– Spoiler Review –
The Acolyte’s third episode, “Destiny” takes us back to the pivotal events 16 years ago on Brendok, and while it lacks clarity on what it reveals, it’s interestingly all on purpose. Find out how and why in my review!
The first hint something is different than the opening two episodes comes from how the title of this episode is missing the “/” and only has one word instead of two. This might not seem like much, but as I was pointing out in my review of the premiere, each word in the episode titles was representing one of the twins (or both, depending on how you sliced it), so to only have one word in the title immediately suggested to me we were only going to focusing on one of the twins’ point-of-view (and makes me wish, besides in the show’s page on Disney+, we saw the episode title on screen at one point). However, much of “Destiny” we spend with both Osha (whose full name is Verosha Aniseya, played by Lauren Brady) and Mae (whose full name is Mae-ho Aniseya, played by Leah Brady), so viewers can’t be blamed for initially thinking otherwise and that we’re following both their stories, but one thing is very clear by the end of the episode, Osha’s POV is the prominent one, to the point we’re missing out on vital information and moments (which do hinder the episode at the end). Showrunner and The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland hasn’t been shy about the influences on her show, including the Akira Kurosawa film Rashomon, the legacy of which can be felt a lot in this episode. Rashomon shows the same story from four different people’s POVs, and we’re clearly, as I pointed out already, seeing this glimpse of the past mainly from Osha’s perspective, as we never see Mae’s test with the Jedi or what Mae does after she starts the fire, but I wouldn’t go as far to say this is an unreliable narrator, as in a way this feels more like what Osha remembers than her being misleading, so therefore closer to Rashomon’s conceit (which can also be seen in The Last Jedi with the Luke Skywalker and Ben Solo hut sequence).
There’s more to this story and we’ll see it in the weeks to come, of that we can all be very sure, which will give fans a chance to theorize and wonder what really happened until then, like how did the fire spread so fast and how the whole coven died. It shows the strength of the weekly release method (or at least supporting my love for it), adding extra tension while viewers sit on what was shown, though unfortunately in the day and age of binging and instant reaction engagement, I’m sure bad faith actors will look at certain aspects of the episode and harp on them until their ears bleed, but we all know better to avoid the path hate takes one on. I’m sure one of the bigger points everyone will talk about is the conception of the twins, which Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith, who brings a peaceful, yet fierce demeanor to the screen I can’t wait to see more of) reveals she supposedly created in the Force and Mother Koril (Margarita Levieva) carried them. How often do characters claim or tell us something and there’s more to the story than what they say? Obi-Wan Kenobi and what he tells Luke about his father in A New Hope, anyone? And Mother Aniseya manipulating the Force, or “thread” as the Coven call it, to create life versus the will of the Force conceiving one, Anakin Skywalker, are two VERY different things but both are intriguing either way, so I hope the show will give us a little more background on Aniseya’s actions and explore this ability, which some consider to be unnatural (hope you read that in Palpatine’s voice). Let The Acolyte cook is my prevailing wisdom, as what’s missing here will certainly offer a more rounded insight into what everyone’s parts are in these events, though at the moment I will say all the missing context here makes for an awkward and far too quick ending to the episode that’s initially off-putting.
