The Acolyte’s Twin Concept Sputters In Its Debut

While The Acolyte is receiving fairly positive reviews, on par with Ahsoka but not quite as strong as The Mandalorian and Andor, I was dissatisfied with the show's central premise.

This isn't a spoiler, as a late TV spot and an interview with the star revealed before the show's release that Amandla Stenberg plays force-powered twins. In an interview with The Electric Playground, she said:

"I play twins in the show. Their names are Osha and Mae, which skew towards different sides of the force. Although that’s kind of up for debate and hopefully there’ll be one, once everybody gets to see the show. Mae is on a path for revenge – she’s on a warpath. Something in their childhood separated these twins and now Mae is out for revenge. Osha, a mechanic who used to be a part of the Jedi order but left as a padawan, is accused of the revenge taking place and has to defend herself while also discovering that her twin sister is still alive."

I'm not thrilled with it so far. I didn't think it worked well in the first two episodes, and I'm still determining how it will develop, but I'll give it more time.

There are a few issues. The show tries a "gotcha" moment in the first episode, with Mae stalking and killing a Jedi (Carrie-Anne Moss, who better appear in flashbacks to avoid being wasted). Then, in the next scene, we see a cheerful, non-killer-seeming Osha, who is arrested for the crime. It becomes apparent that her twin sister, whom she thought was dead, is alive and hunting Jedi. This felt like a cheap trick for an opening.

One minor detail that bothers me—and it seems like a contrived effort to make the concept work—is that both sisters have the same hairstyle: red braids arranged in the same way (though Mae's are longer down the sides). As I watched, I initially thought, "Oh, maybe Mae is disguising herself as Osha on purpose," However, it's revealed that Mae doesn't even know Osha is alive. Yet, they have the same hair, adding to the confusion and the gimmick that everyone thinks Osha is the killer initially. I guess it also helps with wardrobe changes during filming.

I also hope the story isn’t heading in the predictable direction I suspect:

The four Jedi being stalked, including her old master, are somehow responsible for the fire that killed their family and separated the two girls. They deliberately left Mae to die, thinking she was evil for starting the fire while saving her sister. Osha eventually convinces Mae to turn from the dark side so they can be sisters again, especially since Mae's revenge is for a sister she now knows is alive.

It’s only been two episodes, but I hope things improve from here. I wasn't impressed with the double premiere; the twin concept feels forced and grating. But we'll see how it goes.