The Acolyte Episode 5 Recap (Spoilers)

Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 4 “Day” ended on a massive cliffhanger, as Mae’s (Amandla Stenberg) Sith Lord “Master” finally appeared before Mae’s sister Osha (Stenberg), Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and a team of Jedi in the forest on Khofar. 

The Master sent the Jedi flying with one massive Force push, revealing a level of power The Jedi of The High Republic Era had not faced before. The Acolyte Episode 5, “Night”, reveals just how powerful this new Star Wars Sith (lord?) is –  as well as who is hiding beneath the mask and helmet of ‘Darth Teeth.’ 

The Acolyte Episode 5 “Night” Recap (Spoilers) 

Blood on the Trees – Osha wakes up on the ground where she got knocked out by the Master’s Force push. There are particles of red fungus floating in the air when Osha sits up; she retrieves her handheld droid Pip and tries to make sense of the scene. Osha clumsily walks forward, and trips over the corpse of a Jedi Knight killed by the Master. Osha surveys the area where the ambush started and realizes all her Jedi companions were Force-pushed in different directions. She spots The Master through nearby trees battling half a dozen Jedi (including Yord Fandar). The Master has Cortosis-weave armor on his arm gauntlets and helmet – a material that temporarily shorts out any lightsaber that strikes it. Using that unique defense and deadly combat skills, The Master kills all the nameless Jedi Knights (red shirts!) and slashes Yord’s leg open; when the Sith villain goes in for the kill on Yord, Osha blasts him with a stun beam, which has no effect. Yord yells for Osha to run, and the Master prioritizes following her. 

Pop-Out and Show Jedi – Watching from inside the hut of the deceased Kelnacca, Mae sees Osha run away and makes a break for it herself. Osha runs through the forest with the Master on her tail; the Sith villain tosses his lightsaber and Force-guides it through the trees, cutting them down as it closes in on Osha. Sol jumps out at the last second and knocks down the spinning saber; Yord (Charlie Barnett) arrives as backup and Sol orders him to get Osha (the “civilian”) back to the ship. Yord and Osha spot the tracker Bazil in the woods while running away and attempt to follow him. Yord threatens to subdue Osha if she won’t follow him willingly.

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting – Sol is dueling the Master, and the villain asks if Sol remembers him. Sol only says he sensed “Something familiar.” Sol says that while the Master carries a lightsaber and is trained in the Force, he is “No Jedi.” Meanwhile, Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) catches Mae sneaking out the back of Kelnacca’s hut and drop-kicks her. The two girls start an MMA duel, with Jecki Force-pushing Mae through a door into the hut. Jecki tries to handcuff Mae and read her rights – but goes too far in saying that Mae also killed her own family, sparking a rage in Mae that lets her break free and throw her knives. Sol begins challenging the Master to remove his helmet, but the villain knows better than to remove the protections that keep Sol from reading or manipulating his mind. When Sol tries asking what kind of Master hides his true face from his pupil, the Master counters by suggesting Sol has experience with that answer. This response enrages Sol and he fights with clear emotion; Jecki and Mae go at it in round 2, but Jecki gets her leg cut open and screams out loud; Osha hears the scream and pleads with Yord to go back and help their friends, but he says the Master is too dangerous. Sol is Force-pushed to the ground by the Master; when he draws his saber again, the villain has vanished. 

What Is He? – Osha questions Yord about what the Master is; Yord has no clue (clearly never having learned about the Sith), and can only deduce that their foe doesn’t follow any of the ‘rules’ of combat the Jedi learn, nor does he fight in any of their styles. Worse, the villain can “Get inside your head and stays there,” according to Yord – an ability that Osha recognizes as similar to what her mom, Mother Aniseya, did to possess a young Torbin when he came to take Osha and Mae for Jedi testing as young girls. While Yord and Osha keep moving, Mae nearly stabs a blade into Jecki’s neck, but Jecki flips her around and gets the cuffs on her. Jecki is appalled that Mae tried to steal Master Kelnacca’s lightsaber, and nearly misses the Master charging out of the tree line to attack her. The Master tells the helpless Mae she can learn from the example of a loyal padawan. Jecki and the Master duel, but Jecki’s saber gets shorted out mid-fight; luckily she pops Kelnacca’s saber and parries the Master long enough to get both sabers going. As Jecki goes on offense, Mae slides her cuffed hands around to the front and attempts to run for it, but when she rabbits, the Master abandons the fight with Jecki and follows. 

They Like the Light – Osha and Yord run into the part of the forest where the strange flying tree bugs live. Osha has Yord turn off his saber, remembering the creatures like light. Mae is still running when the Master catches up to her and cuts off her cuffs, claiming he always knew Mae was going to be disloyal. Before the Master can finish Mae, Sol, and Jecki jump in, dueling him together as teacher and padawan. Mae once again tries to run, but the Master effortlessly uses Force jumps to catch up to her again, Force-pushing her against a rock and nearly impaling her if not for Jecki’s save. As the Jedi continue dueling the Sith, a panicked Mae reaches out psychically and contacts Osha. Osha conveys the message to Yord: if they don’t go back the Master will kill Mae, Jecki, and Sol. Osha uses her droid Pip’s headpiece as a flashlight to agitate the giant insects in the trees, commanding Yord to follow her lead as she runs back toward the fight.

