Everything was riding on this...

We take a look at The Acolyte Episode 7 "Choice" and break down what worked and what ultimately makes or breaks the series.

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[gregsierra]

A possessed Jedi wookie going ham was not something I realised I needed to see.

[trehubb]

Torbin literally let the intrusive thoughts win 😅

[mikecase]

I think one problem is that the show is about a mystery that none of the characters is interested in solving. Mae, Sol, and the Jedi already know what happened, and Osha doesn't even know there is a mystery. That means that when the solution to that mystery is revealed to the audience, there is no corresponding story beat. The big reveal isn't part of the story.

[GenerationTech]

Also the matrix vibes in this show are kind of funny, like every carrie anne moss does something dramatic we get that matrix stinger... and then when she enters the matrix and disconnects the entire coven. She was great in this episode though top notch acting, wish we''d seen more of her

[PrepMonkey]

My dad’s dealing with cancer and my mom had a stroke and is bed ridden.. Been helping as much as possible, but this video has some key philosophical points that hit home in a really strong way. Incredibly well spoken.

[newscoulomb]

This episode is attempting to set up Sol as the mirror to Qimir, with both seeking an apprentice despite outside resistance. They even both lose their acolyte/padawan on the same night.

[davidalan]

My take on ep 7 was similar to but more positive than yours, but I’m not commenting to disagree.

I continue to be grateful for the empathetic but incisive critical eye with which you view SW content. It’s what we need in these times. The discourse is dominated by the uncritical, the uninsightful, the unimaginative, and the unserious.

Keep bringing the antithesis of these!

[oge]

The roads to hell are paved with good intentions. Compassion can warp to obsession. Obsession leads to fear. And you know the rest.

[marcsoren]

To me it seemed like Aniseya's hex was still lingering in Torbin's mind. She found his weak point and the traces of magic festered in him after Aniseya relinquished her control over him in the first encounter. Torbin seemed different after the incident, so him running off after the M-count reveal didn't feel too far fetched

[wkadams]

What surprised me about this episode was how much it humanized the establishment, specifically through Indara. She starts off as this seemingly aloof, detached figure - a stereotypical Jedi - but she shows that the establishment gets established for reasons that aren't necessarily evil. Indara had to be the mother to this dysfunctional family here, reining in their impulses and doing damage control when she could not.

She seems harsh. She certainly could have been less high and mighty in her actions. Dreaming a bit bigger, there was probably a more enlightened path that could have led to a greater understanding of the Force by communication. But in hindsight, the Brendock 4 would have been better off following her lead, imperfect though their apparent options were.

Maybe these actions seem contrived and inappropriate to some viewers of the show, but I appreciate the portrayal. These characters weren't Chosen Ones, legendary masters, or diabolical masterminds; they were the day shift and their manager panicking when they found a bomb in the mail.

[lajoyalobos]

During the whole episode it seemed like the Jedi did a poor job of de-escalating the situation. They broke into the building not once, but twice. Korril is a bit of a hardliner but at the same time I couldn't really blame her for her attitude when the Jedi came the second time unannounced. I think a simple door knock would have sufficed.

Indara also should have taken her team off Brendock after hearing the high council. Her team was compromised and they weren't going to do anything constructive there anymore, at least not immediately. One Jedi Knight is having attachment issues and her own Padawan is having emotional issues and had his mind invaded. I think it would be the time to take a step away and regroup and as a result avoid members of the team doing rash stuff.

[ssotkow]

Thank you Alan for working so hard and churning out daily contents for us. You're the best!

[Kief]

Everyone was telling me this show was going to make the Jedi look evil, but any wrongdoing here just reflects on the Brendock 4 in my opinion. More than anything this show paints a positive light on the "no attachments" rule the Jedi have, which by the way tends to get crapped on in most other Star Wars content. Here the Jedi council itself tries to avoid this tragedy, but the tragedy occurs due to the emotional imbalance of Sol. And even Sol didn't have evil intentions... it was an unfortunate tragedy that he could have avoided if he followed the Jedi code. I'm sad for Sol because I like his character and he doesn't look the greatest here, but if you're pro-Jedi I think this show is actually a great advertisement for the Jedi code.

[shoyahaaruni]

as a test i roughly cut ep 3 and 7 together as an hour long episode and then watched it as a pilot before rewatching the stuff that takes place in the 'present', and it works much better in this order

[Advent]

This was another episode that made me think The Acolyte might have worked stronger as a movie. It wouldn't be a quick fix, but it might have eased the clunkier aspects of episodes like this.

[HasturBeta]

All I can think of with that mining facility made out of steel an stone catching fire was "the cost-cutting corrupt Contractor industry of star wars claims more lives. I think more people have died in star wars from faulty construction materials than died from lightsabers at this point"

[travisgames]

There's a Padawan in the Old Republic books that feels the same way as Torbin. Except he doesn't like leaving Coruscant for missions. When his Master took an assignment to the Starlight Beacon, he was highly upset and sought to stay on Coruscant. So much so he tried going to the High Council and get reassigned a new Master that doesn't leave the planet.

Torbin reminded me of him. Except he also wanted adventure, through that he sought a higher purpose in his assignment.

I rather liked the episode. The entire series reminds me more of The Old Republic era.

*Quick edit* : check Heavy Spoilers. Just got through checking theirs out, and it actually explores a few deeper themes and story beats.

[iamtheruyn]

I enjoy your take on this series far more than any other Star Wars channel I watch. You will critique, but not nit-pick every single detail that sucks. I appreciate that you're not giving a full review until it's over, and that you're taking the good with the bad. It's very refreshing since most of the other channels are just crapping all over this series without the full picture. Yes there are many things that are bad in this series such as dialog, pacing, and some acting, but it's new Star Wars that is giving us new insight to the galaxy far far away. Thank you for you videos and commentary.

[HeartoftheWinter]

The problem with the writing is that they write things because the story needs it to happen, not because it makes sense for a character to do it. That's why we constantly get acts that seem very out of character.

[dstovell]

I think the witches purposefully amplified Torbin's wish to go home by sending him there ever so briefly, so much so he couldn't control it, thinking this would make the Jedi just leave, not realizing the dynamic that was already in play and how that would impact Torbin's actions.