Welcome back to the blog readers. In case you have not been paying much attention to my blog over the last two weeks, I am beginning to absolutely fall in love with the wit, the charm, and just the feel-goodness of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. The first two episodes were very enjoyable, with the sense of adventure appearing to be back in Star Wars after some disappointments. Usually, Disney+ shows start well but end not so well, so I am going to be nervous for the rest of the run of this series. Would the momentum continue in this episode, titled "Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem," written by Christopher Ford and Jon Watts, and directed by David Lowery? Stick around to find out.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode. I will also not be talking about the performances of the child actors, for obvious reasons.
I have mentioned that I have never seen The Goonies (1985) or any of the Amblin Entertainment films, save for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Back to the Future (1985-1990). I did feel that charm with the first two episodes of this series, and I thought it was a welcome addition to Star Wars. There is not another way to say what I am about to say: I love this show after three episodes. This episode in particular is so witty and extremely hilarious, and I am loving Jude Law in this show after one episode.
Jude Law is one of our better actors over the last 20 or so years. He has been in almost anything you could imagine him in, but never in something like this. When I learned he was going to be in this series, I was curious to see how he would play this character of Captain Silvo/Jod Na Nawood, and more importantly, how his chemistry with the kids would come off. And I thought both were extremely genuine and grounded in a fantastical world. As a screen veteran who has done it all, Law brings so much charisma to this role and you can feel it pulsating through the screen every time he is on it. And don't even get me started on the chemistry he has with our kids. It is enough to just melt your heart.
The story of this week's episode is one to be commended as well for getting into more of the intrigue surrounding this series. We start back on At Attin where the parents of KB, Fern, Wim, and Neel are gathered and try to get answers out of security droids that only tell them this is out of their jurisdiction since they broke past the barrier. Back at the spaceport, Jod helps the children escape the brig but they prepare to leave without SM-33. The kids lambast Jod and make him go back for the droid, where he runs into an old friend of his named Benjar Pranic (voiced by FUCKING ALFRED MOLINA). He is discovered and must flee the spaceport again, and is able to with the help of the kids.
Later after that, when the group is in hyperspace, KB confronts Jod and tells him he is not trustworthy, and Fern brings the same issue to Wim and Neel, but Wim asserts that Jod is a Jedi and will help them get back home. Jod also has a confrontation with SM-33 and later tells KB that they can trust him to get home. She is able to accept, albeit reluctantly, that he is their only asset to return home. He tells the children that they are going to meet a friend of his by the name of Kh'ymm, someone not even he can trust, to gather more information on At Attin. When the five get there, Kh'ymm calls Jod "Crimson Jack" and tells the kids that At Attin is one of the "Jewels of the Old Republic," legendary planets that had treasure and secured themselves with a barrier. All of them were destroyed, except for the planet At Attin, which was lost.
Kh'ymm is able to download the coordinates as the kids discuss the possibility that there is more to their planet than meets the eye. Jod realizes that she is stalling for time as the authorities arrive to capture Jod. The five are forced to flee, and the kids make Jod admit he is not a Jedi, to which he does and tells them that he is just like them: lost, and he needs them to get where he belongs. The group is able to escape the X-Wings, as one pilot named Kent tells Kh'ymm that he did not want to shoot the ship down to risk the children. He asks where they went, with her saying they will not believe her if she told them. How this mystery of At Attin is being handled is done extremely well, and it really is making me want the resolution to this story like yesterday. I cannot wait to see what layers get added to this story, and especially to learn what Captain Silvo/Jod Na Nawood/"Crimson Jack" intrigue takes us.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is getting to be really good, and great performances from Jude Law and the kids really make for endearing television all around. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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