The Acolyte Debuted A MAJOR Star Wars Character In Last Night's Finale
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ACOLYTE BELOW
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ACOLYTE BELOW
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ACOLYTE BELOW
The Acolyte, the most polarizing Star Wars project since [insert any Star Wars project here], has been an exhausting and unfortunately wildly inconsistent watch for the last eight weeks. It started off shaky (with CW vibes in the first couple episodes), delivered one of the worst episodes of Star Wars television ever with the flashback to the witch clan, eventually delivered an AWESOME Episode 5 that was basically a sick 30-minute lightsaber battle full of death, and then went downhill again with another flashback episode….but last night's finale?
Prettay, prettay, prettay, prettay good.
Don't get me wrong, there was shit I hated - I mean straight up despised - in this episode. Osha's hate/anger turning the blue Kyber Crystal/lightsaber red?
I know 'Bleeding Crystals' are a thing in Legends (and maybe some recent comics), but I think that's dumb as fuck. I don't know if the implication was that this was some kinda rare power or that all red lightsabers are just turned red via the Dark Side, but I really hope it's not the second one. Red lightsabers being made with synthetic Kyber Crystals is a way cooler backstory for them. Even if it's the first explanation, though, I just think that's silly.
Also - introducing a Force Memory Wipe felt a little convenient here, and Qimir was seemingly not even affected much by using this power. So not only did the ending feel like a high school production of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' - it just made Qimir seem stupid for not exploiting this power constantly, throughout the series, with everyone. Why not just hit all those Jedi with a mind wipe mid-fight?
Oh, and this shot was so bad it took me out of the episode; I don't know how or why it made the final cut….
Alright, onto the good shit though? They fully committed to the Mae/Osha double turn - complete with Osha pretty ruthlessly choking Sol to death. I didn't think they'd go there, and that was metal as fuck. Before that, Sol vs Qimir/The Stranger was a pretty awesome duel put together by the same action team who did the Darth Vader scene in Rogue One….
Vernestra being revealed as Qimir's original master and throwing Sol under the bus for everything that happened was great, and completely absolved Ki-Adi-Mundi of all potential coverup accusations. I'm sure all the butthurt crybabies from earlier this season won't even mention that, though. And ending the finale with a shot of Yoda was legitimately perfect - because this couldn't all go on without him finding out eventually….
….but the biggest talking point for Star Wars fans leaving this episode is the LIVE ACTION DEBUT of Darth Plagueis the Wise.
We don't see much of the legendary Sith Lord - just a brief shot of him lurking in this cave like a pervert - but it's the first time we've ever laid eyes on Plagueis after he was famously mentioned by his apprentice, Emperor Palpatine, in 'Revenge of the Sith'….
This story of Darth Plagueis being able to manipulate life is more or less the tipping point for Anakin committing to the Dark Side, soooooo he's a pretty big deal to Star Wars fans. Plus - there's a book all about him written during the Legends Era that is a huge fan favorite to this day.
I truly loved his inclusion in this episode, as well - finally giving us a glimpse of Plagueis that is not only loyal to his Legends characterization but also doesn't ruin his mystique or get too self indulgent with the cameo was awesome. I think this heavily implies that he is Qimir's master, as well, having him collect and bring back 'Acolytes' to manipulate - and that's pretty sweet as well!
It definitely felt like they set up a second season with a cliffhanger, but honestly, I think I'd rather they just keep this as a one season show that teases the roots of the Dark Side but doesn't show too much. Although I dug the finale, The Acolyte wasn't very captivating week-to-week, and it felt like a step down from most of the Star Wars shows writing/production wise.
Still, though - it wasn't nearly as bad as the internet would have you believe. It ain't the 'worst show ever' with no redeeming qualities or anything like that. Only a Sith would deal in those absolutes. We'll be breaking it down in-depth on My Mom's Basement this Friday….