“Andor” season 2 Almost Fell Into a Tired Trope, But Thankfully Steered Clear
From the outset of Andor season 2, bix Caleen’s storyline felt deeply unsettling. Adria Arjona’s character endured a relentless series of misfortunes, each episode seemingly designed to showcase her suffering and trauma. It felt like she was being subjected to what reality TV fans call a “loser edit,” constantly depicted at her lowest point, grappling with the aftermath of torture and living in fear.
This downward spiral, and its obvious impact on Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), felt like a dangerous slide towards a predictable and frustrating cliché. Given that Andor is a prequel to Rogue One: A star Wars Story, and Bix is conspicuously absent from the film, the narrative seemed poised to “fridge” her – a trope where a female character is killed or harmed to motivate a male character’s progress. Thankfully, series creator Tony Gilroy avoided this pitfall, choosing a different path for Bix.
[Ed. note: Spoilers ahead for Bix’s season 2 storyline, including how it ends.]
Andor season 1 saw Bix fall into the clutches of Imperial interrogator Doctor Gorst (Joshua James). season 2 explored the profound consequences of that torture. We find her plagued by nightmares, battling insomnia, and living in constant fear of recapture. She narrowly escapes a sexual assault by an Imperial officer and resorts to dangerous drugs to suppress her trauma. She becomes a shadow in the Coruscant safehouse she shares with Cassian. While Cassian genuinely wants to help, Bix’s inability to open up complicates his work with the rebellion.
As Cassian and Bix settle on Coruscant, her scenes become repetitive and draining. Her attempts to join Cassian and Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) on rebel missions raise questions about who the audience is meant to sympathize with. Are we meant to pity Cassian and Luthen for having to manage a traumatized woman who insists on participating in dangerous undercover operations? Or are we meant to empathize with Bix, trapped and purposeless, desperately seeking a meaningful distraction from her trauma?
Though, Bix’s arc takes a dramatic turn in episode 6, “What a Festive Evening.” She confronts Doctor Gorst, turns his own torture device against him, and eliminates him with a chillingly calm demeanor. this act reveals that Luthen and Cassian may have underestimated her resilience. As she and Cassian walk away from the exploding building, they finally appear as confident partners, rather than caretaker and patient. The show narrowly avoids the regressive “damsel in distress and valiant savior” dynamic it had been flirting with.
While this scene marks a high point for Bix, the remainder of season 2 largely relegates her to supporting Cassian’s journey. She encourages him to consider a Force healer’s outlook and ultimately breaks up with him, selflessly removing herself as a potential obstacle to his fight against the Empire. (As a side note,”I’m dumping you to save your destiny” is a bold move.)
Bix was never among Andor‘s most complex characters, and aside from the Doctor Gorst resolution, her role often felt thankless. She serves as a microcosm of the Empire’s cruelty, a personal connection to Cassian’s struggle. She represents the problem he can’t solve until the Empire falls, the person he needs to protect but can’t, not without dismantling a fascist regime. She becomes a focus for his heroism, a sounding board for his angst, and only lastly, a character in her own right.
This is precisely why it felt inevitable that she would be killed off, further fueling Cassian’s motivation and solidifying his resolve. Instead, Andor allows Bix to declare, “You’re better off without me,” prioritizing the rebellion over her own needs.
