The Acolyte Episode 4 Review: An Excellent Cliffhanger Ending Overcomes a Weaker Star Wars Entering
Alerting note: Spoilers for The Acolyte episode 4 abound in this page. Though it falls short of the deep dive into the Force of episode 3, the Acolyte episode 4 is nevertheless another excellent installment. Though The Acolyte is surrounded with constant debate, I have like what writer Leslye Headland has produced. One of my personal favorites on the chronology is the High Republic Era of Star Wars; I value it when tales in a galaxy far, far explore the odd, philosophical side of their topic. This helps me to explain why The Acolyte episode 4 is the weakest thus far, even if I still had fun generally.
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Khofar Creates Beautiful Continuation Of The Excellent Production Design For The Acolyte
Starting with the more favorable aspect of The Acolyte Episode 4, I keep enjoying the production design of the show. Episode 4 is not different from previous ones; earlier ones had amazing settings, costumes, props, and a wonderful mix of practical and visual effects. The episode takes place totally on Khofar, a far-off planet where The Acolyte's Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca has decided to hide. Excellent and with a sense of gloom that Star Wars' natural views typically lack, Khofar's wide, mist-covered forests look great.
The environment supports the ongoing good production design of the show. The episode has multiple tracking, establishing shots of several people wandering throughout Khofar's varied hillsides and deep forests, all seemingly shot on site. This was a nice contrast in a time when the number of completely CG environments is not unusual.
Varied Cast of The Acolyte Gets More Time to Shine
Where The Acolyte's ensemble of characters is concerned, I cannot argue against Lee Jung-jae's Sol and Amandla Stenberg's Osha and Mae thus far being the standouts. Having said that, Episode 4 offers the supporting actors somewhat more work. Though their developing connection could do with even more development, Dafne Keen's Jecki Lon has some great sequences to connect with Osha. Likewise, Charlie Barnett's Yord Fandar gets more attention than the charming, albeit underdeveloped, stickler for Jedi regulations from The Acolyte's debut.
Yord and Osha have a gripping scene when the former is trusted by the latter to murder Mae should the time allow. More of a feeling of character than in other episodes, Yord then provides a nugget of wisdom to Osha advising her she has to face her own anxieties. Unquestionably a standout is Bazil, the Jedi's friend in charge of following Kelnacca throughout Khofar's thick forest. More often than not, a show seemed self-serious and dreary; Bazil provided humor in a way that seemed naturally like Star Wars. A George Lucas-style character, Bazil is a ridiculous tiny creature who rapidly wins over viewers with comic relief. Bazil provides levity in a way that feels naturally like Star Wars, in a program more often than not feels self-serious and bleak. If he only shows in one episode, Bazil has definitely captivated my heart in the same manner that recent years' likes of Grogu, Sabine's Tooka from Ahsoka, and The Mandalorian's Anzellans have managed.
The ending of the fourth Acolyte episode is a wonderful, tantalizing cliffhanger.
Though much of The Acolyte Episode 4 left me needing more forward propulsion plot-wise, the shining gem of the installment instantly quieted me. When Mae, the Jedi, Osha, and their companions gather at Kelnacca's hut, they discover the lone Jedi dead from lightsaber wounds. Mae's anxiety grows as the brilliant light of Khofar sets on the horizon and lets actual and metaphorical darkness enter the fray. The first look of The Acolyte's Sith adversary is scary since the receding light creates way for overwhelming darkness.
With its sense of approaching dread only enhanced by the three-episode mystery and lighting precisely conveying Star Wars' light against dark themes, the excellent ending of The Acolyte episode 4 alone was sufficient to evaluate the show positively. The slow trek toward Osha is horrific, and the sense of anxiety when the masked man sets off his lightsaber wonderfully concludes the suspense. As I viscerally reacted to the installment finishing as it did, the trailer shot of the High Republic Jedi lighting their own weapons and being blasted by the Force cuts The Acolyte episode 4 to black, signifying a great final moment that left me ready for more. When done right, cliffhangers are great narrative devices; the closing of episode 4 more than piques my interest to watch the next Sith against Jedi clash.
The mystery elements in the fourth Acolyte episode lack compared to previous installations.
Though I find the cliffhanger ending to be endlessly fascinating, the first two-thirds of the show suffered. While prior episodes answered and asked questions in equal measure, episode 4 was more of a plateaued entry, hence enhancing The Acolyte's intriguing mystery. With the episode content to leverage the mystery of the preceding three episodes to make its cliffhanger finale more dramatic, no genuine answers or queries are supplied.
Although this worked, it does make The Acolyte episode 4 more like a placeholder than prior episodes. Though they are simply too few and too predictably false to match the dark clues that The Acolyte episode 3's climax fire was more diabolical than initially assumed, episode 4 attempts to generate further doubts. Though the hints and nudges Qimir is the secret Sith villain are too on the nose as a red herring that I found it difficult to invest in, Kelnacca's witch-like symbols in his hut are interesting enough.
A few of the character decisions in the fourth Acolyte seem undesearned.
Rushed character arcs in The Acolyte episode 4 let me down last. While it was good that Jedi developed outside of Sol and Osha, Mae's growth seemed strange. Her fluctuating confidence in the Sith now that she knows Osha is alive felt dubious after The Acolyte episode 3 detailed her evil impulses and clear effort at killing her sister. Mae's view of the Jedi appearing on Brendok as what tore her family apart remains unchanged whether or not Osha is alive. Her change from vengeful Sith Acolyte to yielding prisoner felt accelerated at least, unthinkable at worst.
From a storyline standpoint, Mae's character development might have been distributed over the whole season to seem more natural. Likewise, Kelnacca's death in The Acolyte episode 4 left me feeling hollow, just as Indara's sudden death from episode 1. Though flashbacks will continue to highlight their personas, I know the huge promise of Carrie-Anne Moss as an all-knowing Jedi and Wookiee Force user has not been fully exploited sufficiently for my liking. Nevertheless, The Acolyte episode 4 was a decent one with a great finish that overcame other problems with the narrative, producing a middling episode devoid of forward plot momentum but kept me always yearning more.
Examining the Series: The Acolyte
Set in the Star Wars world toward the end of the High Republic Era, the Acolyte features both the Galactic Empire and the Jedi at their most influential point. Investigating various crimes, this sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they uncover events all pointing to darkness bursting from beneath the surface and ready to bring about the death of the High Republic.
Added to the always growing Star Wars universe is the Acolyte. Examining fresh individuals and narratives, it provides a window into another era on the chronology. Deeper examining the complicated relationship between the Jedi and the Sith and investigating the origins of the dark side of the Force, the Acolyte has the potential to be a fascinating and provocative addition to the franchise. Mixed responses have been received for the show; some viewers have praised its ambitious narrative and strong characters while others have voiced worries about its pacing and plot turns. Some Star Wars fans have also criticised the Acolyte for its examination of issues of diversity and representation, therefore augmenting the continuous discussion about the direction of the Star Wars franchise.
