Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte episode 3.
Summary
The Acolyteepisode 3 detailed the tragic fire that killed Mae and Osha’s family but also included several hints that the former may not be solely responsible for all the death and destruction. After theending ofThe Acolyte’s premiere, answers about Mae and Osha’s mysterious childhood were highly anticipated. Thankfully,Osha and Mae’sStar Warsoriginsare explored inThe Acolyeepisode 3, from the former’s desire to join the Jedi to the lengths the latter will undertake to ensure her family stays intact.
This culminated in the tragic fire hinted at by Sol inThe Acolyte’s premiere, showcasing how Osha and Mae’s family were killed, and how the latter seemingly fell to her death. However, the intentionally misleading narrative of the show’s central mystery means manyEaster eggs are found inThe Acolyteepisode 3. These Easter eggs raise more questions about exactly what happened on Brendok, with several pointing to the outcome that Mae’s fire was not solely responsible for the death and destruction as first thought.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Cast & Character Guide
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Several Factors Prove The Fire Should Have Been Relatively Contained
The first collection of hints that Mae’s fire did not cause Brendok’s downfall stems from simple logic. As has been mentioned by several characters, it is believed that Mae’s fire killed the witches. That said,The Acolyteepisode 3 shows Mae starting the fire outside her and Osha’s room. Shortly after Osha escapes, the fire has spread throughout the entire fortress and the witches are dead in little to no time. For several reasons,the fire should not have spread as quickly as it did inThe Acolyteepisode 3.
For starters,young Mae and Oshahave their room situated near the top of the fortress, as evidenced earlier in the episode when Osha is looking out of their window high above the ground. Secondly, the fortress' foundations are primarily built out of stone. This should have meant that the fire was relatively contained and spread much slower, if at all. However,The Acolyteepisode 3 shows the fire causing destruction in mere minutes, hinting that Mae’s actions were not responsible for the death of the coven.
7The Bodies Of The Witches Were Not Burned Or Charred
The Acolyte Episode 3 Did Not Imply Death By Fire
Another hint that Mae’s fire was not responsible for the death of the witches is the bodies of the latter. As Osha is taken away from Brendok by Master Sol, a wide shot of the dead witches is shown. The bodies of the witches do not indicate they were killed by the fire. They possess no burn marks, their clothes are intact, and there is no smoldering visibleat all.
The stone room housing the witches shows no sign of having been affected by the inferno…
Another hint that the witches suffered another fate is the lack of fire itself. In the room where the witches are located, no fire is visible. The lighting indicates that flames are burning higher up in the fortress' structure, but the stone room housing the witches shows no sign of having been affected by the inferno.
6The Arrangement Of The Witches' Bodies Do Not Reflect Chaotic Death From Fire
Stemming from the witches' dead bodies, their arrangement also does not reflect the idea that they were killed by Mae’s fire inThe Acolyteepisode 3. When the witches are encountered by Osha and Sol, all the bodies are housed in a confined location. If a sudden fire that spread quickly through the fortress had been the cause of death, it stands to reason that the placement of the bodies would have been more chaotic.
Instead, the witches are contained to a small circle in a stone room. This implies that they were killed by other means, and did not fall victim to the fire. When adding this fact to the lack of scorch marks on or around the witches' bodies, the probability that they were killed by the inferno drastically dwindles.
5The Acolyte Episode 3 Hints At An Intruder In The Witches' Fortress
Koril & Aniseya Investigate Strange Noises Earlier In The Acolyte Episode 3
Moving away from the climactic moments in which the fire is burning, another element from earlier in the episode hints at a more personal, sinister means of death for the witches. Around nine minutes intoThe Acolyteepisode 3, Osha and Mae receive a lesson in the Force from Mother Aniseya. At the end of the lesson,a strange creaking sound is heard by Aniseya and her partner Koril. Mae and Osha are sent to their room as Koril and Aniseya investigate.
This seems to imply that someone is inside the witches' fortress, yet neither the scene nor its implications are mentioned again inThe Acolyteepisode 3
A shot is shown of Koril looking out into the vast halls of the fortress as uneasy music begins playing. This seems to imply that someone is inside the witches' fortress, yet neither the scene nor its implications are mentioned again inThe Acolyteepisode 3. This hints that a potential intruder was responsible for spreading the fire in the rest of the fortress, resulting in the deaths of the coven.
