‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ Finale – The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

[Warning: Spoilers for the season finale of Star Wars: The Acolyte ahead.] Well, the first season of Leslye Headland’s foray into Star Wars has come to its conclusion. While it certainly didn’t measure up to other live-action series in the franchise, I can’t say that it was The Last Jedi bad. It had its moments. The Acolyte never did quite seem to find itself, however. The season finale was a perfect microcosm of the show: great at times, not so much at others. Let’s break down the good, bad, and the ugly of the final episode.

The Good

One of the best aspects of the show all season long has been its lightsaber battles. The finale was no exception. Sol’s duel with Qimir was breathtaking. Perhaps some of the best choreography we’ve seen in Star Wars. Well done on this front.  And, of course, there was that cameo. No, not the one at the end.  Have you ever heard the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? Well, now that he’s finally made his live-action debut, perhaps we might. (Assuming the show gets a second season. Which, let’s be honest, isn’t a given.) A highlight was seeing Osha’s hatred bleed the kyber crystal to red as she fully descended to the Dark Side. It was a great effect to really hammer home her turn from the light.

Star Wars: The Acolyte season finale – The Bad

Sadly, once again, there was enough bad to somewhat drag the episode down. The martial arts-inspired fight between Osha and Mae seemed poorly done in comparison to the lightsaber duel. Amandla Stenberg, as good as she’s been at times in Star Wars: The Acolyte, just didn’t stick the landing, either. Osha turned to the Dark Side in real time. We should have seen pain. Anger. Rage. Well, any emotion, really. Yet the expression on her face was… not what the scene required. And why did they have to do Sol so bad? Though misguided, he was always well intentioned. Lee Jung-jae deserved better for his masterful performance in the series.

The Ugly

Writing, writing, writing. We are two from one… or whatever. It was bad. Cheesy bad. The entire season was plagued by this particular issue. For a show that wanted to stand apart and showcase a different era of Star Wars, The Acolyte still missed the mark. In the finale, it stole dialogue almost verbatim from Return of the Jedi.  It’s hard to separate yourself from lore when you literally plagiarize it. The show also went a little too hard in painting the Jedi as corrupt and, almost, evil. Yes, that implication existed throughout the franchise, but Headland took it a little too far to the extreme. Vernestra Rwoh framing Sol to cover up her own failure with Qimir who, not surprisingly, was her former apprentice? You know that’s not going to stick. The implication that she’s going to draw Yoda into her web of deception? Not cool.

All in all, The Acolyte had some great moments, some not so great moments, and some outright terrible moments. (Episode 3 was downright painful.) That’s admittedly true of the entire franchise. Still, if there’s to be a Season Two, Headland’s got to tighten things up quite a bit. Perhaps she might have a chat with Tony Gilroy and take a lesson from Andor’s exemplary writing. All in all though, I do hope we get a second season, if for no other reason than to see Plagueis in action.

All episodes of Star Wars: The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+.