[Contains spoilers for episodes 3 and 4].
This is a review for the fourth episode of Disney+ original Star Wars series The Acolyte, titled “Day”.
Following on from the flashback episode last week; where it was shown that Mae started the fire on Brednock that killed all the witches and the Jedi leaving with Master Sol.
Episode Four commences on the planet Khofar, where Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca (one of the Jedi who wanted to test Mae and Osha) is alive. Mae and Qimir arrive to beat the remaining Jedi to finding the Kelnacca first.
At just 27 minutes in total runtime, the episode is served as merely a tempting bait to hook you in for next week. Showrunner Headland, is one to take liberties with narrative constructs as seen in Russian Doll; but the unlimited runtime of streamers is doing a disservice currently to the show.
That run time serves no real purpose other than to have a reveal of a red-lightsaber twirling dark master who thrusts the Jedi away and battle may surely commence in the next episode (most likely to be called ‘Night’).
While it seems this was a near fifty minute episode that has been cut in two, The Acolyte appears to be a show that wants to be a murder-mystery with not that much mystery presently.
From the outset, Indara and Torbin have been killed, Kelnacca is next on the hit list. Mae is the twin of Osha and survived a huge fire on her homeland. As an audience we know more than the Jedi at this stage, unlike say Attack of the Clones; when we would follow Obi-Wan to Kamino and learn as much as he does on his detective scouting mission to the water planet.
Dramatic tension is at a premium and only comes in the form of the Sith Lord who may or may not be someone we have already encountered.
For this young Padawan, it is my fear that this series is racing to a conclusion it already knows and is merely filling in the eight episode structure for commercial reasons.
The Acolyte takes place a hundred years before the Phantom Menace when the Sith reveal themselves to the Jedi. That is a lot of history to pack into four remaining episodes and to reveal the true reasons for the Sith’s umbrage with the Jedi.
And yet the Jedi are unsure what they are dealing with, when they debrief about Osha and her abilities and the possibility of her being trained, one Jedi asks is she part of a ‘splinter group’ or ‘something worse’. The naivety of the Jedi, and their reluctance to believe that their supposed peace-keeping missions might upset certain people, is their for all to see.
There are beautifully shot scenes still, with nice elements of fantasy thrown in. Bazil the Tracker also provides good alien levity, coupled with the scary introduction of Sith master one who is nonchalant and more powerful than a troop of Jedi.
Final thoughts
After last week’s episode of high stakes, this episode was sadly a misfire and did not sweep me off my feet unlike the Jedi at the episode’s conclusion.
Check out the previous review for episode three here.
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