S01.E05: Night

[chitowngirl]

In a dense jungle, the Jedi are put to the test when they confront a rising darkness.

[chitowngirl]

You would think as attuned as Jedi are that they would sense that Osha is not Osha and Mae is not Mae…

[NeenerNeener]

So Manny went to The Bad Place after all. It must have one kick-ass gym, because that was quite the gun show when he took off his cloak.

[Spartan Girl]

RIP Yord and Jecki.

Damn, this show did not come to play.

[Nacos for Rufus]

That was a heck of a body count. I was convinced it was actually one of the witches that was pretending to be a sith. Even more so when Osha said the master could get in her head like her mother could. But yes, how is it that Sol couldn’t tell it wasn’t really Osha? The force should help him sense beyond the outer shell…even if the outer shell looks the same.

Edited June 26 by Nacos for Rufus

[dwmarch]

My only objection is that a half-dozen people with laser swords should easily defeat a single person with a laser sword. Instead, they fight in this style like they're doing karate katas where there are six attackers who only approach one at a time. Surround him and whack him from all sides, one of you will hit him!

I'm surprised at the casual brutality towards Jecki and Yord. Yord was a bit of try-hard and Jecki was still a padawan but they seemed competent enough. Also, is this the first time someone has straight up had their neck snapped in Star Wars? It's possible The Mandalorian might have had some neck snapping in it but this feels like a first.

I want to think that Sol knew right away that Mae and Osha had switched places but he was just pretending to not know. A Youtube channel I like dubbed Basil "the snitch" so if Sol hasn't figured it out already he should be able to sooner rather than later. Better yet, Sol and Osha should have had a code just in case this very thing happened!

[Fool to cry]

24 minutes ago, dwmarch said:

 

I'm surprised at the casual brutality towards Jecki and Yord. Yord was a bit of try-hard and Jecki was still a padawan but they seemed competent enough. Also, is this the first time someone has straight up had their neck snapped in Star Wars? It's possible The Mandalorian might have had some neck snapping in it but this feels like a first.

Vader did it too some poor kid with the Force in the Obi-Wan series. 

Man did not expect both Jecki and Yord to die this episode. RIP.

[ajsnaves]

3 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

You would think as attuned as Jedi are that they would sense that Osha is not Osha and Mae is not Mae…

I am reasonably certain that Master Sol and Jason Mendoza each know which twin they have.  Sol seemed to hesitate when “Osha” walked up. 

[paulvdb]

4 minutes ago, ajsnaves said:

I am reasonably certain that Master Sol and Jason Mendoza each know which twin they have.  Sol seemed to hesitate when “Osha” walked up. 

I felt the same way. I would be very disappointed in Sol if it turns out that he doesn't know.

I guess if you're a Sith apprentice you don't need a salon. You use your lightsaber to cut your hair.

And Mae shot Sol just when he was going to explain everything to Osha (and us). She really is the evil twin.

[tkc]

Not gonna lie, I’m a bit disappointed that Qimir ended up being the man in the mask — the show didn’t do a great job hiding him from us, so the reveal really was not that surprising. I wonder if the show runners thought this would be shocking?

All that’s left now is to figure out his Sith name. Darth Bortles? Darth Duuuuval? And when he chooses his acolyte ultimately will he say, “Rise, Darth Pillboi?”

[thuganomics85]

Looks like Carrie Ann-Moss was just the beginning: no regular is safe on this show!  Fare thee well, Jecki and Yord.  At least the former did put up an impressive fight until the very end.

Surprise, surprise: Qimir was Mae's master this entire time.  Not a big shocker, but I did enjoy watching Manny Jacinto play a more villainous role and hopefully it will continue to open more doors for him going forward.  Almost made me forget that this was the same guy who bumbled around The Good Place as Jason Mendoza!

Definitely think both Sol and Qimir know about the Mae/Osha switch-up, or they are both idiots.  It was pointed elsewhere that Sol specifically said "your sister" to Mae and he usually always says there names, so he might already be a little suspicious.  But I guess we'll see what kind of hijinks ensue now!

