The Acolyte Episode 3 recap: The best Star Wars episode yet

After an explosive two-episode premiere, The Acolyte Episode 3 might have just achieved GOAT status in the Star Wars franchise.

Set to be one of the biggest mysteries in the Star Wars timeline, new series The Acolyte has had a pretty shocking start. After killing off Jedi Master Indara — a.k.a. action royalty Carrie-Anne Moss — in the first five minutes, the Jedi hunt is officially on.

Episode 2 then saw the death of Jedi Master Torbin, drawing the conclusion that Mae is after the four Jedi stationed on her home planet as a child.

It’s still a total unknown who Mae’s master might be, and The Acolyte Episode 3 has some answers… but not in the way we’d expect. Warning — spoilers ahead.

The Acolyte Episode 3: Osha and Mae divide Ansieya’s coven

Set 16 years after Episode 2, The Acolyte Episode 3 begins with Mae tracking down Osha in an off-limits area of their home planet, Brendok. Mae tells her twin that they need to prepare for that night’s ascension ceremony, which will allow the pair to become witches. While Mae is excited, Osha doesn’t want to go through with it, with Mae criticizing her reluctance. Mother Koril finds them and takes them back to the coven, telling them it’s too dangerous to be here. It’s revealed that Sol is watching in the distance.

The girls arrive back to meet Mother Ansieya, with both Ansieya and Koril revealed as being their actual parents. Ansieya tries to engage them in training before the ceremony, showing them that they will experience not just the power of one or two, but the power of many, thinking of the Force as a “thread” that can be controlled and manipulated. Mae takes to training like a duck to water, whereas Osha almost refuses to partake. The two fight, and get sent to their room.

Mae hates that Osha is keeping things from her, even if that’s as simple as drawings in a notebook. Osha says that she wants to have her own individual life away from Mae, which upsets her — she’s enforced the idea of the twins being one being since Episode 1. It’s revealed that Osha wants to be a Jedi, which isolates her even further.

The Jedi try to recruit Osha and Mae

The ascension ceremony arrives, with Mother Ansieya explaining more about the coven’s history. She claims that the Jedi didn’t like the fact that the coven were actively using the Force, exiling them to Brendok when they refused to change their way of life. The coven has been sworn to secrecy and each other since, with Osha and Mae asked to take vows to do the very same.

Mae is all too willing to make a promise, with Ansieya transposing powers into her head that leaves Mae with a matching white forehead mark to Ansieya’s — the same one we see distinguishing the twins in earlier episodes. As Osha gives Ansieya a hesitant yes, the ceremony is interrupted by the arrival of Indara, Torbin, Kelnacca, and Sol.

With Ansieya asking the coven to hide Osha and Mae amongst them, the Jedi foursome tells the coven that they mean no harm. They allege that they believed Brendok was uninhabited, which Ansieya scoffs at. The four say that after watching them, they believe that the coven has children in its presence, and state that High Republic law requires any child to be tested for potential Jedi suitability.

Osha sees her chance, stepping forward and instantly connecting with Sol. She says that she wants to be tested and asks Ansieya’s permission for Mae to step forward, which she does. When the coven reacts badly to the idea of the twins being tested, they hold Torbin in a trance, bringing him to his knees. Ansieya eventually agrees to bring both girls to the Jedi base, and Torbin is let go.

The twins butt heads and all hell breaks loose

Before they approach the base, Ansieya encourages the girls to lie in order to fail the Jedi test, so that they aren’t taken away from the coven forever. It’s a plan Mae easily agrees to, but Osha isn’t so easily swayed. When Sol and Indara test her, they figure out she’s lying, with Sol telling his story of how he came to the Jedi Order at a much younger age.

When Osha leaves, Mae immediately knows that she’s passed — and she’s absolutely fuming. Mae tells Ansieya what happened, with Osha confiding in her mother that she wants to be a Jedi. The two share a tearful exchange, with Ansieya telling Osha to not be governed by the “thread,” but instead use it to take control of her own destiny. Osha comes to terms with never being able to see the coven again, but Mae intercepts her in their room.

Finding a drawing of the Jedi Order symbol in Osha’s notebook, Mae flies into a rage, locking Osha in their room. She sees a lantern nearby and sets the ground on fire in order to stop Osha from leaving and potentially putting the coven’s safety in jeopardy. The fire quickly spreads across the coven’s base, which disintegrates.

Osha manages to escape from her room, and as luck would have it, Sol arrives at the coven’s back to look for her. The other coven members — including Mother Ansieya — have been killed, scattered in the scorched debris. Osha confronts Mae on a bridge, with each asking the other what they had done.

The bridge begins to tear in two, with Mae screaming that she had to start the fire in order to stop Osha from risking the coven. As the bridge gives way, Osha and Sol watch Mae fall many stories below, with both assuming she is dead. They escape with Osha passing out, waking up on the Jedi’s craft.

Osha is greeted by Sol and Indara, who explain what just happened — and that the entire coven is dead. Sol tells her it’s going to be okay, and that he wants to train her as his padawan. The last scene then cuts back to the forest the twins were in at the episode’s beginning, with a very much alive Mae figuring out what to do next.

Continue to jump into hyperspace with everything we know about the Andor Season 2 release date and Tales of the Jedi Season 2. You can also read our Star Wars The Acolyte explained guide for more specific details.

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