Andor Season 1
Episode Number 9 Preview and Review
Episode 9 of Andor begins with Meero capturing Bix and encouraging him to cooperate. If not, there’s Dr. Gorst, who has some very… unique ways of getting his subjects talking. Meero isn’t big on wasting time, and Cassian Andor also wants to know all about the stolen Imperial equipment he’s working on and working on.
Bix’s liaison, Salman Paak, has already chimed in and announced six face-to-face meetings, which Bix is struggling to confirm. “When was the last time you spoke to Cassian Andor?” Meero asks. Bix is silent. As a result, he stays with Dr. Gorst, who begins to torture him. It doesn’t take long and Bix is talking.
In Narkina 5, Andor steps into his role and starts leading the group, working with them all and helping Ulaf who is really struggling. Andor tries to hide his injuries. Now Andor is slowly cutting a metal pipe in the corner of the workstation, debating whether or not they can force the guards out.
Andor takes his time and talks to Kino about the guards and their giving too much credit to the empire. They don’t care about low-level grunts, but Kino refuses to tell him how many there are at each level.
In the morning, rumors spread that the Empire had sprung into action, roasting an entire bridge’s worth of people. That’s about a hundred able-bodied men! For now, Kino tells them to shut up and keep working until they know exactly what’s going on. However, Kino seems shaken.
Meanwhile, Mo’s cousin Vel arrived. He has been traveling for six months and is determined to be part of the rebellion. He tells Mona that things are happening, but the latter is worried. It’s just a flight trip, and after dinner, he leaves, telling Mona that he’s determined to do something with his life.
As for Mona, she struggles to appeal to any of the other senators and needs credit. Thai can solve. He concludes that Mo must be meeting with a Chandrilan banker who sports treasury connections and an “incomprehensibly large book of business.” Davo Skuldun is a man. He’s the richest thug there and a good solution, but Mon doesn’t think it’s a wise idea. However, timing is of the essence.
Cyril comes to see Meero and thanks him for the promotion. Meero worries that Cyril is following her and stalking her, but she backs off, noting that being around her and understanding her sense of justice is what she needs. Meero walks past him and tells him to stay away, promising a cage in the Outer Rim if he continues.
When Meero enters his office, he learns from his subordinate that the rebel pilot has been captured. He uses a stolen Imperial unit and it didn’t take long for him to scream. That Imperial cloaking device sure works like a charm for them.
This man appears to be part of the Kreegyr group and told the Imperials that a raid was planned on the power plant at Spellhaus. Adam was picked up on his way to Kafrene, and when he doesn’t show up, the rebels will come looking for him.
He deduces that due to a mechanical failure in the ship, they killed the pilot in the cockpit and allowed him to take off. So they could watch from a distance as the ship pulled into Kafrene.
Meanwhile, on Narkina 5, Olaf’s condition continues to deteriorate. He hangs by a rope and Andor manages to hide his condition from the others. While on the bridge, he collapses and needs a doctor. Kino looks for him and tells him to stop, knowing that Olaf only has a few turns left.
A doctor soon arrives with an oxygen mask and examines her. This is not good news. Ulaf had a severe stroke. There’s no way he’s going to get up, and with only 40 turns left, he’s gone. As a result, the doctor injects him with something to help him pass.
So what happened at level 2? It turns out they were wrong. The person who was just released at level 4 returned to level 2 the next day. This means that the person was released, finished their shift… and then returned to the same program. Kino understands what this means and tells Andora that there are no more than 12 guards per level.
Episode Review
I said last episode that the show feels slow and laborious, and that’s true for the plot development of the final chapter, which stagnates and doesn’t make much headway. There’s a consistent sense of momentum and progression here, though, which makes it one of the best episodes of the entire show.
Andor is a weird show like this in many ways, swinging back and forth between being too slow paced and building to something bigger. I really think Andor will do very well and no doubt this reviewer will probably rewatch the entire show before writing a full season review!
As for this episode, Andor does a great job of building the tension and learning the inner workings of Narkina 5 while advancing the story, as well as peppering these scenes with Meero and the Imperials, getting closer to the truth about her. Andor, that’s a great touch. This ending hints that we’re about to break out of prison, and you know what? This must be a cracker!