Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 3 Review

This evaluation accommodates full spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Season 1, Episode 3.

In its third episode, Skeleton Crew settles into what the meat of the present might be going to seem like: The children comply with a result in get them nearer to their homeworld of At Attin, and the adults – their mother and father and their ship’s latest crew member, performed by Jude Law – toss out some breadcrumbs to the bigger mysteries. And if this episode specifically is something to go by, that format would possibly truly work out simply effective. It’s simple to think about a world the place Skeleton Crew was a standard TV present with a 20-episode season, with the children encountering new wacky characters on a brand new wacky planet each week till the younger actors began to awkwardly age out of their roles.

But sufficient concerning the children (who, as we study right here, someway don’t even know that the Star Wars occurred), the hero of “Very Interesting, As An Astrogration Problem” is the aforementioned Jude Law, who makes a correct debut right here as Jod Na Nawood. Or is he disgraced pirate Captain Silvo? Or is he the scary prison often called Crimson Jack? Whatever his actual identify is (good cash is on none of these), we undoubtedly know he’s a Jedi… ah, besides he by no means truly informed the children he’s a Jedi, he simply allow them to consider it as a result of he evidently has Force powers.

The thriller of At Attin is driving the plot of Skeleton Crew, and we get some solutions on this episode (the planet was a “jewel” of the Old Republic period and has been purposefully erased from all fashionable space-maps), however the extra intriguing questions are those surrounding Nawood’s true identification. Skeleton Crew deserves some credit score for not treating us like we’re silly (or, certainly, silly youngsters), with half of the children instantly clocking that he’s in all probability mendacity about being a Jedi. SM-33 can hardly include his hatred for this man who appears to consider {that a} droid’s place is within the kitchen.

The present is opening the door for viewers to appreciate that it could be foolish to only belief that he’s a Jedi, and we already get an obvious affirmation of that by the tip of the episode, paired with a sublime sidestep of the query about why he seemingly has Force powers. This is clearly a kid-friendly, kid-centric present, and a sequence with much less confidence in itself and its ostensibly youthful viewers would’ve dragged that query out so long as potential.

Establishing that no, he’s in all probability not a Jedi, leaves you with “Why does he have Force powers?” and “Why does he have three names?”, that are higher mysteries. Also, he may nonetheless be a Jedi! And that may be an awesome twist!

As for Law’s efficiency, he must be the one carrying this present because the majority of his co-stars are both youngsters or particular results, and after this one episode he appears to be on the constructive facet of serviceable. He’s not doing something notably fascinating, however he’s doing his job of performing like a dirtbag/reluctant babysitter in addition to he must. The children are entertaining, for probably the most half, and watching Law play off of them extra because the present goes on will likely be a greater check of what he’s bringing to the crew.

Captain Crimson Jod Na Silvo (or no matter) apart, you possibly can’t discuss “Astrogration” with out speaking concerning the girl who delivers the title line. Skeleton Crew drags out the reveal of Kh’ymm (visitor star Alia Shawkat), however hoo boy is it price it once you uncover that she’s some form of enjoyable owl-cat carrying a cape. Lots of Star Wars leans on familiarity for its alien designs, with Disney figuring out that outdated followers take pleasure in seeing the identical dozen or so weirdo creatures that had been within the Mos Eisley cantina time and again, however Kh’ymm—and her surroundings, which was clearly designed for a small factor that may fly—means that this franchise nonetheless has the juice.

Kh’ymm’s design can also be a mirrored image of the wacky humorousness that Skeleton Crew is embracing, although it may stand to embrace it a little bit more durable (don’t neglect that Goonies, Skeleton Crew’s most blatant level of inspiration, had a ton of foolish humor alongside its wide-eyed enchantment). The joke of SM-33’s identify remains to be unhealthy, however the operating gag of the white rat factor scurrying out of his eyehole in virtually each scene after which, crucially, by no means going again inside (although it inevitably comes scurrying out once more later), is strong. If Skeleton Crew finds room to do this bit possibly 10 extra occasions, it will likely be genuinely hilarious by the tip.