Some will point to the Ghorman uprising and massacre in episode 8 as that standout moment of amazing TV, but I don't see it. The Ghorman uprising was essentially French Ferrix, but with less interesting characters and a more confusing path towards the climax. It was still good, and I enjoyed the episode, but mostly that was due to the outstanding production, and because finally something interesting had happened. That said, much like the farm arc, this uprising tale has been done to death. It's another generic piece of storytelling in which every scene and outcome can be predicted in our head before it happens. This is Star Wars; the possibilities open to the writers are endless, so why is the central story so one-dimensional and played out.

To make matters worse, Andor's presence and impact on the plot is paper thin. I was concerned how little he featured in the first three episodes, and this continues throughout the Ghormans' plotting and eventual massacre. He's mostly relegated to a pointless observer, conveniently landing the day of protest regarding an unrelated task, yet still given no real part to play in any of it. If he was to be removed from the show at this point, nothing would change.

Thankfully, Syril and Dedra fill the space with some phenomenal acting and character development in these episodes. Dedra is one of the most perfectly cast Imperial figureheads in Star Wars, and is outstanding. Syril, my least favorite character in the prior season, also becomes a standout in Season 2. I was actually sad to see his story ended so quickly, after he reached his personal moral event horizon. Seeing him continue and grapple with that path, and hypothetically completing that transformation and joining the Rebels, could have been excellent. In the end, his release from obedience and insecurity to clarity and defiance actually felt too abrupt and unfulfilled in the end.

It really is crazy to me the lack of good content and screen time Andor is given in his own show. He's by far the most interesting character, and Diego Luna's acting is sensational. When he lambasts the council in the tenth episode, after their slandering of Luthen, it's epic. Those moments of pure leadership were just too rare. I was ready to see him shine, so spending the majority of the season with his "I don't know if I can do this" mentality was a bit of a disappointing choice for me. Didn't he already deal with much of these doubts in Season One? Even Bix got fed up with it and left.

All this to say, I still found some fantastic episodes and moments throughout the experience, especially in the final act. The action and suspense were great, notably during the episodes involving the extraction of Mon Mothma from the Senate (lame speech, however), as well as Luthen's capture, backstory, and hospital 'rescue'. Even without these dramatic episodes, the settings and world design are so perfectly crafted, and the characters so exceptionally cast and acted, that you can't help but be completely immersed and awe-struck at what you are seeing. Some of those large-scale scenes were awe-inspiring and gave me goosebumps.

Speaking on production, the emphasis this season on Coruscant and Ghorman allowed the creators to showcasea lot more design related to interiors, control panels, technology systems, and architecture. It was just glorious. I loved seeing how they've continued to evolve the design language established in the '70s, successfully modernizing it without losing that original essence and aesthetic. The film Alien: Romulus went through that similar challenge recently, and I thought they had set the standard for this kind of sci-fi production design, but I think Andor may top it. The larger sets and macro shots were also spectacular, blending stunning real-world locations with impeccable CGI that produced a world that is as close to perfection as it comes.