In a new video, Marco Risch from Nerdkultur discusses Season 2 of Andor and one of the most disturbing scenes in the history of Star Wars.
Who is Marco Risch? Since 2015, Marco Risch has been focusing on news, analyses, reviews, and interviews about current movies and series on his YouTube channel Nerdkultur .
Additionally, he meets weekly with his colleague Yves Arievich to chat in the Podcast Nerd & Kultur about pop culture film topics like Star Wars, Marvel, and DC.
Both the YouTube channel and the podcast are part of the Webedia network, which also includes MeinMMO.
In a video on YouTube, Marco discusses Season 2 of Andor, particularly the Ghorman massacre, which he describes as the most disturbing minutes in 48 years of Star Wars
. You can watch the video here:
The End of a One-Sided Feud
The video begins with Marco explaining why Episode 8 and 9 of Andor’s Season 2 are so important. He compares the events in the two episodes to the episode Ozymandias in Breaking Bad, as the characters are faced with irreversible
decisions.
The episodes manage to create incredible tension, the end of which leaves a lasting impression on the viewers.
At the beginning, Ghorman appears peaceful, although there is tension for a conflict on both sides, but first, we see individual characters. The focus is on Syril and Cassian. Marco emphasizes that the feud between the two is not an epic battle but a personal one.
Since Season 1, Syril has been almost obsessed with Cassian. It has been his life’s goal to hunt Cassian, but the latter knows nothing of him. He only asks: Who are you?
This is not only the end of Syril’s life but also shows how meaningless his life is, as Cassian will never think of him again.
A Conflict That Escalates
Andor shows us the sympathetic side of villains but does not absolve them of responsibility. Throughout Andor, some villains
are shown from an empathetic and human perspective, but according to Marco, they are never absolved of the responsibility for their actions.
In the two episodes, there is Dedra. Although she is not one of the bad ones who are simply evil, she is responsible for the massacre and the fates of many people. This is also presented audiovisually. Marco notes that instead of the familiar electro soundtrack, the sound is orchestrated in these scenes.
The editing also emphasizes through parallel editing that we are heading towards an impending catastrophe. We see small subplots all converging towards a center. Marco explains that you can feel the sense of doom
in these scenes. This is intensified by the singing of a national anthem, reminiscent of Casablanca.
Alongside the demonstrators and rebels are the stormtroopers, who have increased in number over the course of the series. To further suppress the rebels, the Empire must force a mistake from the demonstrators. A massacre occurs, which Marco historically compares to the Tlatelolco massacre in Mexico in 1968.
Here, there is also a lack of music, as the images alone create an intimate atmosphere and show the extent of the massacre.
This is also a significant turning point for Cassian. With Cassian as an example, Marco explains that the Force also plays a role in Andor. Everything Cassian has done, his fate essentially, has led him here. He must decide which path to take next.
From the catastrophe, a new Cassian is born, increasingly resembling the character from Rogue One. Initially only visually, but soon also in terms of character.
Not only is Cassian facing a new path, but also the Senate, which is accompanied by Mon Mothma throughout the series. We see how the construct is slowly being dismantled and the Emperor ultimately dissolves the Senate. This is also an aspect that Marco compares to real history.
The series slowly depicts how fascism expands. Mothma’s position on the side of the rebels is also reflected in her clothing, as she now only wears white. As in the first season, she makes a grand speech in the Senate.
This connected speech was not planned at all, but the actress playing Mothma, Genevieve O’Reilly, insisted on it. The speech about the truth is musically accompanied by the main theme of the series, which is mostly only heard in the intro. Yet the hope associated with it fits the theme of the speeches, as not everything can be suppressed. You can find more from Marco here: After this, you see the beginning of Star Wars: Andor in a new light