RIP Jecki – Sol and Jecki continue to duel for their lives, and Mae’s. Sol gets the advantage in a quick exchange of hand-to-hand martial arts, tossing the Master off the hillside into a clearing. Jecki jumps in to press the attack, but the Master pulls a smaller lightsaber-dagger concealed in the hilt of his sword and uses it to repeatedly stab Jecki to death through the chest while parrying her strike with his main blade. Jecki still lands a critical blow before dying, bashing the Master’s Cortosis-weave helmet to the point it falls off. Sol finds himself face-to-face with Qimir (Manny Jacinto). When Sol calls out to Jecki in grief and disbelief, Qimir wonders if that was “Its” name. Sol angrily states that Jecki was just a child, but Qimir counters that it was Sol (and the Jedi) who brought a child to a deadly fight. Mae is stunned to see Qimir under the helmet, and thrown when he affects his goofy persona for a second, distracting Mae and Sol long enough to Force-grab Mae and hold her hostage. 

Call Me Sith (or Whatever…) – Qimir demands to know if Mae didn’t know it was him the entire time – even in her gut. Sol tries to attack when Qimir is talking to Mae, causing the villain to mind-screw him about the proper protocol for a Jedi. Qimir has the hilt of his lightsaber to Mae’s head, forcing Sol to drop his saber. Sol demands to know what Qimir is; Qimir claims to have no proper name, but that Jedi would probably call him “Sith.” Sol runs down the list of obvious questions and Qimir answers: He seeks to wield his Force powers freely, outside of Jedi control, and wants to train an acolyte to follow in his ways – but Mae has proven unworthy. Because he’s now been exposed, Qimir pledges to kill everyone who’s seen his face, claiming that the Jedi would seek to erase his existence if they discover him. 

RIP Yord – The standoff is broken when Qimir’s helmet starts shuddering and then flying into the air – right into the hands of Yord, who jumps out of the trees to attack. Qimir shorts out Yord’s lightsaber with one of his Cortosis armor gauntlets, but Yord shorts out Qimir’s saber by blocking it with the helmet. However, Yord is startled to see that Master is actually Qimir and drops his guard; Qimir uses quick martial arts moves to break Yord’s arm, kick his legs out from under him, and violently snap his neck, Force-pushing the corpse into the bushes nearby. Osha, Mae, and Sol are stunned, but Mae recovers and runs for it; this time, Osha is ready to pull the trigger (see Ep. 2) and blasts Mae with a stun beam, knocking her sister out. Osha stares sadly at Yord’s corpse. 

Accept Your Darkness – Sol is also staring at Yord’s body and loses it, rushing Qimir. The two have a violent hand-to-hand martial arts brawl, with Sol going full brawler and beating Qimir down, then Force-kicking him for good measure. Sol sparks his lightsaber and goes to finish Qimir, but Osha stops him, not wanting to see her beloved mentor lose his way. Qimir takes the opportunity to mess with Osha’s mind, asking her if she truly knows who Sol is and what he’s done to her. Sol yells that Osha shouldn’t listen because Qimir’s mind is “twisted by darkness”; Qimir counters that he’s accepted his own darkness, inquiring what Sol has done with his. Osha hears the swarm of tree insects approaching and signals to Sol, who turns off his lightsaber, stating that the Jedi do not kill the unarmed. Qimir gets to his feet mocking the Jedi and their rules, telling Osha that if you never follow the rules, you never have to break them. Osha says goodbye to Pip and sticks his flashlight headpiece into the harness on Qimir’s back, making him a target of the swarm. The bugs carry Qimir off kicking, yelling, and desperately slicing to get free with his lightsaber. Left alone for a second, Osha presses Sol about what Qimir was saying and what he did to her. Sol tries to confess, but Mae arrives and blasts him with a stun beam. 

Sister to Sister – Osha follows Mae to a cliffside where the two sisters talk. Osha is appalled at the death and suffering that Mae has caused, but Mae is appalled that Osha would take the side of the Jedi who allegedly ruined their family. Mae claims that Osha’s been brainwashed and her memory skewed;  she offers to help save her sister and restore her to her true self. Mae hugs Osha and says that she loves her, begging her sister to “choose us” over choosing the Jedi again. The hug continues until Osha physically detains Mae. Mae resists and tries to convince Osha that Sol and the Jedi broke their family apart instead of saving her. The fight ends when Mae Force-pushes Osha into a rock, knocking her out. Mae uses Yord’s lightsaber to give herself Osha’s haircut, taking on her sister’s appearance. 

The Parent Trap – Qimir frees himself from the bugs, dropping out of the trees and heading back toward Osha, Mae, and Co.; meanwhile, Bazil sneaks out behind Qimir and retrieves Pip’s headpiece from where it fell into the dirt. Sol wakes up to find Osha (Mae in disguise) approaching him. Sol demands to know where Mae is, but “Osha” says she’s fled and lets Sol lead her back to the Jedi ship. When they arrive, Bazil is tracking them, but the creature’s nose can discern that the scent of Osha he’s getting off of Pip is not the same as Mae’s. Back in the forest, Qimir finds the unconscious and injured Osha and covers her with his cloak, commenting that even at the height of victory, beings like them know the depths of their despair. The Master may have lost one Acolyte – but will he be able to turn another in her place? 

Star Wars: The Acolyte is streaming on Disney+.