Andor 1x08 "Narkina 5" reaction & review
Added 2022-10-27 00:52:12 +0000 UTCHey everyone!!! I'm back with episode 8 of Andor! Oh wow, no matter where we are - at a fancy party, in a horrid prison camp, etc. - we're all being affected by the events going on at the moment, interesting!! The conditions of the labor camp are just utterly dehumanizing. If this doesn't show Cassian why we need to stop the Empire, then nothing will! Mon is getting deeper into her "charity" dealings, our friends and mom back home are facing a heap of trouble, and even Saw shows up briefly to have a super tense moment with Luthen!!! I feel like we're racing towards the boiling point of this story.....can't wait to see what happens next! Great ep! Enjoy! ~ MH
Comments
Haha I totally get it! Yes the feel is really different. And it's cool to see everything portrayed differently! So true that we get to see not just the rebels, but lots of different things through a different perspective!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-11 14:36:30 +0000 UTCYes, he's amazing!!! And so is Saw!!! So tense, really loving the acting on this show.
Melissa Moore
2022-11-11 14:34:19 +0000 UTCYeah I agree!!! Oof, that's brutal about the bare feet. I can totally see the comparison too. It's really awful to see. Yeah good call on Yoda's words, that's just what we're seeing here! Yeah, I thought of that, and was wondering if that's what they were building....!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-11 14:34:03 +0000 UTCFinal thought on the series so far, merely to avoid ranting forever about the series, as it’s tempting to do :-) I agree, Mel, it has a very different feel to it, more of a thriller than anything else Star Wars related. And I love the fact that we are seeing the Star Wars universe through more ordinary peoples eyes this way. Not just the rebels but for example episode 7 on Coruscant seeing people go to work and where they live etc.
Nick
2022-11-09 20:36:21 +0000 UTCAlso great to see Andy Serkis - such a great actor and a real presence on the screen here. And of course the fabulous Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera again. Loved the interaction between him and Luthien. Such a tense episode: this is so good …
Nick
2022-11-09 20:29:04 +0000 UTCJust been catching up recently on Andor, and it’s getting better and better, to the point of being totally riveting. No shoes because shoes would insulate the body from the floor and so the electric shock punishments wouldn’t work - that’s why the guards were wearing the special boots - something Andor spotted as soon as he arrived. The prison is incredibly dehumanising and monotonous, and seemingly a form of exploitative slave labour: this reminds me of the Zygerrian slaver episodes in Clone Wars, and when, at the end, Yoda described slavery as a great tool for the Sith, or words to that effect, as we are seeing here. You have to wonder what the prisoners are contributing towards the construction of: there is certainly one very obvious possibility!!
Nick
2022-11-09 20:25:28 +0000 UTCThat's actually a fair point lol. I know, I didn't realize who it was till people pointed it out, so cool! Oh I know, what a great scene - it was brief but dang if they didn't make the most of every second!!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-07 13:34:20 +0000 UTCTalking about this episode though, I love how now that Cassian’s technically in one of the safest places he could be, everyone is looking for him. It’s hilariously ironic. Andy Serkis was a great surprise, I was so shocked I was scrambling to remember his name right lol. And that scene between Luthen and Saw was just great, just a small one on one scene between two A class actors.
Cody
2022-11-06 19:34:38 +0000 UTCOhhhhh no kidding!!! That's awesome!!! No way, it's all canon for sure!!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-06 17:45:58 +0000 UTCBeen rewatching Rebels reactions and realized something showed up a bit earlier than I remembered. So, one of the Easter eggs I left out from Luthen’s shop a few episodes ago was a Kalikoori, like the little totem they tried getting back for Hera, in the background of that scene. It’s a small thing but I love that they continue to reference the cartoons, it feels so validating. Like these aren’t just for kids!
