Every time an episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte lands, Fantha Tracks will be giving their responses, and here are our initial gut feelings, deep dives and thoughts on episode six of season one, ‘Teach / Corrupt’. Beware of spoilerific elements in here.
Mark Newbold
How do you follow an episode like ‘Night‘. last weeks fifth episode that absolutely lit a fire under the fandom and had people talking about the show more than ever before (even to the extent of making some of those who weren’t thrilled by the show raise their eyebrows in appreciation for its impressive fight sequences). Well, you change tack and instead of trying to up the action and spectacle of ‘Night‘ we shift to a more thoughtful, contemplative episode as the aftermath of the arrival of The Stranger unfolds on an ‘Unknown Planet’ (most likely Bal’demnic, the home of the Cortosis Qimir uses on his imposing helmet). Here we see the seduction of the dark at its most blatant as Qimir lays everything bare (literally) to Osha as he explains his motives while she in turn rails against her past and ends the episode trying on said helmet, all sensory distractions stripped away just like the blast shield Luke used while onboard the Millennium Falcon in A New Hope (and have we ever learned why Han has a Jedi blast shield on the Falcon? Answers on a postcard please).
Meanwhile a visibly shaken Sol struggles with the events of last week while Mae stalks around the ship, sending PIP back to his factory settings while Bazil (who luckily for him she can’t understand) gets in her face (or more precisely her shin). It’s a slow build to Sol ‘realising’ she isn’t Osha (although it seems to be the case he knew all along and was waiting for the right moment, despite the discombobulation of his own grief). Either way, given the subtle but noticeable shift in Sol’s demeanour it seems the ‘bad’ twin Mae could be in just as much bother with Sol as the ‘good’ twin Osha is with Qimir.
That’s one of many aspects of The Acolyte (along with these new worlds, the vessels of the era and the perception of the Jedi in this ‘multi-faith’ era) that is grabbing my attention, the feeling that nothing is quite as it seems, along the willingness to pull the rug from under your feet. Just as we assume Vernestra is a trustworthy Jedi Master, her tone alters enough to make you wonder whether those welts on the bad of Qimir came from the purple whip of Rwoh. We may be reading too much into this (as is often the case in our ‘head canonical’ fandom) but whatever the outcome it’s inviting us to think through the angles and as such investigate the characters and the era they live in.
The forthcoming seventh episode directed by Kogonada (who directed the third flashback episode ‘Destiny‘) could well deliver a number of answers (Tobins scar, the whereabouts of Mother Korils body, Kelnacca on the attack), and as we race towards the eighth and final episode we have to wonder whether or not we’ll find the answers we seek to wrap the season or whether books, comics and ancilliary methods could be used to flesh out the era (Unlike the Mandoverse which is onscreen only). Maybe there’ll be a fourth phase of The High Republic, but either way, as the best mystery stories do, we’ll have to pay attention down to the final frame to see which way this all goes.
Eric Onkenhout
Osha wakes up on a remote island resembling Acho-to. Leslye Headland clarified that it isn’t Acho-to but was meant to look like it, for now, it’s known as an Unknown Planet. There are even little creatures living there that remind us of porgs. Meanwhile on Master Sol’s ship Mae, disguised as Osha waits for the right time to kill Sol. Master Sol’s outward show of frustration is something we don’t see in Jedi. This is foretelling a history Sol has yet to reveal. The tracker, Bazil, appears more in this episode and is becoming a person of interest. Bazil is on to Mae as he uses Pip to send a warning.
On the Unknown Planet, the stranger strips off his clothes and submerges himself into a small body of water. Osha sneaks up behind him and takes his lightsaber, but he sees her. Interestingly when he emerges from the water he puts on a light-colored tunic first. Perhaps this symbolizes there is still light within him. And as he walks with Osha, he also wears dark-colored pants. He is literally a walking duality. The stranger still doesn’t evoke many Sith characteristics. He seems very calm and patient. Like he said in the last episode, he merely wants a student, an acolyte. To be free to practice what he wants. Is this another example of the Jedi exerting their hubris onto other “religions”?
The stranger reveals to Osha that he was a Jedi “a really long time ago.” Some think he could be a former apprentice to Master Vernestra. That would help solidify this era with the High Republic. The stranger also projects his loss onto Osha. One could argue that he had good points regarding what the Jedi will and won’t teach. The Acolyte is all about the way light and dark live within all of us. Sol has a light and dark side, as does the stranger, but Osha and Mae are the only ones who have separate entities but also battle it within themselves.
The stranger’s cortosis armor also resembles the armor the Knights of Ren wore, but I think that’s where the similarities end. Osha donning the helmet is not a good sign. Why would she say she’s not easily corruptible and then put on the mask? And the breathing. We could see a flip between Osha and Mae. Both sisters spent time with their opposite mentors. One was teaching, and the other was corrupting. But who was doing what? The more The Acolyte unfolds, the more fascinating it becomes.
Dan Lo
Many jobs ago, one of my co-workers was a twin. I’d see him a few times a week, and from our limited interactions I’d say I was fairly familiar with his behavior and mannerisms. Then one time his brother stopped in and even though they looked alike and even dressed in the same style, it was painfully obvious that he wasn’t my co-worker. I can only imagine the increased disparity had they been separated for years.