“Destiny” being set completely in the past was an exciting swing from the get-go, as I’ve been curious about the mysterious events of 16 years ago, what led Osha to think Mae killed everyone and why Mae would think her sister is dead and why she’s on a path of revenge against the Jedi. Once the episode ended and it was clear we only saw what Osha seems to remember happening, I love how it only deepened the core mystery and left us on the hook waiting for more. But what I enjoyed more was exploring Osha, and her relationship with Mae, throughout “Destiny.” I do feel like a little more context for why Osha isn’t as interested in joining the Coven fully through the upcoming ascension ceremony and why she wants to be a Jedi/knows what a Jedi is (she was drawing their symbol in her notebook), would’ve helped the episode and her story overall, as she just comes preloaded with this dislike for her mother’s ways instead of us ever learning why. Is it because of Mae, who we see some creepy tendencies from (and it leaves one wondering who else could be creeping about in the Brendok woods besides Jedi that has the mothers so upset if anyone leaves the compound…)? Since Mae wants to be one of the coven so badly, and Osha clearly wants to be her own entity, enjoying having a sister but would prefer to see and explore more, to have options of her own, could Mae’s intensity help push Osha away? It certainly seems like Mae isn’t helping Osha’s feelings, so when the Jedi arrive and Master Sol gives her a new option, it’s not hard to see how easily this could help her feel seen, her concerns heard, her own voice focused on instead of that of her sister’s. Between being told to lie at the Jedi test, which Mother Aniseya only allows them to take as a way to ease the tensions when Indara, Torbin, Sol, and Kelnacca reveal themselves, and with Mae and Koril being forceful on what they think Osha should be and want only further entrenches the young girl in her beliefs, so the welcoming and accepting words from Sol during her test easily pushes her towards the Jedi instead of the Coven. Two of Osha’s conversations with others stuck with me the most: the one Sol has with her during her test, once he realizes she’s lying, and the one between Osha and her mother. Of those two, the one between Osha and Mother Aniseya has some exceptional layers to it, recalling The High Republic Adventures – Phase II run by writer Daniel José Older, as the allegory it brings to Osha’s feelings of being different and Mother Aniseya accepting her daughter’s choice to be whomever she wants, could be read as the queer experience (which the comic was exploring), like coming out and accepting/announcing who one really is inside, and it’s just a lovingly acted scene overall. As for Sol and Osha during the test, him pointing out he felt different and joining the Jedi means there are thousands more who also feel different only seems to continue the commentary on the queer experience, as the Jedi are offering an accepting home for her to be what she wants. As for his talk with her after she awakes on the Jedi ship at the end, heading to Coruscant, I can’t help but be curious how differently we’ll read his fatherly words to her once we learn the full truth of what happened, but I’m still a Sol Patrol* through and through now after this episode!
Be it the Witches of Dathomir, the Path of the Open Hand, or now this Coven, different takes on the Force and how beings interact with it always brings some fascinating new perspectives to the franchise. The way the Coven talks about the Force as threads, and how Mother Aniseya weaves and how she holds her hands together when calling on the thread reminds me a lot of someone with thread woven between their fingers, directly leads into their mantra about experiencing the power of many when they ascend with the Coven. It’s a smart way of entrenching the idea of needing to stick with and be part of the Coven as you get older, saying greater access to the thread comes when all are one, pulling on the thread together rather than alone. It’s like the Order but coming at a different angle on the Force, as the Jedi can operate as they wish, as long as they are open and willing to do as the Force directs, while the Coven seems to want more control over it, but only as a group, working together for a common goal. As Manor writer Chris pointed out to me in DMs today, he compared the talk of destiny, fate, and threads from the Coven with Greek mythology, and he couldn’t be more on point (he remembered this from Hercules, I recall it more from early God of War games), as it’s certainly a different take we’d not really had in the Saga before and a cool influence to pull from.
Are the Coven evil? Are the Jedi evil here? I think The Acolyte and “Destiny” are working on painting a more complex picture, as I’m sure will be even more of the case when we see the full story of what happened that night during the fire. They both have their issues: the Coven, while a welcoming community for the women who join, are calling on the Force and using it as they will, like in the creation of children (if that’s truly the case), which certainly seems like selfish and more dark side coded actions, but the why and how of Aniseya’s choice to do so could add an additional layer of nuance to the whole proceedings; as for the Jedi, happy to flout a law which allows them to test any children certainly doesn’t make their practices sound heroic, more like the advanced arm of colonization, you are part of the Republic or we are the ruling voice in the galaxy, to be protected you have to be okay with giving your Force-sensitive children up for testing and then maybe to the Order. More and more stories have been touching on the Jedi’s recruitment methods and the repercussions of their actions, like the Mother from the Path of the Open Hand in Phase II of The High Republic or a vital character in the recent The Living Force novel (set a year from The Phantom Menace), but for every bad story there are many good, overall, as we’ve gotten to see in the Jedi Order helping the galaxy in the overall High Republic era of stories. The Jedi Order has issues, and so does this Coven, and I’m curious to see the full extent of Headland and team’s comments on both as the rest of the series unfolds.
