Star Wars: The Acolyte Season 1 Episode 6 Review

Who’s the teacher, and who’s the corruptor?

Star Wars: The Acolyte™ follows up last week’s high-octane, audacious episode with one that shows the duality of the Force. Season 1 Episode 6, “Teach / Corrupt,” finds Osha™ and Mae™ switching Masters. The most interesting aspects of this outing are the conversations between Osha/The Stranger™ and Mae/Sol™. We learn more about The Stranger and his ambitions.

Manny Jacinto delivers a fascinating, layered performance. Admittedly, it would be challenging for me to resist The Stranger if I lived in this world. He’s a charismatic fella.

This episode cleverly sets the stage for the final two episodes, laying the groundwork for what’s to come.

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Teach / Corrupt

Osha wakes up in new clothes, in a strange place, and on an unknown planet. She notices dressing on her side wound from where Mae shot her. Osha discovers a bag with clothing and a knife nearby. Picking up said knife, she ventures outside.

Then, Osha spots Qimir™/Sith Master/The Stranger (so many names!) as he preps for bath time. Meanwhile, Sol and Mae are preparing to depart from Khofar™. Of course, we know Bazil™ is on to Mae. The adorable tracker is also on the Jedi vessel, sniffing around the imposter.

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A Sinister Threat

Jedi Master Sol tries to communicate with the Jedi Order on Coruscant™. Unfortunately, comms are down. We hear Sol attempt to tell the others that someone anticipated the Jedi’s arrival on Khofar, slaughtering his whole team. This threat is more significant than expected.

Mae approaches Sol from behind, moving in for the kill. However, before she can act, Sol asks her to pilot the ship while he resets the transceiver. After Sol steps away, he takes a moment to process what transpired in the jungles of Khofar. I really feel for Sol. How can one process — or even touch the surface of grief — when one loses so many people they love? Lee Jung-jae gives a compelling, relatable performance here.

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Diving into the Dark Side

Later, Bazil revives Pip™, Osha’s repair droid bestie. Elsewhere, Osha tails The Stranger until they arrive at a section of water surrounded by rocks. The Stranger disrobes before plunging into its depths. Osha tries to grab his Lightsaber™ surreptitiously. Of course, The Stranger hears her. He asks her how it feels to hold a saber again.

Osha orders him to stay put. He offers constructive criticism regarding her fighting stance. Then, The Stranger tells Osha that he’d like to put his clothes back on if she doesn’t plan to join him. You can’t see my face, but imagine it’s the widened eyes emoji with slightly flushed cheeks.

The Stranger emerges from the water. He analyzes Osha’s thoughts, saying aloud what she’s thinking. She’s wondering if it’s ethical to kill an unarmed person. The Stranger admits he can’t read her thoughts verbatim but can get a near-accurate idea based on her emotions. They give Osha away.

Osha pivots, asking if The Stranger spared Sol. He confirms that Sol and Mae are alive. The Stranger notes that Osha asked if Sol was alive before her twin sister. The Jedi Master is clearly important to Osha.

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You Saved Us

Meanwhile, Sol confirms that he reset the transceiver. He embraces Mae and tells her (well, Osha) that she saved them. Then, he informs Mae of his intent to turn himself in to the High Council. It’s time to make things right and disclose everything that transpired that fateful night on Brendok™.

Suddenly, the holoprojector whirs back to life. Sol tries to communicate again, but the ship’s power switches off. Sol asks Mae to take a look. After all, she’s a skilled meknek™, right?

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Coruscant

Next, Jedi Master Rwoh™ chats with Chuwant™, an Abednedo™ senator, about Senator Rayencourt™ gaining more support. Chuwant’s colleagues will vote in favor of an external review of the Jedi Order. Rayencourt harbors anti-Jedi views. Chuwant reassures Rwoh that a review isn’t cause for alarm. Rayencourt is simply an ambitious senator grasping for power. I hope we see more of the political landscape during the High Republic.

Then, Mog™ informs Rwoh about Sol’s situation. He received Sol’s distress call bearing the news of casualties on Khofar. Rwoh believes they should send a team to retrieve him. She’ll accompany said team.

