Posted in: Disney+, Review, Star Wars, TV | Tagged: Carrie-Anne Moss, Dean-Charles Chapman, disney, jodie turner-smith, Joonas Suotamo, Lauren Brady, Leah Brady, Lee Jung-Jae, lucasfilm, Margarita Levieva, Review, star wars, Star Wars: The Acolyte, The Acolyte
The Acolyte Season 1 Ep. 3 Review: Jedi Flashback: A Duo of the Fates
The Acolyte Episode 3: "Destiny" offers a change of pace in the form of a flashback episode where we learn more about the Jedi and two twins.
The Acolyte drops a significant piece of the puzzle between twins Osha and Mae (Amandla Stenberg) in the episode "Destiny." Set 16 years before the series' present on the planet Brendok, we find the two girls, respectively played by Lauren Brady and Leah Brady, already with some mastery of the Force about to undergo a ritual of Ascension living within a coven of witches mulling over their future under the watchful eye of Mothers Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Koril (Margarita Levieva). The following contains minor spoilers for the episode "Destiny."
The Acolyte: A Familiar Narrative in Star Wars
Any time the Jedi are made aware of those with Force abilities, they send a party for potential recruitment. Obviously, this is met with mixed reactions with some parents and guardians are willing participants to let their child live a Jedi life, but others might provide more pushback despite any noble intentions. The younglings are then set off to train under the Jedi order as Padawans. In this case, the Jedi of interest sent are Jedi Masters Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss), Sol (Lee Jung-jae), Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo playing another Wookie), and Padawan Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman).
I am relieved that we see more of Moss and Chapman, given the events of previous episodes, as we find out more about their characters. We also get far more familiar with one of the two main series protagonists in Jung-jae's Sol and the bond he'll start with Osha. The core of the episode revolves around the performances of the young guest stars Lauren and Leah Brady, Jung-jae, Turner-Smith, and Levieva. Directed by Kogonada and written by Jason Micallef and Charmaine DeGrate, there's a lot going on among the characters, and it would been nice to dedicate more screen time between Jung-jae and Brady's characters, but it's the nature of streaming with eight episodes, and I feel it's just going to be a microcosm of the greater narrative especially the way the episode ended.
I have no doubt we'll get more flashbacks in general, but it would been nice for Osha to develop more time with a sense of wonder about the Jedi and build her relationship with Sol. It is a good change of pace. The Acolyte streams on Tuesdays on Disney+.