Continuing on my string of reviewing some things other than just books for once. I’ve been enjoying branching out a bit; I hope you’ve enjoyed checking them out! First, I reviewed some movies, like Primitive War, Predator: Badlands, and 2025’s Frankenstein, and even a dissection of War of the Rohirrim; then some interesting games, like Still Wakes the Deep; then even some series I’ve finished recently, like Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy, and Netflix’s Kingdom. More importantly for this post, I have recently done a rewatch of The Mandoverse leading up to The Mandalorian and Grogu, which then also led me here, to rewatching Andor.
So, here are my thoughts on a rewatch … and as always, I try not to be overtly spoilery, but none of this is new, so you have been warned. This one has definitely got spoilers …
Synopsis
In an era filled with danger, deception, and intrigue, Cassian Andor embarks on a path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.
OR
The story of Rebel spy Cassian Andor’s formative years of the Rebellion and his difficult missions for the cause.
TL:DR
A modern masterpiece in the world of Star Wars. Perfectly displays the depravity of power, of man. A flawless showcase of infiltration, insurrection, and deceitful action in the galaxy.
Season 1
8/10
One of my best friends, who watched it before me, talked about it almost to the point of overhyping it. At first, I was confused by the setup, how Andor was nothing like a rebel, even though he endures again and again at the hands of the empire. Through snippets of his past, continued injustices, even the beginnings of rebellious missions, he just wants to walk away each time. I didn’t get it at first, and honestly, if you don’t give yourself both seasons, you really won’t understand just how slow a burn this show really is. That’s not to say that S1 on its own is not enjoyable, because it certainly is.
As this is both a prequel to Rogue One and a bridge between Episodes III and IV, we do get a handful of cameos. And not just cameos, but entire groups and planets and imperial organizations that add depth and lore and connections. I absolutely love how they could have had her as a side character, some supporting role practically on the sidelines, and instead, they brought back Genevieve O’Reilly and put Mon Mothma front and center as an additional POV. She takes us back inside the Senate, giving viewers the inside track on how everything was steadily crumbling. It also introduces her family and home, taking us to Chandrila—which, if you were not aware, is where the New Republic originally set up after the Battle of Endor. The show takes her from senatorial nuisance to full-on rebel leader on Yavin IV, and I personally think the journey is well worth watching.
Now we also get some less savory things, like the ins and outs of the ISB through the POV of Officer Dedra Meero (played fantastically by Denise Gough). The ISB is like a galactic-sized internal-affairs organization mixed with the CIA. They are after both dissidents and their own kind, anyone stepping out of line. They’re ruthless toward each other as well as the galaxy at large. The inclusion of them makes sense, and the fact that they are desperately after someone who is pulling rebel strings in the background (called Axis), someone who we are aware is Stellan Skarsgård’s Luthen Rael, is an incredible impetus for the plot. A plot point that is really edge-of-your-seat tense after things get going.
From the devastation that is Aldhani—though it did give us great work from Alex Lawther and Ebon Moss-Bachrach—just one of the first planets whose population stands in the way of imperial resourcing, to the prison plot line, showing us how the galaxy slowly came to terms with how little they meant to the empire, the breakout and the heartbreaking “I can’t swim” (Andy Serkis is electric as Kino Loy), to the funeral on Ferrix, where Cassian’s adoptive mother Maarva (played by Fiona Shaw) gives perhaps one of the most rousing call to arms I’ve ever seen, this season certainly does offer a tightly plotted set of episodes that showcase their world at large getting wise to the boot on their necks.
The performances from the entire cast are pretty stellar, but I did feel like we were only getting half the story—because we were! So if you are not a fan of a season 1 baiting you to stick around for a season 2, you may not like this. I personally thought the seasons were 8 episodes, even telling the person I was watching with that there were 16 total. Boy, was I stoked when there turned out to be 12 episodes each. The fact that they didn’t rush or crush this into shorter seasons is to their credit for sure. And I must say, Elizabeth Dulau, who portrays Kleya, a breakout role for her, is absolutely my favorite. There is so much anxiety and tension in her character, even though she’s so often playing things steadfast and calm. And to go head to head with the likes of Skarsgård and hold your own? She’s fantastic.
So where do we land on Cassian? His story is one of suffering, of loss, of trials. While I was on the fence in my original watch, this rewatch had no such issues. He is such a reluctant hero and such a well-developed character that the burn is worth the wait. Diego Luna is putting fantastic work on screen, and while I haven’t seen him in much, he is so believably “Star Wars” to me that it’s unbelievable he isn’t talked about more. Praised more. Isn’t nominated and awarded for this role.
Season 2
10/10
I wouldn’t say season one “walked,” as I do think it tells a compelling piece of the story on its own, but it certainly ran so that season 2 could hop into a speeder and chase us down. Some of the best plotting in Star Wars, in my opinion—it’s intricate, deep, masterful. So much threading happened in season one, and the writers are pulling them all together here to create one serious Ghorman spiderweb.
A time jump (then multiple). The characters are stripped of who they once were, drilled down to their minutest sense of self. They are all revenge-driven, mission-oriented, and out for whatever singular purpose they’ve latched on to. Andor is sent all over to aid in rebel acts, but he remains focused on Bix. Meero is focusing on other things on the surface, like Ferrix, then Ghorman, but she can’t give up the game with Axis. Luthen will stop at nothing to get the rebellion off the ground, including acts that will blemish his soul. Kleya is making moves for the rebellion, but is stuck on Luthen overall. Mothma is fully focused on doing what’s right, on pushing the bounds of the senate, and on speaking out against injustice even when the choice could spell death or drive her from her family. We get more Saw Gerrera, with Whitaker giving us his best quirky, distrustful rebel terrorist moves. DIRECTOR KRENNIC, who is reprised by Mendelsohn, even appears, in what is perhaps my favorite cameo, and we all know what his main project focus is.
