fates can be spoiled, but seeing a character do stuff, experience stuff, feel stuff, is the actual journey that makes most stories worthwhile.
The Not-Really-A-Finale
I’ll just pick one example here. In the final episode, they mention multiple times that Tivik is calling from Kafrene, and only wants to speak with Andor.
I don’t know who Tivik is. And Kafrene is a name I only vaaaaguely recognize.
If he has been mentioned or shown before in Andor, they did it so little (or so subtly) that it doesn’t count. And so I was left watching in confusion, hearing names that I couldn’t place, and it felt like a waste of time that the final episode would mention them so often all of a sudden. I was annoyed, really.
Afterwards, I looked it up, and it all made sense to me. If they’d just worked Tivik and Kafrene into the narrative a bit more, explained it a bit more clearly, I would have enjoyed that final episode a lot more. But now the final episode just felt like the introduction to a new story. Because what do you do when starting a new story? You mention names for the first time and hope the reader/viewer is interested enough to find out their meaning as they go along!
Also, though I love Saw Gerrera (and the actor’s portrayal), I don’t know how to feel about his “storyline” in Season 2. He merely appears a few times to show “hey, this extremist side of the rebellion is also still doing its own thing somewhere else!”
It still works quite well, because the scenes with him are full of tension, it shows Wilmon finding his way to the Rebellion, and his return in the final episode where he desperately tries to pretend they have no control over him (“you have no idea where I am!”) was both fitting and funny to me.
But, again, it feels like this could’ve been developed more. Tied into the other storylines more. Do more with such a massive character and part of the rebellious effort than just a brief hologram appearance in the final episode. If Andor had been 5 seasons, I do believe we would have at least one season showing this side and following them on missions. It’s just been compressed to a tiny amount of time, until the storyline basically holds no weight or purpose anymore.
Rogue One
As stated, I finished my week-long Andor obsession by watching Rogue One (henceforth summarized as RO) again. And I was both satisfied and disappointed.
Some people have said that Andor + RO is really just another “prequel trilogy”: Season 1 is the setup, Season 2 is the meat of the story, and Rogue One is the actual climax and finish. I think that’s a very apt summary, even if RO clearly doesn’t have the same depth or impact as the seasons of TV. It quite neatly follows Andor Season 2, is a solid movie in its own right, and then neatly flows into that very first Star Wars movie made so long ago now.
You can see the same “hand” polishing the script for RO. Not overdoing the exposition or dialogue, some very good scenes and quotes in there, nice characterization, and not afraid to make the tough (but more interesting or poetic) choices. Such as Director Krennic ultimately dying at the hands of his prize project and massive achievement: the Death Star. It’s all more bland and superficial, more rushed, character arcs are non-existent or happen instantly it’s more “blockbustery” … but still well-made enough.
At the same time, did watching Andor really change that much about my perception of RO? Not that much.
A few lines and moments here and there can now be better understood. That funny droid at their side has a little more depth as well, making their demise a bit sadder. Even Director Krennic is now a real character to us, thanks to the show, as opposed to a cookie cutter villain being stupid. The endless distrust between rebel factions and intelligence received has also been setup well in Andor—I vaguely remember being surprised and annoyed by this when watching RO for the first time, but now I understand why they’d be so incredibly cautious.
But overall? I still think the movie is mostly standalone and Andor Seasons 1 and 2 don’t give much extra information, setup or depth to it. I had to think long and hard, and even read some discussions online, to find something meaningful to say about the movie. About how it functioned as the ending of the Andor trilogy, and how perception changes when viewing it now.
Because Andor was written was much later, its core characters and ideas are mostly completely absent from RO. And that feels weird. You’ve come to know and love this core part of the rebellion, and they’re just not there or completely different in RO. It almost erases all that came before. Andor (+ Luthen, + Lonni, etcetera) worked so hard to get that Death Star secret out, but in the movie it’s told to them by a completely different unknown person (who immediately dies too), which ruins the connection.
