The Acolyte sets up its tone during the opening scenes of the first episode when - get this - a girl walks into a bar. What follows indeed turns out to have traces of humor, as that girl challenges a Jedi while posing like a warrior. The Jedi's companions chuckle, which seems to be the most appropriate response for this situation. As the story progresses, however, we realize that The Acolyte is no laughing matter. It's about tragedy, revenge, separation. The chuckles completely disappear by the time the second episode reaches its conclusion. This, unfortunately, has nothing much to do with the story itself. The Acolyte tries to tickle your funny bone here and there but with disappointing results. The force, alas, is not with director Leslye Headland.
One can equally distribute the blame to the show's writers. The first episode is written by Headland, and the second by Jason Micallef and Charmaine DeGrate. It slowly becomes apparent that they use comic touches as a distraction to cover up The Acolyte's flaws. Should you even use the word "comic" when it all lands with a thud? Apart from that opening scene set at a bar, I smiled when Yord's (Charlie Barnett) suggestion regarding how to tackle an accomplice of a Jedi murderer is shot down in favor of a more simple and direct approach presented by Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen). Yord looks like that first bencher student who reminds the teacher about the homework while the others look at him with disgust. He follows all the rules, crossing every t's and dotting every i's, so the teacher can award him an A+.
Jecki, on the other hand, displays her intelligence with a sense of casualness. She often asks Jedi master Sol's (Lee Jung-jae) permission before putting forward a question, but (at least, so far) she doesn't exert herself desperately for Sol's attention. Jecki moves with poise - she is always in control of herself. She radiates a good girl energy that attracts you to her. Jung-jae, sadly and shockingly, underwhelms us. He has apparently taken inspiration from "previous Jedi Masters," particularly Liam Neeson, and it's evident. Squint, you might even catch a glimpse of Neeson in this actor. I am not very familiar with Qui-Gon Jinn, but as soon as Jung-jae came on the screen, I immediately thought of Neeson. I found this to be very distracting and a turn-off. Maybe I will find Sol better or more bearable in the future.
Amandla Stenberg is in almost all the scenes here, and it's too soon to pass a verdict on her. For now, she appears capable and competent, though she seems to be missing two crucial elements: The look of innocence and the madness of vengeance. Her Mae/Osha feel as if they are simply going through the motions. There is an absence of zeal - a drive to achieve a goal with a sense of relentlessness. Then again, with more definition, and more revelations, the issue could be resolved in the upcoming episodes. Still, as far as Episodes 1 and 2 are concerned, they put The Acolyte under the label "unremarkable." They lack that feeling of excitement and wonder you get while watching a good fantasy/science fiction. What's grating is the constant dripping of expositions. No moment is allowed to just exist on the screen. Every little detail is spoon-fed. Sol is asked why he looks at holograms, and Jecki inquires about Osha from Sol. At one point in the series, Sol asks Osha, "What is that?" "Oh, this is a PIP droid. I'm trying to sync him to your ship so I can get some fuel levels and some vitals, and..." replies Osha. Sol then clarifies he is asking about something else (a tattoo on her arm), but this moment perfectly illustrates how The Acolyte cripples not only its audience but also science fiction. It reduces an imaginative genre to a bunch of irksome explanatory notes.
Final Score - [4.5/10]