The Acolyte S1.E3: Destiny

Entry 01 · The Acolyte · Episode 3

2024 · Series · Episode 3 — “Destiny” · 41 min · The kids episode that tries to explain everything… fast.

UGH. The kids episode. Not my favorite at all. This felt like a speedrun through a backstory that probably needed way more room to breathe.

The Take

This episode had the bones of something really interesting… but it just rushed everything. The witches, the twins, the Jedi showing up — it should’ve felt layered and tense, but instead it felt like we were hitting fast-forward on what should’ve been two or three episodes minimum.

That said, the second the Jedi arrive? Instant tension. The vibe flips immediately. No father, Force conception, mysterious coven energy — we’re back in “virgin birth in the Force” territory again and I’m just sitting there like… we’re doing this AGAIN? Cool cool cool.

Also… I’m sorry, but we’re still doing this thing where the Jedi — a group with wildly different hairstyles across the galaxy — roll up, and the twins just… never change their look? Not even a little? Plot convenience doing heavy lifting here.

Koril though? Absolute badass. “Glorified monks” line hit HARD. You could feel the clash of ideology, and honestly… I kinda wanted to see her side win just to see what chaos that creates.

The bigger issue is pacing. The girls were fine — especially knowing they’re actually sisters IRL — but their story needed time. Instead, we jump from childhood tension to attempted murder to full-on inferno in what feels like minutes. That fire spread faster than the plot.

And Mae’s whole motivation? Revenge… to get a lightsaber? She literally wanted one as a kid. Is this entire show secretly just about acquiring a lightsaber? Because that would be hilarious.

Also still trying to wrap my head around the whole Rule of Two vs “thousands of Jedi” thing. So there’s an entire army of light side users… and TWO dark side users holding it down? Feels… uneven at best.

Side note: Jodie Turner-Smith is absolutely stunning. No notes.

Galaxy Brain Moment

🧠 Jedi can lift objects with the Force… so why couldn’t Sol save BOTH Mae and Osha? He Force-reaches for Mae, but physically jumps for Osha. That inconsistency feels… intentional. Or VERY sloppy.

One More Thing

When the Jedi show up, everything gets tense FAST — easily the best part of the episode. Young Mae going full “I will kill my sister” was… aggressive. The fire spreading like it’s on hyperspeed mode. Koril deserved more screen time. Period. 8 episodes for this show just wasn’t enough.

Gut Check

3/10 — Rushed, forced backstory that needed way more time to cook. Next up: hoping the present-day story picks things back up.