Max Nocerino 
When I first started watching The Acolyte, I thought it was a gem. However, the latest episode has made me rethink this mentality a bit.
When I first started watching The Acolyte, I thought it was a gem. I ignored all the neigh-sayers and focused on what made Star Wars the fantastic franchise it is and saw that these elements were present in the show. However, the latest episode has made me rethink this mentality a bit. In last week’s episode, the identity of the Sith Master was teased, and many fans rolled their eyes at how obvious it seemed to be. I tried to hold my tongue until I was sure, but….yeah. Everyone was right.
The Sith Lord has been unmasked. Is he even really a Sith? Or is he just a rebellious Dark Jedi? That shred of doubt adds more momentum to this show’s future. But for now, we are in a state of terrible storytelling. The fact that everyone guessed who the Master was shows that it was easier to do so than already knowing who Palpatine was when you sit down to watch The Phantom Menace. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, of course, but only a bit.
A DARK LORD OF THE SITH?
For this review, I will not share who is behind the mask (not even in Force Facts), but I think my readers are smart enough to guess. I will try to focus on the good parts because there are a few. First off, I love the Sith Lord’s mask. He looks like one of the Knights of Ren, and honestly, I think that’s what he truly is. He told the Jedi that some may consider him a Sith, but whether he was a member of the proper Banite Sith Order was very open-ended. This uncertainty may save the show and erase the apparent reveal.
The “Sith” duels the Jedi team and singlehandedly kills most of them, using a significant amount of tactical brilliance. By damaging the hilts of his opponents’ lightsabers to immobilize them, he takes several out of commission. We rarely see such a practical technique in the mythos, and it makes me wonder why nobody tried it earlier. It’s kind of like the Holdo maneuver of lightsaber duels. It doesn’t happen often, but it does work occasionally.
BREAK NECK STAR WARS
The “Sith” is brutal in his method of killing, shish-ka-bobbing one Jedi and breaking the neck of another. I won’t say who it was, but this guy is genuinely evil and shows no remorse for killing individuals.
The lightsaber dueling of the Disney era is a bizarre thing. The Prequels had a professional swordsman, Nick Gillard, choreograph the duels. I have to say, whoever is doing it now is not as good as his predecessor. There were a lot of duels in this episode, and they weren’t necessarily bad, but they showed less finesse and skill than Maul or Dooku did. Sometimes, the strikes could almost be seen as clumsy. The hand-to-hand combat also does not have the savagery of Maul’s butterfly kicks or Anakin’s drop-kick. It is more like force-imbued taps. Also, the yellow lightsabers on the live-action screen don’t look real. They almost look like aluminum poles that were treated with glow-in-the-dark paint. Lucasfilm’s special effects were much better in the Lucas era.
SISTERS REUNITED
The Osha-Mae reunion was pretty anticlimactic. What’s more, the method of “defeating” the “Sith” was silly, and the Gun on the Wall in Act I was utilized too fast. It wasn’t revealed in Act III; it was too early, Act II!
Yet, I have to praise Amandla Stenberg for her performance. “I love you, Pip,” she says to her adorable Swiss-army-type tool droid as she “sacrifices” him to defeat the Sith. I believe how pained Osha was, throwing away her closest friend. Additionally, I felt the pain when Sol lost his padawan. The acting on this show is quite good, and I also have high praise for Dafne Keen, who plays Jecki Lon. She is a righteous doo-gooder to the end and not bad at lightsaber dueling (for a padawan) either.
VERDICT
There were so many good and bad things in this episode that my grade was challenging. However, since the action was excellent, the acting was crisp, and the secrets of the future are so murky (for this series), I will award it FOUR STARS. Let’s hope that the REAL Sith is pulling the strings and that we will not see him (or her) until the end of this season or next. That would be truly wizard.
The first five episodes of The Acolyte are streaming on Disney Plus now.
Our team will cover this series comprehensively, providing traditional review coverage and prominent character posters, bios, and teasers. To stay updated and never miss a story or review, please subscribe to our mailing list on our homepage.
FORCE FACTS
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It is implied that Jedi have difficulty reading the thoughts of others if that individual’s face is covered. Maybe that explains why the bad guys love masks.
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Sol and Jecki give in to anger while dueling, making me realize that no Jedi is exempt from occasionally feeling the pull of the dark side. It’s simply just a mortal nature, and no amount of training and discipline can fully eradicate it.
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One of Pip’s functions is that of a flashlight. I swear, This little guy can do anything
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What was the “Sith” talking about that Sol did to Osha in the past? He also referenced that while he has embraced his darkness, Sol has ignored it. It is obvious that the two have a past, and part of the anticipation for what that is is the impetus for me to continue giving this show EVERY chance.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