I get the Jedi code and everything, but I suspect this is all going to end with Sol rethinking how he spared an unarmed Qimir that was in his grasp.  Yeah, yeah: there was the risk of him going to the Dark Side, but you just know this is only going to be the beginning of the horrors the Sith will inflect on them.

Another short episode.  Kind of wonder if this and last week's episode were initially suppose to be one episode, but they decided to split it up as oppose to having just one episode that was close to an hour.

[Anduin]

I think Sol might be a little confused from everything that happened. As soon as he gets his head clear, he'll figure out what happened. As for Qimir, I feel he saw it straight away. We'll see.

On the one hand, I liked all the fighting. Much love to the single sabre technique. A lot of the time, more lightsabre doesn't equal better lightsabre. The fancy stuff looks cool, especially Jecki with the double green, but it has a history of failing badly. Though I admit that Ahsoka is the exception to this.

The plot, though, I'm just not sure about. Clearly there's more to the backstory than ep 3 showed. Maybe we'll get a flashback to Mae's perspective. And killing off Jecki and Yord in the same episode! That was rough. Given that Qimir called himself a sith, I'm thinking that Sol doesn't live to report back to the council.

Finally, no burying of bodies? Just leaving them for the jungle to reclaim? I know that Jedi aren't supposed to have attachments, but it feels a little too distant. It's very Tiste Andii.

[paigow]

Pip is going to out Mae... assuming it still works...or Mae will not be able to repair it

[paigow]

That Sith Helmet is a convenient plot device... Wearing it blocks Jedi from reading your mind BUT allows you to read minds

[paigow]

8 hours ago, dwmarch said:

Better yet, Sol and Osha should have had a code just in case this very thing happened!

Kirk & Spock used their fave 3D Chess Moves...

[Shanna Marie]

4 hours ago, Anduin said:

I think Sol might be a little confused from everything that happened. As soon as he gets his head clear, he'll figure out what happened.

That's what I figure. I'm cutting him some slack for now because he woke in a dark jungle from a stun after watching his whole team die and nearly going Dark Side, so he's not thinking clearly. If he continues falling for it, then we'll have problems -- assuming Mae doesn't reveal herself, and she was only going through with the ruse to use the Jedi to get her to some kind of sanctuary from the Sith. Still, it was cold of her to just leave her sister in the jungle, so even if this is a way of turning herself in, she's still the evil twin.

I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of "everyone dies!" stories. Yeah, you get that shock factor in the moment, and there's the sense that no one is safe, which raises suspense, but it has the long-term effect for me of making me disengage from the story. If no one is safe, there's no point in caring about any of these people. They've now wiped out everyone but Sol, the Sith, Osha, and Mae. I just want to see the Sith and Mae defeated, and Osha has been a bit of an enigma. I think I like her, but she hasn't really been developed. All that's left for me to care about is Sol. And with everyone dead, there's no one for the characters to interact with. Unless it turns out that Yord is only mostly dead and can be healed, Osha's going to be on her own (I'm glad they made it clear she was alive because if the story had been that Mae killed her, and now there was just Mae as Osha, I'd really have been disengaged). They're going to have to introduce a new character in the last few episodes for her to have anyone to talk to. I'm a character-driven viewer, and if there's no one I care about, I can't get into a show. When they get rid of the character(s) I care about, I lose interest in the show. Having people I like is more important to me than shock, surprise, and suspense, so "everyone dies!" is a turn-off for me.

[MissLucas]

So, the surprise was not the identity of bucket-head but the death toll in this episode. Fine by me even though I'll miss Jecki, Yord not so much.

I also wondered if bucket-head was a surviving member of the coven - Osha's line about her mother being able to get into a Jedi's head was a good if short-lived red herring. Once the guns came out to play there was little doubt left.

For a moment I thought even Sol was a goner - that would have been interesting. The wise master has to die sooner or later. But since we still don't know what happened that night, it's okay he's still around.

