1x08 Narkina 5

[7.7/10] Man, the scenes in the prison on the titular planet are demoralizing. I will say this for Andor -- with so much episodic real estate to work with, it never stops giving us a sense of place at every location. The pristine white look of the facility, the constant motion of the factory floor, the “floor is lava”-style sleeping pods lined up in a row -- all make this feel like a machine where human beings are treated like interchangeable cogs.

They really convey the sense of hopelessness, injustice, and resignation that grinds down Cassian. The way the guards treat the prisoners as barely human, with electrified floors and talking like they’re not even there, strikes you immediately. The way they’ve gamified what is effectively slavery -- forcing prisoners to compete with one another on productivity measures with the winners getting food with flavors and the losers getting “fried” -- is horrifying. The simple fact that they’re in a constant state of forced labor, made to think their worth depends on how much machinery they can produce, is grim as all hell.

And after 30 shifts, Cassian, who legitimately didn’t do anything to deserve this sentence, just goes along with the program. What else can he do? The swift “justice”, with escalated sentences and even those inside the prisons facing increased terms, feels intolerable. You can sadly understand why someone chooses to end it all on the electrified floor rather than face another day of it, and the grimmest thing of all is how the fellow prisoners mainly gripe about the smell and the fact that they’ll be short a man. That’s how internalized this treatment becomes. The critique here isn’t subtle, but it’s potent, and bringing in ringers like Star Wars vet Andy Serkis to play Andor’s fellow prisoners-turned-foreman helps elevate the material as well.

The injustice of it all is highlighted by the juxtaposition between the conditions of the prisoners on Narkina 5 and the luxury that Mon Mothma and her cohort enjoy at one of their fancy cocktail parties. The cuts back and forth are damning, with people suffering in the endless trudge of their sentence while the well-heeled academically debate the legislation of the day that the inmates are so worried about.

You can feel the net tightening around Mothma a bit, as even her friend from home warns her that things are getting trickier amid the crackdown, and fellow senators are all too eager to believe the Emperor’s proclamations that they need more in the way of security. Lord knows I’m once burned twice shy about Star Wars delving into a legislative agenda, but the prospect of Palpy trying to pass the space equivalent of the Patriot Act makes for good political fodder here.

This is the consequence of the operation on Aldhani. I appreciate that, unlike even the great Empire Strikes Back, this show takes the time to show that the Rebellion’s big victories don’t just result in blowback for the people fighting, but rather results in a broader harshness toward everyone deemed disfavored. There’s a human cost to this, ways in which the innocent suffer and all suffer more than is fair, when fascist enterprises decide to tighten their fists.

Despite that, it’s hard not to be compelled by Meero. Her call to Admiral Yularen to basically fund a counter-Rebellion strike force is, of course, a bad thing for all of us rooting for the Rebellion that will one day inspire Luke Skywalker to join up. But she’s also exceedingly competent at her job, and she’s right at a time when the top brass seem to be skeptical. Seeing her marshal evidence and support is cool, even if, in our heart of hearts, we want her to fail.

It’s also cool to see Meero and Karn cross paths. Despite everything, Karn is still a true believer. He’s not satisfied with being in the Empire’s boring bureaucracy, but wants to clear his name, stop a murderer, and prove his worth. As Superintendent Chalmers might say, the rod up his ass has a rod up its ass, but once again, there's something strangely compelling about someone pursuing a cause with all his will against some tough odds. Something tells me that despite Meero’s warnings, he’ll be pulled into the fold and hunt for Andor eventually.

Only the ISB’s not the only one hunting for Andor. Vel is on Ferrix hoping to smoke him out. Honestly, we haven't gotten enough shading to her and Cinta’s relationship to make it feel too impactful when they have to put the cause over their affections, but it’s still a solid beat. Maarva falling ill and Bix not being able to find Andor is likewise a solid development. And while it’s mainly a tease, Meero’s arrival on Ferrix, and her harsh interrogation techniques on Bix’s comms guy and, soon, on Bix herself, portends scary and momentous things to come.

Oh yeah, and we get a cameo from none other than Forest Whitaker as Saw Guerrera! I swear, Whitaker must really enjoy the role, because I’m pretty sure he’s popped up in at least one Star Wars project per year since Rogue One came out. I’m not complaining though. I like how this positions Luthen as someone not simply trying to cause trouble for the Empire, but trying to unite the disparate groups and columns who are fighting the Imperials into one unified Rebel Alliance. We know, of course, the effort works out eventually. But I like his coy exchanges with Saw, and I like the explanation for why it hasn’t happened yet -- none of these scattered groups trust each other enough to work together. Luthen trying to build a genuine network, a real collaboration to make a difference, is a neat way to frame his ultimate goals.

Overall, this is more of a piece-moving episode than one where the real drama happens. But the exceptions are the scenes set in the prison, which are another triumph of production, performance, and societal critique which drive home the myriad, pernicious ways in which the Empire is making life worse for everyone.

I could not enjoy this episode or even take everything in because all I could see for most of it was the continuous confirmation that every single living being that is being incarcerated is human. How does this get greenlit? Do they even want to be a Star Wars Series? I mean I am all for less circle jerking by having the story become secondary to the use of fan service and eastereggs but at least be true to the world. Or at least give me a short in story explanation like showing aliens being taken to different ships or at least someone telling the prisoners that the species are being separated for productivity reasons ...
The prison which was obviously built for the empire doesn't even look like anything from the empire. Maybe something from Kamino if you want to be forthcoming.
Also on some points cinematography was a bit too on the nose. They didn't need to make every second camera angle of the arrival at the prison about the boots. We got that there was obviously something important about the floor at the very first depiction after having just seen every prisoner strip his footwear.
Mon Mothma's part didn't have any notable development either.
The empire tightening the noose was not bad but neither unexpected nor anything to really talk about. Even though I find Syril (?) an interesting character which I want to see developed further

The only thing that stuck out positively was the conversation between Luthen and Saw. It was well acted and had a nice character clash with depth portraying real convictions.