The third episode of “The Acolyte” might be the worst episode of any Star Wars show we've seen. Period. For a series that promised originality and a fresh take on the Star Wars universe, “The Acolyte” offers a lot of recycled ideas that fall flat.
For those fearing this episode would ruin Star Wars, rest assured, the franchise is safe. Set 100 years before the Skywalker Saga, it won't drastically alter anything. One of my biggest complaints is that despite a reported $180 million budget and years of creative effort, we’re once again exploring Force-sensitive witches. While I love Force-sensitive witches as much as the next fan, we've been down this road before. Give us something more interesting. A new threat? A threat from within? Nope. With so many options in the universe, they chose witches - again.
“Destiny” is purely a flashback episode featuring Osha (Lauren Brady) and Mae (Leah Brady) on their home planet, Brendok, preparing for the Ascension ceremony. It’s basically where they take a vow to protect their coven and become witches themselves. We meet Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Mother Koril (Margarita Levieva), the coven leaders and mothers of Osha and Mae. Both are dedicated protectors willing to do almost anything to keep their people safe.
On Brendok are also four Jedi who will end up comprising Mae’s hit list: Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss), Master Sol (Lee Jung-Jae), Master Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo), and Indara’s Padawan Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman). The Jedi are investigating rumors of the coven training children in the Force, which the coven calls The Thread.
Some may be upset about calling the Force something else, but it has had many names over the years. This is set 100 years before the Skywalker Saga, so the Force as we know it remains basically unchanged. Relax.
As the girls prepare for the Ascension ceremony, Osha yearns for more beyond Brendok, while Mae is content with her role in the coven. This causes a rift that widens when Osha gets a chance to leave the fortress and the coven’s teachings behind.
During the ceremony, which includes a corny musical sequence with chanting and cackling, Mae embraces the vow. But before Osha can follow, the Jedi arrive to question the coven. They try to hide the girls, but the Jedi demand to test the Force-sensitive twins. After a brief meeting where Mother Aniseya and Mother Koril disagree about letting the girls be tested, a coven elder suggests that the girls lie to the Jedi. If they fail this test, the Jedi will lose interest and leave.
Interestingly, during their argument, we learn that Mother Aniseya created Osha and Mae. Mother Koril warns her, “And what happens if the Jedi discover how you created them?” In an otherwise lackluster episode, this revelation is intriguing. Did she use the Force to create the twins? Did she have outside assistance? Given the timeline, many interesting possibilities are on the table.
The witch’s plan quickly falls apart when Osha tries to lie, but Master Sol tricks her into revealing her actual abilities. When Osha exits the Jedi ship, Mae realizes her betrayal, igniting a firestorm that destroys the coven and separates the twins. Master Sol is able to rescue only one of them.
“Destiny” did little to ease my worries about “The Acolyte.” The pacing remains off, preventing a cohesive story, and the dialogue is puzzling and sometimes contradictory. It feels like someone’s fan fiction, and not in a good way. Turner-Smith and Levieva are powerful on-screen, with Turner-Smith sharing a touching scene with Lauren Brady, but they feel underutilized. Spending the entire episode on Osha and Mae’s backstory diluted their potential impact.
There are some intriguing elements in this episode though. Jung-jae’s performance as Master Sol continues to be the series’ highlight. There’s also a subtle but potentially significant detail involving Torbin. In “Revenge/Justice,” Torbin has scars over his left eye. Early in “Destiny,” he’s a fresh-faced Padawan, but after the Brendok incident aboard the Jedi ship, if you look closely, those scars have appeared.
My theory is that Master Sol is telling the truth - from a certain point of view. I think Mae did start a fire, which set off a battle between the witches and the Jedi that caused the destruction of the coven.
Another possibility is that after Mother Aniseya took control of Torbin during the Ascension ceremony, he wanted revenge, setting off a chain of events that couldn’t be stopped. Either way, there’s more to the story, and the Jedi aren’t going to come out looking very good.
Three episodes in, it’s clear “The Acolyte” isn’t the groundbreaking Star Wars series Disney and Lucasfilm were hoping for. With poor pacing, mediocre writing, and flat characters, it’s shaping up to be a lower-tier addition to the Star Wars saga.
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