Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 Review

Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 gets off to a decent start by wrapping up plots from last season and introducing new conflicts.

We pick things up a year after Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) told the eccentric antiques dealer and Rebel Alliance member Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) to either kill him or take him in. From the look of things, Cassian has been working for him since then, and when we meet up with the title character, he is on another job for Luthen that involves stealing a TIE fighter. This gig takes up all of our main protagonist’s time during Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 and honestly, that is a tad underwhelming. One of the pitfalls of the recent Star Wars series was sending their leads on fetch quests for multiple episodes. Even if keeping Cassian occupied allows us to tie up several plot threads from Season 1 and see more of the galaxy, it stinks to see Luna saddled with what is for all intents and purposes a subplot in his own show. 

Cassian steals the ship in a cool sequence, but then winds up being held captive at the drop point by a brigade that was previously led by Maya Pei. Now this nugget makes this entire plot mean something at least, due to the fact that Maya’s name has come up multiple times in the series, when Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) and Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) were the ones to mention her. Here, we find out that Cassian might know her as well. It seems noteworthy that this unseen person keeps being referenced by figures within the rebellion and empire. Time will tell if this plot and the character of Maya Pei factor into the season. 

Diego Luna maintains his magnetic and seemingly endless charm throughout these first three episodes. Cassian also has a moving monologue early on in Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 that really shows how much he has grown not only since we last saw him but over the course of the series. The death of his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw) and her message to the people of Ferrix had an impact on him and nowhere is this more apparent than in that monologue. He is a rebel fighting for what is right, and pushing others to do the same. However, Cassian also has a fierce loyalty to those close to him, like Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), and that very well could be exploited by his enemies. 

Speaking of Bix, she is on Mina-Rau, located in the outer rim, with Brasso (Joplin Sibtain), Wilmon (Muhannad Bhaier), and Cassian’s droid B2EMO. The group are living a pretty simple farm life on the planet, although Bix is experiencing nightmares as a result of her torture last season at the hands of Doctor Gorst (Joshua James) and the Galactic Empire. While that aspect of Bix’s plot is handled well, with Arjona giving us this glimpse into what experiencing torture can do to someone, something happens to her during Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 that really is not necessary at all. Even if I understand that this thing does occur, I especially do not see why Bix had to be the one to experience it. 

The events that take place on Mina-Rau are central to these first three episodes and give audiences a look at what even a harmless farming planet experiences as the Empire rules over the galaxy with an iron fist. 

They also might provide an idea of what might be in store for the planet Ghorman as Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn, reprising his role from 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) continues building the Death Star. He has gathered a committee to assist him which includes Dedra Meero, who is tasked with overseeing the Ghorman project, which has an objective of securing Ghorman kalkite to coat the reactor lenses. Dedra surprisingly would rather continue to serve as supervisor for the Imperial Security Bureau and hunt down Cassian. However, having Krennic’s ear may prove too valuable.

Mendelsohn makes a welcome return to this universe in Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 and watching him build the deadliest weapon in the galaxy as he grapples with his own ambition should be compelling. I look forward to watching how Krennic and Dedra work together, because both can be ruthless in pursuit of what they want. 

Dedra also repays Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) for saving her life in a way that I was not expecting. Syril is a hit or miss character for me: he sheds light on how the Empire manages to indoctrinate the average person into their ranks, his overall dedication to them is freaky, but there are times I feel he is distracting from what we truly care about rather than adding to this world. My hope is that Syril becomes a more compelling antagonist and does not leave me wishing I was watching Dedra and Krennic instead, this batch of episodes opens up that possibility. 

Finally, you have Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) who shows us part of the cost of leading the Rebel Alliance as her daughter Leida (Bronte Carmichael) prepares to marry Stekan Sculdun (Finley Glasgow), son of shady Chandrilan banker Davo (Richard Dillane), who previously assisted Mon with her secret financial transactions of funds to the rebellion. In Andor Season 2 Chapter 1, we witness the toll that leading the rebels is beginning to take on Mon. Her daughter’s wedding on Chandrila at the Mothma estate is all part of a betrothal, something she never wanted for Leida and it is eating away at her. 

Then she gets hit with another shock during the wedding which sends her over the edge. Mon has always had to put on a sort of armor in certain situations to cover up everything she is doing with the Rebel Alliance, but that has a cost. She has basically lost her only child after reluctantly using Leida as a pawn to hide the money sent to the rebels. Her marriage to Perrin Fertha (Alastair Mackenzie) is loveless and she has to keep everything a secret from him. Sacrificing for the greater good is important but Tony Gilroy and Genevieve O’Reilly show us here just how depressing it can be. Give O’Reilly so much credit for making these wedding segments hit much harder than they should as you feel every bit of Mon Mothma’s armor begin to slip away and see what she does to cope. 

Andor Season 2 Chapter 1 gets the season off to a decent start on the back of Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, and Genevieve O’Reilly’s performances. Writer of these first three episodes and series creator Tony Gilroy ties up some loose ends from Season 1 and also introduces elements that are sure to play a role moving forward, including the return of Ben Mendelsohn’s Director Orson Krennic. Things can only get better from here and I believe they will.

Chapter 1 (Episodes 1-3) of Andor Season 2 is now available to stream globally on Disney Plus. The remaining episodes will be released on April 29 (Part 2 – Eps. 4-6), May 6 Part 3 – Eps. 7-9), and May 13 (Part 4 – Eps. 10-12).