Now that I have had time to process (and re-watch), I will share some final thoughts on this season of The Acolyte. The series is not listed as “ended” so another season is still possible. I read somewhere that Leslye Headland already has ideas for a second season and she is “currently in discussions” with the powers that be.
Overall I think the show did not disappoint. It’s not the best series but I was still sufficiently entertained. The fact that I am unfamiliar with most of the High Republic era didn’t harm my viewing experience. I think I enjoyed it more despite that fact.
The Highlights
Top of the list for highlights is the fight choreography. While it is not the amazing Nick Gillard (stunt coordinator for the prequels), Mark Ginther still puts together some amazing fight choreography. The Stranger, in particular, has some incredible scenes with Manny Jacinto and his stunt double bringing a great presence to those scenes.
Of course, the cameos are a nice bit of fan service. Sticking Ki-Adi-Mundi in there to tie the series to the prequels was fun, despite the Internet storm that followed it. Granted, the two cameos we see in the final episode, especially the very last shot, also tie the series to the prequels.
Let’s talk about the acting. Lee Jung-jae is especially impressive in this series. He did not speak any English. In his interview at the Star Wars Celebration in 2023 he needed a translator. Since that time, and in just 3 short months, he learned English for his role as Sol and it’s amazing to hear him speak with such clarity and diction. Sol instantly became my favorite character in the series and remains my favorite.
As I mentioned earlier, Manny Jacinto is also amazing in his role as Qimir/The Stranger. It’s incredible how he can instantly switch between the two characters.
The Lowlights
I want to stay on the acting for a bit because not everyone shined like Lee Jung-jae and Manny Jacinto. Amandla Stenberg’s character(s) still fell a bit flat for me. I still felt like she struggled playing two characters in the same scene.
Post-production editing is not at fault. In fact, I think the editing was very well done in the scenes where both twins are together. When I think about actors like Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Tatiana Maslany, and even Ewan McGregor who have played multiple characters that interact with each other, I know it takes more than film editing to make it great.
By the way, if you want to see the roles in which Ewan has accomplished this check out the movie The Island and season three of Fargo.
While Amandla Stenberg has great performances in other shows, she didn’t sell it enough for me in this series. Perhaps we will see an improvement in Season 2.
Well, I certainly hope there will be a second season. We need to explore some of the things (or person) we see in the final episode. Looks like I have a book to read before then, too, even if it isn’t canon (yet).
Some folks on social media think there may not be another season given the (unwarranted) backlash the show, and Disney, received. Although, despite the vitriol, the viewing statistics still suggest the series did pretty well.
As I said before, it’s not a bad series, in fact, it is quite enjoyable. I don’t rank Star Wars so I’m not going to say where this series falls in comparison to the others. Be that as it may, Ahsoka and Kenobi are still the ones I appreciate the most and Andor is still in a league of its own.
Now bring on the Skeleton Crew!
