The Acolyte Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Choice

This whole time, we’ve been given the short version of what happened on Brendok the night that Mae and Osha’s lives were upended. With The Acolyte Season 1 Episode 7, “Choice,” we finally get the full version of what the Jedis observed. 

Obviously, there are still some questions that require answers, but we’ve now received the biggest answer of them all. Why does Mae wish to kill all the Jedi from that mission?

We can now see that she sees them as the enemy because she witnessed Master Sol stick a lightsaber through her mother. However, there are many more layers to this puzzle than Mae was able to observe with her own eyes. 

Let’s break down everything we learned.

Padawan Torbin Didn’t Want to be There

I think one of the biggest things we learned about the Jedi mission on Brendok is that not all the Jedi on that mission wanted to be there. Prior to this episode, we only know that Master Torbin felt guilty enough about what happened that he chose to kill himself, The Acolyte Season 1 Episode 2, “Revenge/Justice.”

Now, we know that he’s felt guilty about many things since the events on Brendok. The largest of which is how his actions led to the destruction of Mae and Osha’s family and way of life. It’s very telling that from the start of this episode, we see Torbin is depressed and not a willing participant in the mission.

The moment the Jedi learn that the girls might have been created from a vergence, Torbin is willing to go in guns blazing because it means he will get to go back home, which is what he wants. Torbin, at this time, is a young padawan with very little emotional control. Therefore, he acts on his heart and desires more than thinking logically.

While all the Jedi on this mission have something to regret about how their actions led to the end result, Torbin’s actions are what really pushed everyone else’s. If Torbin hadn’t run off to end things on his terms, Sol wouldn’t have been forced to follow and, in turn, act on his own selfish desires for Osha.

Meanwhile, Kelnacca wouldn’t have been close enough to be influenced by the witches’ magic, and then Indara wouldn’t have been forced to do her own version of force yielding in order to free Kelnacca and immobilize the rest of the witches.

Basically, all of this comes down to a series of impulsive decisions from a group that is typically known for being controlled and logical. Naturally, these events, which cost Torbin his eyesight, would ultimately lead him to his own demise in the hopes of gaining forgiveness from Mae.

Master Sol Didn’t Want to Lie, He Was Forced To

The other big revelation to come from The Acolyte Season 1 Episode 7, “Choice,” is that Master Sol never wanted to keep his involvement in the disaster on Brendok a secret. He was determined to place himself at the mercy of the council and take whatever consequence they deemed necessary, but Indara told him to lie.

It’s clear from Torbin’s expression after she tells Master Sol what story they will be telling the council that he doesn’t agree with the lie either. However, the difference is that Torbin is young and still intent on being the best Jedi, so he does what his master asks of him. 

Obviously, Sol goes along with it in the end as well, but based on how he is during the present timeline and how he interacts with Osha right after the disaster on Brendok, she is the one who convinces him a lie is best, not Indara.

I’m extremely curious about what would’ve happened had Master Sol insisted on going to the council with the real truth instead of the made-up one Indara presented. Sure, Indara claimed that it would ruin Osha’s desire to be a Jedi and implied that the council wouldn’t accept her as a padawan if the truth came to light.

However, was she being entirely honest, or were her own desires to escape retribution for her own actions the driving factor behind her words to Sol? Because I’m still not convinced, Master Indara felt any guilt about changing the reality of what happened. 

As Torbin’s master, Indara should have been willing to take the brunt of responsibility for the disaster that occurred. However, she insists that they were justified in their actions, but if that’s true, then why make up a lie?

The Witches Were Just Defending Themselves

The more we learn about Brendok, the more I’m inclined to believe the witches weren’t wrong in how they reacted to the Jedi. These were a group of women living on a planet away from civilization. 

Their actions weren’t harming anyone. In fact, their magic was actually breathing life into what should’ve been a dead planet. 

Should they have created the girls from magic? Probably not, but they also weren’t harming the girls by teaching them the ways of their magic source. 

At this point, Master Sol is honestly to blame for the witches’ actions. He went in believing the girls were being harmed because that is what he wanted to see. 

But if you look at it from a distance with an open mind, you see that they were being taught things not dissimilar to the Jedi teachings. However, Sol saw two young girls with force sensitivity and wanted to “save” them to make them into Jedi.

When the Jedi came into their fortress without an invitation, they were attacking them. Therefore, the witches had every right to use their magic to defend their homes. 

Because Master Sol, Torbin, and Kelnacca acted out at what they perceived as danger, the witches ended up dead. The Jedi are the only ones left standing, and the world is led to believe they are the honorable ones.

Unfortunately, the truth isn’t so black and white. While the witches were justified in their actions, the Jedi were then equally justified in reacting to the witches’ attack. 

So far, The Acolyte has been a great reminder that there are always two sides to every story and that the truth lies somewhere in between.

 

What did you think of this episode of The Acolyte? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Acolyte airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Disney+.

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