Nobody''s Listening! (Andor - S01E09) - Live Action Series

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"You're in my net, Bix! Are you fish or are you a thief?" SPOILERS.

Such a lovely guy

While nothing all that much really happens in Andor's latest episode "Nobody's Listening!", it does what all the previous middle episodes in their respective arc did, all the important characters are moved across the board and we learn a few new crucial things, some of them even a bit surprising. But what Andor's latest episode really focuses on is showing us the clinical, casual and bloodchilling inhumanity of the Empire. And I believe this episode is also the turning point for all people who kind of rooted for Dedra to succeed in her quest to find the early rebels.

Bix is subjected to some new and innovative torture device

The episode begins with a rather long scene in which Dedra interrogates Bix and she's cold, calculating and even borderline sadistic, it seems she's really enjoying all this. Yet she's also very casual about it all, as if were just another day at the office. And Bix' torturer looks like some nerdy college guy who is so proud of his latest gadget that he can't wait to use it. And some other Imperial officer talks about hanging Bix' friend as some kind of public statement as if it's the most normal thing in the world. The first few minutes of the episode may be a tough pill to swallow, because you do of course sympathize with poor Bix who is subjected to the latest torturing method, she is fed some kind of death cry of an alien species that has a massive psychological effect on other species, they feel utter terror and repeated sessions can damage your mind beyond repair. And of course poor Bix does reveal all the info she has, offscreen, but we hear Dedra casually discussing it at the ISB headquarters on Coruscant. And Dedra leaves Andor's mother alone for now, as bait...

Mon Mothma has little support in the senate

Mon Mothma meanwhile has yet another bad day at the senate, where one of her speeches against the latest Imperial policies is met with little enthusiasm. You can feel her frustation. And even though she acts as her official persona here, you can tell how frustating is must be not to reach the other senators.

Vel cleans up super nicely indeed

But the big surprise in this episode is that Vel is actually Mon Mothma's cousin. And therefore the third person Mon Mothma referred to when she said only three people know about her secret. I do wonder if Mon Mothma has not allied with Bail Organa yet, because the other two people who know about her are Luthen and Kleya (and the fourth one is now Tay, her childhood friend). While on the surface the Mon Mothma and Vel scenes add nothing to the story, they do flesh out the characters. Mon's daughter Leida gets to act like an excited teenager when Vel brings her a gift and we also learn that she is indeed daddy's girl. Perrin meanwhile wants to know when Vel gets a husband... she deflects the question, kind of, and says it's not really on her agenda now. Mon Mothma smiles knowingly. And Mon also urges Vel to act and live like the rich girl she is, but Vel more or less quotes Cinta in reply...

Trouble is brewing on Narkina 5

On Narkina 5 Andor has become an integral team member, he also looks out for his fellow teammates, especially the older man, Ulaf, who has some physical problems. But something else is going on in the background when power cuts out for a split second and rumours make the round that something happened in another room on floor 2. We also find out that Andor is indeed planning his escape, he even openly talks about it with other inmates. His room leader Kino won't have any of that, he refuses to even talk about escape, but Andor once more points out how overconfident the Empire is. Which is of course one of the big themes in all of Star Wars, the hubris of the fascists. Andor is absolutely convinced that the prison guards don't eavesdrop on the inmates, being absolutely convinced that escape is impossible. And we also learn why the Empire loves using forced labourers instead of droids, people are cheaper and easier to replace.

Syril has a very strange way of saying "I love you, please marry me!"

We also get some more insight into Syril Karn's life. His mother considers him an investment and is angry that all her investments into him, so far, have yielded nothing. But when Syril informs her that he was promoted at work she's over the moon. What a lovely mother indeed... and Syril was promoted because the ISB put in a good word for him. Syril ultimately waits in front of the ISB building for Dedra and stops her, telling her basically how awesome she is, that he wants to be a part of what she is doing, it's basically a very weird proposal of sorts by a creepy stalker who doesn't know what's really good for him. Dedra is of course less than pleased and once more brushes Syril off, quite icily. I really do wonder if Syril and Dedra will eventually end up as some odd couple... it would be hilarious in a way.

