Andor 1x09 "Nobody's Listening!" reaction & review
Added 2022-11-03 02:24:26 +0000 UTCHey everyone!!! I'm back with episode 9 of Andor! Whoa, we get some major info here about Mon and Val, which actually does make some sense! Cassian's plotting to break out but there's clearly some dangerous stuff going on in this labor camp....so yeah, might wanna speed up that plan! Poor Brix, Dedra is downright brutal!!! And Syril....wow, didn't see things going that way, but okay! I can't wait to see what's gonna happen - I'm so invested now!! Great ep! Enjoy! ~ MH
Comments
Oh I can see that for sure! I doubt that's a coincidence. Good call!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-14 13:29:02 +0000 UTCYes!! There are lots of unhealthy relationships aren't there?? And yeah, there's definitely some irritating qualities and rough edges to many characters on the show. Hahaha I think it's okay to admit to that, how can one not appreciate some good acting, even if they're acting evil! Hmm, you could be right about Dedra and Syril! It does seem like they're trying to build something there, just not quite sure what. Not surprised that the mom is a fantastic actor, I could totally tell!! I agree about Dedra's actor, really really chilling and great stuff!! Yeah we're getting to see the better side of Cassian now for sure. Really loving this series!!!!!!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-14 13:28:23 +0000 UTCObviously there are some Nazi-type parallels here. I assume that could be deliberate. It’s interesting that the shift supervisors in the prison probably are very roughly analogous to the Jewish policemen used by the Nazis in the Ghettos. The sonderkommando also spring to mind, although that probably stretching analogy far, far too much.
Nick
2022-11-11 21:39:52 +0000 UTCWhat a tense, dark, disturbing pleasure this series is proving to be 😁, and there are a number of warped/ unhealthy/ cold relationships playing out in front of our eyes; for example, Mon Mothma and her husband, Syril and his mum, and then Dedra and Syril. Then there is Vel and her rebel girlfriend Cinta. On top of that, quite a few of the characters are really quite unpleasant, including Dedra, Mon Mothma’s daughter (a seriously spoilt brat - although she is obviously nothing like as unpleasant as some others, although I find her irritating) and husband. Even most of the rebels have a cold or ruthless edge to them, and obviously we can add to this list all the imperial prison officers and ISB personnel; and that Doctor that tortured Bix is an evil psychopath, if ever I saw one. The banality of evil indeed (a spot on parallel made in other posts here). And all of this is so well acted pretty much across the board. Having said all that, I am therefore embarrassed to say that I am really loving it, which probably isn’t a good thing to admit to 😁. Mel, I think you said that Dedra just isn’t into Syril, but I am actually wondering if they might end up together in a relationship, as there does seem to be something there between them: it’s interesting and maybe not a coincidence script wise that Syril is interested in Dedra whilst also having the relationship we see between himself and his mother. The mother is (just looked this up) played by a lady called Kathryn Hunter, who, by all accounts, is a massively talented actor. Given the stellar acting in this series so far, it’s hard to single anyone out but if I had to do so it would be Denise Gough who plays Dedra: really awesome and scary performance: she must have had fun with this part!! On Cassian, it’s been mentioned before that he has a ruthless streak, as well as a lot of loyalty to those around him, eg his ‘mother’ Maarva played by the fabulous Fiona Shaw. We are seeing some of Cassian’s better - in fact truly admirable - side in prison - his personal resilience and loyalty to his team: he seems to be a real linchpin within the team/ table and he has a lot of generosity of spirit, under incredibly trying circumstances, in helping that poor old man whose character name escapes me. Cassian comes across very well in this environment. What a great series!
Nick
2022-11-11 20:51:58 +0000 UTCOh I know, the acting is on another level!! Couldn't agree more!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-10 12:29:46 +0000 UTCThe amount of tiny changes in Andy Serkis’s expression throughout the episode, as his calm demeanor slowly gets chipped away at, is insane. He’s so close to finishing his sentence, the build up to his realization he’s not getting out is awesome. Definitely the highlight of what was already an amazing episode.
Cody
2022-11-08 19:59:17 +0000 UTCWhoa, that's awesome! I'm sure it will be worth the wait though. Interesting about the timeline. Yeah it's a slow build, maybe it's picking up more momentum now that the action is picking up and the plot lines are converging. It does have some competition with other live action dramas too, good point. So cool about The Acolyte!! Good point about Kino, you can tell he himself is trying to keep calm too. Love that he came around to helping Cassian, just wish it wasn't under those circumstances lol, finding out they all might get killed!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-07 13:45:10 +0000 UTCYes season 2 is starting filming soon, though won't be finished for about 2 years according to the showrunner, Tony Gilroy. So unfortunately we'll have to wait to continue this story. This season covers about a year, and season 2 will cover the remaining four years (12 episodes again I believe) in the run-up to Rogue One. I was hearing that Andor wasn't getting much traction for a while, perhaps due to House Of The Dragon and Rings Of Power showing at the same time; but it seems to be picking up momentum now thats for sure, which will give Disney confidence to invest big in shows like this going forward. Indeed The Acolyte is now starting filming, and it looks as if it will be a location shoot too like this series, as I hear its again being filmed in the UK. One thing I forgot to add in my notes, was Andy Serkis's performance here as Kino, the floor manager. Once he hears about what happened on level 2, he tries to keep everyone calm, but really he is talking to himself, where he is saying its all a rumour, just keep at it and do your time; but his eyes display panic and fear. Then we can see the anger rising in him at the end scene, where he and Cassian realise, they are not getting out of there, so he decides there and then to help Andor and the others, break out.
