There are spoilers in this review for The Acolyte episode 7 titled “choice”.
Somehow. We have a flashback.
The penultimate episode of the original Star Wars/Disney+ series, of the show helmed by Leslye Headland, for once is the episode where so much expectation came to burn down.
Taking the unusual step to harken back to episode 3’s flashback with an alternative viewpoint of the goings on that occur during the explosion of the witches homestead, while the Jedi essentially invade their home.
The motivations of Sol, Indara, Kelnacca and Torbin are all on display as we get a different side of the story.
We see Osha and Mae merely as pawns within the greater narrative, as children. Sol is worried for the children; fearing for their safety and yet that is only because they are children surrounded by strong individuals – what is the difference between what the witches are doing in raising these children and what the Jedi wish to do with youngling training.
Sol kills Mother Aniseya as she changes into vapour, but this is in error, creating a stand-off between the witches and Jedi and then Zombie Wookiee. It was a real shame to see Sol in this episode alter from a forthright individual into a mistaken leader whose good intentions blow up in his face; coupled with perhaps Lee Jung-jae’s least effective performance of the series so far.
There are some good scenes; Jedi action and the utilization of going back to previous action, editing within the production (a la Back to the Future Part 2) is itself an attempt to retell the story. This also serves as a nod to Rashomon and the overriding influence of Kurosawa upon George Lucas’ original trilogy.
The episode does allow us to see more of Torbin, Indara’s padawan, who gives the impression he does not enjoy being a Jedi; being at odds with the goings on and machinations of the Jedi institution. The moment when the four Jedi get the story straight on the ship returning to Coruscant; about the slaughter on Brendock, is chilling in that this sort of rewriting the narrative by the victors is a familiar lesson of history.
Again this is a show that has been branded as a mystery show, and there is not much mystery and we were promised more about the establishment of the Sith one hundred years before The Phantom Menace.
However, we had no Qimir in this episode, no mention of the Sith. What we witnessed was the murder of witches and the kidnapping of one child from her safe haven, whisked away from the coven.
With one episode remaining, it does seem odd as to how this is going to be tied up and strange that we have had one strand of the series told twice now and we as an audience are none-the-wiser. Are we meant to be siding with the Jedi? Do we object to their actions? There are too many questions remaining for a show that should be providing answers.
If their intention was to make a new exciting series which sits rightly in the Star Wars canon, which is beloved and universally adored. You might think they did that from a certain point of view.
Check out the previous review for episode 6 here.
Chatter Box Film 