Episode 5 was a paradigm shift for The Acolyte. In just 35 minutes, it recontextualized the entire past of the show and left multiple bodies in its wake. In its aftermath, episode 6 had a lot to live up to – but it ultimately failed to deliver the same punch as its predecessor.
When we last left our favorite light/dark twins, Osha was found by Qimir and Mae was pretending to be her sister in front of Sol. With their roles reversed and both of them trapped with their opposite masters, how would events pan out?
Well. Exactly how you’d expect them to, really.
There are decent moments to talk about here, but for the most part it’s incredibly simplistic. This was longer than episode 5, but so much more happened last week! Maybe episode 6 wouldn’t feel this disappointing in a binge-watch (like how I always watch The Mandalorian), but it feels this way when it’s separated from the previous one by seven days. (Or ten, depending on when I get around to watching it!)
Jedi-Sith twins on opposite sides, let’s go
Let’s go over the positives before the main plot.
The parallels between Osha and Mae were fun. First off, there’s the obvious role switch: Mae with Osha’s Jedi master and Osha with Mae’s Sith master. Observing the twins interacting with the opposite sides of the Force isn’t too bad, but the parallel doesn’t go as hard as it could’ve. Osha is able to face her dark side with Qimir, whereas Mae is hiding her own from Sol. Instead of watching Sol try to turn a Sith and Qimir try to turn a Jedi, we’re only given half of the formula.
And then there’s the way both twins arm themselves quickly, ready to fight their enemies. They both reach for a knife, and they are both willing to kill their captors without a plan. I loved how unpredictable Osha and Mae’s “reunion” was last episode, and I hope we’ll get something similar in the finale. Committed dark-side Mae is so much more interesting than the fragile apprentice I expected back in episode 2.
Baby Jedi, adult Sith
If my theory about Mae and Osha being a Force dyad is wrong – and I’m not letting go of it yet – this would’ve been the best place to reveal it. Imagine both Sol and Qimir trying to tap into the twins’ untouched potential. But there’s no nuance to their interactions with their respective masters, none at all. What you expect is what you get.
It’s very disappointingly routine. Qimir feeds Osha all the predictable dark side lines: “you have more power than you know,” “your passion and anger should not be ignored,” “the Jedi forbid attachment but I can give you that,” etc. It’s as if an AI bot was fed all of Palpatine’s speeches for Anakin and regurgitated them back up. Can’t we have something a little more interesting?
Here and there, we get glimmers of something more, such as Qimir’s implication that Osha holds more abilities than she thinks, or Osha’s line about how it’s wrong to attack an unarmed opponent, echoing Mae’s “attack me with all your strength” catchphrase. But these moments are few and far between, interrupted by gorgeous settings, Qimir’s bare chest, or the most cliched “join me” speech you ever heard.
And we get tastes of Qimir’s backstory, too. (Side note: I’m never calling him “the stranger” like Wookieepedia. I don’t care if Qimir isn’t his real name.) The implication that he’s far older than he looks was good, but the reveal that he used to be a Jedi before his master tried to kill him just reeks of Kylo Ren from TLJ. Don’t we have more creative flashbacks than this? Or am I doubting the show too much, and this is just a lie Qimir is telling Osha to make her trust him?
Osha and Qimir’s dynamic is certainly something. Qimir’s acknowledgment of Osha’s feelings for Sol was my favorite part, and his attempts to make her view him as a new master weren’t terrible. But there was an angle of his seduction that caught my attention the most, one that showed Qimir might crave a different kind of relationship with Osha than Sol.
I mean, Qimir was definitely flirting with Osha, right?
There were lines here and there that hinted at this: Qimir’s “If you’re not gonna join me” line when he was bathing, the emphasis on “desire” as one of the Sith’s accepted traits, the way he touched Osha’s wrist when she tried to attack him… I’m not reading too much into this, am I?
At the very least, a development like this with Osha and Qimir would be different. Why is it Osha whom he’s choosing to train? What is it about her specifically that draws him to her? Adding this extra layer would make this whole episode hit harder. You don’t have to make their relationship romantic – I’m not encouraging Osha to get with this guy! – but make it personal. Don’t give Qimir the old “we have cookies” Sith boilerplate!
Baby Sith, adult Jedi
Sol and Mae’s circumstances require a different dynamic. With Mae taking on Osha’s persona, we get a whole episode of Mae having a terrible poker face instead of Sol trying to guide her into the light side. I liked the way Mae spoke about Osha in this roundabout manner, and Sol’s inability to instantly recognize her made sense, given his circumstances. I was surprised Osha’s tattoo wasn’t relevant, though.
The scene where Sol hugs Mae! Oh man, did that one hurt. I think I actually made a yelping noise. I loved the intensity of it and Sol’s gratitude to who he thinks is Osha. Now I really need Sol and Osha to get a proper hug at some point, or it’ll be Hera and Ezra all over again!
Alongside Mae, we are promised the truth of Brendok from Sol. However, once again, such a reveal is pushed back another week. At least it looks like we’ll finally get answers this time around. And I’m looking forward to some genuine Sol-Mae interactions without any deception.
(Side note: Pip lives! And I was a little disappointed. I didn’t really care about this droid until I thought he was sacrificed, so his return felt a little lackluster. But hey, with all of Osha’s friends dead it’ll be nice for her to be reunited with her droid. So I can approve of this plot point.)
Old Jedi were built differently (poorly)
Separate from all of this nonsense, there’s actual shit going on down at the Temple. Vernestra – whose name I definitely didn’t have to repeatedly look up – is one of the few surviving named characters of this show, so she might eat it in the finale. But on her end, she’s investigating Sol’s report and learning the fragmented truth of what happened on Khofar. The vague background of Jedi-government tensions isn’t bad here, and I love Vernestra’s whip-saber. And it’s just hilarious that the Jedi are like “there are a lot of really big moths on this planet, maybe that’s how two dozen of our people died?” Yeah, sure, go with that guys. You deserve to get Order 66’ed at this point.
But agh, the twist of the Jedi assuming that Sol committed this massacre himself – now that’s devious. I’m hoping we’re building up to a proper parallel here, with Sol being on the run in the finale, like Osha was in the beginning. Or maybe Sol will fake his death and leave the Jedi to be with Osha? (Hey, a girl can dream.)
Two episodes left, countless plot points to go
I praised episode 5 for its unexpectedness and novelty. Episode 6, however, was exactly what I thought would happen, and I’m disappointed. I’d hoped for something more. There are still two episodes to go, though, and I’m thoroughly invested all the same.
At this juncture, I can’t yet tell if The Acolyte is slated for a second season. Given that Osha is having her crisis of faith at the 75% mark, it would make sense for her story to continue past the remaining two episodes. Maybe we’re in store for what I predicted after episode 4: we’ll get a true role reversal, with Osha falling to the dark side with Qimir and Mae finding the light side with Sol. It’d be a nice subversion. If season 1 ends with the sisters on opposite sides once more, then the potential for season 2 would be bountiful. Imagine Mae and Sol fighting to save Osha, finally united as Osha lets Qimir lead her deeper into the dark. Or maybe season 1 would end with Osha killing Qimir, marking her rite of passage as a Sith, and searching for an apprentice of her own.
As much as I say this, though, I’d be really bummed at the absence of Yord and Jecki in season 2. Maybe they can come back as Force ghosts trying to help Osha? That’d be amazing.
Oh, how this show plays with my heartstrings, letting me down and tossing me back up over and over again.
Here are my live thoughts!
