Here we are! The season finale, the culmination of everything The Acolyte has been building up to…
And how do you say “faceplant” in Aurebesh?
(Just kidding. I already know Aurebesh.)
Slipping down the slope
When we last saw our favorite (by process of elimination) Jedi/Sith twins, they were split up. At this episode’s beginning, Mae is being held captive by Sol, who wants to tell her the truth about her origins, and Osha is seeing visions of Sol’s death with Qimir. But why would we get answers at this point in the game? We’ve waited this long, now we must wait 30 more minutes.
I was severely disappointed by Mae’s immediate escape from Sol. Since episode 5, I expected a master-apprentice swap: I thought Osha would end up training under Qimir and Mae would be trained by Sol. So I was looking forward to Sol and Mae getting an honest 1-on-1 conversation for the first time, but alas.
(Also, does Pip like Mae now? Or does Mae like Pip? And Pip dislikes Osha now? (I mean, Osha did sacrifice him to defeat Qimir, so that part holds up.) This whole concept of a pet droid switching sides is one of the few consistently compelling plot points.)
Slowly, all the groups converge on Brendok. We get some good lightsaber duels and parallels with Qimir/Sol and Osha/Mae, and this is where The Acolyte’s strengths shine. Scenes like this one, with such unique lightsaber moves, or Mae’s flight to Brendok through the planet’s ring, are visually stunning. If only the plot itself was made to match.
In the first half of this episode, I was genuinely having fun. The imagery of Mae climbing up from the bridge where Sol left her for dead was great. And those lightsaber moves! It’s subtle, but the differences between Jedi/Sith techniques and the shifting nature of Osha and Mae’s fighting styles are very nice. I wish we had a previous training scene with Osha and Yord to further highlight her changes here, but I’m not picky.
Then… we came to the reveal we’ve been waiting all season for. Finally, we’ll understand the truth behind Osha and Mae’s creation! And…
*check notes* Was the writing room high or something?
Was this written episode-by-episode?
Am I an idiot or does the “you’re the same person” explanation still not hold water?
First off, I thought “Your mothers created you with the Force!” was Sol’s big “reveal,” which felt both insulting and confusing. Yeah, I didn’t assume Aniseya physically impregnated Koril! Wasn’t that the initial assumption of everyone watching the show? This isn’t our first “woman was impregnated by the Force” rodeo!
Ugh, I don’t love verbalizing that.
Back to the point. Thankfully, there was more to Sol’s speech than just this. He goes on to give a more (arguably less) solid explanation: Osha and Mae are not twins nor sisters but the same person. And then no one elaborates on this!
How does this make any sense??
Throughout this show, we’ve seen Osha and Mae acting separately. They’ve always had their own personalities and choices, ever since they were kids! How would they be the “same person” if Mae wanted to stay in her coven and Osha wanted to join the Jedi? Are they supposed to represent a single person’s struggle to choose between the dark and the light? And if so, why wasn’t this delivered or foreshadowed better?
And yes, I’ll bring this up again: I thought they were a Force dyad! My initial assumption following episode 3 was that their moms used the Force to create them, but they had to tap into both sides of it, resulting in one daughter who was born for the light and another for the dark.
This would’ve elaborated on the whole “created with the Force” premise while highlighting the differences between the sisters. And there could have been a last-minute plot twist of Osha being dark side and Mae being light. (I have a longer post on that HERE.) Osha would end up with Qimir and Mae would end up with Sol, both of them believing this was where they would always find themselves: on opposite sides.
But ugh, believe it or not, we have more nonsense to unpack before we finish unloading this suitcase of confusion.
How do you mess up a “fall to the dark side” arc?
When Yord died in episode 5, I was genuinely distraught. He was a strong, solid character with a lovely connection to Osha, and his death felt very impactful. Jecki’s too, honestly.
But Sol’s death was such an intense disappointment, and it didn’t come with the bittersweetness of Yord and Jecki.
It’s as if the show genuinely doesn’t understand where its strengths lie. Without a doubt, Sol and Osha’s bond was the strongest emotional connection. From Sol’s enduring care for Osha in the first two episodes to Sol being the only person in her life Osha wants to protect, their love for each other was obvious. This is what made the lazy “twist” in episode 7 hurt. It’s not that Sol killed Aniseya (I mean, come on, that scene was ridiculous) but that he hid the truth from Osha for so long. Sol was the only person Osha trusted, and it makes sense that learning how deeply he lied to her would cause her to snap.
Maybe it could even work for Osha to unlock her dark side and kill him! In a better show, this would be fine! Better than fine!
But the way The Acolyte handles Sol’s death incends me.
First off, there’s nature of Osha’s “dark side.” In this scene, she Force-chokes Sol to death, breaking his kyber crystal and turning it red. The throwback to Qimir’s test for Mae of “killing a Jedi without a weapon” almost works.