Cody
2022-11-03 23:22:06 +0000 UTCIt's so tense right!! That's so interesting about the similarities to the other George Lucas film, wow!! And yes lol, sadly he dies long before he can finish that sentence, along with my "fave" hahaha. But I have no clue how he's gonna pull this one off! Oh, that's so cool about Melshi!!! I didn't even realize! Glad you agree! It's weird how two very different environments can still lend themselves to many of the same issues. Oh no kidding, I didn't realize that's who it was!!! A Snoke origin story perhaps?!?! What a resume! I agree, Dedra's actress is great, and I find the dynamic with Syril really interesting so far. Definitely not a willing partnership so far. Poor Marva and B!!! They're both a bit in over their heads!!! Yeah no one's gonna be happy about the whole spying situation, even Cinta and Vel, since he's nowhere near there lol. Oooohhh that's an EXCELLENT way to put the differences between Luthen and Saw!!! Oh I know, it must be Saw week or something hahah!!! The dude's everywhere!!!!!!! :P
Melissa Moore
2022-11-01 11:46:21 +0000 UTCThis episode made me more anxious than anything I've seen in a while as we see Cassian's induction into this hellhole. Its a horribly ingenious system, where the guards don't need to do much 'guarding' or monitoring, as all the prisoners are too busy playing off each other for slightly better privileges, to be thinking of breaking out. And if they try, they have that floor to worry about. I've heard comments elsewhere about this being very like one of George Lucas's early films (before he made Star Wars), THX-1138, which is set in a dystopian society, and the aesthetic is very similar. It made me feel like a Wookie in the Kessel Spice Mines, getting worked to death, and it was non-stop routine and surveillance from the floor managers and the automated voice, with one lapse of judgement resulting in hideous torture, or death. I dunno how Andor is going to get out of there (and you can see just how on the verge of panic he is on that first day), but we know he doesn't do the 6 years he's sentenced to, as he dies in less than 5 on Scarif, from good old Wilhuff Tarkin!! ;) Speaking of Scarif, one of Cassian's fellow prisoners here, Melshi, is with him there at Scarif, so becomes a rebel with him. Perhaps they work together to get out of here and go into the Rebellion together. You make a good point Mel about the juxtaposition between the prison and the opulence of the senators. However, both are just as claustrophobic; its just on Coruscant, its a lot more subtle; stay in line or be looked at, like Mon Mothma is beginning to be. Cassian's floor manager is played by Andy Serkis, a tremendous actor, who played Snoke here in the sequels; so I've heard a lot that this might be a backstory for him! :P He is usually playing some monster in CGI, be it Gollum, King Kong, or as one of the apes in the Planet Of The Apes films. He is small in stature, but a really menacing presence. Syril showing he wants to be an imperial loyalist and trying to show Dedra he could be useful to her. She doesn't buy it though as she wants to solve this on her own, but how much she can get out of Bix is anyone's guess. The actress playing Dedra is great, almost stealing the thunder from Syril's actor in their scenes together. She does this thing with her top lip to expose her teeth, perhaps suggesting she is a shark looking to dismember her prey - the Rebels. Poor Maarva, she's not capable of this anymore and clearly becoming a problem to herself. Little B2-EMO needs to get out of there too, I feel so sorry for that droid! Having Cinta and Vel in the vicinity spying on them though looking for Cassian isn't going to do anyone good here. Luthen looking to hire Saw for a job, and their conversation was very interesting. They are similar in so many ways, but Luthen is more like an iron fist in a silk glove, while Saw is Thor's Hammer. Such a difference between their way of doing things, and others whom we follow. Btw funny you haven't seen Saw for ages Mel, then are now seeing him three times in one week between this and Rebels! :D
Saltire
2022-10-30 00:45:21 +0000 UTCOh yeah, I'll be wearing them from now till Halloween!!! :) I agree, it feels very much like a thriller! OOF, so that's why they're barefoot! :O Good point about Dedra. Oooh, that's kinda deep about the "admiring the view" comment!!! I think it could have somewhat of a double meaning. That's the thing, Palpatine was VERY good at fooling people, as we all have seen. Yeah everyone is after Cassian in one way or another!! Wow, that's intense that even all the rebels don't know if they can trust each other! Also I'm so glad you cleared that up cause it was gonna bother me if there was another character named Leia!!! :P OH WOW!! No kidding about the shift supervisor's actor!!! I'm not sure what they're building actually. They are very interesting situations for sure!!! And yeah, depending on who finds Cassian first, this story will take a different turn lol. Can't wait to see more!
