logo
‘Andor' Season 2 finale review: The Force is with Cassian and company in thrilling, tragic climax

‘Andor' Season 2 finale review: The Force is with Cassian and company in thrilling, tragic climax

The Hindu15-05-2025
What a smashing segue into Rogue One the finale of Andor Season 2 is! The bitter-sweet ending brings some character arcs to a close and leaves others open-ended, much like life itself, which very rarely ties up all loose ends in a pretty bow.
Dropping three episodes weekly is immensely satisfying as it makes Season 2 like watching four mini-movies. A year after the wedding at Chandrila, the Imperial designs on Ghorman, and the escape from Mina-Rau, Cassian (Diego Luna) and Bix (Adria Arjona) are working for Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård). Still troubled by the torture she suffered, Bix has become a shadow of herself, drugging herself to a stupor.
Andor Season 2 (English)
Creator: Tony Gilroy
Cast: Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O'Reilly, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau
Episodes: 12
Runtime: 38 – 60 minutes
Storyline: As the terrible truth of the Ghorman massacre and other Imperial actions come out, both sides pay a grave price
The Ghorman massacre, which the Imperial forces spin as an insurrection is the final straw, for senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) and she makes a speech denouncing Emperor Palpatine. In a nail-bitingly tense sequence, Cassian helps her escape to Yavin IV, laconically commenting, 'Welcome to the rebellion.'
The final three episodes that lead directly to Rogue One, sees the different narrative strands being pulled tighter together. The ambitious Imperial Security Bureau officer, Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), who was assigned to Ghorman by the director of advanced weapons research, Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), returns to hunt for her bête noir, the rebel agent, code named Axis, who is actually Luthen. Ghorman took a lot out of Dedra, personally as well, when her partner, the equally driven Syril Karn, (Kyle Soller) paid the ultimate price.
As Dedra gets within a hair's breadth of uncovering Axis, Luthen sets up exit protocols. Though Cassian helps Bix get closure on her torturer, Dr Ghorst, she leaves Cassian urging him to continue working for the revolution, promising him she will find him after 'it is all over,' which we, as the audience know will not happen.
As things fall apart, the Rebel Alliance grows stronger as does the Death Star, which Krennic says is a just a week away from being ready. Andor continues to thrill, with many Easter eggs, including, 'May the Force be with you', while still being solidly on the side of strong story telling. All character arcs are given their time, including Mothma's husband, Perrin (Alastair Mackenzie) who is shown drinking his troubles away in the back of a transport.
Vel (Faye Marsay) Mothma's cousin puts her lover, Cinta's (Varada Sethu) loss behind her to further the cause. We learn of Luthen's and his efficient assistant, Kleya's (Elizabeth Dulau) past. There is no return to Cassian's home planet of Kenari even though he dreams of the green hillsides before it was destroyed by Imperial forces.
The dialogues are full of quotable quotes from extremist leader Saw Gerrera's (Forest Whitaker), 'revolution is not for the sane' to Nemik's (Alex Lawther) 'tyranny requires constant effort.' The return of the reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), ensures some C3PO-type humour. The worlds are beautifully realised, with the gigantic, sterile buildings contrasting starkly with the spectacular wilds. The level of detailing, from costumes (Cassian makes for a natty designer on his undercover visit to Ghorman) to Ghor, the language spoken on Ghorman, is nothing short of marvellous.
The visual as well as implied signatures are mind boggling from the tall impersonally beautiful buildings to the sterile prisons and anonymous apartments. The spiders of Ghorman, the Ghorlectipods, whose silk is used to create the fabulous Ghorman twill, are unable to stand against the might of Imperial misinformation and might. The spiders are also emblematic of the tangled webs, characters weave in the pursuit of perceived needful things, only to be trapped by them.
Luna has created a very human rebel leader in Cassian and Skarsgård manages to keep the audience as well as the Imperials and rebels off kilter about his true intentions. All the cast, in their roles big or small, have us invested in their stories. Tony Gilroy, who wrote Rogue One with Chris Weitz, has created a spectacular show that tells of a rebel and a revolution and the role of a fascist government in birthing them.
Andor is currently streaming on JioHotstar
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ahead of Wednesday Season 2 release date, Jenna Ortega confirms Season 3 and spinoff web series
Ahead of Wednesday Season 2 release date, Jenna Ortega confirms Season 3 and spinoff web series

Mint

timean hour ago

  • Mint

Ahead of Wednesday Season 2 release date, Jenna Ortega confirms Season 3 and spinoff web series

