Andor Season 2 Chapter 3 sets the stage for its finale with an intense but fascinating batch of episodes.
Showrunner: Tony Gilroy
Director: Janus Metz (Eps. 7-9)
Season 2 Episodes: 12
Chapter 3 (Eps. 7-9) Release Date: May 6, 2025
Where to Watch: Stream it Globally on Disney+
As I sat down to write this, I realized that discussing Andor Season 2 Chapter 3 was going to be a bit difficult because so much happens that I want people to experience for themselves. A ton of narrative ground is covered and this cast once again proves that they are among television’s best with their work. With that said, it is time to dive into this emotional, stunning ride.
Picking up a year after the assassination of Dr. Gorst (Joshua James), Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) has clearly grown disillusioned with fellow Rebel Alliance member Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård), which is not entirely unexpected. After all, his loyalty to the rebellion is just as strong as his love for Bix (Adria Arjona), and this tug of war has been central to this season. Pretty early on, it becomes clear that the killing of Dr. Gorst was to give Bix peace following her torture at his hands, rather than to serve as her entryway to the rebellion.
Their relationship has been one of this season’s strongest plots and this continues in Andor Season 2 Chapter 3. Luna and Arjona have unreal amounts of chemistry and audiences are fully invested in these two. Not only are both characters well written, but given everything that they have been through, it makes sense from a story standpoint that their love is the only thing strong enough to nearly break Cassian’s commitment to the Rebel Alliance (or at the very least to Luthen). These two not only grew up together, but their love has been an incredible slow burn since this show began, one that no viewer wants to lose.
Bix, meanwhile, may be the only person that can get Cassian to recognize his importance to the rebels and their mission of bringing peace back to the galaxy. Arjona’s ability to showcase her character’s internal struggle of wanting to be with the man she loves and knowing that he has a purpose with the rebels that is bigger than both of them ultimately makes this her best performance in the series to date. Arjona shook my soul as she brought Bix’s battle to the screen.
Cassian and Bix have taken up residence on the Yavin Rebel Base in Andor Season 2 Chapter 3, preferring to help build an army to actually win the war rather than going it alone with Luthen. It is a logical move and one that keeps Cassian with Bix. He is thinking about the bigger picture differently compared to Luthen, who addresses it by working on the ground alongside his right hand Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) and Andor’s friend Wilmon (Muhannad Bhaier).
With Wil’s encouragement, Cassian takes on another job for Luthen: assassinating Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), who is responsible for the tragedy that took place on Ferrix, Cassian’s home planet. This takes him to Ghorman, where a large portion of Andor Season 2 Chapter 3 is set.
The Empire’s attempts to find an alternative to Ghorman kalkite have not panned out, which means their original takeover plan is back in motion. Dedra has no real choice in the matter, which is messing with her head because she is used to having control. Then there is the Ghorman resistance, which is split down the middle between those who prefer a peaceful resistance and those that want to fight fire with fire. All these elements act as a powder keg for the conflict on Ghorman to reach its conclusion. Just as Cassian anticipated, there is a devastating result.
Luna is fantastic as he gives such a dynamic performance in Andor Season 2 Chapter 3, which is most visible when Cassian is on Ghorman and Yavin. Luna uses several tonal and facial expression changes to give us hints about where he is at as he struggles with his desire to be with Bix and his commitment to the rebellion. While he still may want to fight and help, doing things Luthen’s way has taken a toll on his mind and body. It gets to the point where Cassian struggles to see why he should not just drop everything and go live somewhere else with Bix. His conflict is one of the highlights this batch of episodes has to offer and really helps develop him as a character.
Syril Karn’s (Kyle Soller) journey takes a turn and honestly it is one that turned out to be really fitting for this character. He has finally made a home for himself in Ghorman, so Andor Season 2 Chapter 3 finds him at a crossroads. For those that have followed this character’s development since he debuted, this will be fascinating. Soller’s performance is totally captivating and there is one sweeping shot in this batch where he puts on a fantastic facial acting display. I never thought I would feel much of anything for Syril, but Soller left me with no choice.
Finally, you have Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Motma, who sinks her teeth deeper into the rebellion than ever before and finally begins to cement herself as its leader. You cannot help but appreciate how Tony Gilroy has developed this character from someone who obviously was important during the original Star Wars trilogy into a person that you not only understand but care about. In Andor Season 2 Chapter 3, O’Reilly has a scene that sent chills down my spine in the best way and felt like the culmination of Mon Motma’s journey throughout this series.
Writer Dan Gilroy (brother of series creator Tony Gilroy) serves up a batch of episodes that remind us why we were swept up in this story to begin with. Andor Season 2 Chapter 3 is so incredibly human and captures all the complexities which come with that. In a lot of ways, this narrative serves as a mirror into the current state of the world, where so many are afraid and looking for something to cling on to. Dan Gilroy shows us the good and bad of humanity, but he also reminds everyone that even in darkness, you can find hope. No matter how bad things seem, hope is worth fighting for.
What this batch of episodes also does is continue to build towards a conclusion. A few character/series arcs close here, setting the stage for this corner of the Star Wars universe to wrap up nicely next week. In addition, pieces from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) are falling into place and they have not just come out of nowhere to the point where it feels like fan service.
Andor Season 2 Chapter 3 is sensational and will hit you like a truck for multiple reasons. The narrative never really gives you a chance to breathe as several plot points are dealt with, while others are sure to be wrapped up in next week’s finale. This batch of episodes also features spectacular performances from all of our main cast but especially Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, and Genevieve O’Reilly. As much as I do not want this show to end, I am super excited for whatever next week holds.
Chapter 3 (Episodes 7-9) of Andor Season 2 is now available to stream globally on Disney Plus. The remaining episodes (Part 4 – Eps. 10-12) will be released on May 13.
