Surprise surprise, the Jedi were wrong
As the first episode opened with Mae killing Indara, the second one has her attempting to kill another Jedi, Torbin. I was interested by how Mae said the same line to both of them: “Attack me with all your strength.” It sounded very personal, as if she’s been overwhelmed in defeat before and now wants to prove herself. Or maybe she’s trying to goad the Jedi into fighting her, as if to justify her actions to herself. Either way, Torbin’s meditation shield prevents her from harming him and she is forced to retreat.
On the other side of the galaxy, Osha is being brought to the Order by Sol and his Padawans. In both the previous episode and this one, I greatly enjoyed the dynamics here. Osha and Jecki’s casual bonding, Yord’s stiffness and distance, Sol’s sense of trust in all his kids – I’d watch a whole show just about these four traveling the galaxy together.
Following this, a plot development occurred that I wasn’t expecting – at least not this soon. Sol passes on the theory of Mae to Vernestra, who accepts it easily, freeing Osha of suspicion and trusting in the existence of Mae. I thought it would take more time for Osha to be believed, creating a dangerous environment where no one trusts her and she must fight to prove herself. But I guess this works too.
Osha and Sol discussing Osha’s tattoo and their history was a sweet scene, even if it didn’t quite scratch the found family itch in my brain. There are still many details unknown about these two – their origin, their divide – and I’m eager to learn more.
Sidekicks – some helpful, some less so
We’ve seen Mae kill/attempt to kill two different Jedi, but here we finally saw her properly interacting with another person. Qimir seemed to only be her poison guy and associate in her assassinations, since he clearly wasn’t Force-sensitive. But Mae talked with him familiarly about her mission, citing a “him” whom Qimir knew. At this point, I couldn’t tell if Mae was killing Jedi because of her personal convictions or because this unknown dark side user was telling her to do so. Which desire came first – revenge or apprenticeship?
Let’s skip ahead to Sol and crew’s investigation of Torbin’s murder. I wrote down “Look at that, Yord’s being useful” in my notes about Yord tailing Osha and confirming she didn’t kill Torbin. He doesn’t trust her, so he follows her, but by following her he proves her innocence.
The gang’s plan to catch Qimir by having Osha pose as Mae was fine, but the subsequent interrogation was better – “I thought he was with you?” made me laugh out loud, and not many SW or Marvel shows get that reaction from me. So props to you, writers. (Also, I’m learning that I can’t recognize Jason Mendoza when his voice is normal.)
Battle scenes with (un)expected outcomes
Once again, this episode surprised me with a plot point I didn’t yet expect. Sol making plans to confront and capture Mae this early on was just a flashing sign of “not going to happen,” but I could suspend my disbelief here. It was Sol’s reassurances to Osha that had me raising my eyebrows. “Have faith in me”? Yeah, sure, you basically raised her for a while and want her to trust you, okay. “Have faith in Mae” when you KNOW that Mae killed her parents and burned down her village? …dude. Did Sol get sensitivity training from Yoda? What kind of an insane thing is that to ask of her??
I was a little proud of myself, though, for realizing that Sol was one of the four Jedi on Mae’s hit list before Osha put it together herself. These are minor reveals, but I’ll take my satisfaction where I can get it.
As with Mae’s duel with Indara at this show’s beginning, the different fighting styles of Mae and Sol were evident. This time, Sol’s reluctance to harm Mae is even greater than Indara’s. Mae, not yet being strong enough to defeat Sol, makes her escape – but runs into Osha along the way. And, interestingly, it’s Osha who takes the first shot at her sister. From her initial reaction, it didn’t look like Mae wanted to fight, but Osha isn’t willing to talk things out. And I can’t blame her.
I liked the rift beginning to form between Osha and Sol. It’s a sharp contrast to their earlier bonding scene and foreshadows further tensions.
And then we see the final Jedi Mae is hunting! I don’t think I’ve seen a Wookiee Jedi since that kid from the season 5 TCW arc. I always love a good live-action Wookiee! And this Jedi, Kelnacca, seems to have isolated himself. Indara was working at a far-off planet, and Torbin was in a state of extended mediation. It looks as if every Jedi on Mae’s list has cut themselves off in some way, with the exception of Sol. Sol either holds the least guilt or played the smallest role in the events of the past, having thrown himself into his training of younglings. What happened all those years ago?
Here are my live thoughts!
Mae’s path is fixed, Osha’s is not – like the show itself
Upon finishing this episode, I was still hooked and invested, but I was getting unsettling vibes. I hope The Acolyte will have a developed take on Jedi as Mae and Osha’s past unfolds. It looks like it could go the unnecessarily edgy route of “the Jedi are the villains, actually.” I’m expecting more nuance, but I’m worried, with Osha having already left the Order and Mae probably having a reason for her murders, that this show will take a strong anti-Jedi stance. The Order certainly has its flaws – I’ll be the first to say that – but this potential angle of The Acolyte would just feel heavyhanded. So I’m hoping that won’t be the case.
I can’t tell yet if Osha will end up rejoining the Order, walking away for good, or finding a middle ground. I’d be a fan of the latter, with Osha making her peace with the Jedi, acknowledging that they’re not for her, and finding her own path. But given that line about how her skillset isn’t “transferrable,” leaving her to work a dangerous job, maybe she can become one of those Jedi who work in the Outer Rim, making a difference on her own.
Also, I probably should’ve realized this sooner, but it wasn’t until episode 2 that it occurred to me how awkward this show is gonna get. It’ll likely be a while until Osha and Mae come face-to-face, but holy CGI will that interaction be weird. To a degree, I get it – it can’t be easy to find twins who are both great actors to lead in your SW show, and casting a singular actress makes your cheap twist work smoothly. But for any future scene when these two fight or argue or even, Force forbid, embrace – agh. It’ll be so cumbersome.
Going into the rest of the show, there’s a great deal of mystery left to uncover, especially about what happened to Osha and Mae as children. My working theory (aka, the least likely outcome) is that the twins were a Force dyad, with Osha holding vast light-side potential and Mae bearing the opposite. The four Jedi who found them tried to harm Mae – think the Luke and Kylo Ren backstory from TLJ – and Mae escaped to fully join the dark side. Currently, Sol is glad to have Osha back, but he worries about how much potential both twins carry and how that power will be used by his former Padawan.
But we’ll see! I’m already enjoying the characters here, which is usually the biggest talking point for me. Let’s hope the rest of The Acolyte will have the same energy!
