TL;DR – While the finale felt incredibly rushed, I did find the series to be a grand entry in the franchise.  

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

The Acolyte Review –

Well, we have reached the end of what has surprisingly become one of the most controversial Star Wars entries since at least The Rise of Skywalker. I am not sure why a series that revelled in the mystical side of The Force that George Lucas loved garnered such a negative response, but here we are. Today, we will first pull apart the season finale before taking some time to explore the season as a whole.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Teach/Corrupt, Sol (Lee Jung-Jae) promised Mae (Amandla Stenberg) that he would tell her what really happened that one fateful night all those years ago. It was a sad series of consequences that led to Sol killing the twin’s mother in Choice. But while Mae has a revelation, Osha (Amandla Stenberg) wakes up in a cave on an unknown planet, where she is captured by Qimir (Manny Jacinto), who wants her to unlock her powers. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Well, it has all come to a head, and whether we wanted to or not, everyone is going to end up on Brendoc, which might be my biggest issue with this episode: the pacing. After everything that happened this season, it has felt like it has been a sprint to the end. Unfortunately, this does undercut a lot of the brooding that has been building all season, and it feels like they didn’t get the flow of the season right. We have to hit so many different plot points in this finale, which they land, but it would have been better if we had some more space to develop them. While it was a rush to get to the end, I will say that at least the ending works. Well, it works enough if we get a second season.

I think the ending worked as well as it did, even with the pacing issues, because it also understood that you needed to have big moments. Watching Osha turn Sol’s lightsabre red with the force might be one of the coolest visual stylisations that Star Wars has shown on screen. One of the strengths of the show has been its use of colour from the lightsabres, and seeing that get taken to the next level was a delight. I also feel that this was the episode that really let Amandla Stenberg shine in her dual roles. Even though they were the centre point of the show, it did often feel like they were being pushed out of the light by some of the more prominent personalities in the show. Here, they have to take charge, and that gives me hope for going forward.

We also get to see a lot more of the interactions between The Jedi and The Senate, interactions that will eventually be used against both sides in about 100 years from the date of this show. One of the interesting things about this show is the way that it explores power structures that have been entrenched in society but have stagnated or started to slip from their purpose. How they begin accumulating power to maintain their position, and that becomes a justification for them doing things under the table. Rayencourt (David Harewood) doesn’t get a lot to do in this final episode, but they made the most of every moment they were on screen, and I hope they plan to take this further.  

Now, while I thought the finale was a bit hit-and-miss in places, the next question becomes, how did this first season work? Overall, I was very impressed with the outing, even if some issues plagued the proceedings. Firstly, without a doubt, this is one of the best lightsabre fighting scenes that we have seen in a live-action Star Wars show. You really feel that they have nailed the production of the lightsabres on screen, and that has given them the opportunity to work more on the fights. While Night is still the highlight on that front, we still have some stunning action scenes in the season finale. I think what really sets these scenes apart is how the Force moves and is entirely integrated into the combat rather than feeling like they are separate things.

Visually speaking, I liked most of what the show was doing. I thought taking us to a bunch of new planets was a strong choice, well mostly new … looking at you “unknown planet”. One of the things I want to give credit to the production staff is how they worked on the integration of the location shoots and the built sets. The creature design was spectacular. I think they have nailed what works best with prosthetics and what is better as a digital construction. Then, of course, there was the musical score that perfectly captured the vibe they were trying to go with here. However, if there was one issue that held it back, it was this need to add what I want to call a ‘Disney+’ colour grade of everything that makes it unnecessarily murky.           

While I don’t think they quite landed every one of the themes that they were playing in, I do respect that they took some big swings this season. Deconstructing The Jedi, in a similar way that Andor deconstructed The Rebellion, was an interesting choice. But they did it through the lens of real-world experience. A bunch of cops coming to a planet they are not wanted, interrupting rituals they don’t understand, claiming ownership over children not their own, using ‘protection’ as a justification for kidnapping, and then killing a leader when they got spooked. You don’t have to look far to see the parallels that they are drawing from. Star Wars has dabbled before with the ethics of taking kids from their parents and turning them into emotionally stunted child soldiers. However, they have never cut to the core of it like they did here. If there was one exchange that was burned into my brain from this season, it was Sol lamenting that Qimir had killed Jecki (Dafne Keen), a child, only for Qimir to reply reasonably, well, you were the one who brought her.  

On that front, I do have to take a moment to champion the cast this season. Lee Jung-Jae was captivating in every moment he was on screen. You felt that turmoil, that conflict in his soul, the legacy of trying to do the right thing, but that cost so many lives. Dafne Keen was electric, and it was fantastic to see how she had built upon her previous roles, like Logan, to bring out a character that commands every scene she is in. I would have liked to see more of Carrie-Anne Moss this season, but she makes an impact whenever she is there. I think we were under-serviced from the potential of a Wookiee Jedi, but I am happy that Joonas Suotamo got to do a bit more with the role. Finally, take a bow, Manny Jacinto, for embodying one of the coolest characters I have seen on the screen and finally truly showing how you could turn someone to the dark side.

Now, if there was one issue that I think held this season back, it was its structure. Much like the final episode having some pacing issues, looking back, I think you can feel it with the season as a whole. I understand why they needed to have the flashback episodes, and hiring Kogonada to bring warmth and humanity to them was a good choice. However, both of those flashback episodes wrenched a sunder with the flow of the season. It was like someone slammed on the proverbial brakes and put the car in idle for an episode. If the season had been more extended, then this probably would not have been the issue it was. But when you only have eight episodes a season, each one matters, and I don’t think spending two of them in the past was the best way forward.

In the end, do we recommend The Acolyte – The Acolyte? Yes, we would. While there were clearly some issues that held things back in places. The cast was a delight, the scenario was interesting, and I like that they delved into some of the more mystical elements of the lore. I do hope we see more of this as we advance, and I think more than a few people will riot if Manny Jacinto doesn’t get more time in the limelight.   

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen The Acolyte yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Acolyte
Directed by – Hanelle M. Culpepper, Lesley Headland, Kogonada & Alex Garcia Lopez
Written by – Jason Micallef, Lesley Headland, Eileen Shim, Claire Kiechel, Cameron Squires, Kor Adana, Jocelyn Bioh, Charmaine DeGraté, Jasmyne Flournoy & Jasmyne Flournoy
Created by – Lesley Headland
Based On – Star Wars by George Lucas
Production/Distribution Companies – Lucasfilm, Shoot to Midnight, Disney Pictures & Disney+
Starring – Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-Jae, Manny Jacinto, Rebecca Henderson, David Harewood, Harry Trevaldwyn, Charlie Barnett, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Margarita Levieva, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, Lauren Brady, Leah Brady & Carrie-Anne Moss with Shanice Archer, Tom Wilton,Hassan Taj, Dee Tails, Amy Tsang, Saskia Allen, Abigail Thorn, Deborah Rosan, Tabitha Alege, Barbara Fadden, Anthony J Abraham, Thara Schöön, Archie Singh Swali, Nick Court, Ed Kear, Paul Bullion, Indra Ové & Derek Arnold.
Episodes Covered – Lost/Found, Revenge/Justice, Destiny, Day, Night, Teach/Corrupt, Choice & The Acolyte