Last week’s episode of The Acolyte was centered around Qimir’s efforts to free Osha’s soul from the teachings of the Jedi, where the Sith Lord took the phrase “seduced by the Dark Side” a little too literally. Meanwhile, Mae tried to pass off as Osha and kill Sol. Thanks to Pip and Bazil, that plan failed, and Sol managed to capture Mae. But instead of taking her to the Jedi, Sol entered the Hyperspace so that he could tell her the truth about what happened on Brendok. So, in the third episode of The Acolyte, we saw the coven of witches that Osha and Mae belonged to. Sol somehow discovered them, and then he brought Torbin, Indara, and Kelnacca to their castle, thereby creating an atmosphere of tension. Osha wanted to leave with the Jedi, and Mae not only wanted to stay, but she also refused to let Osha go. One thing led to another; a fire spread across the castle, and Sol saved only Osha and supposedly let Mae die. In the seventh episode of The Acolyte, we get to see the whole truth of that fateful night on Brendok. So, let’s dive straight in.
Spoiler Alert
Did Mother Aniseya manipulate Padawan Torbin?
Episode 7 of The Acolyte opens with the revelation that, 16 years ago, Masters Indara, Kelnacca, Sol, and Padawan Torbin were sent to Brendok in search of something called “vergence.” Apparently, a hundred years prior to the events that we are witnessing in this episode, Brendok was categorized as a dead planet that was incapable of sustaining life. But then a concentration of Force energy (which is referred to as the vergence) caused life to thrive on this planet. As the end-all-and-be-all of Force usage in the galaxy far, far away, the Jedi took it upon themselves to study every instance of vergence and protect it. Torbin was homesick and wasn’t interested in all this. Sol’s mind was plagued with conflicting emotions. It was Indara and Kelnacca’s resolve that motivated them to persevere and soldier on. When the Jedi split up in search of the source of Brendok’s life force, Sol came across Osha and Mae, and that was how he discovered the coven. He reported back to the rest of his team about the existence of these Nightsisters and the fact that they were training children to become like them.
Indara wanted to wait for the Jedi Council’s advice, but Sol wanted to put a stop to it before Osha and Mae took part in the ascension ceremony. Now, we’ve seen what happened during the Jedi and the Nightsisters’ first interaction, how they discovered the two kids being hidden from the rest of the world, and the moment where Aniseya held Torbin hostage so that the Jedi didn’t try to be too heroic. In this episode, we get a detailed look at what was going on in Torbin’s mind when Aniseya got into his head. As mentioned before, Torbin was homesick, and he wanted to abandon the mission and go back to Coruscant. Aniseya used this sentiment against him and pushed Torbin to relinquish control over his own mind, and that’s how he succumbed to Aniseya’s powers. I think Aniseya thought that this would scare Torbin, and he would advise the rest of the Jedi to get out of Brendok, but that move kind of backfired because Torbin seemingly got more desperate to fulfill his mission by hook or by crook. Also, the performances from Jodie Turner-Smith and Dean-Charles Chapman in this scene were amazing!
Did the Jedi Council Want Osha and Mae to Come to Coruscant?
When Sol said that he wanted to test if Osha and Mae had the potential to be Jedi, Indara thought that he did so in order to buy time for themselves and then act according to the Council’s advice. But she was sort of shocked to know that Sol actually wanted to turn Osha into his Padawan because he felt a “strong connection” with her (that’s uh..pretty creepy, my dude). Indara tried her best to convince Sol that the Nightsisters weren’t doing anything illegal and the Jedi didn’t have any right to meddle with a culture that they didn’t fully understand, but Sol was too hellbent on “saving” the kids. That’s why they went ahead with the Jedi recruitment test. Sol wanted to take Osha away from Brendok based on the results of the test, but Indara wasn’t convinced because she thought that Sol subtly manipulated the kid before she gave her answers. In addition to that, she wanted to wait for the results of the blood tests on the kids and the Council’s instructions before jumping to any kind of conclusion.
