Star Wars The Acolyte Episode 3 takes a break from the current timeline and goes back 16 years into the past to depict the horrible incident that shaped both Mae and Osha. In previous episodes, it is revealed that Osha thinks Mae caused the fire that killed their family. On the other hand, Mae blames the Jedi for it. In episode 3, we learn that the twins were part of a coven of Force-sensitive witches. Toward the end of the episode, all adult members of the coven die, leaving Osha and Mae as the only survivors. Here is what might have transpired that led to the deaths of the Brendok witches.
How did all the witches die in Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 3?
The ending of Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 3 is confusing as it doesn’t explicitly depict how all the witches die. When Osha chooses the Jedi over the witches, Mae threatens to kill her twin. After locking Osha in her room, Mae burns her sister’s notebook. Osha begins to panic and rushes to the window to call out to her mother for help. When she turns, the entire doorway to her room is on fire. She finds an alternate route to escape through a tunnel and eventually ends up in the power core of the coven.
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Osha encounters her twin again, standing on the opposite end of a collapsing bridge. They accuse each other of being responsible for what is happening. Mae then seemingly falls to her death, and Osha would have as well if it were not for Sol. As the Jedi Master guides her out of the coven base, Osha sees the dead bodies of all adult members of the coven except Mother Aniseya in one room. Eventually, she finds Aniseya dead like the rest.
Episode 3 doesn’t offer a definitive explanation of what killed these Force-sensitive women. Given that Aniseya’s body was found in a different room, she might have something to do with the deaths of other members of the coven. After all, not all the witches agreed to Osha joining the Jedi, and that might have led to a conflict within the coven. Alternatively, the Jedi might have caused what happened, though that seems unlikely. However, it’s almost certain that they know more than what they tell Osha. Sol is the one who confirms to Osha that Mae caused the fire that led to the deaths of the coven members. Perhaps, the Jedi genuinely believe that Mae is dead and decide to put the blame on her to hide whatever the truth is.
Another possibility is the involvement of Mae’s mysterious master, presumably a Sith. Earlier in the episode, certain members of the coven become concerned when there is a loud creaking sound in the distance. Mother Koril also spots crackling electricity in the power mechanism of the coven base. Considering that when Osha reaches the power core, it’s burning and exploding, the fire that caused the destruction of the coven might have started there, and the Sith might have been responsible for it. Knowing that Mae has a volatile and angry side to her, they might have saved her and turned her into an acolyte.
Whatever the case, we theorize that a future episode may reveal that Mae didn’t cause the fire after all.
