Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Acolyte, episode 8, "The Acolyte."
I have enjoyed every episode of The Acolyte leading up to the finale. The gradual pacing and unveiling of the intriguing mysteries have worked well, all of which have been grounded by compelling characters brought to life through excellent performances. Being an unpredictable standalone story in the High Republic era has also been refreshing while providing fun connections to previous stories.
While I did enjoy aspects of the finale, it was definitely my least favorite episode, and it leaves me with mixed feelings about the series as a whole. My biggest issue with the episode titled "The Acolyte" was that it ended devoid of much hope. Hope has always been a key aspect of Star Wars stories, with even the largely bleak Revenge of the Sith and Andor Season 1 ending on hopeful notes.
The Acolyte ended without much hope. Sol being killed by Osha and then being used as a scapegoat to cover up all the crimes and atrocities reminded me of the ending of The Dark Knight, when Batman insists that he be used as a scapegoat for all of Harvey Dent's crimes. The difference between The Dark Knight and The Acolyte is that Batman had agency and chose to heroically make this sacrifice for the good of Gotham, whereas Sol had no agency on his end.
Sixteen years ago on Brendok, Sol made a horrible mistake when he killed Mother Aniseya and tried to take Osha and Mae from their coven. He made other mistakes since then, but worst of all, he didn't get an opportunity to redeem himself and was instead killed by Osha as she turned to the dark side.
Osha turning to the dark side was set up well from the first episode with that prisoner she saved abandoning her because of the darkness he sensed in her. Seeing her bleed the kyber crystal was visually stunning and rewarding to watch after reading about this process in stories like The Rise of Kylo Ren. Her journey felt earned, and her killing Sol was an important final piece, but it was too depressing for my taste in Star Wars.
In the end, it almost felt like the series was trying to justify the dark side, saying it was okay because it was what Osha wanted. For the first time in her life, she was going to be able to choose her fate. Star Wars has always been clear about the danger of the dark side. While one might understandably lapse into it during a moment of weakness or poor judgment, committing oneself completely to the dark is wrong and dangerous.
The shot of Osha and Qimir/The Stranger at the end almost suggested a perverse sense of hope, but I can't buy it. If The Acolyte gets more seasons, I hope this is emphasized as a mistake in Osha's journey, with her eventually realizing that choosing the dark side and training with Qimir was wrong. "Protecting" Mae by wiping away years of memories and so much of her identity didn't justify it either.
Even for the rest of the Jedi Order, the ending seemed pretty hopeless. Vernestra Rwoh blaming everything on Sol and confirming that Qimir was a former student of Vernestra's means her failings likely led him to the dark side. The deaths of Indara, Torbin, Kelnacca, Jecki, and Yord all feel like they were in vain.
Part of the point of this was to explore the beginning of the end of the Jedi Order and the reemergence of the Sith. Given that the Jedi won't know the Sith's return for another century, most of the characters aware of the Sith's existence needed to die, or in the case of Mae and Osha, have their memories wiped or join the Sith.
I understand why certain narrative decisions were made for the sake of this story and for the sake of the overarching canon. If this wasn't Star Wars, I actually think I would've liked this ending as much of it felt earned.
But The Acolyte is a Star Wars story that strayed too far from the core tenets of Star Wars for my liking. I still loved a lot about this series, but most of the ending didn't work for me.
That being said, I hope there is a second season 2, as the stories of Osha, Mae, Qimir, and Vernestra don't feel finished. I want to know about the figure in the cave, who appears to be Darth Plagueis, and what Vernestra shares with Yoda. Another season may even change my feelings about this episode.