The Acolyte season finale has arrived, offering an excellent showdown, choices made, along with some teases for the future. Let’s break it down!
The eighth episode of The Acolyte (titled “The Acolyte” and directed by Hanelle Culpepper) is out now on Disney+ and brings the first (hopefully) season of the live-action show to a close. Between an impressive fight sequence, some emotional beats, and some genuine holy shit moments, the finale mostly manages to stick the landing; even as it highlights some of the issues that have plagued the series throughout.
As always, I’m going headfirst into spoilers for this episode, so if you haven’t watched yet come back later. In the meantime, get caught up with my previous recaps here: Episode 1 & 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7.
It’s All Led to This
“The Acolyte” is fairly straightforward episode. All the pieces have been laid on the table, the sins of the past have been revealed, and all that remains is a final confrontation. As Sol and Mae return to Brendok, Osha and Qimir head out to meet them. The result is one seriously impressive action scene (even in a show filled with them), that had me on the edge of my seat.
Sprinkle in some solid character beats (Sol continues to be one of the most engaging characters) and some Jedi politicking, and we’re treated to a memorable finale we’ll be picking apart and thinking about for a while. By and large, it works pretty well though the ending isn’t as “definitive” as I’d hoped, or as much as the showrunner intimated.
The main “Jedi killer” story is pretty much wrapped up in regards to the Brendok incident. All those who knew about the Sith are now dead or mind-wiped, and whatever happens next will feel like all new territory. In that way, yes, the finale does a solid job of pulling things to a close.
There are a number of dangling plot threads, however. Combined with a couple cameos (Yoda and Plagueis) and it feels like too much of a setup for what’s to come. The main mystery about the twins, literally being one person in two bodies brings up some interesting ideas/questions, but there’s no time to deal with them. The connection between Vernestra and Qimir was more explicitly laid out, but still not fully addressed. Plus we’ve got the Senator pushing for Jedi oversight plot line that’s been expanded on.
Don’t get me wrong, all of these things are interesting and I’m eager to know more. David Harewood’s appearance as Senator Rayencourt is a particular highlight for the whole episode. Talk about making the absolute most out of limited screentime. But in the context of the main story about Osha/Mae, it feels too much like setting up for the future, rather than paying off the current plot.
It’s Like Poetry
One of the things I’ve enjoyed most—and think has been cleverly handled overall in the series’ eight episodes—is how The Acolyte strives to brings everything full circle (both visually and thematically). This finale does a pretty great job of closing the circles presented within the show, and it was neat seeing all those little connections slot into place.
I’m not going into all of them, but here are a few that really stood out to me:
Osha and Mae – this is probably the most obvious one, but how the episode conveys their complete shift in roles is neat. Visually, Mae is now wearing the white outfit; to the point of carrying around Pip and engaging with him much the same as Osha did earlier on. Meanwhile, Osha is donning darker clothes more reminiscent of Mae’s earlier, “acolyte” attire.
On the thematic side of things, we see Mae shift from seeking revenge, to seeking justice as Osha allows her anger to consume her. Mae’s shift stems from only ever wanting to be with her sister and having that sense of family. Osha meanwhile, always felt like her choices were taken away from her and that she wasn’t free to make her own choices. In the end, we see how both get what they’ve wanted, just not at all in the way we expected.
The No Weapon Conundrum – along those same lines, we see how Osha ultimately accomplishes the “final lesson” Mae was tasked with. Not only in killing all the Jedi involved in the Brendok incident (the last being Sol), but doing so without a weapon.
Mae struggled with this idea, believing brute force was the only way forward, but Osha completes the task without thinking about it. In the end, this feels more in line with the Sith tenets anyway; fully giving into your emotions to attain power. And in doing so, finding freedom outside of the “rules” you expected to follow.
Killing the Dream – beyond that, Osha killing Sol brings another aspect full circle. At the end of the first episode, the Stranger tells Mae, “The Jedi live in a dream…an Acolyte kills the dream.” In Osha’s act of killing Sol, we see this happen in a more literal fashion.
The man has clearly wanted some form of redemption for the guilt he feels about the events on Brendok. Something he thought training Osha would bring him, but in lying to her for all those years, betraying the fatherly role she saw in him, Sol’s dream dies along with him.
Lightsaber – After killing Sol, we see Osha “bleeding” the Kyber crystal and turning it crimson. It’s something referred to in the comics and novels (even shown in Jedi Survivor), but this marks the first time we’ve seen the practice in live-action.
I loved it. Beyond the initial moment and all it symbolizes, it also makes Sol a permanent part of Osha’s path. As Sol said, he always felt he was called to helped Osha fulfill her destiny. In a twisted way, now he has.
All the Elements
Generally speaking, I enjoyed The Acolyte on the whole. There’s a lot to love, with frequent flashes of brilliance throughout (and including the finale). I liked where things “ended” and where the characters wound up, ultimately. The problem, however, is it felt like we didn’t have enough time for everyone to get there satisfactorily.
Pacing has been an issue throughout the season, and one I’ve mentioned a few times. Much like I pointed out in my initial review (back before the premiere), so much of the story’s pacing and execution feels directly in line with how the Prequels were handled. Story knows what it wants/needs to do in order to get to a certain point, and says fuck all to get to it.
We’re given all the context clues surrounding certain decisions to be able to connect the dots in our heads onto how characters got to their mindset…but we aren’t really shown those moments.
Take the first moments between Osha and Qimir in this episode, for example. Donning the helmet clearly unlocks something within Osha. We see how she, inadvertently, begins trying to dominate Qimir’s mind (using the same power of her Mother). It’s a neat sequence and when Qimir is finally able to remove the helmet, Osha is distinctly…different.
