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***Spoilers for The Acolyte Episode 6 ahead. If you have not seen the episode, proceed with caution.***
Episode 6 of The Acolyte, titled “Teach/Corrupt,” truly lives up to its name by diving deep into both the light and dark sides of its characters. This episode brilliantly balances plot development and character dynamics, providing a captivating experience from start to finish.
The episode opens with Osha (Amandla Stenberg) waking up in a cave, bandaged and cared for, with hot food, water, and clothing waiting for her. We quickly learn that this is the home of Qimir (Manny Jacinto), who was revealed as the Sith master in the previous episode. Osha is understandably on edge, given the recent revelation and not knowing how she got there.
We discover that Qimir has taken Osha to an “Unknown planet,” which feels reminiscent of Ahch-To from The Last Jedi. The creatures on this planet, named Skura, serve the purpose of Porgs but look like an unevolved version of Thala-Sirens, the animals Luke Skywalker was milking in the film, further drawing parallels. StarWars.com describes them as “Foraging among the rocks on an unknown world, the Skura use their long snouts to find sustenance on the shores of an island retreat.” As Osha searches for a way off the planet, she realizes the only ship is across the water on a distant island. She notices Qimir walking by and decides to follow him.
Back on Khofar, Master Sol (Lee Jung Jae) and Mae (pretending to be her twin sister Osha) are en route to Coruscant. Master Sol, still in shock, tries to send a distress signal about his team’s massacre, but the weak signal prevents him from getting through. Meanwhile, Mae reflects on her past, having flashbacks to the day the Jedi came to test her Force sensitivity, the day her sister was taken, and their family was destroyed. Harboring a desire to kill Master Sol, she decides to maintain her cover for the time being. Bazil, the Tynnan tracker, discerns that it’s Mae and plugs Osha’s droid PIP into charge, telling the droid what he knows.
Qimir, aware that Osha is following him, engages in a manipulative and sexually charged interaction. The scene where he strips naked and taunts her while she holds his lightsaber is particularly intense. Manny Jacinto’s performance here is sultry yet intimidating, as Qimir skillfully begins to seduce Osha to the Dark Side. It is clear from the jump that Qimir is manipulating Osha by trying to tap into her darkest desires. Osha threatens him with his own lightsaber, and Qimir responds that if she isn’t going to join him for a naked swim, he would like to put his clothes back on. The irony of Osha stopping Master Sol from killing Qimir in last week’s episode only adds to her inner conflict.
He comes towards her completely naked, taunting her in a sultry way, the words dripping from his lips. Osha takes him in, looking over his entire naked form as he approaches, her stance physically weakening. Osha questions him, asking why he brought her to his home instead of killing her. She questions if she is his prisoner. He quips back that she is the one holding the weapon. But in actuality, this has all been one long manipulation to sway Osha’s perspective and lull her into a false sense of security. He knows she can’t escape as the ship is across the water, and he also knows that he is the only one on the island. She needs him, so he allowed her to believe she had the upper hand, which works.
It is obvious Qimir is seducing Osha into becoming his pupil, even mentioning how special the relationship between Master and Pupil is. As Jedi Padawans, the relationship between master and pupil is almost parental, but in this scenario, it seems the relationship he is building with Osha is more intimate. He walks away from her unbothered, and she continues to follow him, showing the hold of intrigue he has over her. This adds depth to their characters and raises the stakes for Osha’s moral struggle.
Meanwhile, Master Sol is overtaken with grief and hugs Mae, thinking she is Osha. He tells her that it is time to tell the Jedi Council everything. Before he can elaborate, a transmission begins to come in before the power on the ship cuts out. Master Sol asks Mae to take a look, and she must fake knowing what she’s doing since Osha is the one who worked as a MekNek. Amandla Stenberg excels in her dual role, having to play not only both parts of Mae and Osha, which are vastly different characters, but to play one twin impersonating another. She is killing it.
On Coruscant, Master Vernestra (Rebecca Henderson) deals with political pressure as the Senate has ordered an external review of the Jedi Order. She ends the call abruptly as she is interrupted by Padawan Mog Adana (Harry Valdwyn). Her interactions with him reveal an underlying annoyance and possible distrust towards Padawans, hinting at deeper issues within the Jedi Order. Mog alerts her to Master Sol’s distress call about his entire team being taken out on Khofar. She orders a rescue team to depart for the planet immediately. The padawan didn’t even know that Sol was sent there. Could Vernestra be distrusting of Padawans for some reason?
Mae finds Osha’s Pip droid and gets attacked by Bazil. What ensues is the most adorable attempted takedown and slapstick double attack I have ever seen. Bazil steps on Mae’s foot, and Pip squirts her in the face with what I assume is droid oil. Mae screams, and the entire scene is reminiscent of when Scuttle, Sebastian, and Flounder try to take down Ursula in The Little Mermaid when she is trying to marry Prince Eric. Mae has had enough and resets Pip to factory settings before asking him to do a diagnostic on the power system. (Did she just kill Pip?!) The episode provides a much-needed lighthearted moment with Bazil and Pip’s slapstick attack on Mae, reminiscent of The Little Mermaid. This comedic relief contrasts with the episode’s darker themes, balancing the tone effectively.