I might be too hung up on this point, but I’m still baffled by how Sol stayed oblivious to Mae’s identity for so long. The obvious in-universe explanation is that his mind has been clouded by the dark side. Is the Stranger that powerful? Or is there another dark force user in play? I’ve wondered once or twice if there’s still something or someone on Brendok pulling the strings. Of course Sol finally caught on that it was Mae by the end of the episode, but appeared to have been tipped off by Bazil.
After last week’s lightsaber action-packed episode, Teach/Corrupt felt vaguely underwhelming and a little confusing in a number of ways. The scenery was interesting though, with Osha waking up on an “unknown planet” that looked a lot like Ahch-To. Instead of Porgs, this island was inhabited by small elephant pigeons. If we are indeed on Ahch-To, we’re most certainly not on the same island that Luke would later retreat to. I can’t imagine the visual similarities were coincidental, which was a nice layer of intrigue.
Between the twins, Osha currently has the more compelling and believable arc. Her motivations haven’t really taken any wild swings: As a child, she didn’t fit in with the witches. She chose to leave, her home was destroyed by causes that still remain unclear, was taken in by the Jedi for training, and then dropped out in exchange for a quiet life as a meknek until she was arrested after Mae began her killing spree. She was most recently collected by the Stranger, who is in the process of playing into her emotions and planting doubts in her world view, not too unlike what Palpatine did to Anakin in the prequels. By the end of the episode, she was wearing the Stranger’s mask. Very interesting.
I admit I’m getting fatigued by the now-repetitive teases concerning Sol’s past. It seems like every episode has contained at least one instance of him either being asked about and/or promising to explain what happened on Brendok with no follow through, as if the writers were worried that we had forgotten or stopped caring. A well-planted point of curiosity (which I considered this to be from the start) doesn’t require repeated mentions and it feels awkward when it happens. No additional insight was unveiled each time either. Just the same little cliffhanger over and over again. That doesn’t necessarily apply to the rest of the episode, of course. I have no idea what to make of it yet, but Vernestra had a pronounced reaction to learning about Sol’s fallen Jedi team. There may or may not be any connection to Brendok, but is an extra layer of intrigue regardless.
The main thought I was left with when the credits rolled was the murkiness of Mae’s intentions. I can’t tell if it’s by design, due to sloppy writing, or some mix of both. In the span of the previous two episodes we saw her eventually abandon her Jedi-killing mission after discovering that Osha was still alive, to an emotional reunion, and then promptly leaving her sister for dead after an attempted arrest before going on to impersonate her. Mae seemed to have turned her attention back to killing Sol as if she hadn’t recently learned of Osha’s whereabouts nor caught attempting to betray her master. Or at least that’s what we’re led to believe. What’s going on?
Actually, there might be one more piece added to the puzzle. As odd as Mae’s decisions have been that seemed to take her right back to where she started, there is something different. With Indara, Torbin, and Kelnacca, Mae had either carried out or planned for a direct confrontation. With Sol, we only saw her attempt to sneak up on him with a knife and quickly aborted any further action the moment he addressed her by name. Was that really a kill attempt? Is Sol that much more powerful than the other three Jedi Masters to warrant a surprise attack? Or is it something else? We are down to two episodes left, with two sets of loose ends, and probably a lot more surprises.
Ross Hollebon
There’s a subtle, fiery fissure in the green, rocky mountainside island on the unknown planet. The gorgeous establishing shot gives way to Qimir, inside the fissure that is his cavern home, repairing his helmet after his slaughter of numerous Jedi. It is the same Japanese Kintsugi art style that Kylo Ren used on his helmet in The Rise of Skywalker. An art of overcoming flaws and damage and celebrating the ability to persevere and overcome. Is this also the spark from the Dark Side to “tip the scales” away from an all-powerful Jedi order?
Could this also be the origin story of the Knights of Ren? During episodes 5 and 6 of The Acolyte, I’ve often thought of the Marvel five-issue series, “The Rise of Kylo Ren,” written by Charles Soule with art by Will Sliney, primarily based on the visuals. Regardless, “Teach/Corrupt” has been my favorite episode as the internal struggles of so many different characters and institutions are explored and are beginning to be stripped bare.
Master Sol, Master Vernestra Rwoh, Mae, Osha, and even Qimir appear to be drawing on inner forces to understand, explain, and seek peace for themselves and their institutions. The irony here is that only the self-proclaimed Sith appears to have found a level of Nirvana and peace, tempting Osha to recognize the freedom he exudes and feels by following his path.
The unease felt by the Jedi is real as there are divisions in the ranks, including Vernestra approving missions kept from the Jedi Council and her secret discussions with Senator Isedwa Chuwant. There is a looming public relations war with the Republic Senate, at a time when more dark secrets appear to be bubbling up from the side of the “good guys.” Nothing to worry about here, since “the Jedi are always transparent with the Senate,” or so Chuwant believes, and Vernestra doesn’t refute it. Are self-inflicted, internal issues coming home to roost for the Republic and the Jedi Order? The final pair of episodes in Season 1 might just blow the lid off of an institutional embrace of the Jedi “For Light and Life” approach.
Sander de Lange looks at all the reveals and easter eggs in The Acolyte – The Guide: Episode 6 ‘Teach / Corrupt’.
Mark Mulcaster and Mark Newbold discuss the sixth episode on Making Tracks Reaction Chat: The Acolyte S1 Ep6 – ‘Teach / Corrupt’.
- Hardcover Book
- Mann, George (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 512 Pages - 09/24/2024 (Publication Date) - Random House/Star Wars (Publisher)
