The Acolyte has finally revealed its mysterious Sith and fans are losing it

What did you miss?

The Acolyte returned with its most shocking episode yet which answered fans' long-pondered questions and also delivered some real surprises too.

Viewers were left aghast by the events of the fifth episode, titled Night, which saw Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae), Osha (Amandla Stenberg), Jecki (Dafne Keen), and Yord (Charlie Barnett) faced off against the mysterious Sith with dark consequences. In the process of their battle, the Sith was finally revealed and the person that was unmasked has proved a big surprise to viewers.

But before we explain how or why fans were losing their minds over the reveal, be warned that this article contains major spoilers for the episode.

What, how, and why?

The Acolyte delivered an action-packed episode in which the Jedi fought valiantly against the Sith, but both Yord and Jecki were killed by the villain in the process. Before the latter died she was able to cast off the Sith's sharp-toothed helmet, revealing that the character is being played by Manny Jacinto.

The actor was originally seen playing the smuggler Qimir, who helped Mae (Stenberg) exact her revenge against the Jedi, but it turns out that the identity was all a ruse and that he was her Sith master all along. He revealed to Master Sol that he turned to the Dark Side in order to attain "freedom" and that he was disappointed by Mae's actions thus far as his Acolyte.

He tries to kill Mae and fights with Sol, revealing in the process that the Jedi master is hiding his darkness and isn't the person he says he is. In the end Osha manages to stave off his attack by using giant bugs to her advantage, but it was the Sith's reveal that most shocked viewers.

One viewer enthusiastically wrote on X: "THIS WAS AN INSANE REVEAL LIKE WHAAAATAT"

Another viewer praised Jacinto for his acting in the episode, writing: "Manny Jacinto just delivered one of the best Sith performances I personally feel in the Star Wars franchise. I was literally shaking from his performance!!!"

One fan of the show shared a picture of Jacinto's big moment, sharing: "now this is how you do a reveal".

Viewers were also completely blown away by the major character deaths in the episode, some of the most significant onscreen deaths since Han Solo in The Force Awakens. It proved that plot armour isn't necessarily a given, leading to huge fan reaction.

A fan of the show compared the episode to Game of Thrones, writing: "That was like the Red Wedding but Star Wars".

Another shared their heartbreak after Jecki's death, by saying "HOW DARE U, STAR WARS?? WHYYYY?????????", while one person similarly said: "The way JECKI had more heart and soul than most Jedi Masters I will miss her forever. She was the true MVP of this episode!!!"

What else happened on The Acolyte?

The episode didn't end there, though. Osha and Mae confronted each other, despite Mae trying to convince her sister to join her side, Osha couldn't reconcile with her which led to the former knocking her sibling out and swapping their clothes so that she could impersonate her.

Mae pretends to be Osha when she reunites with Master Sol, and the pair head onto the Jedi Order's spaceship. Meanwhile, Jacinto's Sith —who claims not to have a name— encounters Osha in Mae's clothing and appears to take her in. Perhaps this will mean that he will try to train her to be his Acolyte instead of Mae.

As well as the big reveals and major character deaths, viewers were also impressed by the lightsaber action choreography which some have said are the best to ever be presented in the franchise.

One viewer wrote: With its 5th episode, I genuinely think that #TheAcolyte delivered the best lightsaber fight choreography since Revenge of the Sith. Absolutely riveting. Full of incredibly creative moves, unique fighting styles that reflect character personalities & some truly shocking deaths."

Another fan said of the action: "I’m a lifelong Lightsaber choreography nerd. When Dafne Keen said #TheAcolyte was trying to top Duel Of The Fates, I’ll admit, I was skeptical. But not only did they succeed, but the choreography in Night is without a doubt some of the best ever put to screen. I’m in awe."

The Acolyte airs every Wednesday on Disney+.

Read more:

• 'The Acolyte fulfils its promise of being the gayest Star Wars has ever been'

• The Acolyte cast hail Amandla Stenberg as an ‘amazing leading woman’

• The Acolyte review: Star Wars leaves Skywalker saga behind, and is better for it

This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/the-acolyte-revealed-mysterious-sith-manny-jacinto-102736834.html