In the second season of ‘Andor,' undocumented agricultural workers are given visibility

Los Angeles Times

25-04-2025

We need to talk about that scene.
But before we do, consider this your obligatory warning: This newsletter contains spoilers for 'Andor' Season 2 Episode 3. The article also discusses the portrayal of sexual assault on screen.
At the end of the first season of 'Andor,' the titular Cassian Andor (played by Mexican actor Diego Luna) completes his transformation from a disaffected small-time criminal to a radicalized insurgent ready to topple the evil Galactic Empire. The second and final season of the 'Star Wars' spinoff series, which premiered on Disney+ on Tuesday with a three-episode drop, opens up a year later in the show's chronology. Cassian is now a secret spy for the budding Rebel Alliance. Meanwhile, his friends Bix (Adria Arjona), Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) and Wilmon (Muhannad Bhaier) are political refugees hiding out in Mina-Rau, an agricultural planet. They're lying low as undocumented workers helping out with the harvest until an Imperial ship shows up.
It doesn't take long before we're introduced to Lieutenant Krole (Alex Waldmann), a menacing Imperial officer who begins to creep on Bix. By the latter half of the third episode, he reveals his intentions.
'I know you're illegal. We've been counting visas,' he tells her after cornering her in her own home. 'It's a tough spot for everyone. The Councils need the help or there is no harvest. The help is undocumented. The rules are clear but the situation requires nuance, and it all ends up on me.'
Krole then attempts to rape Bix and a struggle ensues. She manages to fight him off and ends up killing him.
The disturbing scene, played brilliantly by Arjona, spurred online discourse and has angered a subset of 'Star Wars' fans. Some believe that portrayals of sexual assault have no place in a fictional franchise that has depicted the murder of children, slavery and genocide (RIP to the Latino planet of Alderaan) in the past, albeit in a rather anodyne manner. Others have complained that making a character be a vulnerable undocumented agricultural worker was just woke posturing. Keep the politics out of this beloved I.P., they say.
But as my colleague Tracy Brown argued in her November 2022 review of the show's first season, 'Star Wars' has always been political. That it has a message is arguably one of the reasons why 'Andor' is so beloved in the first place.
Great television can entertain and serve as a critique of modern society. Some of the best shows in the medium's history have been both: 'Mash,' 'The Wire,' 'Watchmen,' and 'Black Mirror' all come to mind. 'Andor' certainly fits the bill. It's a compelling watch that also happens to unambiguously be a metaphor for this country's slide into authoritarianism. Sexual coercion by immigration officials doesn't just happen in a galaxy far, far away. It is also very much a reality in our world.
Though difficult and uncomfortable to watch, the scene never feels gratuitous. Bix isn't a faceless invader. We know her backstory and why she and her friends fled their home planet. We are supposed to root and care for them. We hardly ever see a nuanced portrayal of individuals who lack documentation in high-profile prestige television. What a radical act to make someone from a marginalized community seem like real people in an era in which the powers that are intent of stripping them of their humanity.
Pope Francis died Monday morning of a cerebral stroke that led to heart failure, according to the Vatican. He was 88.
Born in Argentina, Francis became the first pontiff from Latin America. His 13-year papacy was characterized by his compassion and advocacy for marginalized groups, including immigrants and the poor. He was a believer in climate change and urged action, and made inroads with the LGBTQ+ community — with a few missteps.
In his latest, De Los contributing columnist J.P. Brammer, a self-proclaimed 'gay, lapsed Catholic,' writes that while his feelings on Catholicism are complicated, his admiration for Pope Francis is not. Brammer's beautiful tribute is very much worthy of your time. I was particularly struck by this section:
It increasingly seems like our world is dominated by two types of leaders: those guided by gleeful, vindictive spite, and those guided by wherever the wind happens to be blowing that day. It's a match made in hell, and hell is exactly what awaits us if we continue to permit abuses against people who we're told are acceptable targets. It's no surprise that those profiting off of such scaremongering have dismissed Francis as 'the woke pope.' There's a vested interest in euphemizing and dismissing kindness itself. What we need, I believe, are people willing to defend kindness without any caveats, people willing to stand up for the weak even if the weak can give nothing in return, because it's the right thing to do. In this way, I hope the life of Pope Francis serves as an inspiration.
Related coverage from The Times
If you live in Southern California and are looking for something to do this weekend, come join us at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at the USC campus. The festival, celebrating its 30th anniversary, is the largest literary event in the United States. More importantly, general admission is free!
Swing through the De Los Stage in Association with L.A. Times en Español, which will feature panels that center on Latino stories and storytellers. Come meet the team at the De Los booth, where we'll be giving away free posters to those who are signed up to this newsletter. We've also made a batch of tote bags, which we'll be raffling off to L.A. Times subscribers. To learn more about our programming and the giveaway, click here.
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