This week's fifth episode of The Acolyte, "Night," proved to be a major shocker - and not for the reason we expected.
Although the mysterious "Master" was unmasked, the reveal that it was Qimir (Manny Jacinto) pulling Mae's (Amanlda Stenberg) strings all along didn't really come as much of a surprise for anyone that has been paying attention. However, the fact that he proceeded to murder both Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and Yord Fandor (Charlie Barnett) in quick succession was a development nobody saw coming.
"Night" also saw estranged sisters Mae and Osha (Stenberg) face-off for the first time since they were kids, and despite the former attempting to make things right and reunite with her twin, Osha wanted no part of it. After being rejected, Mae knocked Osha out with a Force-blast before cutting her hair and switching places with her sister.
Then, we see the Master (or, The Stranger as he's now being referred to) return to find a still unconscious Osha, healing her wound and covering her with his cloak. It's heavily implied that he will attempt to convert the former Jedi to the dark side and take Mae's place as the new acolyte.
Stenberg was asked about the "twin twist" during an interview with EW, and what she felt was going through Mae's mind when she decided to switch places with Osha.
"She is moving from an incredibly protective place at this point, even though it might look complicated. I think her feeling is Osha is lost. She has no ability to find her way. 'I can't trust her logic, I can't trust her belief system, and so I have to take matters into my own hands.'”
The actress also offered a hint about what we can expect from the final few episodes.
"The power dynamics and structures that we've seen so far have now kind of been inverted, which sets up both of the characters to go on a completely different journey. Everything that they both have believed to be true has been challenged in some way. And so now the question is: What do they do with that information?"
We assume both sisters will start to see things from the other's perspective - at least to an extent - but does Osha really have the capacity to fully turn against the Jedi and become the Stranger's new pupil? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Leslye Headland created the series, based on Star Wars by George Lucas, and serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers. Rayne Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim and Rob Bredow are the producers.
Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.
"I really wanted to tell a story about the Sith," showrunner Headland told EW in a recent interview. "That was kind of my dream Star Wars idea. But it felt like the time period to do that in would be something pre-Phantom Menace. That seemed to be the most interesting trajectory for the Sith: How did the Sith go from the Rule of Two and being quote-unquote 'extinct' to Palpatine coming into power without the Jedi knowing about it?"
Award-winning composer Michael Abels, known for his work on Get Out and Us, scored The Acolyte.