Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Acolyte episode "Choice." Stream it now with a Disney+ subscription, or read at your own risk!
Another episode of Disney+'s The Acolyte has arrived and, as seems to be the trend with this series, Star Wars fans have grievances. Fortunately, this time around, the gripe has more to do with the actual story and not complaints over matters like fires in space or the Jedi seeming overpowered. (And both of those elements have already been explained.) Now, viewers appear to be upset about Mother Aniseya's death and the lack of context behind a few concepts presented in the episode. Yet I'd argue that many of the scenes were collectively meant to teach a vital lesson.
Some may immediately write this off as "bad writing," but I'd sooner think this is a deliberate decision that points to the show's larger narrative and the fall of the Jedi Order overall. Let's talk about what we did and didn't learn and why some are so frustrated when they probably shouldn't be.
The Acolyte Showed The Full Story Behind Osha And Mae's Story, But Left Out Key Details
Earlier this season, through the episode "Destiny," The Acolyte showed audiences Osha's perspective of the events that led to her family's demise and her recruitment by the Jedi. However, "Choice" depicts what transpired through the eyes of Sol and his fellow Jedi. From that earlier installment, it was believed that Mae started a fire that killed all the witches and that led to her being saved by Sol. Osha only believed that because, as fans saw this week, Sol confirmed it to her later while they were in the ship and headed to Coruscant. But the actual truth is far more nuanced.
While Mae did start the fire, it was entirely unintentional, and she ran to Mother Aniseya for help with putting it out. When she arrived, she saw Aniseya and the other witches in a standoff with Torbin and Sol, who rushed to the compound believing that the women intended to sacrifice the Force-sensitive children for their coven.
When Aniseya learned of the fire, she used her Force powers to turn ethereal and seemed to be aiming to possess Mae's body. Sol, unaware of what she was doing, thrust his saber into her evaporating body, causing her to become solid again. As she began to slip away, the coven mother told Sol that she intended to let Osha leave with the Jedi.
The remaining witches gathered to possess the Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca (and I finally got that fight I complained was nixed in a previous episode). While Kelnacca was resilient, he was ultimately stopped by Master Indara, who then caused the remaining witches to lose consciousness. The rest of the episode played out as shown in the earlier installment, with the witches believed to have perished in the fire and Sol saving Osha over Mae.
Why Some Fans Are Frustrated With The Episode
The events above confused some viewers, who then began to jump to conclusions about what they just saw. Here's just some of the reactions that can be found on X:
- The arrogance of the Jedi was always and will always be their downfall. To posture as peacekeepers and then try to forcibly remove children from their home, wipe out an entire clan, kill their leader, and place the blame on a child is actual insanity. - @thislilstangirl
- And this is why I can’t with this show. Either Headland is blaming victims of their own genocide for “noble intentions” (instead of being taken advantage of by evil) or we’re not supposed to sympathize with Aniseya’s take and the fans just don’t get it. -@DarksaberLight
- Saw the latest #TheAcolyte again, and it definitely flowed better for me this time. Still don’t know what Aniseya was trying to do in that moment & why Mae was also turning to smoke. Also #SolPatrol, ya boy was acting like a real creepo lol. Did he imprint on Osha or something?? - @GroguFan1
There are many different interpretations of how that scene played out, which has led to frustration about why we weren't just shown and told what everyone's intentions were. Not to add to that confusion, but I have yet another take to add to the mix. Don't worry; this isn't going to spin into another conspiracy theory, in which I propose how The Acolyte nodded at The Parent Trap.
The Jedi's Assumptions About The Witches Showcase An Important Life Lesson, And Reveal The True Villain Of The Series
I believe the reason why "Choices" is told from Sol's perspective is because fans need to understand his mistakes. What Sol did wasn't inherently evil, and he had good intentions. He believed he was saving two young girls, or at least one, from being sacrificed by a Coven. When Aniseya did something he didn't understand, he killed her, thinking the move was aggressive. It was only in her final moments that he realized his mistake.
Ultimately, I believe The Acolyte is illustrating the deeper lesson that, in life, people can occasionally misconstrue cultures or practices that they don't understand as being evil. This is especially the case when individuals feel that their way of thinking is superior. And, in the context of Star Wars, the Jedi certainly do feel like Gatekeepers of The Force.
To be clear, the Jedi aren't the bad guys, nor are the witches. The real antagonist here is a lack of understanding and communication, which includes Sol agreeing to cover up the incident at Indara's insistence in order to protect Osha's chances of joining the Order. Mistakes were made, but that's what people do. Jedi are not infallible, but continuing to operate as though they were is what ultimately led to their downfall as an order. That's my opinion, anyway, and why I believe it's better that we don't have explicit context on the witches' intentions and don't need to understand Sol's perspective more than anyone else. Also, he's the only person left alive to tell the full story, so there's that, too.
The Acolyte's finale hits Disney+ on Tuesday, July 16th at 9:00 p.m. ET and, while you wait, read up on upcoming Star Wars TV shows and movies.
