Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte episode 6.
Summary
The Acolyteepisode 6 is a mixed bag of fascination and frustration, something I somewhat expected coming off the highs of last week’s installment.The Acolyteepisode 5’s amazing lightsaber fights, character deaths, and huge reveals were always unlikely to continue this week, as the show takes a notably deep breath before next week’s flashback-heavy plunge. Unfortunately, by the time ofThe Acolyteepisode 6’s ending, the show left me just as exasperated as I was enthralled, and I hope the final two episodes of season 1 lean more into the latter as opposed to the former.
Osha & Qimir’s Storyline Is A Highlight Of The Acolyte Episode 6
Qimir’s strange Sith warrior remains The Acolyte’s most compelling character
Everything involving Osha and Qimir was incredibly compelling. As someone who loves thecontroversialStar Wars: The Last Jedi, I appreciated the obvious parallels the show was making to Rian Johnson’sEpisode VIII.The unknown planet that housed Qimir and Osha duringThe Acolyteepisode 6 looked a lot likeThe Last Jedi’s Ahch-To, down to the small creatures, crashing waves, and soaring cliffsides. Beyond the visuals,The Acolyteepisode 6 thematically delved into character dynamics similar to Rey and Kylo Ren’s.
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The back-and-forth between Qimir and Osha was great, as the former called out the latter for her apparent indoctrination by the Jedi. Qimir’s mentioning of Osha forming one-sided relationships and his note that the Jedi make people think the Force can only be used in one way link to the more fascinating lore-heavy elements ofThe Acolyteepisode 3. Manny Jacinto remains fantastic in this role, and his strong chemistry with Amandla Stenberg emulated the flirtatiously perilous relationship between Rey and Kylo inStar Wars: The Last Jedi.
Aside from the duo’s obvious chemistry, I appreciatedThe Acolyteepisode 6’s dive into the dark side and light side. Although Qimir has done some awful things, Jacinto’s performance and his assured writing mean he has some valid points. The exploration of the Force, who has the right to use it, and how the Jedi may have perverted it as much as the Sith is fascinating.The deconstruction ofStar Warsnorms is usually present in my favorite stories, which explains why Qimir and Osha’s dynamic is so intriguingto me.
The Acolyte Episode 6’s Other Subplots Are Less Enthralling
Sol, Mae, & Vernestra Rwoh spin their wheels in The Acolyte episode 6
Where Osha and Qimir’s story was undoubtedly compelling, the other two stories were much less so. Vernestra Rwoh’s involvement in the show is yet to feel warranted, aside from the inclusion of a character fromStar Wars’High Republic initiative. Vern’s story surrounds investigating Khofar, as too many scenes are dedicated to characters painfully crawling toward a conclusion that we already know: A Sith-inclined warrior is killing Jedi. Vern knows more is going on, but we have known that sinceThe Acolyteepisode 2, meaning episode 6’s scenes feel purposeless.
Theories around Vernestra’s lightwhip linking to Qimir’s back scars are not enough to bolster the former’s story in The Acolyte episode 6.
Meanwhile, Sol is reckoning withThe Acolyteepisode 5’s Jedi deathswhile Mae infiltrates his ship in an attempt to kill him. The latter plot point is endlessly interrupted by plot contrivances, from flying the ship while Sol fixes something to checking out a ship problem herself. Lee Jung-jae remains fantastic as an unbalanced, increasingly emotional Sol, but episode 6’s story for the Master falls way short of Jung-jae’s endearing performance. The only real story present here are the teases about what really happened on Brendok, which were more frustrating than exciting.
For two episodes, Sol has been insisting he will tell someone what finally happened that fateful night. While most of the delays to these answers have been effective, such asThe Acolyteepisode 5’s thrillingly dreadful Jedi massacre, they simply become aggravating inThe Acolyteepisode 6. Interruptions this time around include someone calling Sol on comms and the episode cutting to black, both of which had me rolling my eyes in annoyance as answers were withheld once more.
This hasn’t been an issue before, asThe Acolytehas raised more than enough additional intriguing questions for me to patiently wait for the Brendok reveals. However, only Qimir and Osha’s story did so inThe Acolyteepisode 6, and these questions were not tied to Brendok, Mae, Sol, or Vernestra. As such,the other two storylines inThe Acolyteepisode 6 felt like they were running in circles and hinting at the same questions that had been teased endlessly before, rather than satiate our curiosity with other, equally compelling mysteries.
Brendok’s mysteries will finally be revealed in The Acolyte episode 7 as it is directed by Kogonada, the same filmmaker behind episode 3.
The Acolyte Episode 6 Suffers From A Common Star Wars TV Complaint
The Acolyte needs longer runtimes and a better TV format, rather than being a stretched-out movie
Ultimately, the issues withThe Acolyteepisode 6 stem from runtime constraints that have often been a criticism ofStar Wars’live-action TV shows. If longer runtimes were possible, a storyline that raises questions and invokes the same sense of mystery that prior episodes did could have been provided for Vernestra here. Similarly, the frustrating withholding of answers from Mae and Sol could have been added to the ending of last week’s installment without needless plot contrivances to delay answers until next week.
All that said,The Acolyteepisode 6 was simply a mixed bag. The elements that worked were exceptional. Not only did Osha and Qimir’s storyline raise intriguing mysteries and compellingly deconstruct the franchise, but it also included the best character in the show thus far and teased a relationship I cannot wait to see develop. But considering the series seems to be biding its time ahead of the final two episodes, here’s hopingThe Acolytewill end with a bang rather than a frustrating whimper.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