Most of all, I guess Rogue One just became a little richer thanks to Andor Season 1 and 2. All around, you have a bit more understanding and history for all characters, relationships, factions, and what they’re trying to accomplish. The Death Star feels like an actual terrifying threat. Oh, and after the deep setup and complex storylines of Andor, the movie feels incredibly rushed, linear, and fast-paced by comparison ;)
Rogue One became a little richer. But the Andor trilogy had its biggest effect on the original trilogy, I feel. Knowing the work that went into the Rebellion, where it all came from, the things sacrificed and lost, how they got in the desperate situation with the plans of the Death Star. I had no desire to rewatch the original trilogy, because I was satisfied with these answers and just, I guess, understood the main Star Wars story a lot better now.
Bix’ Choice
Normally, stories tend to do one of two things with “the hero’s girlfriend”.
It’s a thankless job, because most of the time you die. The villain uses you for revenge, there’s an accident, writers come up with all sorts of ways to get the hero angry and separated from the love of his life.
If that’s not the case, they come up with some superficial, flimsy reason for why “we can’t be together”. The “it’s not you, it’s me”. And they’re gone.
I feel like Andor is one of the rare stories where the treatment of the hero’s girlfriend actually makes sense and is done well. We follow their relationship for a bit, so we actually understand them and see them work through issues. We see Bix’ hatred for the empire, we understand how much she has suffered (and still suffers) from them, and thus understand her devotion to the Rebellion and “we HAVE to win”.
So when Andor mentions that he’s done risking his life and just wants to live peacefully with Bix, she leaves. Because she can’t be the reason he quits the Rebellion and they might NOT win.
It’s incredibly sad. It always leaves me—like most viewers, I assume—with the feeling of “WHYYYYY YOU HAD IT SO GOOOOD”. But it’s understandable, and it fits the narrative, and it was all set up and shown ever since the first time we see Bix and Andor interact in Season 1.
Her final shot, back on the planet where the season started and holding their baby, was somewhat predictable—but still so good that I appreciate it. (Which just reinforces Shakespeare’s Rule: A well-written story can be predictable or follow an established path, and still be very enjoyable.)
Syril Karn
There are many characters I could’ve highlighted.
Dedra Meero, who was so devoted to the cause that she crossed the line one time to many, and ended up in the same prison as Andor in Season 1. How Partagaz kills himself, because he knows the consequences of his (and Dedra’s) fuck-ups would be much worse. How little time we get with Lonni, and it still clearly paints a picture of someone sympathetic but also nervous and unsure about the Rebellion. How Luthen killing him after giving his final piece of crucial information is both heartbreaking and completely fitting and logical.
The Ghorman rebels we get to know more and more, until it all ends in an unavoidable tragedy. The series never stops to give loads of backstory for everyone. In fact, we don’t really know any “details” about them and the planet. But we see them in action. Their actions make you empathize with the characters and their Ghorman Front.
Mon Mothma who basically throws away her entire family, wealth, life (and oldest friend …) for the Rebellion. Again, we never get long stretches of explanation about her backstory, where her wealth even came from, etcetera. We are simply shown how she speaks and acts, and we visit her in important situations, and that’s enough to make her an incredibly sympathetic (and sad) character.
That one final shot we get of Perrin, with Sculdun’s wife drunk and leaning on his shoulder, is also brilliant. It’s another example of showing just enough and that’s it. You get a resolution to the “side characters” of Mon’s life, but it doesn’t give you any specifics. It just shows you an interesting tidbit: Perrin with someone else’s wife. You have to think for a moment to figure out what might have happened there. Did Sculdun go down too? Did Perrin go after his wife after Mon left? It’s literally 5–10 seconds, and it wraps up many loose ends in a more interesting and cool way than other shows do with 10 minutes of wrapping up. (I think many people didn’t even expect to see Perrin or associates ever again, and how exactly it resolves is not important, so it’s fine to leave it mysterious and short like this.)
And what about Luthen and Kleya? I wasn’t expecting or wishing an episode with their backstory, but we got it anyway, and it was great. Luthen is most surely a dangerous person and morally gray. Kleya who so loyally (and capably) helps him isn’t necessarily a good person either. But by simply showing them for two seasons, showing how hard they work to get this rebellion off the ground, is enough to make you empathize with them. To make Luthen’s end, despite being expected, crushing.
Another example of great writing. We only get tidbits of arguments between them that show the struggle and the tension. We get equally many moments of laughter or pride about a mission accomplished. Which is important! All doom and gloom isn’t good for a story, and certainly not relationships between characters.
