The Acolyte episode 3 reveals more of Mae and Osha’s past, secretly employing Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s best trick. The first two episodes gradually hinted at what happened to Mae and Osha 16 years before the start of the series, and episode 3 seems to have revealed everything in detail. The only problem is that the episode is often confusing, partly due to intentional mystery and partly because of flawed writing. Several moments are not fully explained, and many actions don’t align with the characters’ established personalities and motivations.
However, parts of the episode become less confusing when viewed through a certain lens. The storytelling has a lot in common with the structure of The Last Jedi, which means the writers may be employing a similar strategy as the show’s mystery unfolds. It would explain some of the more shocking moments in the episode and set up the next few episodes to expand on the flashbacks. There is undoubtedly more to the story than The Acolyte has shown so far, and using the same trick as The Last Jedi will allow the show to provide the answer.
The Acolyte’s Flashback Episode Is From A Single Point Of View
The story is primarily told from Osha’s perspective
Although there are a few scenes where she is absent, The Acolyte episode 3 is primarily told from Osha’s viewpoint. The episode begins with her practicing with the Force alone in the woods, and every character and situation is generally presented based on how she feels about them. The witches are dark and unreasonable, the Jedi are kind and supportive, and Mae is emotionally unstable. Her young age and the heartbreak of losing her family at the end means she is not a fully reliable narrator, leaving room for more explanations in future episodes.
Many confusing moments automatically make more sense if based on Osha’s memories. The witches supposedly died in the fire, but it doesn’t look like they did, yet Osha was so shaken that she didn’t question Jedi Master Sol’s explanation. It was also strange that Mae suddenly snapped and flat-out said that she would kill Osha to keep her from leaving, which didn’t really make sense, since she was overly attached to Osha and wouldn’t want to burn her childhood home. Osha’s anger towards Mae could have affected her memories, so another version of the story could be the exact opposite.
The Acolyte’s Flashbacks Repeat The Last Jedi Approach
Luke Skywalker and Ben Solo told conflicting versions of the same story
The Acolyte episode 3’s approach to a single character’s perspective is similar to the flashbacks in The Last Jedi. Both stories feature a betrayal that results in a temple burning down and most of its occupants being slaughtered, though not everything lines up in the first version of events. One flashback tells the story from Luke’s perspective, the next from Ben Solo’s, and the third reveals what Luke was hiding before. It would make sense for The Acolyte to use this same trick to prolong the mystery over the season as the characters continue their search for Mae.
Perhaps the next episodes will retell the same scenes from Mae’s perspective, presenting herself as the victim who never actually tried to kill Osha. The next episode would then show the flashback from the Jedi’s perspective, combining elements of the first two to reveal the whole truth about what happened that night. Mae is hunting the Jedi because of a crime she believes they committed, and Master Torbin willingly took his life, so the Jedi are hiding something. If The Acolyte is repeating Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s best trick, then it may not be a mystery for much longer.