Melissa Moore
2022-10-29 13:06:17 +0000 UTCThey really are!!! As someone who's very free-spirited and a bit allergic to structure lol it's my worst nightmare!
Melissa Moore
2022-10-27 11:24:58 +0000 UTCThe labor camps are so disturbing. It’s really really horrid to fathom.
Manny
2022-10-27 09:50:16 +0000 UTCI see you brought out the Halloween earrings… must be that time, huh? :) I have to say, out of all the shows you’re currently watching, they’re all interesting, but this one definitely has the most intrigue in it. It kind of feels like a cross between a political thriller and a spy adventure. I think it’s probably safe to say that it’s unlike any other Star Wars series to date… the craftsmanship feels very original. So I’ll try to clear up a few things to my understanding as I go here… The prison facility requires the inmates to be barefoot. The security guard said their floors are made of something called tunqstoid steel. This is what the definition I got was: “Tunqstoid steel was a type of steel. It was used to make the tiled floors of the Imperial prison factory on the moon Narkina 5. The floor was capable of being electrified, described as "going hot," which caused immense pain to the barefooted prisoners of the facility and could prove fatal.” I noticed that the guards were all wearing some special type of shoes. I get the feeling that there won’t be any breakouts until those can be acquired somehow. Okay, moving on… I think Dedra sees a lot of herself in Syril, but she’s also a product of Imperial arrogance herself so she’s not going to admit she could use his help yet. Both of them have been testing the overall bureaucracy of the system. The only difference is she won her argument and he didn’t. Mon’s getting very good at playing this dangerous game of shaking hands with one face and trying to stab the Empire in the back with the other. But banking reserves are hard to withdraw without garnering attention. I found it a little ironic that someone asked her why she didn’t stop to “admire the view” in her window more, which could be quite a metaphor for what’s really going on. Look, you and I know exactly what Palpatine is because we have years of documentation, experience and series exposing it. But you also need to remember: he was a very good politician. He’s very adept at appearing to be one thing while doing another. You don’t fool that many Jedi for that long without having intelligence. He may be a thorn in the side of everyone, but he’s not stupid. He had his grip just at the right squeeze before this happened, but now what Luthen wanted is happening and their grip is starting to tighten too much. Everyone wants to know what happened to Cassian for different reasons: Maarva wants to know, Bix does as well, and so do Vel and Cinta so they can kill him and tie up Luthen’s loose end. As for Luthen himself he’s trying to cut off ties to Ferrix while Bix is trying to contact him because nobody knows who to trust - as evidenced by his visit with Saw. Funny how you timed that. Also I need to correct you: his assistant’s name is Kleya. Not Leia. The Rebellion has its own problems because no one wants to work together. So my question is, what the heck is everyone being forced to build? They look like parts for something. Also Kink, the “shift supervisor,” was really bugging me because I knew he looked familiar. That’s Andy Serkis. He played Gollum in LOTR and was the vibranium smuggler in the MCU. That prison setup is very elaborate, so it’s not going to be easy to break out of. You have to admit, the situations these writers are coming up with are quite interesting. This one is going to take a little work - and I imagine, outside help is going to be needed. The real question here is: who’s going to discover where Cassian is first? Somebody is. You know where this is going eventually… but how we get there’s going to be very interesting to watch.
Tyler Stobbe
2022-10-27 05:00:26 +0000 UTC