Damn, Mae just invented the Wolf cut Jedi Sith style. And now we're doing the parent trap. I'm sure Basil will come into play - or maybe Pip - although it's weird that a contraption or the cute furry side-kick should get a better grasp on things than a Jedi master. 

The villain speech was good. My main problem with this show is that I don't see a worthy antagonist on the light side. Sorry, Sol and Osha.

[ajsnaves]

Is Qimir actually a Sith? Didn’t he say something like “A Jedi might call me a Sith”?  That suggests to me that he is some other dark side user. 

[Anduin]

4 minutes ago, ajsnaves said:

Is Qimir actually a Sith? Didn’t he say something like “A Jedi might call me a Sith”?  That suggests to me that he is some other dark side user. 

Good catch!

Also, I think his name is supposed to suggest chimera. A creature that isn't one thing or another, a mixture or hybrid.

[Sarah 103]

I know there's a problem when I should be devastated or at least a little sad that two major characters, Yord and Jecki have died in the episode, but I felt absolutely nothing. I wanted to like this series, and I will give it the end of the season to see if it improves, but it's not connecting with me. I don't really have strong feelings about any of the characters (anyone I'm really rooting for or against), or any character that I find incredibly compelling (I may not like them but I cannot wait to see what they do next). 

The series is just meh and that has everything to do with the writing and not who is on screen or directing. 

[Grimnar]

Better than previous episode but I still think that The Acolyte is just average scifi show, which is kind of forgotable. I think the show needed better writers. All Star Wars shows had good idea for story but execution is problem except Andor and first 2 seasons of Mando.

Using cortosis helm was clever but didn't eplain how it is blocking Force mind reading. Fight with Jedi and Qimir was okay but I think Sol and Jecki had twice opportunity to kill Qimi but they just kicked him. And really Sol didn't recognize that Osha has suddenly tatoo on her forehead or that her presence in Force is different?

Qimir's monologue about Jedi monopol on who can use Force, etc is kind of flat. He isn't some person who has just some different view on Force(as the witches). This is dark side of the force user who just killed group of Jedi for no reason.

 

[MrWhyt]

11 hours ago, tkc said:

All that’s left now is to figure out his Sith name. Darth Bortles? Darth Duuuuval? And when he chooses his acolyte ultimately will he say, “Rise, Darth Pillboi?”

And of course his master was Darth Donkey Doug

[paigow]

4 hours ago, ajsnaves said:

 “A Jedi might call me a Sith”...  

But Baba Yaga would be more accurate...

[paigow]

Mae has been given a final shot at Sith redemption... see if Sol lets her kill him... or the Sith wants Mae to die trying so Osha becomes the Acolyte

[dabbrusc]

14 hours ago, ajsnaves said:

I am reasonably certain that Master Sol and Jason Mendoza each know which twin they have.  Sol seemed to hesitate when “Osha” walked up. 

Not to mention Bazil seemed to also think something is strange.

[call me ishmael]

When do you think we will find out that Qimir’s last name is either Skywalker or Palpatine?

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, call me ishmael said:

When do you think we will find out that Qimir’s last name is either Skywalker or Palpatine?

I hope not. That kind of thing just shrinks the universe. It doesn't need to be connected.

[DoctorAtomic]

Why these episodes only 5 seconds long? Does Disney not have the money for 45 - 50 minutes? Or even 40? 

Force Pull someone onto your saber after you ran someone through needs to be on a Sith recruiting poster. Killer Halloween costume too. 

If the Sith/master/whatever wasn't playing with Sol, I'm impressed Sol is that good. The rest of the lot were taken out quite easy. The padawan wasn't bad either, but I don't think he wanted to kill her. I did enjoy that the force was used more in the fighting. And all the hand to hand was cool. 

I don't know if it was on purpose, but the 2 on 1 duel was like Kenobi and Anakin taking on Dooku in the Clone Wars. 

I'm sure none of us were surprised by the reveal either. Credit to the show though, they didn't drag it out. 