4Mae’s Point Of View In The Acolyte Episode 3 Remains A Mystery
Future Episodes Could Reveal More About What Mae Experienced
Perhaps the biggest hint that other forces are at work inThe Acolyteepisode 3 is the lack of Mae’s perspective. From the fire starting onwards, only Osha’s point of view is shown. The young girl escapes her room and emerges to find everyone dead, only to encounter Mae before the latter falls to her apparent death.
Between Mae leaving Osha in her room after starting the fire and her fall from the bridge inThe Acolyteepisode 3’s climax, it is unclear what she experienced.Mae’s point of view could be crucial in unpacking the main mysteries of the massacreon Brendok. Given that Mae grew up to be aSith Acolyte inStar Wars, she could have encountered a dark force that threatened the witches in a way Osha did not see.
The Acolyte Showrunner Teases More Osha & Mae Origin Twists After Episode 3’s Shocking Revelations
Speaking after the release of The Acolyte episode 3, showrunner Leslye Headland promises more twists in the origin story of Osha and Mae.
3Mae’s Hatred Of The Jedi Stems From Something
The Fire Caused By Mae Herself Cannot Be The Source Of Her Hatred
The actions of Mae as an adult may provide another hint that she was not solely responsible for the death of the witches inThe Acolyteepisode 3. ThroughoutThe Acolyte’s premiere, Mae is shown to be incredibly angry at the Jedi. Her need for revenge is palpable, and she is targeting the Jedi who were stationed on Brendok when the witches were killed.
After the events ofThe Acolyteepisode 3, the source of Mae’s anger is unclear. While it could be explained that Mae hates the Jedi as they lured Osha away and caused the fire to start indirectly - through Mae attempting to stop Osha from leaving - this seems unlikely. Instead, it could be the case that the four Jedi stationed on Brendok played a more direct role in the death of the witches. With Mae’s point of view inThe Acolyteepisode 3 still unknown, it remains to be seen whether this is the case.
2An Acolyte TV Spot Shows Unseen Moments From The Brendok Fortress
Kelnacca & Torbin Could Be The Key To The Acolyte Episode 3
Arguably the biggest hint that something bigger went down on Brendok inThe Acolyteepisode 3 was not found in the episode itself. Instead, this hint came in a TV spot recently released by Lucasfilm. This TV spot shows some moments fromThe Acolyteepisode 3, with one crucial clip containing Jedi Master Kelnacca,The Acolyte’s Wookiee Jedi, and Torbin, the victim of Mae inThe Acolyteepisode 2.
Midway through this TV spot, Kelnacca is shown looking somewhat angrily at someone in the courtyard of the witches' fortress fromThe Acolyteepisode 3. Directly after this,a clip is shown depicting Kelnacca, lightsaber in hand, leaping toward an unlikely target: Torbin. This hints that a much deeper story is at play inThe Acolyteepisode 3 involving the Jedi that could have led to the witches' deaths. These answers will not come to fruition until other perspectives ofThe Acolyteepisode 3 besides Osha’s are shown.
1Torbin’s Barash Vow Hints At Darker Jedi Involvement
Finally, the last major hint thatThe Acolyteepisode 3 was not the full story came inThe Acolyteepisode 2. In the latter installment, Torbin was shown undertaking a Barash Vow. Torbin had not spoken to another person in over a decade, cutting himself off from the outside world and giving himself over to the Force. It was later confirmed that Torbin did this due to his guilt; Torbin apologized to Mae and told her that the Jedi thought they were doing the right thing, before willingly killing himself as a form of atonement.
The Tragic History Of The Acolyte’s New Barash Vow Explained
The Acolyte introduces the Barash Vow to live-action, an important Jedi decision during the High Republic and prequel eras of the Star Wars timeline.
From what was shown inThe Acolyteepisode 3, nothing happened that would have rendered this amount of guilt in Torbin. While the appearance of him and the other Jedi can be argued to have indirectly led to the death of the witches, what was shown inThe Acolyteepisode 3 was not the Jedi’s fault. None of them should feel directly guilty about what happened, yet Torbin’s guilt completely overtook him for decades after. This hints that the Jedi are more involved thanThe Acolyteepisode 3 implied, further supporting the idea that Mae was not solely responsible for the tragic events.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
