Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte episode 7.
Summary
I’ll admit, my first thought asThe Acolyteepisode 7’s end credits began to roll was, “How will I review this?” While I was expectingThe Acolyteepisode 7’s flashback story to be dense, I was not expecting it to be so messy. In theory, the concept works: Revisit theunanswered questions ofThe Acolyteepisode 3by showing the events on Brendok from the perspective of the Jedi. In practice, the episode is a chaotic, inconsistent, frustrating penultimate entry with glimpses of greatness.
The Acolyte Episode 7’s Reveals Were Necessary (But Poorly Handled)
With the truth of what happened on Brendok hanging over four episodes, I was eagerly anticipating discovering this episode’s flashbacks. For the most part,a lot of the questions raised byThe Acolyteepisode 3 were answered. The reveal that the Jedi were searching Brendok for aStar WarsForce vergencewas a great way to tie the show into wider lore. Everything that followed afterward, however, was too rushed and scatterbrained to leave a lasting impact.
The mention that Brendok was rendered lifeless by a Hyperspace Disaster was a fantastic reference to the firstHigh Republic Star Wars book: Light of the Jedi.
Unfortunately,The Acolyteepisode 7 attempted to cram in too many characters, motivations, storylines, and resolutions to form a coherent whole.Sol and Torbin’s respective hot-headed reasoning for taking Osha and Mae away from Brendok was rushed, while the constant back-and-forth of what Aniseya and Koril want for their children was maddening to witness for a second time after episode 3. Admittedly,The Acolyteepisode 7 greatly improved my perception of Master Indara, who seemed just about the only logical thinker in the entire episode.
The Acolyteepisode 7 cannot adequately convey the morally gray themes of misunderstandings and contrasting beliefs breeding conflict that it aims for…
While each distinct character’s motivation works in a vacuum,The Acolyteepisode 7 doesn’t make any of them feel warranted or earned. Decisions are made on a whim, illogical choices threaten lives on both sides, andThe Acolyteepisode 7 cannot adequately convey the morally gray themes of misunderstandings and contrasting beliefs to breed the conflict it aims for. Half-baked motivations, increasingly problematic runtimes, and episode counts ofStar WarsTV showsresult in a mad scramble to the finish line.
The Acolyte Episode 7 Is Indicative Of The Biggest Star Wars TV Problem
More episodes and longer stories are needed in future Star Wars shows
IfThe Acolyteepisode 7’s messy story proves anything, it’s thatupcomingStar WarsTV showsneed to commit to longer episodes and seasons. It is no surprise that the bestStar WarsTV shows includeThe Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch, andAndor, all of which consist of multiple seasons that have 10+ episodes each. While eight episodes work in some cases, likeThe MandalorianandAhsoka,a show that aims for a story as dense, complex, and multilayered asThe Acolyteneeds a format that allows that narrative to be explored to the fullest.
The characters and their motivations would be much improved had the show dedicated more than one or two scenes to each one in episode 7. Sol’s insistence that Osha must be his Padawan comes out of nowhere; it’s weirdly obsessive. His ensuing decisions to murder her mother and let Mae die are entirely rash as a result, as he does everything he can to train a character he has known for a combined total of around 10 minutes.
With more episodes to further explore the story,The Acolytecould have delved much deeper into Sol’s desire to train a Padawan. It could have shown a past failure to do so as a Jedi Knight, and a backstory of Sol needing that connection could have informed his choices while making them feel earned inThe Acolyteepisode 7. Not only would this make his character infinitely more compelling, but it would provide Lee Jung-jae, a continued bright spark ofThe Acolyte, with a story worthy of his performance.
The Acolyte episode 7 could have outlined that Sol and Osha had a connection through the Force to explain the former’s desire to train the latter, but instead left that absent and further muddied the storyline.
The Acolyteepisode 7 also details more about young Torbin. Dean Charles Chapman does a great job for the most part, but his character suffers from the same problems as Sol. His foolhardy decision to rush headfirst into the hornet’s nest so he can return to Coruscant results in death and destruction that later sees him take his own life.Why does Torbin wish to return home so much? Your guess is as good as mine.
Coruscant’s Jedi Temple Explained: Secret Origin, Dark Side History, & Tragic Fate
The Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant has surprisingly dark origins, and here’s everything about its history and connection to the dark side explained.
The Acolyte Does Not Know What Story It Wants To Tell
Witches, Jedi, Sith: The Acolyte’s story doesn’t form a cohesive whole
A prevailing thought I had afterThe Acolyteepisode 7’s endingwas that the show had no idea what story it was telling. Is it a story about the Sith infiltrating the Jedi? If so, where exactly is Qimir when all of this is going down? Is it a story about a conflict between two religious groups and their contrasting ideologies brewing catastrophe? It could be if onlyThe Acolytededicated the time needed to tell such a complex story well. Is it the tragic story of twins? Is it all of these combined?
Of course, I am well aware that there is one episode left forThe Acolyteto wrap its story. Every single problem, frustration, critique, and unanswered question I have could all be resolved in the finale. But I simply cannot fathom how one more episode, which will undoubtedly not go beyond 40 minutes, can wrap up everything needed to be considered satisfying. Showrunner Leslye Headland has expressed a desire forfuture seasons ofThe Acolyte, but she has also promised that season 1 will wrap up cohesively, a reality I cannot see coming to fruition at this point.
The Acolyte episode 7 had flashes of greatness: the fight choreography remains fantastic, the music and production design mostly work well, and wider Star Wars references fit the show nicely within the timeline.
Both sides of the storyThe Acolyteis telling are interesting in isolation, but they don’t mesh to form a clear narrative, a worrying sign with one episode left. Characters are making bold, life-changing decisions with little motivation, others are switching sides and flip-flopping between goals with little reason, and the overall endgame ofThe Acolyte’s story remains a mystery. More time was needed to tell a story so inherently complex, whichThe Acolyteepisode 7 frustratingly typified.
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.
