Here we are back again with yet another stunning episode of “Andor,” thereby proving yet again that it’s the best thing to come out of “Star Wars” since “The Last Jedi.” The three biggest developments in the last week involved Cassian, Mon Mothma, and Dedra Meero. After completing the heist on Aldhani and taking his cut of the loot, Cassian went back to Ferrix to pay off his debts to Bix and make a run for it with Maarva and B2EMO. But Maarva refused the offer and made it clear that she intends to spend the rest of her life in Ferrix. After bidding a painful goodbye to his stepmother, Cassian landed in Niamos and was subsequently arrested for loitering around a crime scene. Talking about Ferrix, given Dedra’s suspicions about the planet being the key to the Rebellion against the Empire, she wrestled Blevin’s control over it away from him and placed it in her jurisdiction. And finally, after learning that Luthen Rael was behind the Aldhani Garrison attack and that he and his team of Rebels needed more money to keep moving forward, Mon roped in her old friend Tay Kolma as a donor to her cause.
Major Spoilers Ahead
Andy Serkis Is In ‘Andor’. But He Isn’t Playing Snoke, Probably.
Episode 8 of “Andor” opens with Andor being transported off to Narkina Five. What’s Narkina Five, you ask? Well, going by its looks, it’s the moon of a larger planet and a Guantanamo Bay-esque place where prisoners are sent for eternity because there’s no way to get out of there alive. Every single floor (most of which is below water level) of the prisons in Narkina Five is made of a material called Tunqstoid steel (usually used to make blast doors in the “Star Wars” universe), which evidently has the highest electrical conductivity. Hence, the prisoners/workers are prevented from wearing any kind of footwear, while the guards have thick rubber shoes on their feet. These guards don’t have blasters or some of the other weapons commonly used in prisons. They have tasers and a device that activates the electricity in the floors, both of which they use pretty often to incapacitate any prisoner who isn’t abiding by the facility’s rules.
Meanwhile, in Coruscant, we see Syril Karn being taken in for questioning by Dedra for constantly filing reports against the incident in Ferrix and Cassian Andor’s involvement in it. When he reveals that he was forced to sign Blevin’s report on the incident without going through it, Dedra orders Heert to give him the report so that he can point out any discrepancies, if there are any. Dedra then proceeds to get Colonel Yularen’s permission to drill down on Ferrix, find Cassian (since he’s accused of murdering corporate security guards), and use him to find the rest of the Rebels. Then she returns to Karn, who is done reading Blevin’s reports and he states that the report has no mention of Andor’s accomplices or the man (he’s referring to Rael) who helped Andor escape. When Dedra asks him to give her further details about this cloaked man, Karn starts to stutter, and his description of the altercation in Ferrix gets vague. So, Dedra forbids him from filing any more reports about Andor and wishes him luck.
On Narkina Five, Andor meets the inmate who is in charge of the prisoners in Unit 52D, i.e., Kino Loy, who is being played by the one and only Andy Serkis. He explains that the whole factory functions on the basis of competitiveness. Every table in the room is fighting against every other table to efficiently produce these asterix-shaped units, and every room is fighting against every other room in the building. Whichever table performs the best gets some rewards in the form of food and other stuff. Every unit manager that performs well gets to the end of their sentence without facing an extension. Failure to get one’s job done leads to death by electrocution. And as Andor gets overwhelmed by the notion that he’s going to spend the rest of his life making parts for the Empire, the obvious question starts to creep into the audience’s mind: is Kino Loy actually Snoke? The question is valid because Andy Serkis is the actor who voiced and did motion capture for Snoke in the sequel trilogy. But since “The Rise of Skywalker” spelled it out for us that Snoke was bioengineered in Exegol’s laboratory to act as Palpatine’s proxy, that theory doesn’t hold water. Can we theorize that Kino’s D.N.A. somehow made it into Snoke? Maybe.
Luthen Rael Severed His Connection To Bix Caleen
Back in Coruscant, Tay pays Mon a visit to let her know that the Empire is making it very tough to move his funds because they are auditing every single bit of his money. Mon doesn’t get to know the solution to this problem because Leida and then a bureaucrat named Dhow interrupt her conversation with Tay, that too on Perrin’s request. There’s something about Perrin and Leida that genuinely irks me. Yes, everyone in Coruscant is either a fascist or a snob. Or, going by the conversation that some of Mon’s guests are having about whether Palpatine’s methods are good or bad, they are fascist snobs. But Perrin and Leida’s behavior towards Mon, even when nobody’s looking, is laced with condescension and coldness. What exactly is their issue with her? She genuinely seems like a warm-hearted person. She can be ruthless when it comes to her politics. However, she isn’t the same with them. Yet, they constantly look down on Mon. That’s why I am eagerly waiting for the day Mon leaves them and fully joins the Rebellion. All that said, the fact that I hate Perrin and Leida so much is an indicator of the show’s great writing and the pitch-perfect performances by Alastair Mackenzie and Bronte Carmichael, respectively.
