Andor Episode 9: Star Wars Fans Love the New Character Ties and Are Hyped for a Jailbreak

Andor Episode 9 started to really pull the various story threads of the series together, as various characters came together in surprising ways. While the deadly chess game of Rebellion against the Empire was took new strides, Cassion Andor (Diego Luna) was trapped on sidelines, doing the endless cycle of manual labor in the Imperial prison Narkina 5. However, Cassian's timetable for escaping was drastically changed with the news that Narkina 5's system of prisoner reward and release was a sham, and that he and the other inmates were never getting out. 

As you can see below, Star Wars fans are loving the new character reveals and connections in Andor Episode 9 – but they're even more hyped for another big, tense, action sequence to come in Episode 10, as it seems a major prison escape is about to be attempted within Narkina 5! 

Bix vs. Dedra 

Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) was taken in by the Imperial Security Bureau and brought to supervisor Dedra Meero for questioning. This sequence was horrifying with its introduction of a ISB interrogation technique, using a empathic imprint from a race of alien children the Empire exterminated. The sequence only used a close-up of Adria Arjona's reaction, but it was definitely effective for chilling us to the collective bone.

 It was also a scene that stripped away the veneer of gender to show how Dedra Meero isn't a sympathetic character as a woman climbing the Imperial ranks – she's a psychotic fascist and sadist who had no problem horribly torturing another woman. It also feels like this story thread could be a set up for the final story arc of Andor Season 1, with Dedra targeting those closest to Andor like Bix and his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw), forcing a final rescue mission/showdown. 

Mon Mothma & "Cousin" Vel

Andor has been good about pulling sudden (if not understated) character twists out of its hat. It started with the reveal that Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) is living a crazy double life as a hardcore Rebel leader and a charismatic Coruscant antique dealer, showing how the wealthy elite ultimate had to take side in order for the rebellion to truly get off the ground. Well, Episode 9 continued that duality theme, by connecting two characters we never suspected had a connection: Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) and Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay). 

It's revealed that Vel (leader of the Rebel heist on Aldhani that Cassian took part in) is actually the cousin of Mon Mothma, when Vel finally comes to "check in" with Mon before her next mission. It's quickly implied through dialogue that Mon and Vel took an oath to serve the Rebellion together, and that their family's commitment is as diehard as they come. The ladies had some deliciously winking moments in conversation while toying with Mon's husband Perrin Fertha (Alastair Mackenzie), including the sly reference to Vel's sexuality when Perrin tries to chastise her about being too old for a good husband. 

When Syril Met Dedra: Bad Romance

The romance that NO ONE asked for is setting Star Wars Twitter on fire! 

Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) must've felt one helluva kink after being questioned by Dedra Meero (Denis Gough), because he tracks the ISB agent to work and creeps up on her after her shift. Syril is clearly not enamored with Dedra on a traditional romantic level: he loves her unbridled focus and ruthlessness as an Imperial true believer. It's hard to think of what's more frightening: how Dedra can manipulate and use and willing and radicalized asset like Karn, or what we'll have to see if she actually falls for him, and Star Wars takes a sudden turn into Fifty Shades of Grey territory... 

Narkina 5: JAILBREK! 

Finally, Star Wars fans are still looking at Cassian Andor himself (Diego Luna) and his current storyline. The prison story arc took a drastic turn with the reveal that the release system is totally bogus. The fact that the Empire fried the prisoners who found out about the deception has motivated even the delusionally stubborn Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) to follow Cassian's plan to escape. By now the ebb-and-flow pacing of Andor's story arcs is clear: Episode 10 looks like it is going to be a massive jailbreak story, and Star Wars fans are HERE for it!