I don’t have much to say about the underwhelming premiere of THE ACOLYTE. After the first episode, my first thought was “Is this a joke?”, which is never a good starting point. The story falls flat, the stakes are unknown, and the setting feels wasted.
On the plus side, the cast is a joy to watch and the cinematography is visually stunning. Amandla Stenberg, Manny Jacinto, Charlie Barnett, and Lee Jung-jae are all powerhouses in their own right; but there’s only so much the group can do with the stunted storytelling going on in this show. THE ACOLYTE has potential; I hope the cast, along with creator Leslye Headland (RUSSIAN DOLL, SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE), can bring this show back from its rocky start.
Also – although the direction is not an issue with these episodes, I’m excited to see Kogonada on the roster for E3 and E7; his style demonstrated in the excellent AFTER YANG seems like a perfect fit for the moody, ethereal tone that this show is leaning towards.
THE ACOLYTE S1E1 LOST/FOUND and S2E2 REVENGE/JUSTICE are available to stream on Disney+.