The Acolyte’s Twin Concept Sputters In Its Debut

While "The Acolyte" is receiving fairly positive reviews, comparable to "Ahsoka" but not quite reaching the acclaim of "The Mandalorian" and "Andor," I found myself unimpressed with the central premise of the show.

It's not a spoiler to mention that Amandla Stenberg plays force-powered twins in the show, as this was revealed in a late TV spot and an interview with the star herself prior to the show's release. Stenberg explained to The Electric Playground:

“I play twins in the show. Their names are Osha and Mae, and they gravitate towards different sides of the Force, though that’s debatable and will hopefully be clarified as viewers watch the show. Mae is on a path of revenge—she’s on a warpath. An incident in their childhood separated the twins, and now Mae seeks vengeance. Osha, who is a mechanic and a former Jedi padawan, is accused of the revenge attacks and must defend herself while discovering that her twin sister is still alive.”

So far, I’m not impressed. The concept didn’t work well in the first two episodes, and I’m uncertain about how it will develop moving forward. However, I’m willing to give it more time.

Several issues arise with this setup. The show attempts a "gotcha" moment in the first episode by having Mae stalk and kill a Jedi (played by Carrie-Anne Moss, who hopefully will appear in flashbacks to avoid being underused). Following this, we see a cheerful, non-threatening Osha, who is arrested for the crime. It quickly becomes apparent that her twin sister, whom she believed to be dead, is alive and hunting Jedi. This felt like a cheap trick for an opening.

A minor but bothersome detail is that both sisters have the same hairstyle—red braids arranged similarly (with Mae's being longer on the sides). Initially, I thought Mae might be disguising herself as Osha, but it turns out Mae is unaware that Osha is alive. This shared hairstyle adds to the confusion and the gimmick that Osha is initially thought to be the killer. It also likely simplifies wardrobe changes during filming.

I hope the storyline doesn’t proceed predictably, such as:

The four Jedi being hunted, including Osha's former master, might be responsible for the fire that killed their family and separated the twins. Alternatively, they might have intentionally left Mae to die, believing she started the fire, while saving Osha.

Osha eventually persuades Mae to turn away from the dark side so they can reunite as sisters (especially since much of Mae's revenge is driven by the belief that her sister was dead?).

It's only been two episodes, but I hope the series improves. So far, I wasn’t impressed with the double premiere, and the twin storyline feels forced and contrived. We'll see how it unfolds.