Seen in June

K2SO reporting for duty.
It looks like I watched a lot more than I did this June but much of this list are shows that were, "already in progress", as they say. It was a busy month, (aren't they all?), but time was found to watch some good stuff.
Andor S02 (+Rogue One)
Disney+
This show has received a lot of well-deserved and positive press, so it doesn't need more from me. I will say that if Star Wars doesn't interest you, don't worry. There's not a lot of laser swords, space religion or whatnot here. This is more like John le Carré wrote a novel set in the Star Wars universe. At times, it's a heist movie, a jail break movie, a WWII French Resistance story, and it often speaks to our own time. I've kvetched a lot about the rise and influence of very right-wing or autocratic governments and politics, but nothing has helped me understand those on the other side as much as this show. Throughout, we see the baddies, who, of course, never see themselves as baddies, worrying that a rebellion would lead to chaos and that only the strong hand of the Empire can bring order. Meanwhile, we see oppressed populations so beaten down by the Empire that they think their only option is to rise up and resist. That is the essential story of Star Wars more broadly. We witness the clumsy indecisiveness of diplomacy versus the strong-willed focus of the Empire's regime. We see mid-level managers in the Empire trying to rise the corporate ladder and the rebels who've given too much and want to be done with the fighting. The through line of it all is the film Rogue One and the original Star Wars film, A New Hope. Knowing those stories helps you see the threads that are loosened or tugged at, but this show is entirely entertaining on its own.
Comics come alive in Daredevil.
Daredevil: Born Again
Disney+
Daredevil is back, but as lawyer Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox), who hopes to resist his most violent urges to fight against the rise of The Kingpin, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), who has become mayor of New York. Is Fisk a reformed right-wing politico or a crime boss hoping to enrich himself in a new position of power? Why not both? Like Andor, this show also highlights those in power as seeing themselves bringing order to a chaotic world and the heroes who rise against them as conflicted about the ends justifying the means. This is a great and grown-up version of the comic book, but perhaps a little too violent for a wider audience.