I've been looking forward to the second and final season of Star Wars: Andor since the final episode of Season 1 ended- much like the rest of the fandom. So far, the show has been phenomenal- filled with dynamic characters, captivating storytelling, and the continuous promise of even better things to come.
I will happily watch every single episode. Once, maybe even twice, once it's all over. But it's not just the release schedule that has me a bit flustered- though I'm not at all happy about it. Additionally, now with rumors of episode runtimes circulating online, I'm convinced the show will be a worthwhile experience. Worthwhile but also grossly insufferable.
With some episodes rumored to run for almost an hour each, I'm really beginning to question the true motive behind the decision to release three episodes not just at one time, but late on Tuesday nights (in my timezone, anyway). Maybe some fans can afford to stay up nearly until midnight watching all three episodes at once, but I'm not one of them. That's a problem, you see, when you look at how careless most social media users are about spoilers. I need to use social media for my job. So I'm going to get spoiled. Because I'll barely be able to watch that first episode after 9 PM each week. I have to wake up before six every morning -- not by choice. I'm happy for anyone who can run on less sleep the next day, but sorry. I physically and mentally can't afford to.
I understand that there is no perfect time to release these episodes and that runtimes are based on story in the streaming age, and I do prefer Disney+'s pivot to Tuesday-night releases rather than Wednesday mornings (again -- in my timezone). That would be just fine if it were one episode at a time, as it should be. But three? What is the point of this? What is the benefit of releasing these final 12 episodes as quickly as possible? Who gains from that? Certainly not us.
Perhaps this is just a me problem. I could just watch one episode at a time over three days without complaint, which is what I'll probably end up doing. But I'm not going to enjoy them because of spoilers and the feeling that I have to rush through them rather than digesting one at a time.
Congrats to anyone who gets screeners, who has the kind of job where they can take a few consecutive Wednesdays off of work, who is healthy enough to sacrifice sleep for the sake of Star Wars. I'd give anything to be you throughout the run of this show. But again. I suppose not everything is fair, and privilege is inevitable.