Then, in the last episodes, the show could’ve made so many mistakes. It could’ve had Kleya break into the hospital and try to “save” Luthen. So many (modern) stories would have done that. Get that girl boss moment where she magically wakes him from a coma, drags him from the hospital while dodging blaster fire, and saves Luthen. But no. She breaks into the hospital just to make sure he is actually dead. The logical, efficient play. Probably prepared beforehand. Their complex relationship comes to a head, and you get the mind-boggling situation where killing someone and giving them a kiss on the head is a clever, merciful, loving play from a character you like.
So many great characters to choose from. So many great action scenes, great dialogue, great relationships.
But … I want to focus on Syril Karn. Despite being responsible for the slowest and most boring scenes in Season 1, he is, in the end, the most interesting character. (And he gets way more to do, at a faster pace, in Season 2.)
He is set up as someone who believes in law and order. He is never shown to believe in The Empire per se, or to enjoy its bureaucracy, even though he obviously doesn’t say no to promotions and more power. In Season 1, he gets in trouble precisely because he wants to go after Andor (suspected of killing two agents) while everyone else is like “don’t sweat it, who cares, just keep your head down”.
To station him on Ghor and have him get to know the people, being fed the same lies as them by the higher-ups, is just the perfect way to make him open his eyes. Because he believes in justice, not the empire, it’s actually believable that he might change his mind. His “redemption arc” is believable and has the right setup. He never cared for the empire, he cared for making sure rules were followed and criminals were caught. And so when the empire reveals they don’t care about rules and they will kill innocents, it’s a “wait, are we the baddies!?” moment that actually works.
At the same time, once he realizes, he leaves his old life behind and runs into the square—but he also doesn’t help anyone, doesn’t save anyone, and only goes after Andor for some personal vengeance. He is not a good guy. But he is a very interesting guy who was set for the greatest redemption arc of all time, spread over two seasons.
And then he gets unceremoniously killed.
Again, on the one hand, I respect this. This is what happens. In war and rebellion, people die, and they die without glamour. Just because he realizes the truth for the first time doesn’t make him entitled to anything. Rebellion is messy. The Ghorman Massacre was terrible. Andor is full of people who are slowly realizing the truth, who have been a fascist all the time but are now wavering—but that’s just not good enough. The rebels have no time to let this slow process continue, to figure out if previous antagonists are now at their side. So, sorry, bye bye, your redemption arrives too late!
On the other hand, would it not have been more interesting to let him continue? Think of the potential drama and conflict. Now he has to gain the trust of rebels again, but this time he is for real. Now he has to fight with his beliefs in structure and laws for a few more episodes, as he might be involved in some mission that is specifically lawless and messy. Now he could die more of a “heroic death” in the final episode, perhaps, ensuring Andor’s escape from some dangerous mission.
I’m not certain, of course, that this would have been better. But it feels like it. It has more potential, this character is so interesting and so integral to the story, that killing him off like that feels like a waste.
Then again, they had to do it. There was no time for any of this.
And that’s why I picked him as my example of rushing and loose ends. In theory, basically all storylines are neatly wrapped up in Season 2. But … “wrapping up” by just killing everyone unceremoniously, sometimes even off-screen, is of course the laziest way to do it. Or, rather, the least impactful way to do it. It’s a superficial tying of loose ends that will unravel the moment you think about it for two more seconds.
Syril’s story comes to an end, suddenly, with a blaster bolt to the head (by the Ghorman Front leader). In that sense, it is tied up. But looking at the missed potential, the lack of more information or actions, he still feels like an open-ended character to me.
Let me put it like this. Not many shows (or books) are able to completely overtake my brain and cause me to research and theory craft for an entire day afterwards. I must have asked Google fifty questions about why characters did stuff, or why someone had to be killed, or what others thought about moment X. (Usually to land on the Andor subreddit and have others discuss the exact same thing.) And the more you think about it, the more interesting it gets. The more you try to dissect the show, find out both why it’s good and if you can savor anything more from it, the better it gets.
I guess that’s the final lesson. A good story is one that becomes even more alive with dissection and analysis, as opposed to most stories that turn to dust under even the slightest bit of scrutiny or common sense.
Andor is a darn good story. I hope many people give it a try. I hope it might open a few eyes here and there and reignite the effort needed to fight off current-day oppression. I hope it sets a standard for other stories to be told in the near future.