So now the show is basically The Jedi in the Iron Mask. I'm going to give Sol a pass for not knowing right away given everything that happened. Also, the show is brisk. I wouldn't be surprised if he does figure it out quickly. If he doesn't know already, like many said. Darth Manny should know Osha because they had a glaring shot of the tattoo. 

The table read must have been something else. 

20 hours ago, dwmarch said:

My only objection is that a half-dozen people with laser swords should easily defeat a single person with a laser sword. Instead, they fight in this style like they're doing karate katas where there are six attackers who only approach one at a time. Surround him and whack him from all sides, one of you will hit him!

Yord said something like, "he doesn't fight by the rules and gets in your head". It's fair enough. The Jedi haven't fought for real in how long? I always leaned to the Sith just being better fighters overall. 

16 hours ago, Anduin said:

Given that Qimir called himself a sith, I'm thinking that Sol doesn't live to report back to the council.

Or they just don't believe him. We're in an era of trashing the Jedi, so I could easily see this happening. 

10 hours ago, Anduin said:

A Jedi might call me a Sith

He was giving a speech about the Jedi and rules and all that, so it would make sense that Jedi would call anyone not a Jedi, Sith. 

Of course, none of this explains the Jedi kill list. 

[call me ishmael]

7 minutes ago, Anduin said:

I hope not. That kind of thing just shrinks the universe. It doesn't need to be connected.

I was making fun of the tendency to do just that.

[Anduin]

19 minutes ago, call me ishmael said:

I was making fun of the tendency to do just that.

It's early here. I would have understood it later. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

[Silver-hyren]

So did Mae and Osha just stand there for hours staring at each other until the sun came up?

[paigow]

10 hours ago, Silver-hyren said:

So did Mae and Osha just stand there for hours staring at each other until the sun came up?

[Exterior: Dark jungle clearing]

Mae: You betrayed me!

Osha: You betrayed me!

[Sun rises]

Mae: You betrayed me!

Osha: You betrayed me!

11 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I don't know if it was on purpose, but the 2 on 1 duel was like Kenobi and Anakin taking on Dooku in the Clone Wars. 

Qui-Gonn; Maul

[Makai]

15 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Yord said something like, "he doesn't fight by the rules and gets in your head". It's fair enough. The Jedi haven't fought for real in how long? I always leaned to the Sith just being better fighters overall. 

This. Plus, his helmet is cortosis which is why the Jedi’s lightsabers kept shorting out. 

On 6/26/2024 at 6:49 AM, ajsnaves said:

Is Qimir actually a Sith? Didn’t he say something like “A Jedi might call me a Sith”?  That suggests to me that he is some other dark side user. 

They used Kylo Ren’s theme during Qimir’s last scene. That lends some credence to the Knights of Ren speculation. 

[Grimnar]

15 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Yord said something like, "he doesn't fight by the rules and gets in your head". It's fair enough. The Jedi haven't fought for real in how long? I always leaned to the Sith just being better fighters overall. 

 

I would like to know what Yord meant that Qimir doesn't fight by rules and that he gets in your head. I didn't see that Qimir used some mind tricks when he fought the group of Jedi.

[Ilovepie]

What the heck is this show????? RIP Yord and Jecki - we barely knew cared about ya! 

I don't see how Smilo Ren (saw that online - love it!) or Sol don't know about the parent trap switch - I mean they both have different identifying tattoos that kind of give it away. 

That meet up between Osha and Mae was so bad. I really don't care about either one because they are so badly characterized here. "You're a murderer!" "You're brainwashed!" Pfffft......I really think this show would be better without them and just some high republic Jedi finding out a Sith is wreaking havoc in the universe again. The show would have been 100% better if Qimir was the main character.

So many eye rolling moments that make no sense but here are the things that bugged me the most:

1. Osha's bravado at every turn. Her jedi powers are non-existent at this point but let's go fight the Sith that's killed a bunch of full-fledged Jedi single handedly....also trying to put the handcuffs on her sister who is armed and can use the force pretty well. It's pretty laughable. Is that you Omega? Rey? Modern Disney sure loves taking a weak gal and turning her badass. I guess turning Sabine Jedi makes better sense now - at least she had good fighting skills already.....

