The second ep of The Acolyte brings in another target for the assassin Mae, a little more of the Sith, and her twin, Osha, is brought to find her by Jedi Master Sol! Leslye Headland directs this episode. Jason Micallef and Charmaine DeGrate are the writers. Dramatic music as we get the city on Olega, another new world, with city lights in the night gloom as the city is set along the edge of a seacliff. Then, we get the “Local Jedi Temple”, interesting it looks like another business on the street. A husky alien pulls a load of fruits as a young girl (Archie Singh Swali) takes one. She tosses the fruit at a plate that has a gatekeeper droid simliar to the one in Return of the Jedi (1983), pop out. It appears the High Republic era relies too much on droids.
She gets its attention as it tries to shoo her away so Mae can disable it with a disc-like restraining bolt. The gate opens and Mae gives some credits to the girl. She sneaks past Jedi, the temple has trapezoid-like corridors, and Mae walks up to a meditating Jedi (Dean-Charles Chapman). The man is bearded with a scarred face. Chapman was Castor in the action series, Into the Badlands. The Jedi Master has his eyes closed and floats in a pose strong in the Force. Mae takes off her hood to face Master Torbin. She repeats her introduction, “Attack me with all your strength.” Torbin doesn’t move. Mae tries to strike, but is held by the Force! She moves in a series of attacks, but Torbin’s use of the Force renders them ineffective. Mae takes out her knives and can’t stab into the field that Torbin is projecting.
Then, she hears voice altered to her break-in. Mae leaps upwards as the Olega Jedi Master (Nick Court) walks in. He looks up to see the moon through the circular skylight. On the snowy surface of Carlac, on the Jedi ship Osha is resting and opens her eyes, while Jecki is working on a control panel. Osha suggests “repowering the power couplings”, it works, and she explains she is a meknek. She says she is better company than a droid and Pip beeps at her side. Master Sol walks past them and Jedi Knight Yord argues against leaving off binders from Osha. Yord doesn’t believe Mae could defeat Indara and says Sol has his twin theory and that they might be working togther. Sol tells him not to let his fear affect his judgment! Funny and again we have Yord as a sounding board as the typical Jedi.
At the cockpit, Sol speaks to Jedi Master Vernestra, still my prime suspect at this point. He tells her about the Jedi twin, Mae, someone hid Mae’s existence, like Dooku with Geonosis at the Jedi archives? Was it Sol who wanted to protect his Padawan? He says she was thought to be dead 16 years ago, Sol doesn’t mention that he was on Brendok with Indara at the time, and says Mae is the assassin. Vernestra agrees and mentions the break in at Olega. She notes that Osha can’t be in his custody and infiltrated the Jedi temple, Sol works this over, and asks to investigate. Vernestra says Osha could be an asset! He enters the room and asks for the course to Olega. Osha knows that Torbin is on the planet.
Yord is about to dispute bringing along the prisoner, but Sol says the Jedi agree with is decision to bring her. Actually, Yord is defiant, he doesn’t defer to a Jedi Master’s orders. Day at the Olega city market, Mae walks into a shop, the theme (Mae’s?) has a brooding like Darth Maul’s eerie music when he lands on Tatooine, "The Sith Spacecraft", with a soft taiko drum. Nice score by Michael Abels. Mae calls for Qimir (Manny Jacinto) who is asleep in his bunk. Jacinto was recently in Top Gun: Maverick (2022). She smells the alcohol in his cup and throws it at him to wake Qimir up. He puts on a coat which he says was from the owner, killed by Qimir? A strange, almost comedic, assassin associate. Mae explains that she saw her target, but couldn’t touch him. Qimir tells her to find his weakness.
She gives him a pouch of Bunta, a new item, to make a poison. The name is simliar to Boonta, a galactic location that the podrace event, Boonta Eve, is named. He mentions the next Jedi is tough, a Wookie! Mae she will kill a Jedi without a weapon which must be Dun Möch, a Sith technique to dominate the spirit. This is to “please the Master”, who is the master?, and Qimir is working for the master? He starts to make a drink and says that Jedi dominate for peace and Mae finishes off the line from the Sith code, “peace is a lie”! Qimir says that Torbin thinks he has peace, but he holds up the reddish Bunta and continues saying Mae can give him “absolution” with the green Bunta poison! The Jedi are complicit in the sin that led to Mae becoming an assassin, she doesn’t have anger talking about assassination.
Osha is working on connecting Pip to sych with the ship and Sol points out the tatoo on her arm. She says she got it with her crew. He brings up Mae killing Indara and Mae replies that she somehow survived. Mae might have been hidden by her master until assassinating Indara. The same ability used to hide Palpatine from the Jedi? Mae says they both witnessed what must have been her death. Sol admits he wanted to save both of them. Osha doesn’t blame him. Sol says he has made peace with the incident, this must be unlike Indara. Osha says she wasn’t a good student and Sol admits that he may have not been a good teacher. Sol’s self-reflection makes him a good Jedi, probably not culpable with the Brendok event.
The ship lands on Olega, Sol and his group are met by the Jedi Master, and he explains that this might be connected to another case. Torbin is still meditating when Mae drops down. The Jedi Master explains what happened and the girl is brought out by a Jedi Padawan (Ed Kear). He seems a little rough for a Padawan and deserves the girl struggling to shrug off his hold of her backpack. Mae asks Torbin if he remembers her. She says she knows why he took the Barash Vow, this must be one of seclusion like a monk, that he would find peace. Mae reaches out to touch the field. Jecki kneels before the girl, what a kind gesture, and asks her about the security droid. The girl points to Osha as the one who paid her. Sol asks to speak to Master Torbin. The Jedi Master says he hasn’t spoken in ten years, six years after Brendok, but Sol says he is an "old friend."
