LightheartedSol

The Acolyte is a show I was cautiously optimistic about at first viewing but now after having watched the entire season I can definitely say it was a disappointment. Some good things before the criticism. The acting ranged from great to mediocre depending on the characters. The fight choreography was entertaining and some scenes were fairly engaging. Unfortunately that's all the good I really have to say about it. First off, this show had a budget of 180 million dollars and yet nearly every environment, costume, and makeup look far cheaper than the budget would suggest. This continues a troubling trend in recent Star Wars shows (besides animated media) where the production does not at all reflect the budgets they supposedly have. Secondly, the storytelling is fairly contrived and over relies on forced perspective on specific characters in the same time at different parts of the same location. A notorious example of this is episode 3 and episode 7 where both episodes are entirely dedicated to a flashback sequence detailing the same sequence of events from two different perspectives. The entire plot hinges on the mystery of the events of these two episodes and yet the way it is told renders the entirety of episode 3 as pointless. Third, the character writing and motivations are quite frankly laughably inconsistent. Characters change their views and objectives on a dime almost each episode with actions that directly contradict their goals. Many actions that are done are so clearly contrived because the plot demands "x action must happen so y consequence can happen to z character" but the writers fail to execute their ideas whilst keeping characters believable and consistent. Many characters are one dimensional and are barely explored before being killed off and those we are left with are shallow and in most cases unlikable because of their inconsistencies. Fourth, while this show mostly has original characters and as such does not fall into the hole that many recent Star Wars shows suffer from, which is the recurring characters from other Star Wars media, which may please more diehard fans but alienate more casual viewers. The Acolyte unfortunately does fall into the same pit most other Star Wars media does near the end. Blatant nostalgia baiting and cameos near the very end of the show which compared to some shows like The Mandalorian Season 2 or even Andor comes across as demeaning and are not earned. Lastly, whilst I understand the frustration from this shows producers, writers, and even actors from the blatantly mean spirited comments from some viewers of this show it is not at all acceptable to invalidate all criticism because of the mean words of some viewers. Ultimately, The Acolyte is a show that, while is has some good ideas and even some fairly good scenes, falls flat due to inconsistent character writing, poor production value, and purposely contrived storytelling.