But Osha has never demonstrated a dark side or even hinted at it. From the beginning, she was the one who used the Force peacefully in nature while Mae tried to torture a butterfly. In the time since, we’ve seen flashes of Osha being violent, such as her attempt to shoot Mae in episode 2. But we’ve also seen many instances of her being kind and trying to help others, such as her rescue of the other prisoner in episode 1. She clearly cared for her former master and friends. Her residual emotions over her past, however, made her unable to accept the Jedi Code. How does any of this lead to her killing Sol? Her whole initial motivation to join the Jedi was to be “good” and help the galaxy. That’s not a sign of someone hiding evil intent.
This could’ve worked. Giving Osha a latent darkness she struggles to stamp down would’ve been great, especially when paired with Mae’s more casual nature. Osha could have rebelled against Mae and her parents by trying to join the Jedi and become good, ultimately failing to do so and walking away. Then, in her return, Sol could voice his fears for her alongside Yord. This would’ve given us a perfect climax: Osha would fight against Qimir and try to find Sol, tying herself desperately to him as her sole point of light. Then, when Sol is revealed to have lied to her, Osha’s snapping would make perfect sense.
Even then, after this point, Osha cutting herself off emotionally from Sol and turning to Qimir would work. But this is not so in the show we got!
And here’s my second point. Whether or not the show wants to explore Osha’s dark side, regardless of who kills him – Sol’s death needs to hold weight. Osha loved him, after all, and failing to acknowledge the mental toll of his loss is a massive disappointment. You can argue that the scene is about her accepting her darkness, but we haven’t seen anything implying she has any of it! This is an emotional climax that is frustratingly and incredibly undeserved.
Sol is never mentioned after this! He dies, there’s still half of the episode left, and Osha doesn’t say his name once! She doesn’t grieve for him, angrily rebuke him, or let herself acknowledge that he died at her hand!
Instead, we return to our least-favorite (by process of elimination) Jedi/Sith twins. Or, Sith/Sith now? Who’s to say?
Emotional investment? What’s that?
I’m so confused by the ending. We have Osha and Mae reunited, but where’s the emotional weight? Why do they suddenly trust each other enough to leave their survival in each other’s hands? Why do they like each other??
It’s shockingly disappointing. I really thought I liked this show, but such a blatant misuse of its emotional resources is a major let-down. Osha and Mae’s sudden love for one another feels like gaslighting. There’s been nothing between these two since episode 3, and using them as a replacement for the tragic connection between Osha and Sol so last minute is a marked failure. I’m not looking forward to Osha learning the dark side just to find Mae again. How is that compelling enough for viewers?
I’m still bitter that all my favorite characters ate it – Yord, Jecki, and Sol – and it seems like I cared about them more than Osha did! She yells at Qimir for Yord and Jecki’s deaths exactly one time then never brings them up again. Even Sol never comes to mind after his death at her hand! Throughout this entire show, especially the first half of this final episode, Sol is Osha’s strongest connection. He is the one she cares the most about, the only one she trusts, her sole (ha) ally. With all that in mind, it makes sense that discovering his betrayal would cause Osha to snap. But she doesn’t. Instead, she kills Sol in anger then instantly replaces his presence with Mae. All of her feelings for Sol are transferred to her sister, but she never acknowledges this. Instead, she goes on pretending like being with Mae is where she wants to be.
Given the unfinished ending of the show, a second season almost makes sense. However, in the final episode, The Acolyte subverts your expectations for its future. In my review of the previous episodes, I anticipated Osha and Mae switching places, thrown back onto opposite sides of the Force. With Osha and Mae and Qimir teamed up, where’s the tension? Where’s the drama??
Oh geez, I don’t even want to get into Qimir’s presence here, but I guess I have to! It’s so bizarre. With Mae, he was a menacing master who preyed on her pain and used her just so he wouldn’t have to be alone. When she tried to abandon him, he tried to kill her. But with Osha, Qimir acted sympathetic and understanding, encouraging her to explore the depths of her abilities (which abilities??) with him as her teacher. (Also, he kept hitting on her. That was weird.) However, when we come to the finale, Qimir is alone with the twins and barely doing anything after Sol’s death. He just hovers around Osha and Mae, awkwardly waiting for them to finish their reunion so he can deus ex machina both of their positions. The mind-wipe… seriously? What is this, Superman 2?
Stumbling off the stage
I’m still so lost over the ending. Earlier, Osha refused to be trained by Qimir for no real reason. One can assume this is because she still trusted Sol and believed in the Jedi, but Qimir did kill her friends! How is that not a red flag for her? There’s no discussion about the light and dark side, goodness and evil, etc… why is Osha treating the possibility of joining Qimir like a summer camp she doesn’t like?
The whole nonsense with Mae being all “Osha, go with him, fulfill your destiny, I won’t stop you this time” is even more frustrating. You can’t just say things and make them mean something, Mae! What are you even talking about?? Osha is clearly just going with Qimir for your sake! How is becoming a Sith her “calling” like being a Jedi was? She’s going under duress this time! And if you’re trying to tell me she isn’t, then why is she choosing Qimir?? Couldn’t we have gotten one glimpse of Osha harboring dark tendencies to make this final choice feel like “inevitable destiny” or whatever??