Qimir and Osha’s discussions about the Force and their pasts reveal more about their motivations. They debate whether Osha still has the ability to wield the Force. Qimir tells Osha that the Force does not fade if you do not exercise it as the Jedi teach, but if you tap into anger, fear, loss, and desire, you can always tap into the Force. When Osha points out that channeling the Force in those ways is the path to the dark side, Qimir chalks that up to semantics. Qimir starts pushing Osha into telling him why she left the Jedi Order. Osha resists, not wanting to divulge what exactly happened. He keeps pushing her until she finally gives in to her anger, admitting that it’s because she failed, and pushes him up against the rocks, threatening him with his own red lightsaber. Qimir tries to relate to Osha, revealing that he has also lost everything. Qimir’s statement, “When you lose everything, that’s when you are finally free,” highlights his seductive manipulation tactics. Once again, a very intimate scene, Qimir puts his hand gently on Osha’s arm, the two are locked in an almost embrace inches apart. The tension is palpable.
Mae, pretending to be Osha, begins having a heart-to-heart chat with Master Sol. She tries to get him to admit the truth about what happened on her home planet and with her family on the day he took Osha to become a Jedi. Before Sol can answer, the two are interrupted once again when the electricity comes back online. Mae sprints to the cockpit, where she attempts to radio for help, and before she is able to, Master Sol stuns her and knocks her unconscious, finally realizing it is Mae and not Osha. He switches off his transponder and jumps into hyperspace before the Jedi ship can arrive at their location.
Osha starts questioning Qimir about if his tactics worked on turning her sister to the dark side. Qimir admits that he made a mistake with her, and they did not have the same goals. When Osha asks what he wants, he ominously responds with “the power of two.” He then purposely pulls his shirt up to reveal a jagged scar running across his back to Osha. Qimir reveals the scar was given to him by someone who threw him away. When Osha asks if it was his Jedi master, he doesn’t answer. Instead, he tells Osha that his Sith helmet is made of Cortosis, and that it acts as a sensory deprivation device, removing the distraction of the senses and leaving its user with themselves and the Force. He tempts her to try it on, and she admits she does not trust him. He cryptically counters that she shouldn’t but she should trust herself.
Master Vernestra arrives on Khofar, and she seems to be using the Force to sense echoes of what took place amongst all of the dead Jedi. She uses her Lightsaber/Lightwhip to whip-slice open an Umbramoth that comes up from behind them. Yet another addition to the Star Wars mythos, and another first for live-action Star Wars. A lightwhip has been established in the Marvel/Star Wars comics used by Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya. Interesting to note that this was originally a Sith weapon, and it is established to be weaker than a typical lightsaber. Master Vernestra’s suspicious behavior on Khofar, including her use of a lightwhip, raises questions about her true intentions and adds another layer of intrigue to her character.
Mog asks who could be responsible. The padawan suggests Master Sol is to blame, as he is the only one with enough power to slay such a strong group. Vernestra doesn’t acknowledge this and cryptically mutters, “something to tip the scales” before running back to the ship to prepare the bodies for burial. Extremely sketchy and suspicious behavior. She knows more than she is letting on.
Master Sol’s confrontation with Mae leads to a stunning twist as he realizes her true identity and takes drastic action. Mae wakes up strapped down to a med bay table, and Master Sol, sitting nearby, lets her know he has no intention of hurting her. He seems a lot darker now; something is amiss. He says he needs to find her Sith master and rescue Osha, but first, he wants to talk to her. He has been waiting for 16 years to speak to her, about what? We don’t know because the show cuts away once again, leaving us with more questions than answers.
Back on the island, Osha puts the Cortosis Helmet on. The cinematography is brilliant, as this is filmed purely from her perspective. We see the helmet lower over her vision, which becomes engulfed in darkness. We see nothing but two faint slits of light as her breathing gets heavier. Her breathing is reminiscent of Darth Vader. The credits roll in a dramatic cut-off. What will happen next week?
Final Thoughts: “Teach/Corrupt” is a solid episode, offering rich character development and intense plot twists. We get to see a bit more into the Sith Lord’s true motivations and see his true characteristics as he tries to seduce Osha to the dark side of the Force. Many parallels can be drawn between his attempts at turning Osha to the dark side and Palpatine turning Anakin. Both are master manipulators who are very convincing and charming. Master Vernestra is definitely hiding something; Qimir’s jagged scar looked like it could have been caused by a lightwhip, and her generally unpleasant demeanor towards Padawans could point towards a connection between these two.
Master Sol is clearly wrestling with some demons, and we still don’t know the full story behind what happened the night Osha was taken. What we can say is that last week, Manny Jacinto’s Qimir became the internet’s newest thirst trap, and after this week, well, he has definitely cemented that status and made the dark side look a lot more appealing.
All in all, a really solid episode. This show combines elements from both the prequel and sequel trilogy but somehow manages to capture some of the original magic of the original trilogy. Very well balanced in tone.
Rating: 9/10 This episode is near-perfect, with only minor frustration due to the lingering unanswered questions. With two episodes left, we need some satisfying resolutions to the mysteries that have kept us hooked.
Hey, I’m Max Taff! If you found my insights on Star Wars: The Acolyte compelling, join me for more discussions on Twitter @VigilanteVibes. Dive deeper into the world of nerd culture with my podcast, Vigilante Vibes: A Marvel Podcast. AND if you’re looking for a welcoming community to explore all things nerdy, join my non-toxic Facebook group, MediaVerse: Comic Unwrapped, boasting over 50k members. Let’s connect and delve into our favorite fandoms together!
