After last week’s episode of The acolyte took us back in time for a fascinating story of strength and perspective Likewise, things return to the season’s biggest mysteries in “Day.” But last week’s gift of context allows the show to reexamine its central figures in a new light… just in time for that light to plunge into darkness.
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After “Fate” gave us a twisted exploration of Mae and Osha’s upbringing in Brendok that asked us to question everything we thought we knew, even what our eyes were seeing, on the surface “Day,” the fourth episode of The acolyte, seems relatively simple in comparison. With Jedi and Dark Side agents converging on the jungle planet Khofar, where The next target on Mae’s hit list, Brendok Jedi, the Wookiee Master Kelnacca, resides in exile. Both Mae and Osha find themselves questioning his place. in it heart of this mysteryjust in time for an external factor to change everything again (but more on that later).
It’s an energetic episode, possibly too energetic at times, which makes its climactic cliffhanger even more of a provocation to sit through for the week. But in that energetic simplicity The acolyte still finds a lot to offer her central sisters… and as has been the case so far, reflecting their perspectives allows the series to make comparisons and put a spin on small moments that have the potential to upset this balance of light and dark in game. “More than any episode so far of the show it really takes advantage of this being the story of twin sisters, rather than one told from the perspective of one particular half of that relationship, and in doing so, provides us with moments of introspection and points of comparison between Mae. and Osha who paint a surprising future ahead of any of them.
A running through of Mae and Osha’s stories in “Day” is that these sisters are being used by the forces around them. With the Jedi—still content to play politics and will attempt to keep most of Sol’s research out of sight, both for the sake of appearance and any particular fear of a Dark Side resurgence—Sol has to make the difficult sacrifice of using Osha as a tool, taking advantage of Vernestra to To keep him involved in the investigation, to develop the case there is a way to bring Mae in and have the Jedi find out who trained her in the dark arts. Even then, she is forced to accompany Khofar less as an ally and more as a bargaining chip. —another, forced to wear “civilian robes” that explicitly present her as not one of them among the Jedi, the same usefulness and status as Bazil, Tynnan’s Tracker also dressed in that white robe, a creature that the Jedi who hired him use as a tool, which they complain about when he runs away for half the episode.
Even Sol, Osha’s strongest defender, begins to treat her as if she is there as a test, a lesson she has yet to learn, as he inches like this. closely to tell her that what she remembers from that night at Brendok isn’t the whole picture and that she has to be ready. For the truth, it doesn’t matter what it is. It’s only really Jecki who treats Osha in this episode as an ally, as a whole person. in and of herself, when, in a moment of doubt about her past as a Jedi Padawan and her childhood, Jecki reminds her that People are defined by what they survive, rather than what they survived. And what Osha has survived so far, apart from the Jedi themselves: taking her from her, training her, letting her go, now using her as a tool against a family she was told she had been. removed?
Meanwhile, all of this is contrasted with Qimir, accompanying Mae as she prepares to assassinate Kelnacca, constantly pushing and shoving her travels. partner with all the subtlety of a brick to the face, one who feels a little also very similar The acolytea program that has defended us don’t trust what he says in a literal sense, yelling “hey, this guy might have a particular interest in creepy masks and red lightsabers!”, to remind him. that she is failing her master, that her participation in her plan depends on her being wielded as her weapon, rather than making any decisions herself. Every time Mae tries to take the initiative, Qimir is there to poke her, that is not what her master wants—no questions, no thoughts, just a sword to shape in darkness. And just as Sol tries to prepare Osha for the truth, a truth that might break her out of this feeling that Mae may not be worthy of redemption, that her revenge is wrong… Mae herself begins to see that learning that the sister of her is alive free her from all this hate and anger she has felt for sixteen years. She doesn’t need Qimir or the master, if she has her sister, there is still a chance that she can change.
Therein lies the tragedy of the “Day.” Everything is starting to change: Mae blinking into the light, Osha blinking into the darkness, the twins reflected. The paths begin to be reflected in another way. Just as Mae takes the initiative, tricking Qimir into falling into a rope trap so she can go make peace. with Kelnacca and surrendering to the arriving Jedi, and also as Osha steels herself, all to enthusiastically clap the blaster she brought to confront a sister she has begun to want revenge on, their paths accelerate towards convergence… a fork in the road. Mae finds Kelnacca already dead, with a burning cut on her chest. Sol feels a chill in the air as the Jedi surround Kelnacca. she home, and she turns to find a figure dressed in black floating in the air like a whisper, towards Osha. A masked figure, brought to life not by words or deeds, but by the quick, sudden, sharp whistle of a red lightsaber.
Regardless of whether you immediately made an attempt to figure out whether the Master was a hastily released Qimir or not, his arrival at the scene in which “Day” comes to an abrupt end is remarkably effective. He is a slasher villain who appears at the climax of a police action. procedural: everything turns sharply with a flick of the Master’s wrist, as Jedi and Osha alike fly off into the credits. And the moment for Mae and Osha’s paths to unite, a chance for these reflections to once again find something in each other, is lost in the chaos.
Sooner rather than later, the truth of what happened at Brendok will come to light. Just like that changes Osha and Mae’s paths. They are advancing at full speed, one enveloped by pain and mistrust, the other emboldened by the opportunity to free themselves from that pain, neither of which are the paths that led us to expect for each of them, and now we have the opportunity to change the course of everything I thought we knew about The acolyte in its first half. But for that truth to come to light, both protagonists and antagonists have to survive the revenge of a Sith… orsome Of them do, at least.
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