Episode 4 of The Acolyte , “Day,” doesn’t only have a short title. At a little less than 27 minutes, not counting credits and “previously on,” it’s shorter than any episode of Andor , Obi-Wan Kenobi , or The Book of Boba Fett , and over almost as quickly as the most concise episodes of The Mandalorian . Which, in this case, is incredibly cruel, because the last minute is when it gets good.
If Walt Disney did say “Always leave them wanting more,” as he’s sometimes reputed to have, then he would have approved of how this latest addition to his eponymous streaming service ends. Of course, there’s no corollary that says you can’t make them want more before it’s time to leave. And on that score, “Day” gets more mixed results.
In The Phantom Menace , a movie about the Sith at last revealing themselves to the Jedi , a fantastic climax obscured some of the serious flaws that preceded it. In “Day,” an episode about the Sith (presumably) revealing themselves to the Jedi (well, some of them), excitement about the big finish might overshadow some problems with the build-up—though this time, even the lightsaber-studded conclusion is more cliff-hanger than climax. Last week’s episode almost certainly wasn’t the last time The Acolyte will take us back to the Brendok of yore, but any further flashbacks will wait for the back half of the season.
In “Day,” directed by Alex Garcia Lopez and written by Claire Kiechel and Kor Adana (a name straight out of.