Sure, you could almost do something interesting by turning Osha into the titular Sith acolyte. But there was far and away not enough foreshadowing or build-up to make that final scene hit hard. (Also, stop trying to hold her hand, Qimir, it’s getting creepy.) I watched this show waiting for a role swap, making Osha into Qimir’s acolyte and Mae into Sol’s. Then the second season would hold more anticipation as the two opposite sides both fight to claim the other. And having Osha and Sol oppose one another would be a great basis for Sol’s redemption arc and a well-deserved eventual reconciliation! Come on, you’re really going to tell me we’re never getting an “I know you’re in there somewhere” scene with Sol and Osha? The audacity!
Because having characters who care about each other on different sides of the Force is fun! That was the whole Reylo appeal, after all! Ending TLJ with Rey and Kylo tearfully confessing their love and agreeing to eventually reunite wouldn’t be nearly as compelling! You want them to have tension and drama before that point! Having Osha and Mae fix all their issues is a weak lead-in for a second season.
Also, Qimir called his mind wipe “permanent” (yeah, right) which is both too implausible to accept and too wildly out of left field to sink in. First off: if this show gets a second season there’s no way Mae’s going to be an amnesiac forever. And even if she is, what’s that supposed to mean? We’re just going to watch Osha try and develop a relationship with someone she doesn’t really know anymore? Is that what we’re doing here?
Secondly, ugh. We couldn’t have gotten one scene earlier in the show to establish Qimir’s magical mind wipe? You’re supposed to work with what we’ve seen, not toss out brand-new powers at the eleventh hour! Hell, it’s more like the twelfth at this point.
I know people called this show weird, but it wasn’t until this scene that it really sank in for me.
Spots of light
We get one flash of something decent near the finale’s end. The reveal of Vernestra as Qimir’s former master is a good one. It ties her more strongly into the (remaining) core cast of the show as more than just Sol’s friend. From the way Qimir talked about his past, he seemed to imply he was far older than he looked, but this has been disproven here. So that’s a little disappointing, but I can deal with it.
(Honestly, I spent every second right before Sol’s weird Viking funeral hoping he wasn’t dead and Vernestra was covering his survival really well. Oh, how hope hurts.)
It’s almost implied that we are getting the role switch I desired: we have Osha at Qimir’s side and Mae working with the Jedi, hidden by Vernestra. But Vernestra doesn’t seem as willing to train and work with Mae as Sol would’ve been. And Vernestra doesn’t have the same connection to Osha as Sol, weakening the intended parallel. Having Sol be the one to take Mae under his wing with the hope of saving Osha would make far more sense. Now, it just seems like Vernestra is going to use Mae for information she doesn’t have. There’s no real future implication for her. Couldn’t we at least get a hint of Vernestra planning on training Mae, using that untapped potential she’s forgotten all about?
I’m still pissed about Sol’s death. It genuinely would’ve been so cool for Vernestra to have hidden his survival, ordering him to train Mae in secret so that they’d have a powerful student to stand against Qimir and Osha. Then there would be another layer of Sol agreeing to this with an underlying motivation: not to defeat Osha, but to save her. Why couldn’t we have gotten this??
Miniseries = standalone ≠ The Acolyte
The ultimate betrayal of The Acolyte’s finale is Osha’s silence after Sol’s death. This should’ve affected Osha significantly – she’s killed for the first time, murdered her father figure, and tapped into her dark side. The transference of her love for Sol onto Mae is weak and ineffective, attempting an emotional finale that falls dramatically short.
The show comes so close to functioning as a standalone miniseries – a disappointing one, sure, but a miniseries nonetheless. The lack of closure on Sol’s death leaves Osha’s character feeling remarkably callous and fickle. Her relationship with him truly was The Acolyte’s strength, and dropping it so suddenly is inexcusable. Osha’s failed characterization build-up, Mae’s poorly-developed motivations, Sol’s unfair and hasty end… a decent finale really could’ve wrapped up all these plot threads nicely, but instead we’re given a messy, stumbling exit from a show rife with potential.
It honestly hurts to know we might not even get a second season. I might not like this show, but I dislike unfinished stories far more. My only hope is that season 2 would give us Sol as a Force ghost, but I’m not holding my breath. If this show couldn’t give him a proper send-off now, why should it treat his character any better later on?
I’ll have a full series review up next week. Until then, when I’m left with this episode, all I can think is “This is what we were building up to? This?”
Eh, the end credits song wasn’t bad. But the Yoda and Darth Plagueis cameos felt like a desperate clinging for a second season.
Without a doubt, this show peaked at episode 5. The potential from there on out was vast, but alas. Let’s see if we get a season 2 and if The Acolyte can build from its mistakes. But those are two very precarious ifs.
RIP Sol, you were the best character. I’ll shed a tear for you since no one else will!
For the last time, here are my live notes! Can you tell I tend to talk during movies?
(Also, I know it’s “peaked” and not “piqued” in the last slide, mea culpa.)
