TL;DR – An episode that balances both the fun that this show needs and the seriousness that the universe has acquired over the decades.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Skeleton Crew Review –

Well, today is the first day that I am going into Star Wars: Skeleton Crew with a touch of trepidation. This is because last week’s episode, Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin, was the first that fell flat for me. Which was doubly disappointing given the quality behind the production. The question I am now faced with is, was that just a speed bump on the road, or was that a sign that we had shifted in the wrong direction?

So, to set the scene, things are tense for the crew of the Onyx Cinder as SM-33’s (Nick Frost/Rob Ramsdell) memory was activated and they turned on Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith/ Kacie Borrowman). Knowing that they could turn on the crew again, the question remains: keep him tied up, or see if you can find the coordinates for At Attin in their memory banks? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Well, this was a delightful change of pace because this episode very much nailed the vibe that the show has been exploring for quite a while now. It is one where you have fun kids’ quest to find a way home or treasure, maybe both. All the time just ratcheting up the tension with some more mature elements to make sure it still feels like it should fit into this world that we have built. For example, this episode completely leaned into the skeleton part of the title, with a nod to Indiana Jones through in for good measure.

At the heart of the episode was the choice to turn the old captain’s secret lair into a pleasure palace. This works from a narrative level because it allows us to tip off the pirates to where they are. But more than that, it will enable us to have some absolute shenanigans as we first smuggle the kids into the resort and then try to find the hidden lair without all the guards and guests finding out. This creates the opportunity for multiple visual gags like the Hutt eating one of the staff members only for them to say ‘not again,’ which opens up so many different possibilities. Most of all, it is a bit of fun, which I think the series needs, both for where it is in the season and what happens at the end. On a side note, you can tell that Jude Law has children in the way he perfectly supports Wim in this scene, but also, those looks of deep frustration when the kids were messing up was coming from a genuine place of experience.

They nailed the production design in this episode, creating a swanky resort built upon the ruins of what used to be a murder pit. This gave us lots of space to add interestingly designed characters from Star Wars past and new to the franchise. My favourite addition was the character of Cthallops (Patrick Seitz), whose design and presentation reminded me of a similar character stuck in the mud from Farscape. Then there was the treasure room, which I am sure is packed to the brim with Easter eggs, much like Luthen Rael’s antique store in Andor. Honestly, every detail popped this week.    

Look, I don’t think that any person on the planet was shocked that Jude Law’s character, whatever his name is, would betray the kids. We knew it from the moment we met him because we know of a world where not all force users are good. But if you didn’t pick up on that, multiple characters warned you this week. Even still, the way he chose to betray them was cleverly seeded throughout the episode, even in the episode title. But more than that, all of this only works because of Jude Law’s performance. You honestly feel his dilemma, and while he is betraying them, he is probably doing it in a way that causes the least amount of harm. There is genuine concern as he asks Fern to yield.

While this is all happening, I also liked how much character growth Wim had. At the start of this episode, it felt like the realities of his situation and the state of the galaxy finally hit home. All that child’s wonder came crashing down like someone had told him Santa Claus was not real. Yet it is Jod who brings him out of this, only to betray him later in the episode. It is a real moment because both the idea of being a Jedi and the reality both fell apart for him. However, we also get to see some of his ingenuity as he brings himself out of his stupor to save everyone. So often, child characters are written as one note, but here, we get to see a more faceted view. A look at the reality of what a kid at that age would be really going through.

In the end, do we recommend Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates? Absolutely. This was a blast of an episode, even without the ending twist. The characters fit into the fun of it all, the production design was a delight, and it left everyone in an interesting position. Have you seen Skeleton Crew yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Skeleton Crew
Directed by – Jake Schreier
Written by – Myung Joh Wesner
Created by – Christopher Ford & Jon Watts
Based On – Star Wars by George Lucas
Production/Distribution Companies – Golem Creations, LucasArts & Disney+
Starring – Jude Law, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith & Nick Frost with Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon, Kelly MacDonald, Kacie Borrowman & Rob Ramsdell and Geneva Carr, Julie Ann Emery, Fred Tatasciore, Patrick Seitz, Jaleel White, Domonic Burgess, Stephen Oyoung & Colin Follenweider