While the previous review predicted there would be flashbacks, it never knew it would be this early on. There is such a thing as too early. Pacing is everything for television shows and films, yet there are so many that can’t get it right. The Acolyte only partially figured it out.
‘Lost/Found’ and ‘Revenge/Justice’ were in sync and never rushed a moment, even though some of it might’ve been predictable. So, it may have been believed something like ‘Destiny’ wouldn’t be here until after another episode in the present day. But then it arrives early.
‘Destiny’ is solid, but it’s in the wrong order. Viewers need to get attached to these characters, and the backstory isn’t the way to do it. Right now, it can be easy for those who don’t mind the series not being connected to the overall Star Wars franchise to get invested, but then viewers are dealt new characters disrupting anyone from connecting with present-day characters. While young Osha (Lauren Brady, Midnight at the Paradise), young Mae (Leah Brady, The Umbrella Academy), and the Jedi technically aren’t new characters, the younger version of themselves feel new — specifically young Osha and Mae.
Throwing in new and different versions of characters fans can hardly know yet throws the entire show off. If it was episode 4, viewers could feel more emotional toward those who had life-altering moments. Still, the episode is entertaining, even if it does distract from the current events.
Viewing the Force as a Thread is an interesting idea, because who says everyone in the universe needs to view things the same way as the Jedi, even though most Star Wars fans may not like this. But it represents the witches’ belief that this Thread can’t be controlled, rather they can push in a certain direction — something quite different than what fans have been told. The only constant fans have (besides again, endless Star Wars content) is change. So, there was bound to be something to say the Force is something other than the Force.
This new idea should be further pushed to see what exactly makes it different, because when Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith, Queen & Slim) used it to take on two witches for practice, it didn’t look different than what a Jedi would do. Yet the witches lived differently than the Jedi, which led to them being on the planet and seeking out young Osha and Mae.
Throughout the episode, the way young Osha is acting seems like everything will be her fault, but it’s actually young Mae who started the fire and acted impulsively. So, with this adding up, why is Mae killing the four Jedi?
With the amount of guilt Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman, Game of Thrones) felt from the events of Brendok that he would kill himself with the poison Mae (Amandla Stenberg, The Hunger Games) brought him, there must be something still missing that we don’t know yet. While one would think an entire flashback episode would cover everything that happened, let’s assume it didn’t, because how could a fire wipe out the entire witch clan, especially when the fire wasn’t near them?
Did the Jedi kill them since they were banished, still using the Force, or shall we say the Thread, and raise two children to continue their legacy? If the Jedi have nothing to do with their demise, then there’s no reason for Torbin to have accepted the poison from Mae.
Even though ‘Destiny’ opened the question of why they were truly banished, that’s something that doesn’t need to be answered. Instead, the show should focus back on present-day Mae and Osha (also portrayed by Amandla Stenberg) to see how Mae’s mission pans out.
It’ll be interesting to see how this flashback is unraveled in the present day with Mae and Osha’s quick reunion. Also, if the Jedi did do something, it seems like Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game) has nothing to do with it. If that’s true, him finding out the truth may lead to a fight (let’s hope it’s a lightsaber fight — there’s a lack of those in The Acolyte). It just doesn’t seem like the show will kill him off. After all, he’s one of the stronger characters in the show.
