Warning! Spoilers ahead for the eighth episode of Season 1 of Andor, “Narkina 5.”
The latest live-action Star Wars series Andor has arrived on Disney+. The eighth episode, “Narkina 5” saw Andor and his friends hit rock bottom as he began to serve out his imperial prison sentence.
As we approach the final third of the season, the show’s thesis statement has come into clearer focus. Let’s dive into “Narkina 5” and discuss the ending.
The Walls Are Closing In
The bulk of “Narkina 5” explored Andor’s new living conditions in the Imperial prison and labor camp he’d somehow found himself sentenced to.
While the prison itself was beautifully designed in stark white and black, it contrasted with the bleak mental environment. The inmate-supervisor of Cassian’s floor, Kino Loy (a wonderfully scary Andy Serkis), made it clear that everyone’s survival depended on the men’s productivity.
As Cassian took in his new home in horror, a heartbreaking time-lapse showed how quickly he had grown accustomed to the prison in just a month.
“Narkina 5” is not an easy episode to watch. Prison labor camps have a long history within fascist and oppressive power systems, including today, making Andor’s experience powerful and resonant.
It seems with “Narkina 5,” the show is driving home the thesis of the series as a character study in what it takes to build leaders of a rebellion. For Andor himself, that means being pushed to the absolute breaking point to realize he has a role to play and a purpose to serve.
For Bix, Mon Mothma, Luthen, Vel, Cinta, and the many other rebels in the series, it seems they are each discovering their own personal boundaries within the larger fight, and what they will do to protect themselves and their loved ones as they fight for freedom.
Andor is available to stream on Disney Plus.
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