Star Wars: The Acolyte Ep 3 Review
Disney, you are walking a very fine line with Star Wars right now.
In the week since its premiere on Disney+, The Acolyte has proven to be as divisive as many Star Wars fans feared it would be. Some people were singing its praises online, while others (like me) thought it needed work or outright hated it. I tried to remain optimistic about everything, but then I started hearing rumors that the third episode of The Acolyte would be even more divisive. Some even said it might bring about the end of the franchise. While I know that’s hyperbole and think some things improved, episode 3 left me more confused than ever. As we take a look at Osha and Mae’s childhood and the events that separated them, we see that things…might be exactly how we thought they would.
So, Osha and Mae Were Raised in a Coven…
Turning back the clock sixteen years, episode 3 of The Acolyte focuses entirely on Osha and Mae’s childhood on Brendok. While I’m happy that we don’t have to spend the entire season speculating on what happened before actually seeing it, this flashback episode felt a little premature. If anything, our lack of understanding of all the details left me feeling more confused.
Firstly, we learn that Osha and Mae didn’t have a conventional childhood. They grew up in a coven of witches who saw the Force differently than the Jedi or Sith. They viewed it as a thread that tied people’s destinies together. It sounds strange, but it also blends the beliefs of the Jedi and Sith. Like the Jedi, this coven sees the Force as something that connects everyone and everything. At the same time, they also believe that people can change the destiny the Force has laid out for them. It’s a far more benign version of the Sith’s view of the Force, lacking the power-mad ambitions that the Dark Side tends to bring out in people. And, as the episode shows, Osha desperately wanted to pull on that thread.
…And Osha Was Not Happy With Her Life. And Mae Wasn’t a Good Sister
From the moment she’s introduced, it’s clear to the audience how dissatisfied Osha is living isolated on Brendok with her mothers, the coven, and her sister. She wanted to see the greater galaxy. She couldn’t understand why they had to remain isolated, even if it was for their own good. Not helping matters was that everyone around her expected her to become a witch alongside Mae. Standing up for yourself amidst peer pressure can be scary as an adult. For a kid, it’s like trying to climb a mountain alone! Thus, when Sol and the other Jedi come looking into the coven and offer to test her and Mae, Osha jumps at the chance. The Jedi are giving her a way out of a life she doesn’t want and the opportunity to be among thousands of kids like her.
In contrast to this, though, we have Mae. We are still determining what Mae’s thoughts are regarding Osha in the present day. However, while it’s clear that Mae cares about her sister, this episode shows that their relationship wasn’t healthy as a kid. Mae was very domineering, frequently trying to force Osha to do what she wanted. While one of their mothers, Mother Aniseya, the leader of their coven, encouraged Osha to choose her path in life, Mae seemed to take after their other mother, Koril. Namely, Mae staunchly considered the Jedi evil (for reasons we don’t understand) and refused to consider that her sister may not want the same things she did. And the results are not just tragic, they’re downright horrifying.
As a quick sidebar, I was not too fond of the second of Osha and Mae’s moms, Mother Koriil. She kept being harsh to Osha and refused to consider her wants and needs on the basis that she was a child and didn’t know better. I intensely dislike adults who think they know best for their kids, as while they can understand best, they’re not always right.
Okay, Disney. Start Explaining What You’re Trying to Pull on Us!
Despite my speculating in the premiere that Sol’s group of Jedi kicked off the terrible events on Brendok, in this episode, Mae did start the fire. She did so to kill her sister rather than let her leave with the Jedi, showing just how bad their relationship was at that point. However, I would like to point out that, while the rest of the coven is shown dead, we don’t see who killed them. For all we know, the Jedi may have been the ones to kill them in self-defense.
Moreover, while Mae may not have been the one to destroy their family, that doesn’t change the fact that she still started the fire with the intent to kill Osha potentially. Unless we’re being set up for a significant twist, Mae loses whatever moral high ground she might have had. Either way, I see a lot of fans getting turned off by this.
This episode was not terrible by any means. However, the fact that it left me asking me even more questions doesn’t inspire confidence, Disney. Judging by how people like Star Wars Theory reacted to it (badly), Disney needs to pull itself together on this. Otherwise, people will leave this and end up doubling down on their love for Star Wars before Disney took over, which will inevitably divide the fanbase even more and hurt the franchise in the long run.
