This evaluation accommodates full spoilers for Star Wars: The Acolyte Season 1
The Acolyte’s first season was one filled with potential, bringing Star Wars to a brand new period within the timeline and introducing many compelling themes and ideas that add new layers to this beloved universe. It additionally boasts some terrific motion, together with glorious lightsaber battles that rank amongst the most effective within the franchise – simply the most effective but in any live-action Disney+ sequence. And but it’s additionally stricken by sloppy storytelling and baffling and/or infuriating decisions that result in eight topsy-turvy episodes.
Constructing on George Lucas’ prequel movies and the Excessive Republic novels and comics, The Acolyte – set in between these two eras – places a whole lot of deal with simply how flawed the Jedi are as an establishment and the way their very own strategies assist put them on the trail to their demise. It’s a captivating subject, particularly by means of the lens of the Jedi’s not-as-popular-as-they-might-seem recruitment efforts. And thru each the witches of Brendok and the Sith (or Sith-like – he doesn’t totally embrace the title) often known as Qimir (a.okay.a. The Stranger, performed by Manny Jacinto), we achieve extra of an understanding of how narrow-minded the Jedi are in the case of the Pressure – insisting that there’s just one “proper” approach to make use of its powers, inflicting bitterness and malice to construct towards them consequently.
The strongest character all through Season 1 is Sol. Lee Jung-jae provides a terrific efficiency because the Jedi Grasp, imbuing him with a whole lot of soul (no pun meant) whereas at all times showing like he’s carrying the load of the galaxy on his shoulders. Although we at all times perceive he has regrets and secrets and techniques, showrunner Leslye Headland and her writing crew make it clear Sol is a deeply flawed man up till the bitter finish. We aren’t meant to hate him – he nonetheless clearly has noble intentions within the broad sense – however he’s blinded by his personal biases and need to see himself because the hero of the story. He cannot even admit it was mistaken to take the Pressure-sensitive Mae and Osha (performed as adults by Amandla Stenberg) from their coven after they have been youngsters, the primary in a sequence of tragic occasions that results in Sol killing their mom and the deaths of all her fellow coven members. The character introduces extra nuance into the morality of the Jedi, who we often see as both righteous warriors or unrepentant villains. He tries his greatest, however his greatest sadly isn’t adequate.
If solely the story of how Sol acquired this manner weren’t advised so poorly. The 2 flashback episodes that specify what occurred 16 years prior on the planet Brendok, “Future” and “Alternative,” are extremely irritating. The depiction of those mysterious witches, meant to broaden our notion of how the Pressure is harnessed, got here off as foolish and tacky. What we see of their rituals and customs doesn’t make them look highly effective – it borders on tacky self-parody, regardless of sturdy work by Jodie Turner-Smith and Margarita Levieva as Mae and Osha’s moms.
With 1 / 4 of Season 1’s scant eight episodes devoted to those flashbacks, there’s a whole lot of strain on “Future” and “Alternative” to earn their screentime. But a few of the most exasperating moments happen in these episodes, together with broad explanations which are extremely foolish with out higher exploration. A Jedi whose whole motivation is being homesick; a gaggle possession that simply straight up kills these performing it when it’s damaged; the flexibility to show into some form of smoke monster with the intention to do… one thing… A lot is thrown on the display screen so rapidly, but it surely’s merely the barebones of concepts that don’t get stuffed in. Contemplating the flashbacks are supposed to ship some massively pivotal and impactful moments to the story, that’s a giant drawback.
The place a sequence like Obi-Wan Kenobi seems like a film padded out to fill six episodes of TV, Season 1 of The Acolyte has the other drawback. There’s merely not sufficient time to provide all these characters and ideas their due. The finale hinges a whole lot of its concluding scenes on Vernestra (Rebecca Henderson) and the alternatives she makes within the wake of Sol’s dying, together with her elaborate lies about Sol’s duty for the Jedi murders dedicated by Mae. But whereas Vernestra pops up by means of the season, we by no means by no means really get to know her nicely sufficient for these scenes to have any weight. We perceive within the broad sense that she needs to guard the Jedi and their popularity from outdoors threats, however that’s it.
