Andor 1×09 Review: “Nobody’s Listening!”

Cassian begins his attempt to gather information and recruit other prisoners for a Narkina 5 prison break in “Nobody’s Listening!”

The horrors of the Empire shown in “Narkina 5” continue to escalate in “Nobody’s Listening!” Still stuck in Imperial prison Narkina 5, Cassian (Diego Luna) begins to plot a potential escape. The episode continues the series’ streak of tense and compelling episodes with strong character moments.

The monotony of the prison’s production line continues to take its toll on Cassian and the other prisoners, particularly Ulaf (Christopher Fairbank). The oldest member of the production line is clearly faltering under the intense workload, and it’s only a matter of time before he collapses. Though the horrifying reality is indisputable, there is nothing any of the other prisoners can do about it.

Cassian spends his time between shifts working on an escape plan, recruiting others to the cause. The monotony of the production line is broken up with him attempting to gather Intel about the prison, and the mysterious happenings on another floor. Cassian attempts to ask supervisor and prisoner Kino (Andy Serkis), but Kino is worried about the guards eavesdropping. Cassian emphatically exclaims that the guards don’t care enough to listen to them, but Kino refuses to budge.

Dedra (Denise Gough) begins her interrogation of Bix (Adria Arjona), clearly reveling in the torture. Her eagerness to uphold the Empire’s fascist ideals makes her as terrifying as any other villain in the Star Wars universe despite not having any Force abilities. Bix attempts to put up a fight but is unable to overcome the Empire’s new torture device. It’s unfortunate that Bix can’t resist the interrogation, but she thankfully remains alive at the episode’s end.

As Dedra enjoys her triumph, Syril (Kyle Soller) is clearly infatuated with her. He shows up at her workplace to thank her for his promotion and tells her that she’s given him a new lease on life. Dedra is obviously uncomfortable by Syril’s behavior, but it’s hard to feel too bad for her given her other actions. Despite how evil Dedra is, Syril continues to prove that he is her equal in their passion for the Empire.

The most surprising moment of the episode is the reveal that Mon (Genevieve O’Reilly) is the cousin of Rebellion leader Vel (Faye Marsay). Vel, far more dressed up than we’ve previously seen, visits Mon’s home and the two take a moment to discuss their shared commitment to the Rebellion. It’s a very interesting connection, and it’s been interesting to see the various characters and subplots throughout the series starting to converge as the power of both the Rebellion and the Empire grow.

Back in Narkina 5, Kino’s radicalization against the Empire finally comes when Ulaf collapses. The guards don’t offer any medical care and simply kill Ulaf despite Kino’s insistence that he is nearly done with his sentence. This in combination with learning that the Empire gave a new sentence to a prisoner at the end of his sentence helps him realize that none of them are getting out of the prison without escaping. The powerful ending of “Nobody’s Listening!” culminates in Kino telling Cassian the information he needs to formulate his escape plan. Now having what he needs, it will be exciting to see Cassian’s plan come to fruition.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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