It’s kind of weird to see a show that you really like get review-bombed to hell because a bunch of so-called fans can’t handle changes to the lore or people of color in their favorite franchise. Well, if they’ve chosen the path of hate, it’s their loss. Meanwhile, I’m here loving The Acolyte, and with each episode, I continue to become an even bigger fan of its immensely talented cast and crew. In the fourth episode of the show, Mae and Qimir reached Khofar to do the Master’s bidding and kill Kelnacca. Midway through their journey, Mae had a change of heart as she wanted to reunite with her long-lost twin sister, Osha, and she abandoned Qimir and tried to surrender herself to Kelnacca and the Jedi. However, when she got to Kelnacca, he was dead, and the Jedi blamed her for murdering him. She didn’t need to clear her name this time because the Sith Lord showed up out of nowhere and started hitting the Jedi left, right, and center. Episode 5 of The Acolyte is one relentless fight sequence. So, let’s get into it.
Spoiler Alert
Jecki Tries to Arrest Mae
The fifth episode of The Acolyte begins with Mae regaining consciousness after being knocked out by the Sith Lord, only to watch him turn a bunch of Jedi warriors into what I’d like to call Jedi kebab. This Sith Lord is so metal that he uses his wrist armor and his helmet to disable lightsabers. In the moment where he does this, you can see the Jedi starting to remember whatever God they believe in. Osha sees all this and goes on the run, but she is stopped in her tracks by the Sith Lord. Yord takes Osha to the ship, while Sol confronts the Sith Lord. Amidst all this chaos, Mae tries to make a run for it, but Jecki gets a hold of her. Mae doesn’t give in so easily, as she puts up an amazing fight against Jecki. The lightsaber battles in the show are truly amazing, but the action team has clearly not gone easy during the hand-to-hand fight sequences. I mean, the kicks, the punches, the breakable doors, the emotions—it’s all so bloody brilliant. Also, Dafne Keen and Amandla Stenberg’s performances during this altercation are so pulpy and over-the-top that I can’t help but love the two of them. Anyway, Jecki does manage to arrest Mae for the supposed murder of Kelnacca. However, before she can take Mae to the ship, the Sith Lord shows up, thereby beginning yet another absolutely brutal lightsaber duel. Mae uses this opportunity to get the hell out of dodge. The Sith Lord distracts Jecki and goes after Mae.
Are Jecki and Yord dead?
Osha feels a disturbance in the force and pleads with Yord to go back to their friends because Jecki, Sol, and Mae are in danger. Yord is afraid that they won’t be able to tackle the Sith Lord. Osha has a lightbulb moment as she realizes that they can lure the giant moth-like creatures, called umbramoths, present in the forest of Khofar and unleash them on the Sith Lord. While he tackles them, Yord and Osha can usher Sol, Jecki, and Mae to safety. Talking about Mae, the Sith Lord gets to her. After freeing her from the shackles put on her by Jecki, the Sith Lord reprimands her for abandoning him. When he is about to kill her, Jecki and Sol show up, and yet another brilliant lightsaber battle ensues. I think this is the first time that I found myself actually tensing up during a lightsaber battle. It’s still acrobatic and flashy. But there’s something very tactile and tangible about the fights in The Acolyte that makes them hit the spot. It’s a good thing that the action direction team has continued the ethos of lightsaber battles in the franchise while modernizing it enough to appeal to people like me. Anyway, at the end of the three-way fight between Jecki, Sol, and the Sith Lord, the latter breaks his lightsaber into two parts and kills Jecki. Then, he proceeds to do the sickest face-reveal; yes, the Sith Lord is Qimir (my prediction was right!). Qimir holds Mae hostage, while revealing why he is doing what he is doing. In tune with the theme of the show, Qimir is rebelling against the Jedi’s fascism. He is tired of all their rules and regulations, and he just wants to be free to wield the force the way he pleases. He wants a pupil. He wants a lightsaber. But, as evident from Sol’s retorts, he isn’t allowed to. Hence, he wants to kill every single Jedi in existence and create a new world order. Yord tries to stop Qimir, and the Sith Lord doesn’t kill him with the lightsaber. He snaps Yord’s neck! This is by far one of the most brutal 30-minute episodes of Star Wars I have ever seen. As in, these moments hit hard. By the way, a lot of people were disappointed to see Manny Jacinto in a “flimsy” supporting role. I hope they are happy now.
Why did Mae switch places with Osha?
After Yord’s death, Sol absolutely loses his cool and starts to hit Qimir with his bare hands. It’s raw and impactful, and Lee Jung-jae and Manny Jacinto sell the bloody hell out of their interactions. When Sol picks up the lightsaber to kill an unarmed Qimir, the Sith Lord turns to Osha and asks what kind of a Jedi Master she has trained under. Then, he begins to remind them of the night Brendok went up in flames. He starts talking about the Jedi’s involvement in everything that happened on that fateful night, and Sol says that Qimir’s mind is twisted and dark. Qimir snaps back at Sol by saying that he has accepted his darkness, while Sol tries to hide himself under several layers of hypocritical righteousness. As Sol and Qimir gear up to get into another lightsaber battle, Osha uses the light attachment of her Pip droid to draw the umbramoths to Qimir, who attack him and take him away into the midnight sky. Osha asks Sol what Qimir was talking about, but before Sol can come up with an explanation, Mae knocks him unconscious. Then, she confronts Osha and tries to determine if she still loves her. Sadly, it becomes clear that Osha is too brainwashed to realize that Mae didn’t have anything to do with the fire or the deaths of the witches of Brendok. When Osha tries to arrest Mae, she knocks out Osha and gives herself a lightsaber haircut so that she can switch places with her sister.
So, at the end of The Acolyte, episode 5, Mae goes away with Sol to Coruscant, while Qimir (who apparently has healing powers) takes in Osha. Why did Mae do that? Well, maybe she wants to expose Sol and highlight the hypocrisy of the Jedi. While I think that’s necessary, especially if Sol is responsible for killing the witches, I think that Bazil can hinder Mae’s plan. In the meantime, Qimir is going to open Osha’s mind. It’ll be interesting to see the usually upright Osha turn to the Dark Side after learning the truth about her mother and the coven’s death, while Mae becomes more rational. Their inevitable clash is going to be brilliant, and I, for one, can’t wait to witness it. At the cost of sounding repetitive, I have to say that I am loving The Acolyte. The AJAF (All Jedi Are Fascists) story is great. The action is brilliant. And the actors are undoubtedly killing it. That’s all the Star Wars fan in me needs.