2. How did Osha sneak up on Darth Jason? Ridiculous.

3. Sol hesitating to kill a Sith because he was "unarmed". Um, he can wield the force like a weapon. He doesn't need the lightsaber - he is never unarmed!

4. Darth Jason slashing Yord's leg and then Yord just gets up and jogs through the jungle like nothing without even a limp. Okaaaayyyyy.....

I am sorry they killed off Jecki - she had the potential to be an interesting character. And she feels the most classic Jedi to me. I thought her fights with Mae and Jason were the best this season.

I guess I have to keep watching to find out what Sol and the Jedi did to the witches. No doubt that is getting strung out until the end.....

[DoctorAtomic]

1 hour ago, Grimnar said:

I would like to know what Yord meant that Qimir doesn't fight by rules and that he gets in your head. I didn't see that Qimir used some mind tricks when he fought the group of Jedi.

I'm not going to go back and rewatch, but I thought when Osha was watching the fighting between the trees, that when Yord was taking some swings, they did a voice over like Smilo Ren (HA!) was messing in his head to distract him. 

10 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

I don't see how Smilo Ren (saw that online - love it!) or Sol don't know about the parent trap switch - I mean they both have different identifying tattoos that kind of give it away. 

I think the prevailing opinion is they do know. If Sol doesn't because he's dealing with the whole massacre and getting his padawan killed, the show has been brisk with the plot that I think he'll figure it out soon. Also, we know the sniffer definitely knows because he's got Pip with him. 

I think Smilo (love it) clearly knows because at the end when he rolled Osha over, they had a very clear shot on her arm tattoo. 

If the show is going for the bonkers, how great would it be if Mae repents and is trained as a padawan, while Osha becomes the Acolyte? 

[MissLucas]

I'm also in the camp that thinks both Sol and Qimir know who is with them and play along to get some answers/intel. Plus they both might find it a challenge/thrill to see if they can 'reprogram' the false sister to see the 'right' (i.e. their) side.

[paigow]

34 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Plus they both might find it a challenge/thrill to see if they can 'reprogram' the false sister to see the 'right' (i.e. their) side.

 

[astrohip]

1 hour ago, Ilovepie said:

I don't see how Smilo Ren (saw that online - love it!) or Sol don't know about the parent trap switch

How do you know he doesn't? Give the writers some credit, and let them tell the story.

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

I really think this show would be better without them and just some high republic Jedi finding out a Sith is wreaking havoc in the universe again. The show would have been 100% better if Qimir was the main character.

I absolutely agree with this. The show you suggested would be 1000% better than the one we are watching. 

I do not need the twin sisters or their deep dark traumatic past. Show me Jedi finding a Sith. Maybe include some side quests/mission of the week type stuff so viewers get a better sense of what the different parts of the galaxy are like, what is the role of the jedi, how do they fit in, how do different people perceive them? 

[paigow]

On 6/26/2024 at 7:40 PM, call me ishmael said:

When do you think we will find out that Qimir’s last name is either Skywalker or Palpatine?

Wick

[Grimnar]

19 hours ago, astrohip said:

How do you know he doesn't? Give the writers some credit, and let them tell the story.

So Sol left Osha in forrest with dangerous Sith and bugs just so he can have chat with Mae?

[Ilovepie]

21 hours ago, astrohip said:

How do you know he doesn't? Give the writers some credit, and let them tell the story.

Well they might. Smilo Ren almost 100% knew, but I am not sure about Sol, and I don't think this show is good enough for me to give the writers credit. This was the best episode so far and it still had lots of head scratching moments that made no sense. I guess we'll see......

[Fool to cry]

On 6/25/2024 at 11:30 PM, tkc said:

Not gonna lie, I’m a bit disappointed that Qimir ended up being the man in the mask — the show didn’t do a great job hiding him from us, so the reveal really was not that surprising. I wonder if the show runners thought this would be shocking?