Discussing cruelty and brutality as if it's nothing

In yet another chilling ISB conference room scene we are once more witness to the casual brutality and inhumanity of the Empire. The ISB has captured a rebel pilot and they debate how best to lay a trap for the cell he's associated with and they eventually agree that it's best they stage some accident and make it look as if the captured pilot died in it. And it's of course Dedra who makes the suggestion.

A gesture of mercy in a cruel world

And the theme of Imperial brutality and sadism is continued in Andor's story. Ulaf, the elderly teammember of Andor's table, breaks down and there is actually a doctor on site, yet another inmate of course, no Imperial will look after the prisoners. Ulaf only has 40 shifts left but the doc can't do anything for him, he's had a massive stroke and so he euthanizes Ulaf in yet another heartbreaking scene in this episode, after the torture of poor Bix. And then the doc pulls back the curtain and reveals the truth about the rumours about that room on floor 2 floating around... they were all killed because a prisoner that was seemingly released reappeared the next day on floor 2. And people found out. So the entire room was killed.

Kino finally comes around

This finally pushes Kino over the edge, who wanted to hear nothing of Andor's dreams of escape so far. But with no hope left he begins to help him, and the first thing he does is reveal to Andor how many guards there are on any level, never more than twelve. With all the info (they also know that all elevators and moving parts are not electrified, neither are the guardrails) Andor's escape next week is certainly inevitable. But we will know more when the next episode is released.

Now as I said in my review, the major theme, the major intent of this episode was to show us the casual sadism and brutality of the Empire, even by people who are seemingly not evil per se, but Dedra is terrifying in this episode with a bonechilling performance by Denise Gough. The friendly nerd doctor who is so proud of his new interrogation device is your typical psychopath to whom torturing people is like yet another day at the office. All wrapped in a pleasant demeanor and manners. And then we see how the ISB plans on laying a trap for a rebel cell and Dedra brings up killing the captured pilot and staging a ship accident like it's nothing. If the previous episodes humanized the Empire, this episode drives home the point that almost anyone in higher rank is just plain evil, in a very casual way, clinical, but evil nonetheless. And the fact that the Imperials are humanized, more or less normal people, makes it only more frightening.    

And this theme continues on Narkina 5 where we learn the Empire doesn't release prisoners, they are just switched to different floors, whether or not it was a mistake or not is not entirely clear, but the doctor tells Andor and Kino that after that incident no one will ever get out. Narkina 5 is hell with no exit.

I wonder how many people still secretly root for Dedra after this episode, my sympathies for her are gone. Poor Bix is a sobbing mess after her torture, Cassian's mother is mere bait and a captured rebel pilot is a good trap. The only thing going against the Empire, despite all their smarts, is their own hubris and overconfidence. And I suppose this will also be Dedra's eventual downfall. I still don't want her to die, she should see it all crumble to bits and pieces and realize she did evil things for an evil regime, she should be held accountable for her crimes, not just killed off or maybe transferred to the Death Star.

I also found the episode somewhat difficult to watch at times because of the torture scene and the mercy killing of Ulaf, Star Wars is usually never that serious and Leia's torture in A New Hope doesn't even play in the same league as the Bix scene. Now Leia had the force and could easily (more or less) resist any drugs or other methods, but poor Bix is just a regular woman. Let's hope someone will get her out of there before the end of the season. Cinta is still on Ferrix after all.

"Nobody's Listening!" is yet another very strong episode, maybe a bit light on plot here and there, but the insight into the casual cruelty of the Empire is equal parts fascínating and terrifying. And we also learned a few things about Mon Mothma's family, i.e. that Vel is actually her cousin. Who saw that coming? I rate this episode 4.5 holocrons!