The Acolyte: Episode3

Hello there!

Welcome to my latest episode review for The Acolyte. The reviews will follow my usual format: an overview of the plot (so be aware, there will be spoilers!), my review of the show, then a few “Moments in Canon” – references that link to other media and the galaxy as a whole, though they may be lacking compared to usual as this will be my first foray into the High Republic Era, having not yet read any of those books or comics. Today, we’ll be looking at Episode 3: “Destiny”.

Plot Summary

16 years earlier…

On the planet Brendok, Mae-ho Aniseya finds her twin sister Verosha Aniseya meditating in a forest grove. Osha is nervous about the upcoming Ascension, but Mae insists that it is just a ceremony. While they talk, both use the Force on a nearby insect, and Mae’s actions lead Osha to question her sister’s violent tendencies, to which Mae rebuffs by questioning why Osha always runs off. As they return to the fortress, they are met by one of their coven, Mother Koril, who chastises them for leaving the fortress and entering the woods. As they return to the fortress, none of them realise that they have been seen by the Jedi Sol.

Back at the fortress, Mother Koril and Mother Aniseya disagree on how to treat the twins, as Mother Koril believes that Osha’s continued running away from the fortress will lead to the coven’s discovery. Later, Mother Aniseya attempts to prepare the twins for the Ascension by teaching them the strength of the power of two and the power of many, however they are too busy squabbling to truly pay attention. Mae proves herself, but Osha’s weakness disappoints Mother Koril. Later in their quarters, Osha tells Mother Aniseya that she does not want the Ascension as she is unsure if she wants to be a witch, which upsets Mae. Mother Aniseya says that she only thinks this because she is young. As they prepare for the ceremony, the twins argue again, with Osha saying that she does not want the same as Mae and wants her own life, admitting that she years to see a life beyond Brendok, while Mae is happy there.

That night, the ceremony takes place, and Mae goes through Ascension without hesitation. Osha hesitates before making her vow, but her Ascension is interrupted by the arrival of 4 Jedi at the fortress: Indara, Sol, Kelnacca and Torbin. Though the coven tries to hide the children, Kelnacca spots them and Osha comes forward, with Mae eventually doing so as well. Sol speaks kindly to Osha, but at the suggestion of her being tested, Mother Aniseya uses her powers to affect Torbin, warning them to leave, only to be stopped when Osha asks to be tested. It is arranged that both girls will be brought to the Jedi’s camp the next day to be tested. After the Jedi leave, Mother Koril wants to attack them, but is not supported by the other advisors. At the advice of one of the elders, Mother Aniseya tells both girls to deliberately fail the test.

“The Jedi saw how special I was. And I can see that in you, Osha.”

The next day, Mae successfully fails the test. Osha, who had promised Mae that she would also deliberately fail, is caught out by Sol, who realises that she is deliberately lying. After speaking with Sol and Inara, during which time Sol tells about his own experience joining the Jedi, Osha admits that she wants to become a Jedi and passes the test. Mae is angry at her sister’s apparent betrayal. Mother Aniseya appears to grudgingly accept Osha’s decision, however Mae does not, and decides to stop her leaving by killing her: locking her in her quarters and starting a fire in the doorway.

Osha successfully escapes her room via a hatch, and as she makes her way through the fortress, it appears that the fire has got out of control, causing an explosion in the reactor. The 2 sisters find themselves on opposite sides of a bridge that has broken in the middle. Mae tells Osha that Mother Aniseya is dead, and both blame each other. Both halves of the bridge collapse and the pair fall. Sol, who has arrived at the fortress and is looking for the girls, arrives just in time to grab Osha, but not Mae. Sol and Osha escape the burning fortress together and the Jedi take her from Brendok on their ship.

Mae is left alone in the clearing where she and her sister had previously spoke.

Review

Well… that was interesting!

While this third episode felt right for some form of flashback, I must admit that I certainly didn’t expect it to be the entire episode! However, I think that this was a clever episode that will sit very well on rewatch, even if some may feel that it has slowed down the series on first watch. But why would it be slowing things down? We’ve not really found out much new, as we knew that Osha’s family (which we now know to be a coven) were all killed in a fire started by Mae, and that the Jedi present took Osha with them. We can see why Osha and Sol would have thought Mae dead, while also reminding us of the 4 Jedi who were on Brendok, who have now apparently become Mae’s targets.

But there was actually a lot to glean from this episode in my opinion. First off, we learn more about the twins’ personalities. We see that Mae already had somewhat of a dark side to her, as she was quick to anger and thought to kill Osha to stop her leaving. We also see that Osha had desires to join the Jedi even before the tragic incident. But there are also a few other things we see that need questioning, such as Sol’s spying on the children and his rapid appearance following the start of the fire. Why were the Jedi really on Brendok? Who are the twins and what is the secret to their creation (yes even more mysteries!) as it seems that Mother Aniseya somehow created them and Mother Koril carried them, while they certainly don’t want the Jedi to find out the truth. There is also the question of the fire. While we clearly see Mae start the fire, it doesn’t seem that it was a type that would get so out of control, so what happened there? Why does Mae blame Osha for Mother Aniseya’s death? And was there something else going on with the generator? Though its just a quick moment, it seems that Mother Koril hears or senses something in that chamber a little earlier in the episode – was there an issue with the tech, or was someone skulking around?

What becomes clear from all of these questions is that this is very much Osha’s version of events. And as such, I fully expect that some of these events will be returned to from a different point of view in later episodes as we discover the truth. Somehow I get the feeling that Mae’s fire had a very limited effect on the fortress and something much darker happened there, caused by the Jedi.

Now I must be completely honest, with child actors there is always a risk as to the quality of performances, and I was not fully sold on those of the sisters, but they were capable enough to not take me out of the episode. I did however enjoy the rest of the performances, and the great thing about flashbacks is the chance to see more of Carrie-Anne Moss as a Jedi, as it appears to come natural to her!

“Destiny is not decided for you by an anonymous Force. You get to make a choice, Osha. If you want to pull the Thread, then pull it.”

A few final thoughts on the episodes:

• I’ll be very interested to find out more about this coven and their past. Will it come in this series or in books and comics? Either way, it feels inevitable that this thread will be picked up somewhere
• It’s interesting to see that the Jedi are already on their way to using midichlorian counts as a part of their testing, but also eing more lax on the ages that younglings join the Order, as shown by Master Sol joining aged 4. It’s a nice middle ground to show just how the Order is changing over time (not for the best).
• The Kelnacca introduction at the end of episode 2 feels a little strange after this, why didn’t we just wait for the flashback to introduce him, as last week’s scene did nothing special other than show his location on the planet.

Moments in Canon

“The power of one. The power of two. The power of many.”

• Osha’s testing is the same as we see Anakin go through in The Phantom Menace: trying to guess the image on a screen which they cannot see
• The Thread appears to be another name for the Force, as believed by the coven. Other examples of the Force in other beliefs are the Tide and the Ashla

What did you think of the episode?

Thanks for reading. May the Force be with you….