Star Wars: The Acolyte Ep 7 Review
I don’t often admit this, as that would mean I wasted my time reviewing something. I always try to see the positives to something before I jump on the hate-train, even if it’s for a franchise I love. However, I’d be lying to myself and you, our readers, if I kept doing this. Let’s just say it like it is: Star Wars: The Acolyte is trash, plain and simple.
I didn’t want to say it, especially after it gave us one of the best lightsaber duels since the Prequel series. But the penultimate episode of The Acolyte was such a waste. For weeks now, the series had been teasing viewers that the full story of what happened on Brendok was so horrific that the Jedi involved had to cover it up. The way Mae was talking, it sounded like the end of the galaxy. And while the show tries to make events seem horrible, and even make the Jedi look like the bad guys, it fails miserably. If anything, the episode-long flashback showing events from the Jedi’s perspective doesn’t make them look bad. It just makes them look stupid. It makes both sides look stupid. Heck, the whole episode makes the entire premise of the show feel stupid!
And look at how many people agree!
The Jedi’s “Epic” Screw Up
So, the episode takes us back to the events on Brendok, but this time, we get to see it from the Jedi’s perspective. As it turns out, contrary to what the Coven thought, Sol, Indarra, Kelnacca, and Torbin weren’t on the planet looking for them. They were just there to study a Force Nexus, or Vergence, as the show calls it. In simple terms, a Force Nexus is a location with a strong connection to the Force; a better known example would the Cave on Dagobah, with that being a Dark Side Nexus. The Jedi wanted to understand how that Nexus allowed Brendok, a planet that had been razed by a hyperspace disaster a century ago, was teeming with life.
Then Sol wound up stumbling upon Mae and Osha, followed them home, and after seeing how strict Mother Kolil was with them, feared the worst. That led to them visiting the coven that night, and everything escalated from there until the night of the fire. On that night, Sol let his fears for the twins get the better of him, and he wound up killing Mother Aniseya by accident. The irony is that she wasn’t even going to fight them. She would’ve let Osha go with them, because she’s a good mother and wants her child to follow their dreams!
As for Torbin, his part in this was him being the reckless and impatient Padawan who just wanted to return to Coruscant. He thought the coven might be connected to the Force Nexus after getting the blood analysis for the twins back, and rushed off to confront them with Sol following. Then when Aniseya died, the Coven retaliated by possessing Kelnacca, only to die when Indara freed him due to the psychic backlash. The whole thing was very poorly written.
Oh, and as for the fire Mae started? It wasn’t intentional. She was just trying to burn Osha’s artbook and it got out of hand.
So, to sum up this entire incident, everyone was acting dumb and paranoid. If both parties had actually talked things out, they would’ve realized that neither had anything to worry about. The Jedi Council said Sol couldn’t take Osha, and Aniseya was willing to let Osha go if she wanted to. That’s what’s supposed to make this a tragic event, but it comes off as bland and boring due to the bad writing.
Who WROTE this STUFF?!?
I already noticed it before, but it was the series fifth episode and it’s awesome lightsaber duel that hammered this fact home. The writing for this series is not that good. It’s trying so hard to make the Jedi out to be the bad guys, and, to be fair, they do screw up. Sol’s desire for his own Padawan led him to make rash decisions, as did Torbin’s desire to go home. The problem is in how poorly executed things are. The show has the Jedi go halfway on their motivations, and you can’t have that. For all their faults, many people still see the Jedi as a force for good, including myself. If the show was really looking to shock me, then it should’ve gone all in on making the Jedi out to be the bad guys. Have Sol intend to take Osha and Mae by force like how Mae thought he would! Instead, we got the half-baked, boring, uninteresting episode that sinks The Acolyte‘s already divisive rep into the gutter.
To be fair, though, there was at least one piece of information we learned that was interesting, and it’s about the twins.
The main catalyst for Torbin and Sol’s rash decision was the readings he got from their blood. Their midichlorian count was high, though that was expected. What wasn’t expected was that their symbionts, or the process of symbiosis between two entities, were exactly the same. As in, they were identically the same, something that should be impossible without outside manipulation.
Here’s my intepretation: Osha and Mae weren’t meant to be twins. They were concieved as a single person, but they were split into two using the Force, each getting a different aspect. Osha is supposed to be the light side, while Mae is the dark side. That’s why there’s all that talk of “the power of two, the power of one.” They’re a single person split in half, hence why they’re played by the same actress.
It’s an interesting concept, but as with much of the show, it’s being poorly executed.
Just Go Watch House of the Dragon Instead
There’s no getting around it, you guys. The Acolyte is not a very well-written Star Wars show. I haven’t seen writing this bad from Disney since Secret Invasion. I don’t even know why I’m going to watch the finale next episode. It feels like I’m rewatching the last two episodes of Game of Thrones all over again! It’s that big of a letdown!
