Summary
The Acolyteseason 1, episode 6 “Teach / Corrupt” may be the episode I’ve enjoyed the most, but one massive problem still bothers me. I want to stress that I still enjoyed several aspects of episode 6: the slower pace that allowed the story to dive more into each character, every scene with Osha and Qimir, andLee Jung-Jae continuing to kill it as Jedi Master Sol. That said, I’m not going to pretend that this episode was perfect, and I’ll admit that some of my appreciation stems from it being better than previous episodes.
While I welcome a slower pace if it serves a purpose, it also reminds me that much ofThe Acolyte’s runtime feels padded to get to eight episodes.Osha and Qimir’s scenes parallel Rey and Kylo Ren inStar Wars: The Last Jedi, which began feeling very on the nose after I watched the episode again. However, these are not my biggest gripe with episode 6, which is also an issue I’ve had with the entire season. For me, it comes down to the writing and the characters, one of whom had the worst treatment inThe Acolyteepisode 6.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide - Cast Members, Biggest Takeaways & Easter Eggs
Here’s everything you need to follow along with Star Wars: The Acolyte, from references and trivia to main takeaways from each new episode.
What Was Mae’s Goal In The Acolyte Episode 6?
Her reason for impersonating Osha isn’t clear
The one massive problem I had withThe Acolyteepisode 6 was Mae Aniseya and her motivations, or lack thereof, for impersonating Osha. Since the beginning of the series,Mae’s goal was to kill Sol and the other Jedi who took Osha as a child. Part of this was implied to be revenge for some unknown crime they committed, part of it was an assignment from her mysterious master to prove herself as his acolyte. However, episode 3 had Mae try to kill Osha as a child, making me doubt that it could really be about revenge.
The Acolyteconstantly goes back and forth on what Mae wants, why, and how she plans to achieve her goals.
Episode 4 doubled down on this whenMae chose to turn herself in for Osha, cutting ties with her master and any motivation to kill the Jedi. I’m now confused about what Mae planned to do when she pretended to be her sister and went with Sol. She had plenty of chances to kill him but didn’t, and if she wanted answers or protection from Qimir, she could have just waited until they reached the Jedi Temple.The Acolyteconstantly goes back and forth on what Mae wants, why, and how she plans to achieve her goals.
It Doesn’t Look As Though The Acolyte Will Ever Explain Mae’s Motivation
Another flashback won’t explain her confusing moments
Even though it seems like episode 7 will be another flashback episode, I’m not confident thatThe Acolytewill explain Mae’s motivation. Even if her goals are clarified when Sol reveals the truth about what happened the night her family died,nothing will change how sloppy the writing has been for Mae’s character.This is especially true regarding her relationship with Osha, whom Mae seemed to be avenging at first but then says"I’ll kill you"in the flashback. She was going to turn herself in for Osha, only to swap places and leave her at the mercy of Qimir.
I could go back and analyze Mae’s actions scene by scene and try to theorize how her contradictory behavior could be rectified, but at this point, it feels like I would be doing the writers' job for them. Maybe I’m being too harsh, and perhaps the final two episodes will tie everything together once the mystery has been fully resolved. Either way, it’s a bit of a frustrating experience to get there whenthe show’s title character has inconsistent goals and motivations. We’ll have to see whether my opinion changes whenThe Acolyteseason 1 is completed.
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.
