Spoiler Warning: Andor Season One

Episode 8 of Andor has Cassian being sent to an Imperial prison. The Empire has finally caught one of its most sought-after individuals but has no idea what they have. Since Cassian intelligently used a fake name in the last episode, the Empire thinks they have just sentenced another regular guy to prison for not doing anything. When Andor is pushed along in a convict lineup, he’s ordered to go to “Narkina 5,” which also serves as the episode's title. Indeed, the rest of this episode focuses mostly on Andor as he adjusts to prison life and experiences how the empire keeps its convicts in line.

This episode of Andor also gives us a look back on Ferrix, where Andor’s mother is still fighting for the Rebellion but has come down with some sickness. Syril Karn gets a chance to speak to Dedra Meero, informing high-ranking Imperial officers of his brush with Andor. His hate for Cassian is only growing inside that cubicle. And Mon Mothma continues to skate around the subtleties of being a Rebel, an Imperial Senator, and a wife. The stakes only get higher, and situations only worsen in this Andor episode.

Andor Finds Himself on Narkina 5

Andor Episode 8 - the Imperial Prison
Disney+

After Cassian is sent off to his specific prison colony, Syril is selected from his cubicle to talk to Dedra Meero, who now has full authority to investigate the seizure of her Starpath Unit. Meero finds out Syril wasn’t allowed to look at the full report of the incident and gets him a copy. But when she interviews him again, she realizes he isn’t able to help very much since his only encounter with Andor was when Cassian had a gun to the back of his head.

Related: How Andor Episode 7 Shows the Real Spirit of the Rebellion

Meero then goes to speak with a larger council of apparently higher-ranking Imperial Officers, the head of which is Colonel Yularen, who was sitting in that room in Star Wars: A New Hope the first time we saw Darth Vader force choke someone. She reports her findings, with which Yularen is not impressed, but Major Partagaz manages to vouch for her.

When Andor is brought into the prison colony, they force him and a bunch of other prisoners to take off their shoes. The warden demonstrates a punishment that has all of them electrocuted by having their feet on the floor. The Imperial soldiers are wearing insulated boots, which will undoubtedly come in handy when Andor makes his escape. When Cassian is brought onto the work floor, we see Andy Serkis, who, here, is another prisoner that manages lower prisoners on that particular floor in order to manufacture some mechanical parts for the Empire. But Serkis is also known for playing Snoke in the latest Star Wars trilogy. Serkis (Kino) explains the incentives, punishments, and quick pace that keeps prisoners in line here on Narkina 5.

Andor is introduced to his manufacturing team, who attempt to teach him how to work there. If they rank higher in production, they get better-tasting food from the tubes inside their cell. Later, Andor notices one prisoner communicating with another across a gap in the prison through a series of hand movements. And one prisoner seems to sleepwalk out of his bed and step on the electrified floor. Andor is trapped in this hellhole for the time being.

The Rebellion Lives

Rogue One/Clone Wars/Rebels Character Saw Gerrera
Lucasfilm Ltd.

Meanwhile, Mon Mothma is at her comfortable home on Coruscant, having a party with other politicians. They joke about Palpatine’s increasing control of the Empire and his new laws concerning punishment. She and her husband drink strange cocktails wherein you dissolve a live worm in your glass. Mon Mothma refuses her worm, but her husband gladly takes hers instead.

Related: Why Andor is Not a Popular Star Wars Series

Mon Mothma is obviously not at these parties to have fun but to work. The rift between her and her husband also grows increasingly as she talks to her friend Tay about helping the Rebellion. As they speak about their “charity” fund, her husband leaves, saying, “While you two are trying to feed the galaxy, I’m going to feed myself,” to which Tay replies, “Charity begins at home.” Mon Mothma’s husband stares at Tay, incredibly offended by this statement.

Later in the episode, Luthen Rael visits Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), the radical Rebel leader from Rogue One. From the instant their meeting starts, it’s already clear that the two don’t trust each other. Saw Gerrera jokes about Luthen’s heist on Aldani, but Luthen jokes back at him, denying the whole thing, even saying that he must have done it because he’s asking about it. Luthen knows that if Saw ever finds out about this vast sum of money, he might kill Luthen to get it.

Over the course of their discussion, Luthen offers Saw a connection to perform a military strike on the Empire, but Saw refuses. He won’t work with Luthen’s connection because he is a Separatist. Saw tells Luthen that among all the different Rebel factions, he is the only one with a clear mind.

It will be interesting to see how these events play out in Andor episode 9, airing November 2, 2022, on Disney+.