The Acolyte Day Review: Stakes have never been lower in Star Wars

The Acolyte follows up a promising flashback episode with more of the status quo in Day.

The music is good. Mae’s decision to turn herself in is cool, albeit with little setup. The final scene featuring the mysterious Sith lord is ok but continues the trend of abrupt endings. Jord is more tolerable than Osha in Day.

Everything else in the episode is a bit of a slog to get through. The majority of the episode consists of a pair of almost leisurely walks across the planet of Khofar. Osha, Sol, Yord, Jecki and several other Jedi are trying to reach the Wookie Jedi Kelnacca. Mae and Qimir are also on Khofar, trying to find Kelnacca, so Mae can complete her final test.

Osha, who should be chomping to find her sister, wants to return to her life as a mechanic, which makes her a disappointing, reactive protagonist. Sol eventually convinces her to come with them so they can stop Mae. Lee Jung-jae and Dafne Keen have a couple of decent scenes but the lack of urgency robs the series of stakes.

The series is in this weird place where it either keeps its cards close to the vest or dives into a reveal without building the proper foundation to get there. In four episodes, we still don’t know why Mae is killing these specific Jedi, nor do we know why these Jedi are in isolation while Sol is out in the open. We also don’t know who the acolyte or the Sith leader is. Although it’s pretty clear Mae isn’t the acolyte. Speaking of Mae, her decision to abandon her mission is too spur of the moment.

The lack of attention to detail, boring conversations, and weird character choices hinder this series from reaching its potential.

After the overview and ranking Day 5 out of 10 (Average), let’s dive deeper into the episode’s story. The Acolyte is streaming on Disney Plus.

A New Day for the Aniseya Sisters

Mae and Osha are dealing with the revelations from episode three. The sisters end up where they need to be in the same general location. However, the lack of focus on the sister relationship weakens the final destination.

With Osha’s name clear, she wants to return to her old life away from the Jedi. Osha’s fear of facing and accepting her past is an established flaw. Her being apprehensive about facing her sister makes sense. However, the writing doesn’t let the weight of Mae’s return sit with Osha. It doesn’t feel like Osha facing a heavy burden. For Osha, she’s completed her task. Now, she’s moving on. There’s also the other issue of Osha not caring about her mentors who are now dead.

Mae and Qimir are on Khofar ready to complete Mae’s murder mission. Mae lists out a few obstacles in her way. She has to kill Kelnacca without a weapon. Mae is alive and hasn’t met her master, but she presses on at Qimir’s request. Then, after taking a break, she turns on Qimir and traps him. She decides to turn herself into Kelnacca and gives up on her mission. Mae’s decision is too sudden.

The Dark Side Returns

Elsewhere in Khofar, Osha arrives with Sol, Jecki, Yord, and several more Jedi. They know Mae is also on the planet and are trying to prevent Kelnacca’s death.

The group strolls through the woods and encounters many bulbous roach-like creatures attached to the trees. Osha touches one and wakes it up. Sol steps in and kills the creatures while barely swinging his lightsaber. None of the other creatures wake up. This was a wasted opportunity. Seeing the Jedi use their collective strength to defeat the creatures would have made the ending featuring the apparent Sith lord more impactful. Also, a missed opportunity to show Osha’s increasing force sensitivity.

The best part of the stroll on Khofar was the quick chat between Osha and Yord. Osha doesn’t think she will be able to face her sister. She asks Yord to kill Mae. He refuses, saying he’s known Mae since they were little. Her past has always stood in her way. Charlie Barnett is excellent in this scene and shows sympathy for Osha while remaining emotionally detached.

Everything builds up to the end. Mae arrives at Kelnacca’s secret compound and finds him dead. Moments later, Osha, Sol, etc, arrive. She’s being set up to take the fall but keeps hiding in the compound. Suddenly, a shadowy figure hovers behind Osha. The being tosses Osha aside with a wave and blows the other Jedi away. Day ends before the fight can begin.

Day Final Thoughts

Occasionally, there’s a line of dialogue or moment that works. However, many missing details, such as building up character moments and relationships, make these reveals feel hollow. The Acolyte is a series of struggling to find narrative momentum. Here’s hoping the latter half of the season is better than the first four episodes. At his point, Acolyte is trending to be the weakest Star Wars series.

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