Andor Andor Episode 2.12 (SERIES FINALE!!!) Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

No, that's Poe Dammeron

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The funny stuff:
“No sudden movements!” -- Sudden movement.
“I plan to tell them I was kidnapped.” -- K is the best.

More returning Rogue One cast was appreciated: mustache radio guy, a Merrick name drop and a sliver of a peek into his personality befitting his end, the same grumpy rebel leaders with the actors recaptured their same R1 “magic.” Well done.

Cassian was right – it was insulting to hear Luthen run down.
Wil’s limp from the Ghorman escape injury is a nice touch as was Cassian watering Bix’s plants.
Partagaz’s end was somehow fitting and Supervisor Legret knew what was coming.

The connection between Cassian and Vel is great – she won’t BS him and just tells him Mon sent her. And Vel’s “Don’t wait too long.” was a nicely nuanced line. I think I got some of that Yavin rain in my eyes when she, I'm pretty sure, unknowingly saved Kleya from Partagaz-ing herself.

That closing montage was something.
Mon and Vel finally where they belong, hope returning to Kleya (as it leaves Dedra -- No way out!), Cassian's exchanged glance with the Force healer, Saw and Krennic's mirrored looks out the window (Perrin and Sculdon's wife -- yikes!)

And you can’t tell me the scene with little Kassa Jr. wasn't a few days later, at *that* exact moment. Now we know who Cassian was looking at, and Bix gazes back, across the golden fields. "Shhh, It's ok. It's ok."

The choice of music for the end credits was perfect.

What a glorious show.

 

The tears.

10/10

 

I will explain why I was a bit disappointed by the last arc (even though, as I said, I am happy with the season).

1) I know that a writer is free to decide what parts of the story they are willing to tell, and what parts they can just assume. Though, to skip completely the final stage of Dedra investigation, leading her to finally get Axis, feels a bit... Weird? I am fine with time jumps, and I believe that they had been working pretty well up to this point. However, this final one felt less smooth to me. In season 1 we were following Dedra's investigation rather closely and now suddenly they're like "whatever, she caught him".
And something similar could be said about the mess that led to Dedra's downfall, even though she had clearly been a net positive for the Empire. The relevant moments mainly happened offscreen.

2) She did not feel like Dedra to me in her dialogue with Luthen. Apart from the obvious blunder of going there alone like that, as Krennic correctly pointed out. But then did she really say something like "you disgust me because you bring chaos" ?? Seriously Dedra? You suddenly feel like you are in the position to be judgemental about this, or about anything at all? Did you miss the previous episodes?

3) While I loved Kleya's badass moments, she also got a bit weird to me in the final part. When Andor came to rescue her, she suddenly became oddly whiny about everything, which felt rather out of character. Granted, she was in a delicate emotional state because of Luthen's death, I get that, but for example she was refusing to go to Yavin because they didn't like Luthen, which... sure, but... You know, she wasn't really in a situation that would allow her to be picky about where to go. She had always been characterized as a rather pragmatic character and I was not too pleased to see her like that.

My personal take about the last few episodes feeling rushed is that they wanted to end very close to RO for understandable reasons -including, to some extent, a little bit of fan service- but this constraint did not serve them very well.

 

The way they used Nemik's speech in this, as a captured recording that Partagaz listens to as he prepares for his death? Jaw-dropping writing there. Perfect on multiple levels.

 

Intriguing that you thought that too... they have a similar vibe, don't they?

But, I hope not. Let Andor's characters be their own.

 

On program, Dedra!

It's also perfectly realistic to play that skeptic role. It's a massive galaxy, there's so much misinformation out there, they've been at odds with Luthen and his crazy cousin Saw, and they're getting this info from a Luthen apprentice who just violated a bunch of security protocols that could put the entire Yavin base at risk. Yes, it's annoying as hell that these people too easily dismiss what Cassian is saying, but they haven't been watching this series as we have, and simply know way less than we do. Yes, they should act like they know less before passing premature judgments, but as Cassian says, ""It's a lot to take in. All at once." Cassian is wiser than we are in that moment. He's pissed off, he's annoyed, he's insulted. But he's a rational dude, and he understands their reaction.

I think I understand the sentiment? But I'm a little confused by it, given that the final episode had like 10 scenes of people having quiet conversations over coffee, tea, and alcohol.

