“Destiny”, the third ep of The Acolyte is surprising since we see back at that pivotal moment, sixteen years ago on Brendok! Re:cap - “Revenge/Justice”; Jedi Master Sol with his team and Osha have traveled to Olega to find Mae. Sol goes to confront Mae alone. She tries to fight the Jedi Master, but he has taken her knives and drops them. At the Jedi Temple balcony, Jedi Knight Yord watches the fight with his electrobinoculars. Osha taps into the comlink with Pip and listens to Padawan Jecki ask about what is happening with Yord. He says Sol is trying to find the identity of her master. Jecki says she will turn on his comms for recording. Sol throws Mae and she falls, but doesn’t land held by the Force! He senses through the Force that her master has hidden his identity from her. Interesting, a hidden master.
Mae tells him to get out of her head and then flips upright. A knife appears in her hand. Sol says she thinks about her sister and Mae screams that she is dead! Sol says she is alive and Mae throws the knife. It is taken by Yord who draws it to his hand with the Force. He says Sol is telling the truth. Yord drops down to block Mae’s path and Force Pushes her back. The ship is overhead, spotlighting Mae, and Jecki broadcasts her arrest by the authority of the Galactic Senate of the Republic. Mae looks down at the ground. Yord puts his hand to his lightsaber. Sol reaches out his hand. Mae screams projecting out a cloud of dust with the Force! If the Jedi are samurai, she is definetly ninja. Mae is gone. Osha hears that Yord says they should stop her at the city gates. Mae runs through the crowded streets and then is hit by a speeder!
She knocks the alien driver down and gets into his speeder. Osha takes out the stun blaster and points it at her sister! Mae is stunned to see her sister is alive! Osha sends out the stun blast in anger, but it strikes to the side of Mae, there is anger, but not to the point of hurting her sister. Mae takes off in the speeder as Osha sends out another blast. Osha watches her leave, Sol, and Yord walk up to see her. On hologram, Jedi Master Vernestra says that she has a gathered a small council to find out the next step. Sol argues that they know Mae’s next target and must act quickly. Vernestra says that they will see him and cuts off the transmission. Day on Olega, Qimir sees the Jedi Padawan on lookout with electrobinoculars.
Mae is about to strike him with her knife, but he counters and holds her to the wall. His foolishness is just an act, he is deadly, probably as trained as Mae. She says he betrayed her to the Jedi. Qimir tells her that he can find them passage to Khofar in the Outer Rim. He knows the location of Kelnacca, the Jedi! The Padawan realizes that he lost Qimir and they leave. On the forested planet, Khofar, we hear a Wookie roar. Two scavengers (Jumayn Hunter and Scroobius Pip) speak in Huttese about a crashed ship. A Wookie (Joonas Suotamo) with a peaked head appears behind them, one draws a blaster, but the Wookie pulls it away with the Force! Kelnacca growls sending them running away! He heads back to his home.
The third ep is directed by Kogonada, director of the drama series, Pachinko. The episode is written by Jasmyne Flournoy and Eileen Shim. We see the rocky hills of Brendok and then its forests. In a forest clearing, there is a single tree with yellow flowers like a Weeping Willow. A bluish bird with red wings flies towards a little girl, Osha. She looks at one of the birds and it lands on her finger. It has an almost jellyfish body and butterfly wings. Mae seems to almost hold it with the Force and then lets it go. The bird is held, Osha turns to see Mae trapping it with the Force, her hands cupped together. Mae has found her sister at the Bunta Tree. Mae warns her it is dangerous, but Osha says only if they eat it.
Mae suddenly reaches out to hold a bird mid-flight, Osha tells her to free it, angry at her action and that she goes off alone. To see a master? Mae says she doesn’t want to do the Ascenscion. Osha says it is a ceremony and starts walking though the forest. Mae says their saying as twins, “You’re with me, I’m with you” and holds out her hand. Osha joins her and they encircle each other. The hooded Mother Koril (Margarita Levieva), she is Zabrak with horns on her skull like Darth Maul, which must mean she may be from Dathomir. The sci fi movie, Future World (2018), starred Levieva as Lei. Mother Koril says there are consequences for breaking the rules. Osha says she’s old enough to leave the Fortress. Then, Mother Koril takes them away. Watching them is Jedi Sol!
