Aug. 6, 2024

Force Fumbles: The Acolyte Season Finale Breakdown

Show Notes
Transcript

Journey Joe dives into the messy and divisive season finale of Star Wars: The Acolyte. From shocking character turns to surprise cameos, we're unpacking all the twists and turns of "The Acolyte" episode 8. Join us as we analyze the finale's biggest moments, discuss its place in Star Wars lore, and debate whether this High Republic series stuck the landing.

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Calarogus Shark Media. Hey, their basement dwellers, it's your host

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Journey Joe back with another deep dive into the wild

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world of streaming TV. Today, we're tackling the season finale

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of Star Wars the Acolyte. Buckle up, folks, because we've

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got a lot to unpack. So episode eight dropped this week,

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and boy, oh boy, did it give us a lot

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to chew on. Let's start with the big stuff. OSHA's

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turned to the dark side. Now. I know some of

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you saw this coming from a parsec away, but the

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way it played out that was something else We've got.

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Osha forced choking Saul to death Vader style. It's a

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shocking moment, but I got to say it felt a

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bit out of left field. The build up to this

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point has been, let's say, uneven, but hey, at least

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her Kiber crystal turning red was a cool visual. That's

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some deep Star Wars lore right there, folks. Sith bleeding

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their Kiber crystals with hatred. It's a nice touch that

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connects this prequel era to what we know from later

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in the timeline. Now, let's talk about Saul for a minute.

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This guy's been through the ringer this season, hasn't he?

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We started off thinking he was this noble Jedi, and

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now well it's complicated. The reveal about what really happened

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on Brendock was a game changer. It's interesting how the

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show's trying to paint his actions in shades of gray.

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Was he right to intervene with the coven? Was he

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protecting the kids? Or was it more about his own ego?

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These are the kind of morally ambiguous questions the Acolyte

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seems to love throwing at us. Speaking of visuals, how

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about that lightsaber duel between Saul and the Stranger. Now

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that was some prime Star Wars action right there. The

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close quarters combat, the slow mo shots, it was intense, folks.

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And having May and Osha break up the fight between

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their respective masters chef's kiss. It's like poetry at rhymes

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or something like that. But let's talk about the elephant

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in the room, or should I say the little green alien? Yep,

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we got Yoda cameo. Now, I'm sure opinions are going

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to be split on this one. Is it a cool

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nod to the wider Star Wars universe or just fan service?

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On one hand, it's always fun to see Yoda. On

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the other do we really need him popping up everywhere? Oh?

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And we can't forget about that other surprise appearance, the

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creepy figure watching Kmier in Osha? Are we looking at

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Darth Plagis here? The implications for future storylines are huge.

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If that's the case, could we be heading towards an

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origin story for Anakin Skywalker. I know some fans are

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excited about that possibility, but others are worried it might

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demystify too much of the Star Wars lore. What's your

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take now? I know a lot of you have been

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frustrated with the show's portrayal of the Jedi, and this episode, well,

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it doesn't exactly paint them in a better light. Ernestra's

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decision to pin all the killings on Saul is raising

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a lot of eyebrows. Is this setting up some major

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conflict for a potential season two It's an interesting choice

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showing the Jedi Order engaging in this kind of cover up.

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It definitely adds some moral complexity to the situation, but

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I can't help wondering if it's pushing things a bit

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too far into gritty reboot territory. Let's talk about May

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for a sec. Her decision to wipe her own memory

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and essentially switch sides is a big moment, but I

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can't help feeling like we needed more time to really

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feel the weight of that choice. It's a huge sacrifice,

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but did we get enough character development to make it

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feel earned. I'm not so sure. The finale also gave

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us that intense scene between Vernestra and Senator Rayancourt. Gotta

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say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this part.

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It really laid out the growing skepticism towards the Jedi

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order in a way that ties nicely into what we

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know happens later in the timeline. Plus, both actors absolutely

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killed it in that scene. One thing I appreciated about

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this finale was how it balanced the big galaxy shaking

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events with smaller character focused moments. The performances across the

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board were stellar. Amandla Stenberg in particular, really got to

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show theirnge in this episode, playing both May and Osha

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with distinct personalities. Now, let's talk about some of the

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technical aspects that Chase through the asteroid field. Absolutely thrilling.

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It might not be breaking new ground for Star Wars,

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but it was executed beautifully. The effects work there was

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top notch, which is a relief after some of the

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weaker VFX we've seen earlier in the season. Overall, this

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finale was a mixed bag. It answered some questions, but

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boy did it raise a bunch of new ones. The

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action was solid, the reveals were big, but the character

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motivations still feeling a bit muddy to me. And don't

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even get me started on poor Tazi Loa. Does anyone

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even remember Yord's Padawan? At this point? Looking ahead, it's

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clear the Acolyte is setting up a lot for a

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potential second season. We've got May working with the Jedi

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Osha and the stranger off doing who knows what, and

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the looming presence of what's probably Darth Plagis. Not to

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mention all the political intrigue brewing in the Senate. It's

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an intriguing setup, but I can't help wondering if it's

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biting off more than it can chew. So what do

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you think, fellow basement dwellers. Did the Acolyte stick the landing?

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Are you excited for a potential season two or are

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you ready to jump ship? Do you think the show's

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deconstruction of the Jedi Order. Is adding depth to the

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Star Wars universe or is it undermining what makes Star

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Wars special? And what about those cameos, fun additions or

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distracting fan service. One thing's for sure, The Acolyte has

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got people talking. Whether you loved it or hated it,

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this finale has definitely made an impact. It's pushing the

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boundaries of what a Star Wars show can be, for

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better or worse. Personally, I'm still processing my feelings about it.

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There's a lot to admire here, but also some choices

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that leave me scratching my head. May the Force be

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with you or the thread anyway, and this is Journey

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Joe signing off.