Wednesday, the popular Netflix series, has officially been renewed for Season 3. This early announcement comes just weeks before the Season 2 OTT release date, August 6. Fans are excited as this show is already the most-watched English-language series on Netflix. The news was first shared by The Hollywood Reporter, which spoke with Jenna Ortega, who plays Wednesday Addams, and director Tim Burton. It has also revealed that a spinoff series is in the early stages of discussion. The viral dance scene in Wednesday Season 1 became a huge hit online. People wondered if Season 2 would try to do something similar. Tim Burton, the director, said there was no such pressure. Burton chose the song, and Jenna Ortega just danced without a choreographer. She might have even had COVID that day, according to the director. Burton told The Hollywood Reporter that it was fun because they didn't plan too much. He didn't expect the scene to go viral and doesn't want to force such moments. When asked how many seasons the show should have, he says he doesn't think that way. 'You're talking to two of the worst people to ask that question,' probably hinting at Netflix to take the call. Tim Burton is a legendary name in Hollywood. His films have earned 20 Oscar nominations and won 8 so far. His 1988 film Beetlejuice won one Oscar, followed by Batman in 1989. Ed Wood (1994) grabbed two wins. Sleepy Hollow (1999), Sweeney Todd (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010) also received Oscars. When asked about the reason behind their decision to be a part of Wednesday, Tim Burton said he had chosen the web series because it gave him a chance to work in TV for the first time. He also liked Wednesday Addams as a character. Even as an older man, he said he could relate to her feelings. He liked her quiet style and few emotions. According to Jenna Ortega, Wednesday is one of the rare lead characters who doesn't show much emotion and still works well. This is usually seen only in villains. Jenna also remembered how she once auditioned for a Wednesday cartoon film at age 14. She didn't get the part but told her mother she still wished to play Wednesday one day. 'I remember telling my mom, 'That would be cool to be her, though',' she said.

Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah: Khushi Kapoor & Vedang Raina take sides in this latest video by Prime Video
Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah: Khushi Kapoor & Vedang Raina take sides in this latest video by Prime Video

First Post

timean hour ago

  • First Post

Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah: Khushi Kapoor & Vedang Raina take sides in this latest video by Prime Video

These two really brought their A-game to this super fun face-off in the latest video by Prime Video read more This monsoon is all about 'Summer Love' and Lola Tung, Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno's titular love-triangle in The Summer I Turned Pretty, as Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah, is all everyone can talk about. Joining the wagon are popular actors Khushi Kapoor and Vedang Raina, who jumped headfirst into the ultimate The Summer I Turned Pretty debate: #TeamConrad or #TeamJeremiah? These two really brought their A-game to this super fun face-off in the latest video by Prime Video. Khushi, a true Conrad loyalist, was hilariously offended when Vedang proudly declared himself 'Team Jellyfish' (yes, that's what Jeremiah fans call themselves). But Vedang wasn't backing down, arguing passionately that Jeremiah is 'clearly the nicer one between the two brothers, a true 'green flag'.' And if not for the latest episodes, Jeremiah's golden retriever personality has been truly winning fans since the past two seasons. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Things got even funnier when 'Team Jellyfish' took it up a notch, pulling out 'Red Flags' with Conrad's face plastered all over them, and from there, everything went south! Khushi's reactions to Vedang's cheeky moves and those 'red flags' are absolutely priceless – it's basically every TSITP fan's internal struggle brought to life. Their laugh-out-loud, mini-brawl is an absolute must-watch, especially if you're hyped for Season 3 of the widely popular series. In Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly's perfect summer with Jeremiah is upended when Conrad re-enters her life, forcing her to confront old feelings. As adulthood looms, she must finally choose where her heart truly lies. As Khushi and Vedang duke it out, true The Summer I Turned Pretty fans are prepping to re-ignite their own team loyalties, especially as the first two episodes of season three are upping the ante for the series finale. The upcoming season is led by showrunners Jenny Han and Sarah Kucserka, and features Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Jackie Chung, and Rachel Blanchard in pivotal roles. Viewers can check out the first two seasons of this heartfelt series exclusively on Prime Video. The season three of The Summer I Turned Pretty premiered with the first two episodes on July 16, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday, until the season finale on September 17, exclusively on Prime Video, in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

'Taali' actress Sheetal Kale sheds light on the language partiality in Bollywood
'Taali' actress Sheetal Kale sheds light on the language partiality in Bollywood

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

'Taali' actress Sheetal Kale sheds light on the language partiality in Bollywood

Actress Sheetal Kale , who rose to fame with Sushmita Sen 's popular web series, "Taali" opened up about the prevalent partiality in Bollywood on the basis of language. During an exclusive conversation with IANS, Sheetal was asked if she had ever been judged on the basis of her regional accent. Admitting to having gone through this, Sheetal told IANS, "There's a lot of partiality in the industry. If you don't speak fluent English, you're often looked down upon. This is ironic because we work in Hindi cinema. I've faced such discrimination myself." Sheetal added that people are quick to make assumptions about others. She explained that if you do not understand certain words or speak with an accent, they think you're not educated or not 'their level'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indonesia: New Container Houses (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo "It's disheartening. But I believe talent should be the only criterion," she added. Sheetal confessed that coming from a Marathi medium, she still gets nervous speaking in front of the camera. "Even during interviews, I feel shy and struggle to express myself fluently. I'm still learning," she shared. The actress revealed that when it comes to performing scripted lines, she enjoys it and feels more confident. Sheetal further revealed that speaking about personal things on camera is tough for her. "But I'm growing slowly with each experience," she said. During the interaction, Sheetal also shared how she ended up finding her way into Bollywood. She stated, "My journey has been quite interesting. It took me years to finally get a good break. I worked very hard to reach where I am today. Even though I've shared my story many times before, I never tire of telling it again-because each step has been unique and filled with learning." Reflecting on the significance of connections in Bollywood, Sheetal said, "Having strong contacts is very important here. Favoritism and lobbying are very real. Still, if you keep giving auditions and doing good work, you will get noticed. That's what happened with me. I won an award, and I believe everyone eventually gets their turn-you just have to wait patiently." Taali Trailer: Sushmita Sen Starrer Taali Official Trailer

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store