Now, here’s the thing: The Jedi Council said that they shouldn’t bring the kids to Coruscant, and they advised against separating them from the coven. However, Torbin and Sol weren’t ready to accept this counsel. Hence, when they learned that the kids’ Midi-chlorian count was high and that they were probably created with the help of a vergence, they absolutely lost their cool. Torbin rushed to the coven’s castle because he thought that if they could prove that they’d found the source of the vergence on Brendok, then they’d get to go home, and Sol went after him. Indara and Kelnacca prepared the ship so that they could take the Jedi and escape if things got too hairy. Things heated up amongst the Nightsisters because, while all the witches were against sending Osha with the Jedi, Mother Aniseya wanted Osha to follow the path that she had chosen for herself. Mother Koril sensed Mae’s anger and therefore pushed her to stop Osha from leaving. And Mae ended up starting a fire by burning Osha’s book. Mother Koril was in no mood to tend to the fire that was eating up the coven from the inside, as she wanted to destroy the Jedi that was trying to take her children away from her. The performances from Lee Jung-jae, Carrie-Anne Moss, Margarita Levieva, and the rest of the cast were too good in this episode.
What Did Sol & Torbin Do On Brendok?
Sol and Torbin infiltrated the Nightsisters’ coven, while Indara and Kelnacca hovered over the castle in their ship. Mother Aniseya advised them to take a step back and reconsider their decision to raise the children in an “institution.” Sol said that their intentions were noble, and Aniseya predicted something that eventually came to pass a few decades after the events of The Acolyte: the noble intentions of the Jedi would lead to their downfall. Mae intruded upon this tense conversation, and in that moment, Sol exposed his immaturity. Firstly, he couldn’t differentiate between Mae and Osha, even though he kept saying that he felt a special connection with Osha. Secondly, when Aniseya tried to use her powers to protect Mae, Sol ignited his lightsaber and killed Aniseya. While taking her last breath, Aniseya said that she was going to allow Osha to go with the Jedi, but Sol had undone everything. The Jedi are apparently not supposed to attack. Aniseya, who was using Force powers that I haven’t seen before to protect her child, died because Sol got a bit too trigger-happy. On top of that, no matter how agitated anyone is, the Jedi is supposed to pacify instead of escalating the situation. In that moment, Sol and Torbin forgot all about their ideals because one was consumed by his desire to have a Padawan while the other was too homesick. The Jedi’s stupidity and Aniseya’s death prompted Mother Koril to lash out. She possessed Kelnacca, and, like something out of a horror movie, she began puppeteering the Wookiee to kill Torbin and Sol, thereby leading to yet another visceral and nail-biting fight sequence. Indara entered the scene, and she was able to put an end to the Nightsisters’ control over Kelnacca’s mind. However, the damage was done. The fire started by Mae had spread all over the castle.
At the end of The Acolyte, episode 7, Sol tried to save both Osha and Mae, but he eventually chose Osha over Mae. Instead of trying to rescue all the witches from the fire, the Jedi took Osha and flew away to Coruscant. En route to that planet, they cooked up the story that Mae was responsible for the death of the coven. Indara justified this lie by saying that if they revealed the truth of the events on Brendok, then Sol would be incarcerated and Osha wouldn’t have anyone to rely on. So, in order to give Osha the support she needed, Indara decided to cook up a lie. There’s no doubt about the fact that Torbin and Sol are responsible for what happened on Brendok. Indara and the Jedi Council gave them every opportunity to leave the Nightsisters alone, but they actively chose to defy their orders. The Nightsisters were doing some shifty stuff, but they were raising the kids properly. We don’t know what path Aniseya would’ve chosen for them if the Jedi hadn’t interfered. She was more than ready to let them be anything they wanted to be when they came of age, and the Jedi ruined it all. To make matters worse, the Jedi didn’t even save the unconscious witches! They weren’t dead, right? They were merely unconscious! And they just let them get cooked in the fire. These are the heroes of the Star Wars franchise? I don’t think so. Also, I have to point out that Mother Koril’s whereabouts are unknown. She vanished and possessed Kelnacca, and we didn’t see her after that. Maybe she was the one who saved Mae after she fell. I’ll go out on a limb and say that it’s totally possible that Qimir isn’t the primary villain of The Acolyte; it’s actually Koril, and maybe Qimir is doing her bidding. Well, we’ve got one more episode left in this season, and I can’t wait to watch it next week. By the way, I’ll be listening to the song that Victoria Monet has cooked up for the show on a loop. It’s called “The Power of Two,” and it’s amazing!