It felt anything but rushed to me. In a good way. A calm before the forthcoming storm. Perfect way to end it, IMO. For those who were disappointed, I recommend watching it again. I did. And now I think it's even perfecter.

 

dp

 

@Bor Mullet
I can only speak for myself but when I say rushed I don't mean that the characters were super busy doing many things at once and running everywhere. Just that the plot development was rushed, in the literal sense that many events with high dramatic potential were not shown onscreen and just narrated by someone because they wouldn't fit in the episodes.

 

I'm ok because I think the Andor series ended on episode 9...10-12 is a film cut up no wonder Gilroy is editing a cinema release ending. I cannot split 10-12 up emotionally....but can say a truly sumptuous ending

 

Ah, I see. Makes sense. Though for me, I find how they handle the negative space of the off-screen developments to be nearly God-tier writing. As a writer myself, I dream of handling this kind of time-jump structure so deftly. It's perhaps one of my favorite features of season 2.

 

I'm beyond thrilled at what we got, but a part of me will always wonder that a 4-5 seasons long series would have been like, if they green lit that. Perhaps it would have been worse, or faced other challenges on its own. But I would have loved to have gotten to know all these characters across 'real' years. Just a testament to how good this season was.

 

I will say, R1 gives the impression Cassian went to Tivik and Melshi/K2 went to get Jyn (Jyn is introduced to Cass on Yavin) but that's the only wrinkle.

 

Nah, that really wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense. They only go rescue Jyn because they need her to help them with Saw. So before Tivik tells Cassian that Saw has an Imperial pilot that has the information about the Death Star they have no reason to go rescue her.

 

I laughed.

"Who's Kleya?" was a great complement to Andor's question to Syril last week. It's also kind of proof of concept for Luthen. She's been this silent partner every step of the way, doing stuff in such a coldly efficient manner that hardly anyone knows she exists.

I hear you on the point that the end of S2 is rushed. But it is what it is; Gilroy has laid out the dilemma well enough. The structure of the beginning of Episode 10 is in the vein of the Jim Garrison-Mr. X conversation on the bench from JFK. It's designed to be disorienting. In order for that to work, the viewer has to be left in an artificial fog . . . a feeling of immediacy has to come rushing in. I think the setup worked well enough.

Plus, the past couple weeks had laid the seeds for Luthen's downfall. There are multiple conversations where he admits to Kleya that there was too much going on, he was slipping, etc., not to mention the fiasco over bugging that one piece he sold to Mon Mothma's in-laws. It's there.

 

What a finale, best SW live action series easy, now finally, Andor/RO/ANH is ready!
The arc itself: 10/10

 

They know the name Galen Erso so would make sense sending a team to find his daughter. It makes less sense that Cassian rescues her then is introduced to her on Yavin. I haven't read the novelisation in a while but is he definitely on Wobani?

As I said it's a minor wrinkle so doesn't really matter either way.

 

I tend to agree. The suddenness of Dedra walking in with zero build up ratchets up the tension.

 

The tension between Dedra and Luthen is in seeing which one will act first. The jig itself is up. We know that from the bench scene with Jung. That's the critical scene that I think works well given the time constraints.

 

Also...K2SO now joins the pantheon of the very elite - he got his hallway scene!

So now the big three becomes a big four - Luke, Vader, Obi-Wan and...K2SO!

 

I will say I thought that whole scene dragged a bit as K2 rescuing them felt very obvious and inevitable.

 

For decades, I've heard that Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back was the greatest piece of Star Wars live action ever created. Now its Andor a Disney plus streaming series headed by Kathleen Kennedy, for me the greatest piece of Star Wars live action will and shall alway be Star Wars: A New Hope ( William Shatner's voice from the ending of the Wrath of Khan).

With that said, little things like Andor nodding to the force healer as he goes on mission are nice little gems, that make this series so good... may the force be with you always.

Rogue One the best Disney Star Wars film, and Andor the best Disney plus Star Wars streaming series. (however without the success of The Mandalorian no Andor as per Tony Gilroy)

 

Oh absolutely. So subtle but perfect. What a moment!

 

Partagaz listening to Nemik’s manifesto was my favorite part of the season easily