The Acolyte
Warning ! This review contains spoilers for The Acolyte episode 5 .
Summary
The Acolyteepisode 5 builds on last week ’s brilliant cliffhanger to deliver an action - packed , traditional knowledge - heavy , volatile installing complete with lightsaber engagement , Sith reveals , and plenty of shocking deaths . After theending ofThe Acolyteepisode 4 , I was convince that episode 5 would focus on a Sith - Jedi battle — I was right , with the sequence provide some ofStar Wars ' best - ever lightsaber duel , vast albeit predictable storytelling reveals , and shockingly bestial ( if emotionally flat ) character dying .
Cast
The Acolyte Episode 5 Takes Lightsaber Fights To Prequel Trilogy Levels
Slick choreography, long camera takes, and several lightsabers bolster The Acolyte’s action sequences
Since the beginning ofthe series , I have praised the show ’s commitment to craft compelling action sequences . WhileThe Acolyteepisodes 3 and 4 foregoes action for the former ’s Force - heavy backstory and the latter ’s somewhat tedious jungle trek , the hired man - to - hand combat scene inThe Acolyte ’s two - episode premiere are some of the proficient in recentStar Warsmemory . Despite stunt and action coordinator Chris Clark Cowan ’s unmistakable attainment in crafting awesome martial stage dancing , I was avowedly skeptical of howThe Acolytewould manage lightsaber duels . My mental rejection was misplaced .
The Acolyteepisode 5 doubtlessly deliver the respectable lightsaber duel sinceStar Wars : Episode III - Revenge of the Sith …
The Acolyteepisode 5 ’s lightsaber duels were everything I require . As someone who enjoy the subsequence trilogy ’s combat sequence but longed for more prequel - era combat styles , The Acolyteepisode 5 render the latter in spades , really showcasing the Jedi and Sith at the height of their power . The recollective camera takes reserve sweeping shots of expert choreography to be conveyed , asThe Acolytemassacred several nameless Jediwith some first-class Sith power moves . One special standout was the impaling of one Jedi and the use of the Force to pull a secondment onto the tip of the lightsaber before swift beheading .
Not only was the Sith vs. unnamed Jedi full of great grouping choreography , but the one - on - one duels were fantastic too . Sol vs. the Sith — revealed to be Qimir — was as telling and charged with emotion . Later , Sol ’s Padawan Jecki Lon get under one’s skin prison term to fall with wondrous dual lightsaber moves . Aside from the motion - capture lightsaber competitiveness between Maul and Ahsoka inStar war : The Clone Warsseason 7,The Acolyteepisode 5 undoubtedly hand over the good lightsaber duel sinceStar Wars : Episode III - Revenge of the Sith .
The Acolyte Episode 5 Has Surprisingly Brutal, Albeit Emotionally Flat, Character Deaths
The dark, violent nature of The Acolyte’s Sith Lord makes up for the lack of emotional investment
WithThe Acolyteepisode 5 essentially answer as a 30 - minute - foresightful action chronological succession , fictional character deaths were to be have a bun in the oven . While the unnamed Jedi on the journeying to find Kelnacca were doomed as soon as they were introduced , the last of major musician fromThe Acolyte ’s cast of characters surprised me the most . Charlie Barnett ’s Yord Fandar and Dafne Keen ’s Jecki Lon gather their demise in shockingly gruesome fashion . Jecki ’s death thanks to Qimir ’s slick lightsaber trick was unexpected , with three knife thrust wounds marking the audacious decision to kill off a chief character .
I respectThe Acolyteepisode 5 for not flinching by from darker moments …
Yord ’s decease was even more venturesome , as Qimir used hand - to - hand combat to maneuver the Jedi into situation before snapping his cervix with minimal try . In a franchise filled with lightsaber wounds , dogfights , space station explosions , and chargeman fire , this condemnable method of intimate murder was beyond shameful , and I respectThe Acolyteepisode 5 for not flinching out from dark moment . The appalling nature of Jecki and Yord ’s deaths somewhat makes up for the deficiency of exploitation the characters have receivedthus far .
Custom Image by Lewis Glazebrook
Yord and Jecki have been mainstays of the serial since its premiere , and while I ’ve enjoyed their carrying out and felt their characters had potential , it was never earn before being unceremoniously cut short . Whether this was showrunner Leslye Headland ’s intent or not remain uncertain , but there is no deny that these sick death would have been more effective if Jecki and Yord had been write as more likable characters we could induct in . The shorter episodes did not allow for this , meaningonly the commitment to the Sith ’s wild ways stoppedTheAcolyteepisode 5 ’s character dying from falling wholly flat .
The Acolyte’s Story Reveals Were Predictable
But they were saved by excellent performances, including Manny Jacinto’s work as Qimir
The Acolyteepisode 5 finally revealed the Sith Lord is Qimir — a hypothesis I ’ve held since the premiere . The show left several clues that Qimir was the Sith warrior , so many that I began to believe the muff former moon-curser was a ruddy Clupea harangus . Much like the lurid brutality of Jedi dying overcome emotionally insensate here and now , The Acolyte ’s predictable Sith reveal was bolstered by Manny Jacinto ’s excellent performance .
Jacinto rise above predictability to make Qimir a part I hope gets a Brobdingnagian STD of screentime inThe Acolyte ’s final three episodes …
Qimir was enjoyable in the first few instalment , but instalment 5 is where he sinks his teeth into the conniving , evil , manipulative Sith warrior . Jacinto is exceptionally menacing here , imbue Qimir with a sensation of threat , intelligence activity , and duskiness that was missing from his prior appearances . Were it not for Jacinto ’s fantastic performance , the Sith reveal would have fail spectacularly . That say , Jacinto rise above predictability to make Qimir a character I hope gets a huge pane of screentime in the final three episodes .
The Acolyte episode 5 contain some of the most brutal unrecorded - action lightsaber combat , as well as some fairly epic Easter eggs and references .
The Acolyte’s Lingering Mysteries Remain Compelling
The Acolyte episode 5’s reveals do not answer every question
Another strength I ’ve foundThe Acolyteto have is its key secret . When answer are provide , more motion are put in topographic point to keep me compelled for next episodes . The Acolyteepisode 5 continues this course , despite giving the show ’s biggest response yet . The mystery story of Brendok still looms heavy over theatrical role like Mae , Osha , and Sol , and I can not wait to see further flashbacks to the fateful night that changed everything . Similarly , Qimir ’s dialogue hints he may have had something to do with the tragedy on Brendok , raising more questions about how involved he unfeignedly is .
at last , the most compelling questionsThe Acolyteepisode 5 get up were centered around Qimir and his Sith nature . Is Qimir the Sith Master or Sith Apprentice based onStar Wars’Sith Rule of Two ? Is he a Sith at all , or just someone who follows the feeling of the darkness - siders ? Qimir ’s insistence that the Jedi would judge him a Sith without immediately name himself one cause these questions to run away through my head asThe Acolyteepisode 5 come to a close , think the dealership - best lightsaber fight were come with by more captivating mysteries about the show ’s central characters .
The Acolyteepisode 5 is now streaming on Disney+ .
Image via Disney+
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The Acolyte is a TV serial set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era , where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence . This sci - fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they enquire several crimes - all leading to duskiness erupting from beneath the surface and set to bring in about the end of the High Republic .