The Acolyte appeared prefer it was gaining steam on the halfway level of Season 1, when the characters all converge on the planet Khofar and the Stranger makes his presence identified to them. The thrilling fifth episode was simply the standout of your entire season, full of well-choreographed and thrilling lightsaber motion. It’s additionally shockingly and successfully cruel, with Qimir taking out two high-profile supporting characters: padawan Jecki (Dafne Eager) and Jedi Yord (Charlie Barnett). Osha ending up with Qimir is an intriguing flip of occasions, with The Good Place breakout Jacinto having enjoyable taking his innate wit and allure and turning it on its aspect as this alluring dangerous man. This all results in a whole lot of good (and amusingly sexually charged) materials in Episode 6, as Qimir and Osha focus on simply what it means to make use of the Darkish Facet – whilst the remainder of the episode serves to remind us of The Acolyte’s flaws.
Amandla Stenberg does good work as Osha and Mae, giving them distinct bodily presences – after they lastly face off within the season finale, you’ll be able to inform who’s who as a result of there’s such a special bearing to them. However Mae not often works as a personality – she’s in all places emotionally and wildly inconsistent in her actions. She’s waging a bloody marketing campaign of revenge towards the Jedi she blames for her household’s dying, however she rapidly is keen to give up to those self same Jedi. The flashbacks present her vowing to kill Osha for daring to wish to go away Brendok, however that is by no means addressed, and he or she apparently bears no in poor health will in the direction of Osha. We may give you theories and options for what she actually meant, positive, however at a sure level, the burden is on The Acolyte itself to elucidate issues.
Osha is the higher character, with the richer background due to her stint as a Jedi – and the uncontained feelings that led to the top of her time within the order. This involves the forefront in Episode 6 – in considered one of a few instances the Jedi’s strategy to stifling feelings and attachment is known as out. (There’s additionally an amazing scene within the finale the place Senator Rayencourt (David Harewood) questions whether or not this central Jedi tenet is even attainable.)
Besides why was Rayencourt even being introduced in so late within the sport? Positive, he’s setting the desk for a possible Season 2, however that is one other space the place The Acolyte may have advised its story higher. Exploring how the Jedi truly implement the “comprise your feelings, no attachments” guidelines is wise, however we solely acquired it in matches and begins right here. Jecki is fairly hardline about it, but she has a friendly-bordering-on-flirtatious dynamic with Osha. How may Jecki have navigated these conflicting urges inside her? We’ll by no means know, as a result of Season 1 has neither the time nor the time-management expertise to point out us.
The finale has some excessive factors to make certain, as soon as once more proving that Headland and firm took glorious care with their combat scenes. We’ve seen so many lightsaber fights throughout 47 years of Star Wars that they’ll start to blur collectively, however visuals just like the sparks flying off of Qimir’s helmet or Sol Pressure-deflecting two lightsabers flying in the direction of him are genuinely superior.
That episode additionally provides us the efficient, suitably tragic finish of Sol’s storyline, however there’s a lot we don’t get closure on, most notably any precise clarification for the vergence within the Pressure that introduced Osha and Mae into being. It’s one factor to go away some plot threads dangling for a attainable second season, however The Acolyte says “we’ll cope with this later” too many instances for what might be a one-and-done sequence. The finale opens up a number of new doorways – Darth Plagueis is seemingly spying on Qimir and Osha, Rayencourt is a brand new thorn within the Jedi’s aspect, Vernestra goes to talk to Yoda to probably reveal the reality about what occurred to Sol – with out answering fundamental origin-story questions on its primary characters. (Regardless of these two all-flashback episodes!)
I made a working joke in my weekly episode critiques about Yord’s padawan, Tasi Lowa, who we meet briefly within the premiere. She’s an odd inclusion from the get-go, since Yord’s characterization and function within the story – his prim and correct angle and the way different Jedi appeared a bit dismissive of him – don’t actually go hand in hand with giving him a padawan. However look, that would make for an fascinating dynamic: a man who will get little respect nonetheless attempting to be somebody’s mentor. Besides not solely can we by no means see Tasi Lowa after that first episode, she’s by no means even talked about once more. It’s unclear what the purpose of introducing her within the first place is, which feels indicative of The Acolyte’s slapdash nature. There’s a whole lot of “Let’s do that and this and this!” And so lots of the issues they launched have been certainly price exploring. It simply may have been executed so a lot better.