Anyway, the bureaucrats in Coruscant and the prisoners in Narkina Five bring up the P.O.R.D. (The Public Order Resentencing Directive). What’s that? Well, apparently, the Empire is increasing the sentences of every prisoner due to all the rebel activity. After the attack on the Aldhani Garrison, everyone’s sentences have been doubled. And by doing so, they are making it look like the rebels are responsible for the prisoners’ suffering, not the fascist Empire. The inmates in Narkina Five (and maybe every prison in the world) are respecting the “system” and “rules” established by the Empire. Because they are being brainwashed into thinking that that’s their path to freedom and “rewards.” The only thing that’s standing in their way are the Rebels (even though they are actually fighting for galaxy-wide freedom). That’s yet another accurate aspect of fascism brought up by writer Beau Willimon and director Toby Haynes. Fascists don’t want you to see them as oppressors. They want you to see the opposition as the reason behind your oppression. So, you are always busy hating those who are fighting the good fight instead of opposing the dictators.
In Ferrix, Bix and Brasso find out that Maarva’s health is deteriorating and that she has hurt herself while trying to make a pathway for the Rebels so that they can infiltrate the hotel, which is filled with Imperial officers, and kill them. Cinta and Vel are in Ferrix, too, as they are waiting for Andor to show up. While talking about the logistics of their mission, Vel brings up the topic of their relationship. Cinta reminds her that fulfilling Rael’s orders is their number one priority. Vel is obviously saddened by this, even though she knows that love can’t bloom when fascism is on the rise. So, Cinta holds her hand to reassure her that she’s going to be with her all the way to the end. Bix tries to get in touch with Rael for help or any information on Andor. But, based on Kleya’s suggestion that they are probably being heavily monitored by the I.S.B., Rael shuts down the line. However, little does Bix know that the mere act of trying to contact Rael has landed her in trouble.
‘Andor’ Episode 8: Ending Explained: Why Isn’t Saw Gerrera Willing To Go Along With Luthen Rael’s Plan?
Rael sets a course for Segra Milo to meet Saw Gerrera, who is played by the living legend Forest Whitaker. Gerrera has appeared in the following “Star Wars” properties: “The Clone Wars,” “Rebels,” and “The Bad Batch.” But Whitaker’s iteration made his debut in “Rogue One,” the Gareth Edwards directorial, which introduced us to Cassian Andor as well. In “Rogue One,” he was at the end of his rope and willing to trust no one but himself. Through his conversation with Rael, we see hints of that trait as he refuses to take a full set of Imperial drive adapters and three sealed Steergard targeting deflectors for free because he doesn’t want to collaborate with Anto Kreegyr. Why? Because, according to Saw, Kreegyr is a separitist (a representative of a religion or race who believes that that particular group should be independent and have a government of their own). Saw also namedrops Maya Pei, the Ghorman front, and the Partisan alliance and clubs them with Sectorists, cultists, and galaxy partitionists to prove his point that everyone is lost except him. And he wants to keep it that way by not aligning with anyone else’s political agenda.
During the concluding moments of episode 8 of “Andor,” we see Bix and Paak being taken in for questioning by Dedra, while Cassian becomes a cog in Narkina Five’s cruel wheel. In addition to progressing the story and bringing the show to its bleakest point yet, Willimon and Haynes educate us about how fascism makes us turn against each other. The mainstream news, politicians, and pundits on social media always make us hate protestors of any kind. Because we’ve been conditioned to think that the system is working fine, and we need to help it stay that way. Otherwise, we are going to suffer. Critical thinking is discouraged by overwhelming us with various kinds of taxes, bills, duties to the government, filling up forms for identification purposes, and more. The less we think, the less we question why we are not getting our due. Why are we constantly voting and paying money to have a better life and yet getting nowhere? Why isn’t education, health, finance, or infrastructure the priority? Why is so much money being invested in defense and backing those who are already wealthy as hell? Protestors and rebels put these questions in front of the authorities who aren’t doing the job they are being paid to do. So, in the 21st century, if you are still hating on protestors and rebels, please stop it right now and question those in places of power.
