Today we are reviewing Star Wars: The Acolyte, Episode 4, titled “Day.” Racing to the next target, the Jedi head to a new world as they close in on the clever assassin. This review will contain spoilers, so make sure you go watch the episode and then come back.

Recap: Star Wars: The Acolyte, Episode 4, “Day”

Last week’s episode “Destiny” was a flashback, but we are back to the present day this week. We find Osha and the Jedi back on Coruscant and in the Jedi Temple. Osha says goodbye to Jecki Lon before she decides to leave because she’s not a Jedi and has emotional ties to Mae. She doesn’t feel she’s right for the mission. That mission, of course, is to retrieve Mae and find out more about Mae’s master.

At first, Vernestra Rwoh was not going to allow Master Sol to go on the mission because of his emotional ties to Osha and Mae. But Sol’s plan is to use Osha to bring Mae in peacefully. Thankfully, Master Sol is able to catch up with Osha before she leaves. In this Jedi meeting, we have one of our first cameos, and that’s Master Ki-Adi-Mundi. Ki-Adi-Mundi is on the Jedi Council in the prequel movies.

Racing to the next target

This entire episode is about who can get to the Jedi Wookiee Kelnacca first. Is it going to be Mae and Qimir or is it going to be Osha and the Jedi? Mae and Qimir get to the planet first, and he has been to this jungle before to help find Kelnacca. And as they trek through the forest, we find out more about Mae and the master. Mae has made a deal with the master. We’re not sure exactly what that is, but we do know that if she does not succeed, he will kill her. We also find out more about what killing a Jedi without a weapon means. The idea is how to get a Jedi to betray their oath. How do you get them to try to kill an unarmed person? And we’ve seen this in future Sith, with Darth Sidious trying to get them to go against their beliefs. But we still have no idea who the master is.

The Jedi also arrive on the planet, and Osha is just a civilian. They’re using a tracker to be able to find Kelnacca. Osha is very much doubting herself on this mission. She admits that to both Yord and Jecki. Yord seems to be the leader of this mission, and he is very uptight, very much a stickler for the rules. As annoying as that can be, he does soften a bit when he has a one-on-one conversation with Osha. There is a scene with Osha and the Jedi that is very reminiscent of The Clone Wars. As they’re moving through the forest, there are some things wrapped around the trees, and of course, they sense danger and try to move through quickly. As they’re doing so, Osha puts her hands on one of them and senses them as she’s moving on. It moves and scatters away. Of course, the thing that’s wrapped around the tree becomes a very mean flying insect. Master Sol takes care of it with a lightsaber, and apparently, it’s attracted to light.

Mae betrays her Master

Now, this is where Mae’s story begins to progress. As she and Qimir are running through the forest, she wants to take a break, and he goes off to find her water. As he’s off to find water, Mae screams, and as he runs back, he gets caught in Mae’s trap, which is a little rope wrapped around the foot, pulled up into the air, hanging upside down, trapped. This is when Mae confesses that she is going to betray the master because she owes allegiance to her sister. So her plan is to turn herself into Kelnacca, and she’s going to exchange the information she has on the master. But like anything in Star Wars, nothing goes according to plan.

While this was happening, the Jedi did hear the scream and headed in that direction. As Mae is running towards Kelnacca’s home, she falls and runs into the tracker, which sounds the alarm. Mae then bolts inside Kelnacca’s home to find him. But what she finds is Kelnacca dead, apparently slashed through the chest with a lightsaber. Outside, she hears the Jedi arrive, but that is also when she realizes her master is there. As the Jedi are calling for Mae to turn herself in, they sense a presence behind them. Behind Osha floats down the master in his mask. He approaches Osha and easily Force flings her to the side. Then we get this shot we’ve seen in the trailers with all the Jedi pulling out their lightsabers. The master has already revealed a red lightsaber. As the Jedi start to run at the master, he easily Force pushes them all backward, and that’s when the episode ends.

Review: Star Wars: The Acolyte, Episode 4, “Day”

And now for my full review. First off, ending the episode right there and having us wait a week to find out what happens is going to be unbearable. This is the first episode that I can say I truly enjoyed. The first episode was just okay for me. The second episode got better. The third episode was just okay. But this one I truly enjoyed. I do feel like this is a transitional episode. This is a setup to the next chapter. I felt like the first three episodes told their arc, and now we’re starting a new arc in this whole story. This episode made me switch which characters I’m enjoying most. At first, I liked Osha more than Mae. But now that is a switch where I like Mae’s character better. I think there is good in her. I find her story starting to blossom. Where I feel Osha is still more stuck as a character. I think that will change, but for right now, I like Mae better.

Yord is still a pain and is still annoying. There are sweeter moments that he has, but it takes a lot to soften him. I do hope that changes, and I do hope when we start to reveal more things, and that his ideas of the Jedi are challenged, that he’s able to turn around the corner as far as his character is concerned. I know Vernestra Rwoh from the High Republic books, and right now her character in the show versus her younger character in the books don’t quite line up for me. One breath of fresh air for this show is that it’s not been cameo-heavy.

Online debates around The Acolyte

Now, this episode was very short, so we got small nuggets, and I think those nuggets were enough for me to enjoy this episode, although there’s still so much to explore. The nuggets in this episode were mostly about Mae and The Master. We found out a lot more about that relationship in that dynamic, and I think the complaints that people had in the first couple of episodes are now starting to come to fruition as far as what a lot of this means. Like the whole idea of killing a Jedi without a weapon, what does that mean? People were debating on the fact that you can’t kill the Jedi without a weapon, but others thought that it meant more, which in this episode we find out it means more.

Some of the complaints online have been about this show breaking canon, but of course, it is too early to tell. We have a dark-side user with a red lightsaber. That’s all we know so far. We don’t know where this show is going to go, or how it’s going to conclude, or who survives. Now, one thing we don’t have confirmed is whether or not this dark-side user with the red lightsaber is Sith. Now, one of the very surprising things in this episode is that we find Kelnacca dead.

Character Exploration throughout the season

So, so far we’ve had Indara and Kelnacca very briefly before they perish. And of course, we’re going to get them more in flashbacks. But it’s one of those things where they were characters that I wanted to explore, but now we’re going to have to explore them in a flashback. So that part is frustrating, but I understand it because of the narrative that they’re trying to tell.

One thing the show has done very well is the cinematography. From the very first episode, there’s been some wonderful sweeping shots. The flow of the writing has been very inconsistent in this show for me so far. This one felt right because it was also a very simple episode. It was very much directed one way. And because of that linear focus, we had very much Star Wars: The Clone Wars moments. The dialogue for me is much improved in this episode. However, when it comes to Osha, the constant asides of, “I’m doubting myself,” or “I’m unsure of myself,” are a little more than we need.

There are certain mysteries that I’m looking forward to finding out. Of course, the master when I find out more about the master. But Sol seems to have more to tell Osha that we will hopefully find out later. Because honestly, I’m getting tired of people perishing before we find out information. I do hope Yord has better character development as we move along because right now he is still a bit insufferable.

Star Wars: The Acolyte airs weekly the season finale is scheduled to air on Tuesday, July 16th, 2024.