 

The showrunner says she wasn't trying to shock:

But none of that could have prepared fans for the carnage to come in episode 5. For Headland, it was the body count she wanted to surprise people with, not the actual identity of the Stranger. The showrunner anticipated many would figure out the Qimir/Stranger connection before the unmasking, and was totally cool with that because she wasn't trying to fool anyone in the first place — intentionally leaving breadcrumbs along the way. "I think a good twist is not about hiding everything from the audience and then throwing it on them like, 'Hey, this is what you didn't see! We hid it so well that you didn't see this!'" says Headland. "I think a good twist is telegraphing what's going to happen, and then once it does, executing it without an ounce of pity or sentimentality."

https://ew.com/the-acolyte-episode-5-bloodbath-villain-reveal-cover-story-exclusive-8665633?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly_ew&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content= link&utm_term=20240626

Edited June 28 by Fool to cry

[paigow]

Is Cortosis the LucasVerse equivalent of Vibranium? There is only 1 pound of it in the entire galaxy?

[Ilovepie]

1 hour ago, Fool to cry said:

The showrunner says she wasn't trying to shock:

But none of that could have prepared fans for the carnage to come in episode 5. For Headland, it was the body count she wanted to surprise people with, not the actual identity of the Stranger. The showrunner anticipated many would figure out the Qimir/Stranger connection before the unmasking, and was totally cool with that because she wasn't trying to fool anyone in the first place — intentionally leaving breadcrumbs along the way. "I think a good twist is not about hiding everything from the audience and then throwing it on them like, 'Hey, this is what you didn't see! We hid it so well that you didn't see this!'" says Headland. "I think a good twist is telegraphing what's going to happen, and then once it does, executing it without an ounce of pity or sentimentality."

https://ew.com/the-acolyte-episode-5-bloodbath-villain-reveal-cover-story-exclusive-8665633?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly_ew&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_content= link&utm_term=20240626

Killing off main characters is only effective if you care about them in the first place. This was a bunch of NPCs and a couple characters that we have met a couple times.  I was more affected about IG-11 in the first season of the mandalorian than Yord or Jeckie......

[Fool to cry]

2 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

Killing off main characters is only effective if you care about them in the first place. This was a bunch of NPCs and a couple characters that we have met a couple times.  I was more affected about IG-11 in the first season of the mandalorian than Yord or Jeckie......

I liked and cared about them in just a few episodes and judging by some reactions online a lot of people did too. I don't know but a part of the fandom had their minds made up not to like the show and give it a chance. They complain they're tired of the same thing don't want any more related to Skywalkers or other established characters and want something different but then just are don't want engage when they get it.

[DoctorAtomic]

I mean, there's a million Jedi running around the High Republic. You're going to have redshirts. I think the show did a good job with Jecki and portrayed a developing understanding and emerging friendship with Osha. I was actually surprised she died. 

I think you needed Smilo Ren (this is why we have the internet) to rip through a whole bunch of them to show that these Jedi just are ready (ha!) for a real threat to them in the Force. They tromp around the witches; everyone dies. They rush to save the Wookiee Jedi; everyone dies. 

 

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, Fool to cry said:

I liked and cared about them in just a few episodes and judging by some reactions online a lot of people did too. I don't know but a part of the fandom had their minds made up not to like the show and give it a chance. They complain they're tired of the same thing don't want any more related to Skywalkers or other established characters and want something different but then just are don't want engage when they get it.

"Give me the same but different! No, not like that!" I suspect that some people want to complain.

[call me ishmael]

4 hours ago, Anduin said:

"Give me the same but different! No, not like that!" I suspect that some people want to complain.

I think a lot will depend on how they handle the knowledge of whatever happened with the witches.  Part of the problem with this show is that having the twins and Smilo Ren before palpatine and the skywalkers.  So does this just get repressed in the archives?  Does Yoda forget? Etc.  it’s all a bit strange.