Mae gives Master Torbin a choice; confessing his crime to the Jedi Council!, Brendok is a crime in the point of view of Mae and obviously something hidden from the Jedi Council! Then, she places the vial of Bunta in front of him, “forgiveness” from her. He suddenly opens his eyes! The group is walking towards them. Mae says he has to face the past. Torbin lowers down and says he was waiting for her. Osha pauses from walking with the group and hears young Mae calling her name in her mind. She sees Little Mae walk up steps. Yord sees her leave. Torbin says to Mae, “Forgive me” and that they thought they were doing the right thing. It is not the fire, but something else, involving her mother? He downs the vial. Sol stops and then runs to see Torbin.
Osha walks down steps to see the body of Master Torbin. I still think Osha is being turned to the Dark Side and it could be Mae or her master. Like what happened with her mother? It almost seems like a peaceful death. Osha sniffs the vial and then looks at the sky light hearing birds. The Jedi Master sees her over Torbin’s body and ignites his lightsaber. She tries to explain that Torbin was poisoned. Then, Yord walks from behind her saying he followed her, Osha thanks him. Sol walks over to Torbin and knows that Torbin took the poison “willingly.” Osha tells him that the poison is Bunta from Brendok! A murder connected to the past. I wonder if the knives have the same meaning, why Mae went back for them.
Qimir casually walks the street as Osha explains that her sister and she used Bunta in hunting. It is a fast acting poison so the poison was made close by. They are the second floor of the temple and the Padawan who has used electrobinoculars says that the person entering the apothecary is not the owner. Apothecary is an old English word for what would be a pharmacy. They see the apothecary. Sol asks for suggestions. Yord offers a plan with securing the perimeter and he will take the imposter, bringing out a cylindrical stun blaster. Jecki offers an alternative, just have Osha talk to him, recording a confession. Funny. Yord needs to learn to listen, not act, Mae agrees to her plan. Sol seconds Jecki’s plan and takes the stun blaster to give to Osha.
On the street, she buys a dark cloak, and then tests her comlink. Osha enters the apothecary, Qimir is casually sitting, an awkward exchange. The Jedi listen in on the comm in Jecki’s hand. He asks if the poison worked. Sol tells the others to wait. Qimir says that she killed Torbin without the poison and that “he will be pleased.” Sol sends out the Jedi. Qimir says that Osha looks exactly like Mae. Osha pulls out the stun blaster, Yord enters from the door, and he pulls out his lightsaber. Sol behind him asks about Mae. From the back of the shop, Jecki says they have his confession. Qimir tries to act innocent. He seems like the sleemo Alfrid, lackey of the mayor in Laketown, in the Hobbit films, but his Sith knowledge makes him more like Wormtongue.
THE ACOLYTE -- “Revenge/Justice” -- AMANDLA STENBERG -- Christian Black/© Lucasfilm Ltd.
Qimir says he doesn’t want a memory wipe, funny, but again Sith. Sol asks his relationship to Mae and Qimir says he is her supplier and that he was supplying weapons to the Hutts. Sol brings up the master Qimir mentioned, but again he tries to act like he doesn’t know. Qimir tries to deflect saying Mae wants revenge on four Jedi! She will return at night for some things he is holding for her. Sol orders Yord to secure the perimeter, Jecki back at the ship, and Osha stays with him. Saying plans in front of Qimir and who is watching him? Yord is watching at the Jedi Temple balcony when Jecki checks on him over the comms. He says the classic line, “I have a bad feeling about this.” This had cheers at the preview screening.
Sol is waiting and Osha wants to confont her sister. He says he must do it alone, she says this would lead to Mae, and Sol says Osha is still angry. This anger must have happened six years ago when she left the Order and I still think it is the Jedi twin connection. Maybe this was during her Jedi Trials, the Trial of the Spirit like Luke at the Dagobah cave. We saw Ezra Bridger face the Jedi Trials in a vision at the Jedi Temple in Star Wars: Rebels, “Path of the Jedi” (2014); DC-SWR1/10. Osha says Mae killed her family, Sol tells her that she wants revenge, and revenge turned Mae into an assassin. He says he couldn’t save her as a child and wants to do so now. Osha names the four Jedi; Indara, Torbin, Kelnacca, and then Sol. This is a specific order that has to do with the past sin. He is on Mae’s hit list, but will be saved for last.
Sol says have faith and Mae and himself. Kudos to Lee Jung-jae! Tense music as Yord stands watch and he spots Mae with the electobinocular. He reports spotting Mae and Jecki starts the ship towards them. Sol calls out for Mae. He can’t believe she survived, killed Indara, and Torbin. Mae throws a knife at his boot, a warning. She leaps at him with a kick which he catches. We get more fight music like with Indara’s noodle shop battle, Sol moves away from her strikes, and he wonders why she fights without a weapon. He blocks one handed just like Indara, they are using the same fighting style, and her hand also almost swipes his lightsaber. Sol kicks her away and she finds he has taken all of her knives! He says she misunderstands the “Jedi arts”, her master failed her!, and asks who is her master. The Acolyte requires repeat watching to catch the subtleties of the characters. Did somone say Wookie? “Revenge/Justice” captures the driving forces of the twin sisters, the struggle of Sol, and more of the mystery!
Five Lightsabers out of Five!
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