The Fortress is towering up a mountainside, built on its caldera, a red and blue moon are seen in the sky. The twins enter a market, waving, they ask for spice creams from Mother Koril. They are allowed the spice creams by their mother, Mothe Aiseya (Jodie Turner-Smith), and they hug each other.Turner-Smith starrred in the sci fi movie, After Yang (2021) directed by Kogonada. I love the circular pattern on her forehead. She has them take the spice creams before going to their training session. Mother Aniseya walks with Mother Koril and asks her if the Jedi were around. Mother Koril says no and that their scouts say they moved their ship. Mother Aniseya says their coven is safe. I wonder if this somehow ties into the Great Mothers in Ahsoka.
Mother Koril says she should be more strict with Osha and that “twins are not normal children.” I think she means Jedi twins strong in the Force. At the common room, Mother Aniseya addresses the room of young girls and her daughters about the Thread that runs through everything. A very Fates intrepretation of the Force, in Greek myth, they wove the thread of destiny for mortals. The Fates were reflected in the Great Mothers in Ahsoka. She draws a fruit to her hand and then sends it between the twins. Mae snatches it away and the twins start pushing each other for fun. Their mother walks out and then faces another woman both using Force Push, but she is knocked backed by Mother Aniseya. She says, “The power of one” and then calls over two women. The saying is also the title of a 1992 film, a favorite, based in Africa.
They both push against Mother Aniseya, but they are forced back a step. The twins start to struggle. Their mother says their enemies will give no warning and throws them to the floor with a Force Push! She has them stand and then block her Force Push, Mae struggles, but holds her back, wow! This disappoints Mother Koril. Something gets her attention and Mother Aniseya sends her daughters to their room. Mother Koril sees a dark figure on the upper floor. At their room, Mother Aniseya asks what is troubling Osha. Mae says she is nervous about the Ascension. Sunlight pours through the window. Osha says she is uncertain about becoming a witch. We saw the Nightsisters and how they were corrupt, but here this is a positive society with a matriarchy.
Mother Aniseya walks over and clasps their hands together. Osha drops her hand and her mother tells her to hold the hand of her sister. Then, she tells them to say “I love you” to each other. Osha drops her hand and her mother tells her to hold the hand of her sister. She explains that the Ascenscion is about sacrificing yourself for others. I think more than a few Star Warriors would prefer this way over the Jedi. Turner-Smith plays a great teacher. Mother Aniseya says that Osha wants something more, but doesn’t realize that the galaxy doesn’t have a place for witches. She says they are special and wants Osha to stay that way. It becomes dark, a group of witches have their arms out to a cave.
Back at their room, the twins’ hair are being braided, Mae is happy about spice creams. When she asks what Osha is drawing, she quickly closes her book, and wants her own things. Osha says they are the only children which makes the hair dressers pause. The moons start to move in alignment. This reminds of the Great Conjunction in Dark Crystal (1982). Below, the Ascension begins with a gathering of the witches. Mother Koril is shaping the Force along with the others, pulling the Thread. They lower themselves at once before Mother Aniseya. She walks before them and says that they have not done the Ascension ceremony before their exile. This and the "only children" make me think of the Amazons who escape Man's World and Wonder Woman, formed from clay by Hippolyta.The Amazon queen also had a sisterr, Antiope like Aniseya and Koril.
Mother Aniseya said they were almost hunted down, but there was a miracle. The “gift of life” and then the twins begin to walk towards her. They have gold lamé shoulder capes. Mae is smiling and Osha is uncertain as the rows of witches bow to them. Mother Foril shows the twins to their destiny and stands besides Mother Aniseya. Their hands are held together with their mother’s hand. The witches sing, “The power of one, the power of two, the power of many.” The moons are aligned, blue and red, with a corona of light through them. Mother Aniseya calls on Mae-ho Aniseya, her formal name to vow to continue the traditions of the coven. She holds her hands before Mae’s head with a bluish glow. The circle mark is on the left side of her forehead in blue. For Osha, it would be reddish?
Mother Aniseya tells her, “Ascend.” Verosha Aniseya is asked to take the vow, but she is fearful. Osha reluctantly agrees and then the Scout Sarria (Saskia Allen) rushes in to warn about the Jedi. The scouts carry bows like Amazons, I wonder if they are energy bows like Omega used in Bad Batch? The witches gather and Mother Aniseya says, “Hide them”, the robed women hide the daughters with their numbers. Mother Aniseya tells the scouts to lower their bows. I like them dealing non-violently with the Jedi who just seem to walk in uninvited. I felt tension, heart racing, with the presence of the Jedi. Indara walks in followed by Torbin, Sol, and Kelnacca behind them. Torbin looks around them assessing the situation. She introduces herself and the group including her Padawan Torbin. All look youthful, Sol has short hair, Torbin without his beard.
Five+ Lightsabers out of Five!
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