As for what we didn’t see? I imagine poor Torbin gets messed with again by the Coven, whether due to something him or the other Jedi do or because Koril is aggressive, hence why some trailers have shown Kelnacca fighting Torbin, and maybe the Jedi decide to attack the Coven as they see this as aggression? It would fit with Mae’s comment to Indara about Jedi using their weapons against unnamed opponents, her desire for revenge against them, and fills in the blanks about how the Coven was all dead by the time Sol is pulling Osha out of the compound, therefore why Sol seems so broken about the past (and eager to have Osha back because it probably makes him think it’s all worth it). I’m sure there’s more to it than that and I’m curious if we’ll find out in episode 4 on June 18 or if we’ll have to wait longer.
Here are a few other things:
- In a big moment for representation, much like the High Republic publishing initiative has been bringing to the franchise since 2021, Eurus, one of the coven members who gets a few lines this episode, is played by Abigail Thorn, the Saga’s first trans actress!! And on top of it, the mothers being a lesbian couple?! Talk about Pride Month!
- Did the dolls Osha have really stand out to you? Well, they should even more now, as they seem to be an Easter Egg (or maybe more) to horses from Planet X, the mysterious planet the Nameless creatures call home, creatures which Machion Ro and the Nihil use to turn Jedi to dust in the High Republic stories! Even if it’s just a wink and a nod, how cool is that?!
- *The Yord Horde was absolutely FED last night ahead of the episode’s premiere, as Charlie Barnett not only had a little interview about the fans’ love for his character, but many of the Horde were awarded with official merch, sent by Barnett himself (sort of)!! Congrats to the Horde! I’m throwing my lot in with the Sol Patrols, especially after this episode!!
- I get it’s a bunta tree, but when they initially said it in the episode and I didn’t have subtitles on, I thought they said “boonta” tree. But it being the tree Mae’s poison last episode came from fits a lot better than a podracing reference.
- I thought something seemed different on Indara this episode, which the episode guide points out is that she has only one mark by her eye here, not the two we saw in the opening episode. Wonder what the marks denote!
- Seeing Kelnacca be very peaceful, friendly even, compared to the little stinger at the end of episode 2, alone and hostile, will only add more emotion when we see what led to his unfortunate new circumstances in the present.
- We’ve seen too many fires break out in Star Wars’ space for me to have batted an eye at the fire in the opening episode, but I was a little intrigued how the one here spread through a more stone-focused building so quickly. Neither will EVER ruin my enjoyment, but this one I would like to see more to better understand how it happened…and if we don’t, it is what it is!
- Their compound in the mountains, as well as the planetary figures in the sky, made for an arresting visual!
- Lev has been sharing Acolyte characters in the Hades video game art style and they are fantastic!
- Beyond the initially announced figures, we now have Osha Black Series and Osha The Vintage Collection figures, as well as a Retro Collection pack with several characters!
- And there are shirts now! That awesome artwork on a Topps card? Now a T-SHIRT! There are a few more on the Disney Store, so go and check that out now!
The Acolyte episode three “Destiny” takes us back to the past and offers just the tip of the iceberg with its central mystery, challenging viewers in fun and exciting ways I look forward to see unfold going forward.
+ Beginning to explore the past
+ Osha’s story and hints of Mae’s
+ Painting a nuanced picture of the Coven and the Jedi
+ More stellar performances, especially Jodie Turner-Smith and the young twins
– Missing info leads to off-putting, too sudden ending at first
– Would’ve liked to learn more about why Osha feels like she does
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.
THE ACOLYTE REVIEWS
Season One: 1.1/1.2 “Lost/Found” & “Revenge/Justice”