Andor: Adria Arjona Says That Bix's 'Accumulation Of Traumas' Will Test Her And Cassian Moving Forward
The following contains spoilers from the first three episodes of Andor Season 2, now streaming on Disney+.
Bix Caleen may have fled the increasingly perilous grain fields of Mina-Rau, but she is far from out of the woods.
Andor's first batch of Season 2 episodes picked up a year after the events of Season 1, with Bix (played by Adria Arjona) and Ferrix friends Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) and Wilmon (Muhannad Bhaier) laying low on the agricultural planet of Mina-Rau, as undocumented farm workers.
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) meanwhile was on a mission to steal a TIE Avenger, in the name of the rebel cause, but that took a detour when his meet-up with a proper pilot on (what was revealed to be) the jungle moon of Yavin 4, and then return to Bix, instead got him caught up in some rebel sect infighting.
"It was really cool to find out where [Cassian and Bix] are" one year later, Luna tells TVLine. "You see from Cassian's perspective that he's trying to get home, and when he says 'home' he means Bix. So that tells you that they're starting something together, and that the relationship has evolved and that they're working [as a couple] in a way like they were not before.
For Cass and Bix, "The year was a year of learning, I guess, a lot," Luna posits. "It was big jump for both of them."
Sadly, as much as may be new for Bix one year later, she is still battling demons from Season 1 — as evidenced by a recurring nightmare she has of Dr. Gorst, the Imperial scientist who tortured her on Ferrix on behalf of ISB supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough).
"There is a lot for Bix to get over," Arjona avows. "It's not easy to get over what Dr. Gorst did to her, and having to leave her motherland, Ferrix.
"And in Episodes 1 through 3 [of Season 2]," the actress continues, "she goes through even more stuff" — namely, her attempted rape by Lt. Krole, an Imperial officer who sought to leverage Bix's illegal status in deplorable ways.
"It's an accumulation of traumas that Bix is carrying, and she is trying desperately to get over them," Arjona observes. "She's creating this beautiful relationship with Cassian, and relying on someone is something she is experiencing for the first time."
The next stop for Bix and Cassian, starting with Episode 4 (releasing Tuesday, April 29, along with Episodes 5 and 6), is a Coruscant safe house that's a bit dreary and will only feel more so for Bix when Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) tasks Cassian with a solo undercover mission on the planet Ghorman.
Remember, Cassian Andor is still a most wanted individual, especially to Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), the former Preox-Morlana DI who has been on his tail since the murder of two Pre-Mor security guards in the series premiere, and who also now is on Ghorman. Bix meanwhile will feel cooped up in the safe house, aching to do more for the rebellion.
"My favorite part [of Season 2] is seeing this relationship grow and get deeper," Arjona shares, "even though the circumstances outside might limit them."
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