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That’s Your Strength

Later, Osha and The Stranger make their way to the latter’s abode. We learn that The Stranger used to be a Jedi, but that was a long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away — sorry, I couldn’t resist).

Osha insists that Sol will find her. His strength in the Force is quite powerful. The Stranger counters that that’s her strength, not Sol’s. He tells Osha that she could make a break for his ship now or wait for the tide to go out. Osha mulls this over before continuing to follow him. He did offer food, after all.

Meanwhile, Mae attempts to troubleshoot the ship’s technical issues. Bazil attacks her while Pip shoots an unidentified black liquid in Mae’s eye. They know she’s not really Osha. Mae threatens to reset Pip to his factory settings. She follows through on that threat.

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Only One Way

Afterward, we return to the unknown planet where The Stranger cooks for himself and Osha. He tells her that Jedi only teach one way to access the Force. If you don’t adopt their techniques, your connection to the Force dissipates.

However, there is another way — your emotions. The Sith are famous for acting on their feelings. Osha changes the subject, reminding The Stranger that he killed her friends, including Yord™ and Jecki™. The Stranger defends his actions, stating that they threatened his existence.

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Why Aren’t You a Jedi?

Their conversation continues as Osha heads outside. She’s still holding The Stranger’s Lightsaber™. The Stranger urges her to slay him with it. He pushes up against the hilt. “Turn it on,” he says.

Then, he asks Osha why she’s not a Jedi. Why did she leave the Order? Osha evades the question. Suddenly, Osha switches on the Lightsaber™, pushing The Stranger against the rock face. She holds the blade to his throat. Osha finally admits that she failed. The Stranger reveals he lost everything, too. It’s only when you lose everything that you’re truly free.

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The Truth

Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Rwoh, Mog, and her team prepare for departure to Khofar. On Sol’s ship, Bazil moves through the vents, presumably to reach Sol to inform him of their imposter. Mae informs Sol that she ran a diagnostic and had to restart the ship’s system.

Sol wonders why he didn’t recognize The Stranger upon meeting him on Olega™. Perhaps The Stranger was a Jedi before Sol’s time. Who knows?

Mae asks if Sol has told her everything that happened on Brendok. She’s not young anymore and wants to know now. However, before Sol can reply, the ship’s power returns. Mae ventures into the cockpit to communicate with a Jedi on the other end. Before she can say her name, though, Sol shoots her, knocking her unconscious. He knows she’s really Mae, not Osha. I bet he noticed that Pip was on factory settings, which gave Mae away.

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More Jedi on Khofar

Sol and Rwoh just miss each other, with the former now en route to Coruscant and the latter landing on Khofar. They’re like two ships passing in the night. Mog asks the locals about the Jedi, learning that an umbramoth™ colony hatched the night before. It could explain the casualties.

Meanwhile, The Stranger fixes his helmet while telling Osha that he thought Mae wanted what he wanted. What is that, precisely? “The power of two,” he shares. The conversation pivots to the scar on The Stranger’s back. He discloses that someone threw him away. Osha guesses this someone was his Jedi Master.

Then, The Stranger gives Osha a lesson on cortosis™, the metal comprising his helmet. It’s handy against Lightsabers™ and creates a sensory deprivation experience, so it’s easier to connect to the Force. The Stranger encourages Osha to try it on. Osha replies that she doesn’t trust him. He agrees she’s right not to; however, she should learn to trust herself.

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Piecing Together the Mystery

Next, Rwoh and Mog attempt to uncover the mystery on Khofar. While chatting, Rwoh slices through an approaching umbramoth, like the badass she is, without even looking at her target. Mog believes the unknown foe is quite powerful, especially since this foe took out so many Jedi. There’s no way umbramoths are responsible for all this bloodshed (and Yord’s snapped neck).

Later, Mae wakes up after Sol knocked her out. She’s bound by her wrists to the bed. Sol reveals they have much to do — find Mae’s Master and save Osha, for starters. However, first, he plans to tell Mae everything about what happened on Brendok all those years ago.

At the same time, Osha approaches The Stranger’s helmet. She hesitates before putting it on her head. We hear her heavy breathing — reminiscent of Darth Vader™ — as she views the world through the helmet’s eye slit.

Somebody’s dancing with the Dark Side.

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