Saltire
2022-11-06 22:22:51 +0000 UTCAh ok, I'm not crazy then haha. That's true and also very eerie, that there's a banality to their evil. Oh yes, I can see the shark comparison for sure! Even with the teeth! Couldn't agree more about the actress. Yup, it's truly built in Palpatine's disgusting image!!! Oh I know, the prison scenes are really disturbing. Yes, it's really interesting to see "regular" people banding together and standing against the Empire!! Yeah that was a big surprise for me about Vel. I really like where they're taking her character too. Oh I know, Mon has such an ethereal presence of light, it will be interesting to see where they take her story here. Hmm, you could be right about Syril!!! Oh, there will be a season 2? Nice!!!!!!!!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-06 13:44:02 +0000 UTCI think the music for the logo at the start is subtly different each episode. Its been a slow and deliberate build-up with the Empire, showing how they work and are using their resources in 'restoring order'; but here we finally see the banality of their evil. Dedra and the sociopathic Dr. Gorst using the screams of dying children as a torture method, the frying of that whole block in Cassian's prison and the mundanity of killing a pilot and covering it up to keep tabs on the upcoming power station heist. I mentioned Dedra being like a shark last episode, the way she bares her teeth (and the actress is indeed terrific), and here she uses fishing terminology to bait her prisoners into telling her what she wants. For a bit we have been almost siding with her and her issues getting respected in the ISB, but we see just how much of a true imperial she is by going to these lengths to uncover what the rebels are up to. Whilst these imperials are not Darth Sidious, Vader or Tarkin, they are showing that the Empire is built of people in Palpatine's own image. They are 'insidious'. I get so uncomfortable watching the prison scenes, its like what you hear about going on in the more unscrupulous corners of the world, and trying to imagine what it must be like in these places, is just overwhelming, terrifying and claustrophobic. It is very engaging seeing regular folk, who aren't Jedi, powerful force-users, or elite bounty hunters and Mandalorian's, try to do their bit to fight back; or in the case of what we see with the ISB, seeing regular people take part willingly in undertaking such evil for this regime. Didn't see Vel being related to Mon Mothma, but I do like her. I think we may find she is even more complex than what we are seeing. She's becoming a very interesting character. And Mon's conversations with Luthen and now Tay, they are telling her if she wants to do this, she is going to have to get her hands dirty. We'll see where that leads, as Mon has always been a shining light of hope and good for decades with the fanbase. I personally think they have underused Syril this show so far, but they might be doing the groundwork so that he'll become a chief antagonist in season 2.
Saltire
2022-11-04 02:31:49 +0000 UTCRight?! Yuck! Lol I hear you, it's intriguing even if the subject matter is grim!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-03 14:29:32 +0000 UTCYeah that's a good way to describe it lol. Oh I know, we saw a whole new side of Dedra in this one and I did not care for it! Oof, you're right that using children's screams is very on brand for the Empire, sadly. Yeah, the senate is pretty much destroyed at this point, and good point about the fear and anger! Seems like one way or another, the Empire's got it echoing throughout the galaxy. Ohhhh yes that did go over my head! Yikes, too bad they caught onto that. Yeah I noticed he said 40 shifts later on, which I'm assuming is like 40 days. Gotcha, so they've been recycling prisoners, but slipped up and did it where the cellmates would recognize them. Yeah what are they building??? Yeah Cassian is for sure planning something, and Kino had to learn the hard way that following the rules won't do anything. Hahahaha a missed opportunity for sure!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-03 14:29:08 +0000 UTCYou're right it is morbid and unsettling. I feel so icky. All the table talk on how they're handling the prisoners and I'm enjoying(?) seeing how they tackle such things. Like I'm fascinated and I just feel so ashamed for it 😞
Manny
2022-11-03 10:08:36 +0000 UTCThere’s always a lot of “balls in the air” with this series - honestly, at this point I lost track of how many storylines we’re following. Dedra’s scary when she’s at work… she’s very intimidating and no nonsense. Also, using the sounds of a species’ children dying to turn someone into a confessing vegetable seems very on brand for the Empire at this point. I said this earlier when talking about Tales of the Jedi, but the Senate is broken beyond repair at this point. Of course the Empire is the main reason, but the mere fact that Mon can’t bring up a dissenting opinion without response of either fear or anger (see what I did there) means everything’s going according to plan for the bad guys. Also Perrin has no idea about Mon or Vel, and it seems his cluelessness kind of speaks a lot about his character. Meanwhile, Cel needs to lay low (good luck with that, have you met her) while Mon needs a… loan from the mob to cover up her accounts? This isn’t going to go well at all, is it? 😬 One point of clarification I believe that went over your head: the discussion the ISB was having about capturing an Imperial pilot revealed that they were planning to attack a installation at a place called Spellhaus. This is the same plan Luthen wanted Saw to be a part of in the last episode and he was turned down. Now, because of that, it seems the Imperials have gotten wind of the next attack plan and are taking their own measures. When Kino (the shift supervisor, who’s actor is also Gollum) tells Ulaf he’s the “next one out” he only has forty shifts left. That’s another two and a half months. So it wasn’t a couple days. It doesn’t seem to matter anyway, because it seems that a prisoner was released from one cell block and moved to another. The mistake was they moved the prisoner in question to a cell block that the old inmates could see - and this led to an entire bridge of prisoners getting killed off because they all realized there’s no true escape. Meanwhile, what’s Cassian doing in the wall of his cell? And it seems after this reveal, Kino might’ve realized that being a good lap dog won’t get you what you want… Also. We still don’t know what the heck they’re building. You also passed up a golden opportunity to say “I have a really bad feeling about this…” at the end. 😅
Tyler Stobbe
2022-11-03 06:57:19 +0000 UTC
