Nobody's Listening!

Dedra continues her investigation into the rebellion, whilst disturbing news is heard on Narkina 5.

This is another high quality episode.

The themes in this story are some of the darkest portrayed in the Star Wars franchise so far and they are depicted in a plot that is ramping up the tension, particularly on Narkina 5.

The detail covered about the complexities involved in securing an empire and developing a rebel insurgency, are everything that I ever could have wished for as a Star Wars fan.

As a long time fan, the best aspect of Andor is how it explores the details of concepts introduced in the original movies. The Empire and the rebellion have largely been mythical notions outside of the dealings of the elite characters on both sides, however episodes like this help bring it to life.

For me the best scenes involve Dedra and Mon Mothma as they are well plotted and give plausible faces to both sides of the conflict. I feel a sense that they are exactly the type of people who would be drawn to each ideology.

With Dedra and the scenes involving imperial officers, it portrays the horror of a totalitarian system (as well as fiction can) including aspects like torture, mass murder and euthanasia and does it with great tribute to George Lucas' legacy, such as the homage to the Princess Leia interrogation scene in the original Star Wars movie, complete with doorway/footsteps transition.

Visually it is a superbly filmed episode with excellent production design. Particularly the scenes on Narkina 5, that also pay tribute to Lucas. These are very well made, but there is no real tension associated with Cassian's fate here as we know the outcome. However, the writers use characters like Kino Loy and other prisoners well. I do want to find out what happens to them given the depiction of their plight and how the episode ends.

The standout performances for me are Denise Gough, Genevieve O'Reilly and Andy Serkis.

It's an 8.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

As a collective "Star Wars" fanbase, we really have to thank this show for finally giving everyone something that they can just watch and enjoy. Every reaction for this show ranges somewhere between the "good" to "great," and it has given a lot of people that sense of a galaxy in peril that they've been missing ever since the original films came out. This is definitely a huge homage to the original films in its tone, but it's also a show that is so great on its own. This episode was another great addition to that, building tension at every possible moment to the finale.

The previous episode was definitely an homage to "THX 1138" in terms of its look and overall tone. This entire arc seems like it's going back to that style, and it feels great to see a show like this take time to come up with a great arc, while still paying their respects to the guy who made it all possible. And this episode may have been the least "Star Wars" of the show, because it puts the rebellion storyline to the side to just focus on building tension and preparing the audience for the big finale of the next episode. Only the beginning is really dedicated to get some breakthroughs in Bix's storyline, but for the rest, it mostly focused on Cassian in the prison, or the ISB trying to hunt him down. It's a great juxtaposition that these two storylines are pitted against each other, but they actually have Cassian under their watch. It all goes to show that if the Empire would just look for their problems, they'd know that they didn't have to look that far to find him. There's also a ruthlessness to this episode and the Empire actually comes off as incredibly scary, which is something that has honestly never been the case before. Whether its their means of torture, or just the fact that they're willing to destroy an entire wing because they don't do as they're told. This is a different corner of the universe, and it's one that we can only hope to see much more of.

"Nobody's Listening!" is full of tension and worldbuilding, preparing the audience for something that's going to be heartbreaking coming up next week. It's still clear on its focus of setting up the rebellion, but taking a little break from that and focusing on the ruthlessness of the Empire, only sets up the threat to greater heights.

I have never been as on edge watching anything Star Wars. Period.

What the writers have done with this show is nothing short of phenomenal. The acting is unmatched; the script puts other Star Wars projects to shame; the characters are so inexplicably well-written. I'm nothing short of amazed.

The overwhelming atmosphere of the jail and the eerie totalitarianistic egos of the Imperial Security Bureau are some of the biggest highlights of this show for me. For the first time ever: the Imperials seem unceasingly and head-crushingly competent. Palpatine, Vader, Tarkin, Thrawn etc. All were great villains, but this show has taken the Empire to a whole - seemingly unreachable - new level. I actually get the chills when I see stormtroopers. I get on edge when a Tie Fighter flies overhead.

Well done.

Yet again, the new "Andor" series continues to really make shockingly excellent use of Toby Haynes' demonstrable ability to capture the dark, politically relevant cynicism of "Black Mirror" (since he previously directed "USS Callister") here because his episodes in particular grow increasingly more macabre & disturbing with each & every passing week.

As if the story wasn't already unsettling enough, writer Beau Willimon & creator Tony Gilroy have frankly, somehow found a deliciously sinister way of making the imperialistic "Empire" in "Star Wars" universe as dystopian as you can probably get on screen (without compromising the suitability rating for audiences), intellectually exploring the brutal, inhumane reality of what it means to maintain their flawed perception of "order" & the consequences its preservation it has on working class people, who predominantly suffer under its tyranny. Furthermore, it's this unflinchingly mature manner in which the themes are approached that continually catches me off guard, as the filmmaking fearlessly confronts the true horror of the harmful ideology many possess with a startling honesty that feels uncomfortably familiar & bold for a project airing on Disney+. This isn't just another mindless addition to a well-known sci-fi franchise (made to cash in on devout fan's loyalty to the brand); in grim installments like these, the season has a clear, distinct purpose, a voice - with a statement make - & it's not afraid to use it.

This show is killing it.

Great writing: the.tension continues grow with each instalment! Every moment is telling. Each event cascading in consequence.

The performances are superb. A dark foreboding score that hits the mark. The costumes and sets are lush. They and the cinematography are painstakingly true ti earliest (ie finest) Star Wars traditions.

And the direction is ... restrained but relentlessly taught. No there's not much humour.

I know people are saying "this isn't a Star Wars story" but it so very much is. No it's not a Jedi story. It's not even a Jedi adjacent story. And it is SO much the better for it.

This is a serious show about the desperate courage of real people trying to get out from under the heel of an authoritarian government. It is mandatory viewing.

Between this and Netflix's utterly brilliant All Quiet on the Western Front we have two powerful and timely studies into the horrors of conflict and oppression.