The Fantasy Review’s review of The Acolyte season 1, episode 4.
Disney’s Star Wars shows have a habit of ignoring lore and canon that George Lucas and other talented writers came up with. The truth is they don’t care about the franchise and they just want to make a science fiction TV show; but the only way they can do that is to use a popular IP.
The Acolyte, season 1, episode 4 is nothing more than Star Wars fanfiction gone wrong. The writers have no idea what they are doing. For example, the Jedi in The Acolyte seem unable to sense danger; instead they are told about incoming threats before they take action.
Has no one seen any of the Star Wars movies? Both Anakin and Obi-Wan sense the poisonous bug in Padmé’s bedroom at the start of Attack of the Clones, from outside the room and while having a discussion. All of a sudden, these Jedi have no idea a massive insect-monster-thing is there, but Osha (the one who couldn’t even use the force anymore) does sense it. She has to tell these trained Jedi there is incoming danger! It’s just nonsense.
I would go into more detail about this episode, but to be honest, the final half was the only vaguely interesting bit. The dialogue was stiff and didn’t work much to progress a sluggish plot; there were no scenes of character development or bonding (except for Mae and her weirdly suspicious guide through the forest).
Nothing happens until the final three minutes, which is then left on a cliffhanger no one cares about. Who is the Sith? Don’t care. How will Osha and the Jedi escape? Don’t care. Will Mae have a redemption arc? Don’t care.
Watching The Acolyte is a waste of everyone’s time, a waste of the money spent on it, and a waste of incredible source material to draw from. I had so much hope for a prequel TV show to The Phantom Menace, having grown up with the prequel trilogy. It’s heartbreaking to see what inexperienced, talentless people are doing to a franchise that is so close to many of our hearts.
