by “Andor” on Disney Plus (opens in new tab) masterfully created several nice, new story sub-threads, but does episode eight continue to do so effectively? The short answer is a resounding yes. And not only that, but there is one wealth incredible storytelling jam packed into episode 8, titled “Narkina 5”, as well as some interesting cameos … and even a little mistaken identity.
We last saw poor Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) being punished for nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Justice is swift—and clearly sweeping—in the new age of the Empire, and after a ridiculous trial for Niamo, he’s sent to Narkina 5. Episode 8 is named after this Imperial Prison Facility for a very good reason, because it’s the star of this episode’s installment.
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Apart from a few, very small dips in an otherwise excellent and flawless pace, this performance was of a rare, extremely high standard throughout. And at every step of his involuntary incarceration, we can touch the fear that runs through Cassian’s veins. Luna captures it beautifully, especially in his eyes and forehead is not grooved, usually still struggling to accept his new surroundings. That said, there are subtle changes in his facial expression throughout his incarceration, and the character shows an inhuman determination not to let fear take over him completely, but to focus on the more immediate problem of simply staying alive. . And as each excruciatingly long second passes, it becomes apparent that he gradually figures out what he must do to stay alive.
The production design of the Narkina 5 is simple and highly effective, and there’s a reason for that. the sterile, white, lifeless environment slowly destroys any remaining individuality as prison life becomes your only life. George Lucas used something similar in ‘THX 1138’.
It’s delivered with the same punch-hole precision as the office environment featured in “Severance,” except you won’t be electrocuted to death while working for Lumon Industries. The fear that sustains this production line nightmare successfully seeps through that black mirror of your TV screen and into your very soul as you wonder if you’ll accidentally forget where the bathroom facilities were and walk out onto the electrified floor.
Related: Episode 6 of “Andor” ratchets up the tension with a blistering heist
From the moment his incarceration begins, Andor’s education mirrors our own, and what’s particularly interesting to see is the multi-stage, systemic breakdown of the hierarchy within Narkina 5, ultimately culminating in the legendary Andy Sirkis, in a beautiful cast as Kino Loy. , the prisoner floor manager, so to speak. It will be interesting to see if what these inmates have set out to build is actually seen. There certainly seem to be a lot of them, and they’re undoubtedly Imperial weapons of some sort, but has the decision been made to reveal them, or will it just remain a MacGuffin?
The Empire is gathering momentum and is, for all intents and purposes, almost at full strength, which could be considered the moment the first Death Star officially becomes operational. According to the rule, it was only post its destruction at the Battle of Yavin, that Emperor Palpatine chose to construct a second, even larger Death Star. And therefore, a significant The recruiting effort would be needed to replace the roughly 350,000 soldiers and officers—not to mention the hardware—lost when Luke scored his winning hat trick with a proton torpedo.
But for now, as his paranoia grows and the constant suspicion of rebellion allows for acts of repression to be carried out on a whim, Imperial forces tighten their grip on the galaxy and punish anyone it looks suspect. Consequently, whatever is being built down there, under all that water, the Empire seems to need a lot. Components of a TIE maybe? YouTuber New Rockstars (opens in new tab) seems to agree with this theory. However, Star Wars Fanatic (opens in new tab) he believes that the inmates of Narkina 5 are building the lower body leg parts on an Imperial Probe Droid. It’s also entirely possible that the inmates on each of the many floors in this detention center are building something different.
Related: Episode 5 ‘Andor’ sets the stage for an action-packed heist
To paraphrase Han Solo in “The Empire Strikes Back,” I don’t know how he’s going to get out of this. As much as we’re trying to process Andor’s new accommodations, you can’t help but feel that he’s already one step ahead of us, and we’re willing to place a big bet that he’s already memorized the unnecessarily complicated, bureaucratic editing process, and that will be the key to his final escape. What will happen to all the other prisoners? Will the facility flood as part of Andor’s escape or will he simply be able to sneak away? Will the other prisoners form the Rebellion? There are so many questions, so many interesting avenues for great storytelling…and it’s safe to say we’re confident “Andor” will deliver.
The old terrorist-or-freedom-fighter debate has taken a back seat throughout most of “Star Wars,” but it’s much more prominent here this week. Andor’s survival is somewhat mirrored by Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) as he struggles with a slightly less lethal incarceration, working in the Fuel Purity Department at the Bureau of Standards on Coruscant, but for him, staying in the game is worth his life. Hunting Cassian Andor has become his life. If only he asked for a job serving the Empire.
Every other crucial story thread also advances enough to keep us interested, which sounds obvious and yet other big budget sci-fi shows can’t quite pull off, but this episode focuses – and brilliantly at that – on poor Andor’s current situation . However, being able to watch Stellan Skarsgård (Luthen Rael) and Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) in a scene together was masterfully understated. Then there was a moment in this episode where every single person watching suddenly sat up and asked whoever was on the phone, “Does [Skarsgård] just say what I think he said?’ And luckily he didn’t.
Related: ‘Andor’ Episode 4 Soars As We Finally Meet ‘Star Wars’ Rebels
We’re talking about Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau) and basically a bit of confusion that has arisen from Skarsgård’s pronunciation of “Kleya” as it sounds a lot like “Leia”. Plus, Dulau’s long, dark hair and youthful looks don’t help. But as we reported last week, that’s just a coincidence or an oversight, and probably no one expected her name to sound so similar when the legendary Swedish actor said it on set. That said, given that Disney has a Skywalker problem that it’s having tremendous difficulty letting go of, we could all be forgiven for jumping to that conclusion. It’s not like that though, phew, because that’s how it would be Really disappointing.
Finally, in other ‘Star Wars’ news, the rumors are piling up (opens in new tab) that the third season of “The Mandalorian” will be released on February 22, 2023. Although not yet officially confirmed by Disney Plus, sounds about right.
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