The first two episodes of The Acolyte introduced a Jedi-killing assassin named Mae who was working for an unnamed masked Sith Lord. Mae had an identical twin sister, Osha, who was blamed for the murder of Jedi Master Indara. Since Osha was a former Jedi herself, the Jedi High Council was worried that if the rumors turned out to be true, then their political rivals would use this incident to gain momentum. So, Jedi Master Sol, Jedi Knight Yord, and Padawan Jecki Lon were sent to get to the bottom of this. During this period, Mae killed Jedi Master Torbin and highlighted the fact that she was going after those Jedi who were stationed on Brendok and were likely responsible for the death of her tribe. To make matters even more complicated, everyone thought that Mae had died on Brendok, and Mae was under the impression that Osha had died there. The revelation that both of them were alive compelled them to look at their respective allegiances differently. The concluding minutes of the second episode teased the location of Jedi Master Kelnacca. However, The Acolyte episode 3 actually turns back the clock 16 years to show what happened on Brendok that separated the twin sisters.
Spoiler Alert
Osha Doesn’t Want To Become A Force Witch
The third episode of The Acolyte opens with young Mae and Osha talking near a poisonous bunta tree about the Ascension ceremony. In this small scene, their conflicting ideologies are perfectly established. Mae is committed to their tribe, while Osha wants to be adventurous. That’s why Mae keeps reminding her about their codependence every step of the way. Mother Koril orders them to get back to the village because no one, especially these two kids, is allowed to cross the fortress walls. It seems like Mother Koril is fretting for no reason, but when it’s revealed that Jedi Master Sol is stalking them, it becomes clear that her fears are not unfounded.
The girls and Mother Koril return to the fortress on Brendok, which is home to a coven of Force witches, and their leader is Mother Aniseya. While Aniseya is okay with indulging the children a bit, Koril (who is Aniseya’s wife) fears that so much freedom at such a young age is going to be detrimental to their growth. Mother Aniseya decides to teach Osha and Mae a lesson through a course on the Force (she uses the concept of the Thread to explain how the witches are tied to the Force), and it’s evident that Osha isn’t interested in becoming a witch. Aniseya explains that it’s important that those who belong to this coven should stay together as a unit because if they prioritize individuality, then the galaxy is going to pick them apart (which seems like a reference to the Salem witch trial, but set in the Star Wars universe). But that doesn’t quite dissuade Osha from thinking about going on solo adventures instead of being attached to the coven and Mae.
The Jedi Infiltrate The Coven Of Force Witches
At the Ascension ceremony, two major things are revealed: these witches were persecuted by Force-users who thought that they were unworthy of wielding such a power, and Osha and Mae are the only kids in the entire coven. Now, the witches stay together so that they can wield the Force the way they want to, and it’s possible that Osha and Mae have been conceived through this witchcraft or some form of midi-chlorian immaculate conception, akin to Anakin Skywalker’s birth. Anyway, at the Ascension ceremony, Mae readily becomes a witch by getting tattooed by the Force. Osha hesitates, and coincidentally, that’s when Jedi Masters Sol, Indara, Torbin, and Kelnacca enter the premises because the Jedi are the only people who can legally use the Force, and they want to police other Force-users. On top of that, it’s revealed that the Jedi are famous for detecting under-age Force-users and inducting them into their, let’s say, cult. When Kelnacca senses that there are children in the coven who are being turned into Force-users, Indara decides to bring them out and convince them to join the Jedi.
I know the Jedi have been portrayed as these cool warriors and whatnot. The Last Jedi exposed the cracks in their image, and I think The Acolyte shatters it (not completely, though). It’s in this scene that I went from being a Jedi lover to being a Jedi hater. Since Osha is a kid who wants to leave the coven because she doesn’t understand what’s going on or what the Jedi are really doing, she comes out in the open, thereby defying her mother’s order to stay hidden. Mae follows suit. The Jedi begin to tempt Osha and Mae to take the test to become Padawans. That angers Aniseya, and she takes over Torbin’s mind and threatens to turn him into a vegetable if the Jedi don’t back off. When Osha insists that she wants to take the test, Aniseya lets go of Torbin. When the Jedi return to their ship, the witches discuss whether or not they should allow the girls to take the test. Koril thinks they should just kill the Jedi and call it a day, while Aniseya doesn’t want to attract unwanted attention. So, they arrive at the conclusion that the girls will take the test, but they’ll give the wrong answers. That way, they will be deemed unworthy of becoming Jedi and the Jedi Masters will leave Brendok without creating a ruckus. Again, since Osha wants to leave Brendok, she doesn’t want to lie. Mae is dedicated to the coven’s cause, and she is willing to lie.
Is Mother Aniseya dead?
During the test, Mae lies. Osha tries to lie, but her conscience forces her to tell the truth. Sol uses this opportunity to tell her about the thousands of younglings in Coruscant who are training to be Padawans and then Jedi. He talks about having the courage to speak one’s truth. And as soon as Osha utters the words “I want to be a Jedi,” Indara resumes the test. Koril and Mae are unhappy about it, and although Aniseya is sad too, she respects Osha’s choice, and she says that the coven will have a meeting about it, and they’ll go ahead with a decision after they arrive at a conclusion. At the end of The Acolyte, episode 3, Mae has a falling out with Osha. She takes Osha’s diary, which has the symbol of the Jedi in it, locks Osha in her bedroom, and burns the diary. Within seconds, the fire begins to creep towards Osha, and she manages to escape through a secret passage. By the time Osha gets to Mae, who is on the other side of a broken bridge, the whole fortress is on the brink of imploding.
Mae seemingly falls to her death, and Sol manages to save Osha before she drops into the chasm beneath her feet. When Sol proceeds to take Osha to the Jedi ship, we see that all the witches are dead, and so is Mother Aniseya. Torbin has a scar across his face. So, it’s clear that something major has happened, and Mae isn’t at fault for this. That kid lit a fire in one corner of the fortress. How did it spread so fast, and how did the witches just die? How did Torbin get that scar? I have a feeling that the witches tried to have a conversation with the Jedi and asked them to leave them alone. Things heated up, and the Jedi killed the witches. I guess Sol didn’t have anything to do with it, but the other three are probably guilty. How did they convince Osha that Mae is the reason why their whole tribe is dead? Who found Mae and turned her to the Dark Side? I don’t know. That said, I am excited to find out. Additionally, as a fan of Kogonada, I literally screamed when his name showed up during the credits. Apparently, he has directed another episode of The Acolyte, and I’m looking forward to that!
