The Acolyte - Episode 3

The third episode of The Acolyte takes a step back exploring the past of Osha (Lauren Brady) and Mae (Leah Brady) coming of age in the commune of witches on Brendok when a group of Jedi arrive. Immediately we notice differences between the twins with Mae being both the more obedient and more aggressive of the sisters and Osha dreaming of a possible life of her own not tied to the witches who raised them. While we see the events which led to the sisters being separated, and mistakenly believing each other had perished, there's plenty of story left unexplored (especially the actions of the Jedi once Osha made her wishes to leave known to them).

There's definite tragedy at the root of the events of Brendok, even if the whole story hasn't yet been told. It's interesting to see the view the witches have towards the Jedi who, from their perspective, have arrived unwelcome and threaten to remove the children who are the future of the coven. Also of interest are some of the discussions between the girls' mothers (Jodie Turner-Smith and Margarita Levieva) and an allusion to how they were conceived. The fact that the truth is kept not only from the Jedi but also the audience suggest there's a big secret yet to be revealed. While we know, roughly, Osha's path after leaving Brendok, Mae's remains a mystery with still quite a bit of backstory needing to be filled in and how she came to serve as an assassin.

There are some aspects where thew show struggles a bit. I think the show could have more subtly shown the darkness in Mae rather than the avert actions we get here. Events still could have played out in the same way. Also, the Ascension ceremony which the Jedi interrupt (arguably going beyond their prevue) is a bit goofy. That said, turning Star Wars on its head by make the Jedi interlopers rather than protectors is one of the more interesting ideas any Star Wars property has done in quite awhile. Given the guilt of Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman), and some of the quick shots we get of Sol (Lee Jung-jae),  Jecki (Dafne Keen) dragging Osha out of the burning temple, I can guess about some of the sequences yet to be revealed which will likely paint the Jedi into even murkier hues.

In terms of where and how this is all explored, in a separate episode in the middle of the series, I think The Acolyte may have done better. This is the weakest episode of the series so far and doesn't give up enough of its secrets to quite justify an entire full episode flashback. However, in exploring new avenues and perspectives within the Star Wars Universe, rather than simply rely on fan service, the show continues to push boundaries which is a welcome change for a franchise that has played things increasingly safe since the divisive reaction to The Last Jedi.

• Title: The Acolyte - Destiny
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