Villain's Unveiling in The Acolyte: Leslye Headland Discusses Maintaining a Solvable Mystery
In a candid chat with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Leslye Headland shed light on the blood-curdling Episode 5 of The Acolyte, teasing, "I think a good twist is telegraphing what's gonna happen, and then executing it without an ounce of pity or sentimentality."
For those who've missed the thrill, Episode 5, titled "Night," reveals a shocking truth about Manny Jacinto's charismatic smuggler Qimir. He's none other than the malevolent Master lurking behind Mae's training in the Dark side. As he carves a path through the Jedi hot on his trail, Qimir takes his apprentice on a macabre journey, dropping a few unassuming victims along the way.
But Qimir's killing spree isn't without its masterful twists. Headland relished the opportunity to toy with viewers' expectations, explaining, "That's what I loved about starting with the red shirts. You're kind of like, 'Oh, he's just going to kill a bunch of red shirts, and everybody is gonna be fine and... OH MY GOD, JECKI'S DEAD! Okay, I'm listening.'"
In the Star Wars tradition, Qimir's unmasking as The Stranger was influenced by an old martial arts movie, the 1966 Hong Kong film, Come Drink With Me. Qimir, an unassuming character whose true power remains hidden beneath a facade, shares similarities with the film's protagonist, an alcoholic who turns out to be a deadly Shaolin master.
The timing of Qimir's reveal couldn't be better, considering the recent season finale of Doctor Who. There, after a season-long mystery surrounding the lineage of the Doctor's companion, the truth was as underwhelming as it was sudden. The Doctor's companion was revealed to be the daughter of a forgotten woman with no significant importance.
Comparing these twists, Headland had this to say, "I think a good twist is not about hiding everything from the audience and then throwing it on them like, 'Hey, this is what you didn't see! We hid it so well that you didn't see this!'" Maybe it's best to leave detective work to the Jedi and the Doctors and enjoy the thrill of the unexpected.
Worried you missed out on The Acolyte? Don't fret! Here's everything you need to know about Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, DC Universe, and the future of Doctor Who releases. So, buckle up, and get ready for an exhilarating ride!
Bonus Insight:
While the article doesn't delve into specifics, the parentage reveal in Doctor Who serves as a pivotal moment that reshapes viewers' understanding of the Doctor's companion and their motivations. This twist, on par with the revealing of Qimir's true identity in The Acolyte, highlights the powerful role such plot twists play in enriching narratives by offering unexpected insights and adding complexity to character development.
- The shocking revelation about Qimir in Episode 5 of The Acolyte, titled "Night," reminds viewers of the unpredictable nature of technology-driven television shows like IO9, as he is revealed to be the malevolent Master.
- In the future, one might find narratives that employ masterful twists akin to those in The Acolyte and Doctor Who, as seen in Qimir's unmasking and the mysterious parentage reveal, offering unexpected insights to enrich character development.
- Considering the recent- season finale of Doctor Who, which left viewers underwhelmed by the sudden and unassuming parentage reveal, Qimir's unmasking as The Stranger in The Acolyte serves as a stark contrast, similar to the revelation of the protagonist's true identity in the 1966 Hong Kong film, Come Drink With Me.
- Leslye Headland, showrunner of The Acolyte, thinks that effective narrative twists should be about presenting viewers with clues without giving everything away at once, in the vein of Qimir's carving a path through Jedi while dropping victims along the way, similar to Manny Jacinto's smuggler Qimir wielding a lightsaber in a manner reminiscent of classic Star Wars villains.
