Mini Series The Acolyte 1.06 - Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

I guess Osha doesn't get her due.

 

I don't think the folks who run Disney know how to make money off STAR WARS. Beyond them regularly taking runs at their fan base.

Look, I am sure there are hard core completitsts who will want ACOLYTE figures. Beyond that... I think these toys are just gonna sit on shelves. I liked Jecki. I liked Yord mainly because the show was trying so hard to dunk on him as the "too stuffy" Jedi -- who goes back and jumps back into battle despite being wounded, and knocks out Qimir's lightsaber, and if Sol hadn;t been paralyzed by the writers so he just stood and watched, would have led to Qimir being chopped in half. But no way am I, or most people I suspect, going to care enough about these characters to shell out $25 to $30 a figure. In ACOLYTE, the Jedi are poorly fleshed out, around very brieftly, and often portrayed as jerks. Oh boy, that makes me want to spend my money!

I thought the "nude scene" was nothing but creepy, which was good, and for the most part I though Qimir was emphasizing his (perceived) vulnerability, in a weird and creepy way. By which I mean if I had felt Osha was in any way titillated by being kidnapped by a murderer, and then having him approach her in the nude, I would have had major problems. And if that was the writers' intent...sheesh. And sorry, hearing that it might have been the writer's intent makes me think, inescapably, of the Weinstein connection, which I'd be happy to NOT have to think about.

 

A slower episode but good story progression and character moments. Nothing to complain about. Qimir and Sol are super interesting. They were definitely master and apprentice.

I liked Basil.

 

Did you miss the part where he had an emotional outburst on the ship? The show really couldn’t have made it any clearer that the deaths affected him.

 

Sorry to hear about this tragedy, and lots of respect for the work you have done.

 

Will all of these be dead by the end of the season?

 

I think that every single word, every action, every little detail on that unknown planet was absolute manipulation by Qimir. Everything. What we've seen of him so far suggests he excels at tailoring his manipulation approach to each target. With Osha, he seems to strive to lull her into thinking she's in control, in a position of power. I didn't read the nude swimming scene as a sexual seduction attempt at all, but rather trying to make him appear further vulnerable. When he redresses, it's in an off-white robe reminiscent of Jedi coloring different from anything he's worn before, a very subtle suggestion that he's not inherently "bad". He claims a vague backstory that makes him seem similar to Osha (former Jedi, betrayed/cast out).

I'm surprised that so many people are taking him at his word about being a former Jedi. He's not exactly a reliable narrator, and whether he is a real Sith or a Sith-wanna-be, Sith lie. I can't rule out the possibility of it being a true statement, but I think there's every possibility that this was a complete fabrication geared specifically to further manipulate Osha. (Though I did like the earlier speculation about him being an ancient Jedi-turned-Sith who possessed someone in current time.)

Why didn't Osha book it out of there? My best guess is that she either figured it would be a trap, wanted to get intel on him, or simply wanted to confront him out of anger. I wish they'd made that a little more clear. And for crying out loud, why the helmet at the end? The best guess I have is that she thinks it will be a quick way to connect to the Force... but wow, she utterly failed at risk-benefit analysis on that one!

It's hard to gauge when Sol figured out that it was Mae. I know someone who suggested he knew earlier, and in fact engineered the ship failure when having the emotional moments at the console. Someone else here suggested that it was seeing Pip on factory reset that clued him in. I can see either of those. As for why he leaves before the Jedi arrive - I think that once he did know it was Mae, he was determined to have space to deal with her on his own. Plus I think he will see Mae as the way to find Osha, assuming that Mae will know where to find Qimir, even if she didn't know he was the Master before.

Mae's "seriously? are you kidding me?!" reaction to Basil threatening her is a cute nod back to the first episode when Mae herself postured in front of Indara.

Vanestra's comments about "something to tip the scales" reminds of the "restore balance to the Force" prophesy. In order for balance to need to be restored, it would require it be off and needing balancing. I wonder if this is the first hints Jedi are realizing of this lost balance.

Overall there was some interesting character development in this episode, but in some ways it felt like more of a bridge episode to me.

 

FTFY.

 

Thank you! In two weeks two similar events in the same two adjoining regions… pretty hard to manage but I am leaving now for one week vacation so I will resource before going back!

 

Bazil's savage beat down = 4 points
25 minutes of talking = 2 points
Glistening pecks = 1 point
whip = -3
[MODified: No thank you] = -1 point
Helmet breathing = 2 points
Literal man cave = 2 points

7/10

 

Very well articulated post.

 

I wouldn’t mind another little hint of the chosen one prophecy.

 

Well that was a good episode. Good writing, without it being unstarwarsy.

Ed. Looking at the few posts above mine, I think Sol didn't figure out it was Mae; I think Basil (*) told him. Basil is right behind Sol when he shoots Mae.

(*) Ees no rat, ees Siberian 'amster

 

I've been remiss in my remarks. There are other great and good things about this episode but none so much as the mask and breathing at the end. It was not just Vaderesqe, but brought everything together for me as well as give me a good chill.

 

Yeah that was my favorite moment. And it could get way better if they handle the flash backs well

 

They quite obviously implied that sexual tension was among the elements that were attracting Osha toward the Dark Side.
If a scene with a handsome guy literally getting naked and inviting her to take a bath does not get this point across, I don't know what does.

It's a family friendly show, they cannot possibly get more direct than that in conveying the message.

 

that just hours earlier killed a life long friend of her ( Yord) and the girl apparently she had some affection/atraction ( as said by both Dafne and Amandla). Made zero sense.

 

I said there's sexual tension, I didn't say she's ready to bring him to a family dinner.

 

Yeah. You don’t have to like it, but there’s no use denying it.

 

I don't get that feeling at all. You have to put yourself in his place. He knows that she's just seen him slaughter her comrades. He's hardly aiming for a lad brag showing off how ripped he is. His seduction is much more subtle and non-sexual. Just because some folk watching might be feeling a little stimulated by him being naked doesn't mean that she is.

It was all about getting her to lower her guard by shedding his armour. No lightsaber, no cortosis, no dark clothes and bathing in pure water to help present the illusion of clean honesty (and tbf because he must have smelt like a dewback). He emerges exposed and vulnerable, his voice gentler and his demeanour unthreatening. And just in case Osha's not convinced that he's about to turn on her, he dresses in light clothes and his transition to a benign figure is complete, both confusing and intriguing her.

 

Yes, I am aware of all those dynamics. But they don’t preclude the additional subtext of attraction. The seduction is multilayered, as you describe. So why is the desire/ attraction layer subtracted from that complex picture? It’s there. That doesn’t mean Osha is totally into this murderer. She’s not. But he’s a subtle devil, using all his tricks of seduction. Faux-vulnerability, faux-empathy, faux-lightness, faux-humility, etc. And also the sexual kind. Headland has confirmed it’s there. No use denying it. But that doesn’t make Osha an idiot. She rejects that element of his seduction, but seems at least intrigued by the emotional appeal. And it doesn’t make the seduction less complex or less layered. It’s simply another layer.

Non even acknowledging the presence of this dynamic in the scene strikes me as an almost puritan denial of reality. Especially when you add Headland’s words to it, and the audio description of the scene!

 

I haven't read what's she's said about it so if she says that's what she was aiming for then so be it. But I don't see it personally.

I'm very grateful that Palpatine didn't try that trick with Luke.

 

Lol. Now I’m picturing Palpatine pulling his robe up just a little bit to show some leg.

 

If he was as handsome as he was in the Prequels. Luke would have been seduced

 

And that's why Vader couldn't seduce anyone. Shiny metal legs.