There’s a strength/confidence to her mannerisms and interactions with Qimir that wasn’t there before. More so, she’s once again able to call on the Force, even going toe to toe with Mae despite always being presented as the “weaker” of the two. We can intuit that something she saw within the mask (within herself) shifted her perspective, but it still feels a bit jarring within the time given.
I mean, she goes from being weary of Qimir, wanting to return to the Jedi, to them being partners heading to Brendok together within…hours? The events of this episode picks up after “Teach/Corrupt” so we’re talking less than a day’s worth of actual time.
Room to Breathe
Then there’s Darth Plagueis…or who we assume that is. I don’t know who else the figure hiding out in the cave watching Osha and Qimir leave would be. Despite what goobers on YouTube want to make you believe, Leslye Headland has been on point with utilizing the lore (both Canon and Legends) within Star Wars. As such, I HIGHLY doubt she’d introduce a character who looks exactly like depictions we’ve gotten of Darth Plagueis and have it not be him.
This is, undoubtedly, a holy shit moment. I was on my feet, had to pause/rewind, and still thinking about it. It’s cool. Unfortunately, it’s also just kind of…there. We’re not given any context for his random appearance here, and honestly the placement feels odd. More than Yoda popping up at the end, it feels like Plagueis watching Osha and Qimir (upon their return) would have been a more apt stinger.
Throwing him in the middle of an episode leaves one to believe we’ll get some sort of explanation for the random encounter at some point within the episode (especially being the finale). When nothing is followed up on, it feels too much like a dangling/forgotten thread more than a tease for the next chapter of the story to be told.
None of this is to say I’m not wanting them to spoon-feed us information either. I just wanted more time to see certain elements play out a bit more naturally. The interactions/dialog between Osha and Qimir are some of my favorite character moments and more time spent with them, developing their dynamic, would have gone a long way.
In the end, it feels like an issue of sticking to the eight-episode formula. Either more episodes, or simply consistently longer ones would have helped. We could have gotten more on the political plot with Vernestra (the scene with Senator is TOP TIER great), and I would have loved to see Osha and Mae as adults together a bit more. Again, all the elements are in place to ensure where everyone ended up works. I just wish it had been shown a bit more to really bring the emotional levels higher.
What’s Next
Currently there’s no season two announcement for The Acolyte, and no telling when we might find something out about it. That said, the door is wide open for a lot of different stories to play out. We have Vernestra who’s still acting a little suspicious (who was she trying to get a hold of earlier?) and engaging in another cover up for the Jedi’s mishandling of situations. Plus she’s now working to actively find her old pupil, Qimir, with the help of Mae.
Senator Rayencourt definitely feels like he’s hiding something. The fact he knew about the “investigation” happening despite it being kept even from the Jedi Council is curious. Could he be in league with the Sith as well? Could be a neat connection to see how the Sith go from using politicians before shifting into BECOMING politicians (Palpatine) to achieve their goals.
Then there’s Osha and Qimir. How will their role in the Sith lineage work out. We know all roads inevitably lead to Palpatine being Plageuis’ apprentice and eventually taking over as Master, so where do they come into play. Is Qimir using Osha to try and usurp Plagueis (as I’ve been theorizing), or will they end up being failed apprentices and discarded? Perhaps leading them down different paths outside of the Sith/Jedi dynamic.
There’s a lot that could happen in a hypothetical season two, and I’m crossing my fingers we’ll get word on it before too long.
Easter Eggs
Wrapping things up doesn’t mean there aren’t a few Easter eggs and references sprinkled about for fans to notice.
Targeting Computer – The targeting computer Sol pulls up when chasing down Mae resembles the same tech we saw in the original Star Wars film aboard the Falcon.
Rayencourt – this isn’t so much an Easter egg as it is some neat foreshadowing. Near the end of their conversation, Senator Rayencourt tells Vernestra:
“You project an image of goodness and restraint, but it’s only a matter of time before one of you snaps. And when, not if, that happens, who will be strong enough to stop him?”
Some dark foreshadowing of what happens when Anakin ultimately “snaps” and brings down the Jedi Order (as we knew it).
Tarsunt – We get to see Chancellor Drellik in this episode and it turns out he’s a Tarsunt, the same alien species who’s the Chancellor when Hosnian Prime is destroyed in The Force Awakens.
Single-Stroke Battle – paying homage to the samurai films that frequently inspire Star Wars, Qimir and Sol have a version of the iconic single-stroke battle, as they charge each other with blades drawn.
Strike Him Down – When Mae snatches Sol’s lightsaber, Qimir’s instructs Mae to “Strike him down, and your journey will be complete.” This echoes Palpatine’s line in Return of the Jedi as he tells Luke Skywalker, “Strike me down with all your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!”
Pupil of Mine – another dialog callback hits near the end of the episode as Vernestra is enlisting Mae’s aid. When Mae asks who she wants her to find, Vernestra says, “a pupil of mine, before he turned to evil.” Almost word for word what Obi-Wan says to Luke when first discussing Darth Vader.
For all the issues I’ve mentioned with the series, there’s no denying how much fun I’ve had with it week-to-week. I’ve already rewatched several episodes multiple times, and I can see myself revisiting this series down the road more than almost all of the other Star Wars series we have so far.
It’s not perfect, but when it hits, it hits HARD and shows a lot of potential for the stories it could tell. It’s always nice when Star Wars takes bigger swings with the stories it chooses to tell. Ultimately The Acolyte hits more than it misses and I’m very much in need of more.
