Andor Season 2, Episodes 1-3, “One Year Later,” “Sagrona Teema,” and “Harvest” Spoilers Ahead
Trigger Warning: The following article features a section that discusses sexual assault and rape. Please be advised.
Andor returns for its second season and reminds its audience of the depths of evil and the cost of fighting for the Rebellion. It continues the momentum from its first season in its first three episodes, “One Year Later,” “Sagrona Teema,” and “Harvest,” without missing a beat, even as it picks up a year later since the events of “Rix Road” on Ferrix. Tony Gilroy and the creative team behind Andor really drive home the consequences involved in choosing to fight back over complacency.
Mon Mothma Relates to Her Mother in Heartbreaking Fashion
With a galaxy as vast as Star Wars, I always enjoy spending time on a particular planet and learning more about its culture. Chandrila is a planet that’s been known for decades thanks to Mon Mothma, but to actually spend time on Chandrila in Andor Season 2, Episodes 1-3 felt special. A year after the Season 1 finale, her daughter Leida gets married to Davo Scurin’s son. In the course of these first three episodes, we get to spend time on Chandrila through their planet’s marriage customs. It’s also during these days that Mon Mothma wrestles with her own complicated feelings about her daughter marrying a boy who doesn’t even want to hold her hand. On top of that, her trust in Tay Kolma disintegrates as she learns he has started to align himself with Scurin. Luthen Rael, also being in attendance for the wedding festivities, can’t leave things to chance. When Tay leaves the reception early, he’s intercepted by Cinta as his driver, and we never see him again.
Before Leida walks out to her wedding in Season 2, Episode 3, “Harvest,” Mon Mothma has a painful moment of introspection. When she was Leida’s age, about to marry Perrin, her mother got drunk, and she resented her for the rest of her life. Now, Mon finally understands the anguish her mother must’ve felt watching her daughter marry Perrin. After Leida dismisses her mother’s way out of this marriage — something Mon watched Leida break down in tears over — Mon channels her mother.
In a rare moment for the senator, Mon Mothma indulges herself by taking shots and living it up on the dancefloor to a new “Niamos!” remix. Honestly, with everything she holds so close to the vest and the isolation she’s come to know, who could blame her? Frankly, it would’ve been fun to party with her. Still, what drove her to this point is devastating, but she chose the Rebellion over her family the moment she arranged for her daughter to meet Scurin’s son.
Dedra Meero: Fascist Bureaucrat, Supportive Girlfriend
Despite the colossal failure of Ferrix, Dedra Meero is still operating in high places. She is one of the few specifically recruited by Krennic (welcome back, Ben Mendelsohn!) for an operation to take advantage of the natural resources of Ghorman. While many in this taskforce suggest taking over through propaganda, Dedra sees more value in stirring up rebellion that would force Imperial troops to step in and take over. In many ways, she thinks this work is beneath her, but she’s reminded by Partagaz that this operation is a gift. Unfortunately, when she is successful, it means many are about to suffer.
What else is going well for her is her love life. It turns out she and Syril Karn have been in a relationship — they’re living together and Syril slips into malewife mode. I can’t say I’m surprised. These evil bureaucrats felt inevitable in many ways. What I wasn’t expecting was the way Dedra stepped up to defend Syril against his mother, Eedy (welcome back, Kathryn Hunter!). Dedra is planning the destruction of Ghorman; she is not someone to root for. Still, seeing her put Eedy in her place for Syril is surprisingly sweet. Syril saved her life, and underneath all her evil layers, Dedra is protective of those she cares for. If there’s any humanity to be found in Dedra, it’s here in her relationship with Syril.
Bix and Violence Against Women
The moment that Tregor, an Imperial officer, glances over at Bix for the first time in Season 2, Episode 2, “Sagrona Teema,” my very first thought was, please no, don’t let this happen. It’s the look that women are taught to be on alert for, the look that’s laced with danger if you let your guard down. My fears were fully realized in Season 2, Episode 3, “Harvest,” when Tregor makes a house call while Bix is trying to pack up in order to attempt an escape with Brasso and Wilmon. He tries to make her an offer to save herself, but she refuses, and he tries to take her by force. Tregor attempts to rape her. Thankfully, Bix is able to save herself and kills Tregor.
Bix has been struggling with PTSD since she was tortured last season, and now she has to fight for her life. Yet this haunting scene speaks to the reality that many women, particularly women of color, have had to face. She’s undocumented, and the Empire can have them arrested if they aren’t able to provide documentation. The unchecked power of Tregor here is no different from that in the real world. It’s a powerful moment to hear Bix say the word “rape” in Star Wars. As much as we want to keep Star Wars in its own fictional space where the good will triumph over evil, Andor and Rogue One never shy away from the grounded realism and political commentary the franchise has always had. That’s why it stands out as one of the best of Star Wars. The reality is that, under an authoritarian entity, the attempted assault on Bix is much more commonplace during this period of Imperial rule.
In recent years, I have largely kept my distance from the Star Wars fandom. I don’t dislike Star Wars — I’m writing this review, aren’t I? — but my enjoyment of it has mellowed out to a relatively healthier place. That said, the discussion around Bix’s almost rape has bled into my timeline, and, unfortunately, it doesn’t shock me that a large amount of fans (primarily men) take issue with this scene. To try to say that Darth Vader wouldn’t stand for this type of behavior from those below him is laughable and, frankly, naive. The Empire is evil, always has been. Andor works as a series because it won’t let you ignore or overlook the machinations and facets of evil being carried out across the galaxy. It’s a sobering reflection of the many of the atrocities ever-present in our world now, and too often, violence against women is repeatedly ignored or swept under the rug.
There’s so much more I could say about the first three episodes of Season 2 — Cassian losing his best friend, Brasso; Kleya and Luthen continuing to hold together communication across the Rebel Alliance by a thread; Vel seeing Cinta for the first time in a year; and B2EMO being the saddest cute droid in the galaxy. There’s so much that lies ahead with Andor. This first three-episode arc, 4 BBY, marks the return of the best that Star Wars has had to offer in years. My only hope is that this level of excellence continues as we make our way towards the beginning of Rogue One and the end of Cassian Andor’s story.
Related Content: Andor Season 2, Episodes 4-6 Review
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