Chris Connor reviews the penultimate episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte…
The Acolyte has built steady momentum in recent weeks with the reveal of its villain and lingering mysteries, coupled with some impressive action. With just two episodes remaining the show takes a surprise route to return to events of 16 years earlier on Brendok, events depicted from Mae and Osha’s perspective in episode three. Here we see the same timeframe from the perspective of the four Jedi, giving us far more time with Torbin, Kelnacca and Indara.
While the episode answers some questions around the events that happened alongside the fire it is odd to position this entire flashback episode just before the finale with so many threads unresolved in the central conflict. This episode gives us the best look at the Jedi who have been killed in the series and their personalities, Sol jealous that Master Indara was able to take Torbin as a Padawan. Torbin meanwhile longs to end their reconnaissance mission and return to Coruscant and his training.
It is frustrating that these characters have been more peripheral in the series with their personalities and backstories fleshed out more here. It shows Sol’s immediate connection to Osha. Reframing the events of the earlier episode cleverly juxtaposes Mae and Osha’s perspectives on the Jedi coupled with the coven. In some ways, both stories are true continuing the series’ murky morality and questioning who is in the right.
There is a sense of scale and visual style that helps elevate this episode over its predecessor and it helps make that episode stand out more. Viewers will see the episode differently with certain moments expanded upon to paint a completely different picture.
Whether or not this episode needed to be entirely flashbacks remains to be seen but it helps contextualise events from the Jedi’s perspective showing that there was more to the events than meets the eye, setting us on the path the series has been on. It is refreshing to see more of the Jedi going about their business and charting Sol’s evolution in particular. However with just one episode to go the show has many loose ends to tie up, and with the mixed reception a second season is far from guaranteed, so we can only hope it gets a satisfying conclusion.
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Chris Connor
