The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland addressed her decision to make episode 3 an entire flashback story.
The recently aired episode gave fans an insight into the origins of twin sisters Osha and Mae and how they ended up getting separated. It also dealt with a witch coven in Brendok that is practicing their version of the Force.
The early reveal of the flashback came as a surprise for some fans as there were expectations that it would be explored later in the season, but it allowed them to learn more about the characters as the mystery unravel in the present day.
The Acolyte Showrunner Discusses Episode 3's Flashback Storyline
In an interview, Headland explained why she decided to have Osha and Mae's backstory flashback revealed in The Acolyte episode 3, instead of exploring it later in the season.
"I did always think if you were going to tell the origin story of these two characters, it would be a lot more interesting to dip in a later episode as opposed to starting with it. It just felt more dynamic and more interesting," she said.. It just felt more dynamic and more interesting
"As the writer's room and I developed the overall arc for season 1, we started to get really influenced by Rashomon, and the themes of the show started to rise to the top of duality, seeing things from different points of view. So it made sense to me that when you did go back in time, there are a lot of different ways to interpret an event that happened."
Contemporary TV shows have trained us to expect flashbacks either in the very first episode or somewhere near the season finale where they explain the entire picture of the story.
In the case of The Acolyte, revealing most of the flashbacks in episode 3 changes the pace of the story moving forward now that we have an idea about the tragic event that Osha and Mae faced when they were children and shaped who they are today.
However, it is also clear that the series is not done yet with the flashback as they have not shown all the details regarding the cause of the fire in Brendok and they might explore it again later in the episode to show a different perspective of the event.
While this storytelling structure may not win or confuse some of the viewers, it also shows that they are willing to subvert expectations and it is curious to see how it all plays out throughout the next couple of episodes.
New episodes of The Acolyte premiere every Tuesday night on Disney+.
What do you think of Headland's explanation? Let us know in the comments!
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