The Acolyte returns with its midseason episode with the strongest episode of the season to date. Something still feels off with the show, and I think I’ve pinpointed a new perspective on it, but this episode definitely felt better than what we’ve seen to date.

Ironically, my criticism of last week’s episode only increased in episode four, as nothing in part three served to reinforce or inform episode four. You could literally skip it over at this point and nothing changes apart from getting a smoother transition from parts two and four. I hope part three will reinforce the story more so, but if it does, I still don’t see why it was placed where it was in the season. I still don’t understand why Mae is hunting down these Jedi though when she’s to blame for the fire, something is off and the distribution of information isn’t great.

This episode, however, did make better use of exterior photography. I’ve mentioned that the sets in The Acolyte feel boxed in and narrow, but there are shots here that are clearly outdoors that made the show feel much wider and more organic. Likewise, the forest setting feels wider and more alive than the crowded city squares and streets we’ve seen to date.

With Master Kelnacca the likely next target, the Jedi, along with Osha, fly off to try and find him and protect him. The Wookie has been living off the grid for two years now and has no means of remote communication. At the same time, Mae and Qimir are in fact closing in on him in the jungle, with Mae using Qimir as a guide, who conveniently knows the exact path to find this way yard Jedi. Qimir is totally a Sith though, right? He just slips away to get some water and the Wookie Jedi just so happens to be killed via lightsaber to the chest? Then he gets “captured” by Mae but likely just cuts himself loose after Mae ultimately backs out on her deal with the Sith, concluding that with her sister alive, her allegiance to the mysterious Dark Sider is no longer binding. He may not be the masked figure, that could also be Mae/Osha’s mother, but Qimir is definitely more than he appears.

The Sith’s reveal at the end of the episode was also pretty well shot, with the masked figure floating down to the ground out of focus over Osha’s shoulder. Most of those Jedi in the search party are probably going to be dead, but I doubt any named characters will be. But regardless, it was a solid cliffhanger and hopefully, the next episode picks up right where we left off.

So what’s the issue with the Jedi that’s bothering me with this show? I can’t help but feel the writers of The Acolyte are trying to deconstruct the Jedi, making them seem manipulative and untrustworthy instead of paragons of justice and truth. Vernestra Rwoh, a likable character from the books, literally states that the whole Mae business should be kept from the council for fear that the news will be reported to the Senate. This seems very out of character for Rwoh and for the Jedi in this era if you’ve been reading the books.

Likewise, for a show called “The Acolyte“, I do wish the show was more focused on the Dark Side of the Force. I honestly thought this show, based on the title and press junkets over the years, would be told from the point of view of the Sith, as per showrunner Lesley Headland herself in an interview with Vanity Fair, but we’ve barely seen or learned anything about them to date. Who knows what will come to pass, but with half the show in the bag already, it feels like something was overpromised.

Also, these shows have to be longer than thirty minutes. It’s barely enough time to get the ball rolling. And with such limited screen time, do we really need to have a droid squirting water on a CGI mole?

Sol continues to be the best character on the show, displaying both warmth and courage, yet continues to keep Osha’s Jedi training at bay, opting to use her more as bait than as an ally to capture her sister. I definitely want to know more about this guy’s backstory and what happened between him and Osha.

Episode four, Day, despite being shorter than ideal, did have better pacing than the other previous episodes and actually gave us some more interesting moments and character beats. It’s not perfect, but if the show can keep this pace and intrigue going, we’ll have a decent, albeit flawed, Star Wars show.