In a new video, Marco Risch from Nerdkultur discusses the finale of Season 2 of Star Wars: Andor.
Who is Marco Risch? Since 2015, Marco Risch has been focusing on his YouTube channel Nerdkultur with news, analyses, reviews, and interviews about current films and series.
In addition, he meets weekly with his colleague Yves Arievich and chats on 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 new video on YouTube, Marco talks about the final 3 episodes of Season 2 of Andor, the probably best Star Wars series of all time. You can watch the video here:
The Beginning of the Finale Starts with Kleya, Ends with Luthen
What is so special about the start of the last 3 episodes? Marco begins the video with an observation. Episode 10 starts not only with the character Kleya, but it is also not a pure spy thriller. There is, as in the first episode of the series, a subplot that is told through flashbacks. And the most notable feature: Cassian does not appear at all in this episode.
The episode shows what makes good series, according to Marco. You recognize which characters work better than expected and give them more time. With Kleya, this is particularly significant, as it is the first major role of actress Elizabeth Dulau.
Marco makes it clear that Kleya is not just a simple assistant; she is a central part of the operations that Luthen Rael runs in the background. She is the real boss.
Like Luthen, she makes important decisions. Marco compares Kleya’s flashback to a Lost episode.
The last 4 episodes also give Luthen more space. He is more than a ruthless character. Marco quotes Stellan Skarsgård, who described his role as empathetic. In the scenes with Luthen, there are also various visual quotes
from other films.
- Tony Gilroy’s own Jason Bourne series
- Brian De Palma’s perspectives in Mission: Impossible
- David Fincher’s crime scenes (example being the movie Seven)
- The HUD elements of George Lucas
- Profiling referring to Jonathan Demme in The Silence of the Lambs
- And also from Quentin Tarantino (example being the movie Inglourious Basterds)
Marco compares Luthen’s eventual death to Game of Thrones. In true Game of Thrones fashion, Luthen dies as he killed: for a necessary sacrifice. He sacrificed others. He sacrifices himself. He misses the promised sunrise of the rebellion.
The Real Finale Begins
What happens next in the fight rebellion against empire? The real finale begins after that. With a dead stormtrooper, the later fall of the empire is foreshadowed. Before, Gilroy showed the escalation of the empire with the number of these soldiers, now he turns the tables. He shows a single dead body.
Drawing on the legendary Darth Vader scene in Rogue One, there is a version for the rebels in Andor’s Season 2. The droid K-2SO fights against an imperial unit in a hallway scene, even dominating them.
Another important character finds a temporary fate in the finale of Andor Season 2. There is no way back for Dedra. Krennic punishes her for a mistake, ignoring her other actions. Dedra grew up in imperial custody. She ends up in imperial custody.
According to Marco, you can see how fascism destroys itself through Krennic and Mayor Partagaz, as not only the oppressed suffer, but also those who work hardest for it are destroyed. All this in the white room, where action against the rebellion was also taken.
The End of the Series, the Beginning of the End for the Empire
The camera shows how the rebellion progresses. With the empire, the camera remains calm. With the oppressed, it is hectic and wild, but with the rebels it is in constant motion
. This shows how the rebellion continues to move. If there is a brief conflict, that is also represented by the camera.
In the finale, not only is Cassian’s fate in Rogue One hinted at, but also his initial motivation, his sister, is brought up again. Here, however, Marco emphasizes that her absence is more important to the authors than her appearance. An forever unresolved issue.
This shows why Cassian develops as he does. He has a drive to help people because the desire to find his sister triggers exactly that.
Bix’s fate radiates hope, the breeding ground of the rebellion. The ending shows how Cassian prepares, unaware that he will never return. Andor’s ending is just the beginning of Rogue One. You can find another analysis from Marco here: Afterwards, you will see the most disturbing minutes in 48 years of Star Wars with different eyes