I do wonder if originally they thought maybe they would have had a chance at creating 3 seasons, just due to the multiple time jumps. It might seem odd to set up such a slow burn, but then jump around after; however, it still certainly works. The setup of Ghorman, which I think is perhaps one of the best displays of infiltration to insurrection ever, is really masterfully crafted. I did some reading during this second watch, and not only did they model much of this after the rebel movement in France during WWII, but that’s much of the reason why the language feels French and the cast includes French actors. I thought that was a nice nod and is partly why it’s so successful. The rebel networking displayed, though nascent, is really shown in such a solid way. The shop owners/workers listening, code words, the spider-merchant hiding messages, the late-night underground clandestine meetings, even the group’s infighting. They have no idea what they’re doing or how to do it; they just know something needs to be done. I also think the looming past of a massacre done at the hands of Tarkin was not only a great tie-in, but really puts a countdown on how much the Ghore can take.
This season displays so much depravity that it makes for what I’d consider to be the darkest and most adult Star Wars viewing they have to offer. And I think this works best because it’s both the good and the bad guys. The empire is awful, and we, of course, have so much elsewhere that shows us that (although some of what’s here is perhaps the worst), but the rebels have to get dirty and bloodied up too if they have any hope of winning. Many of them certainly decide to. Luthen, whose choices might make sense but are awful, goes borderline unhinged here. His calculation is the only thing making him seem sane. He gets bolder, taking more risks, and even sacrifices others to drum up outrage. The galaxy is a chessboard, and the pieces are expendable. Then we have Bix, who is assaulted by an officer, and they even actually say he tried to rape her, which is really dark for SW. And as we know, people and regimes in power often abuse these powers; this is just one of the most invasive and heinous showings. Andor handles missions with efficiency and detachment, with little to no respect for the authority figures that have been put in place. He’s, in my opinion, one of the few showed as tempered, as he is always doing what he thinks is right—and this most often aligns with what audiences will think.
For me, it’s not just the losses or the scale at which they went, though those are great; it’s the fact that I feel like they actually sat back and viewed the bigger picture. There are those in the wrong on both sides, and while the empire is ultimately the bad guys, they allowed this to not be so black and white. For example, Syril (who’s played by Kyle Soller, who I have yet to mention, but is fantastic too) is sent to infiltrate the Ghore, to both be an obvious plant for the empire and still gather actual intel. He does this well, but what he doesn’t expect is that he admires the Ghorman, their culture and planet. And the lies sown by the empire, their desire to reap the benefits of their own plotted rebellion there, disgust him. Now he does fall victim to his own pride and hatred for Andor, but he’s nuanced in a way that feels right. Like a real person. Dedra Meero, though much slower to the realization, is also absolutely lost amidst the chaos she’s allowed to happen. Always the neat professional, she completely loses her composure when the shooting starts. Is the impetus for this the heartbreak of Syril’s disgust for her? Perhaps, but it’s no less real. And again, that feels like a real person, real reactions. It absolutely makes them no less shitty, but it’s still handled really brilliantly in the crafting.
While I loved the work done on the first season, almost every cast member is firing on all cylinders in the finale. Really just a masterclass on embodying character. Luna is magnetic in his tortured hero act, the loss of Bix somehow showing continually on his face. Skarsgård and Gough finally sharing the screen is both terrifying and so incredibly earned; what follows feels fateful for both of their arcs. Dulau is maddeningly good in her hospital episode; the culmination of all her anxiety comes to painful fruition. O’Reilly finishes her Senate journey with a hyper-tense monologue that feels timeless (galaxy-less?), even if it’s “just” Star Wars.
I remember thinking how insane it was that Rogue One ended just minutes before the beginning of A New Hope. It felt daring and risky, and still ultimately really well done (although I do not dig the wonky Ai-CGI face swapping). The Vader scene is nuts, and the shots on the rebel ship are some of the most memorable. BUT THEN THEY WENT AND DID IT AGAIN. Season 2 bleeds right into Rogue One, and that is so insane to me, so awesome. A rebel contact, who was hiding among Saw’s group, has requested a meeting and will only speak with Cassian. Right where we find him in RO. It even hit me like, “Oh, shit, he just put ‘the’ jacket on.” No room for more, no rehashing, just all gas up until the end.
I think overall, after two watches, season two is something of a masterpiece. It elevates season 1’s entire story; it elevates lines of dialogue and decisions made in Rogue One; it alters my brain’s chemistry when it comes to Andor’s relationships, even. I really feel as if they thought of everything. Of course, that is somewhat easier when you make a prequel, with what’s to come already set in stone, but this is so well done I do not care. Andor won’t abandon Bix, then Luthen, even when the rebellion tells him no. And when it turns out it’s Kleya, he doesn’t care; he still gives his all to save her. Then there are his scrapes with authority, how he does what he thinks is right, and comes and goes as he pleases. This perfectly sets up how he attaches to Jyn, how he believes her, and how he doesn’t care when he’s told to stand down. I feel like one of the main purposes of a prequel is to add depth to the main story, and they went all out here.
Overall
~9/10
Overall, I have the show at a 9. But I will talk your ear off about it until the day I die, so if pressed, I will gladly tell you it’s a 10/10 masterpiece. The journey and build of S1 is so worth it to get to the incredible ending. You have to finish this and roll right into Rogue One, which is what I did both times I watched it. It makes it all so much better. Absolutely, the best Star Wars products Disney has given us.
Where do you land? Feel the same, different?
This is just my views on it
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