By George & Josh Bate
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – Episode 8
In a recent interview, KB actress Kyriana Kratter was asked to give a vague tease for the final two episodes of Skeleton Crew. Her answer was one word: “Death.” Understandably so, Kratter’s comments had us nervous heading into the season finale of the new Star Wars show. And, while Kratter’s comments ultimately proved to not exactly characterize the final episode, there was still plenty of suspense, drama, and warmth to love about the eighth episode of Skeleton Crew.
“The Real Good Guys” continues where Episode 7 left off as Jod and the kids have finally made it to At Attin. Posing as a Republic Emissary, Jod has infiltrated the Old Republic Mint and finally set his eyes on his long-awaited treasure. Meanwhile, the kids find themselves hostages of Jod and remain fearful for their lives despite reuniting with their parents.
After ominously igniting his lightsaber, Jod turns on the charm and intimidation as he asserts his authority over the kids and their parents. The kids, terrified that Jod will fulfill his promise from the last episode and carve up their parents, are reluctant to speak out about Jod’s true identity and character, instead opting to go along with Jod’s plan. Jod assigns the At Attin safety droids to monitor the troublesome kids, while he plans to make his way to the Supervisor in order to allow his pirate frigate entry past the planet’s barrier. Episode 7 showcased Jod’s true colors, and Episode 8 begins by showing that the once potential paternal figure continues to be far from heroic. Jude Law and the kids exchange all sorts of ominous facial expressions that highlight the true terror the kids fear and the power that Jod holds over all of them. In our review for the last episode, we noted that we found Jod’s villainous turn to be a tad jarring, especially considering the seemingly authentic warmth the character exhibited earlier in the season. In the season finale, however, Jod’s character develops in a manner that makes him far from a traditional bad guy or traitor. As we’ll see later in the episode, Jod firmly exists in the gray and isn’t as brutal nor merciless as we once thought.
Jod and the kids then split up. Wim and the others return to their families, under the close supervision of the safety droids. The kids remain reluctant to tell their parents of Jod’s true nature out of fear of Jod’s retribution. After a conversation with his nonchalant father Wendle (who is a surprising highlight of the finale later on), Wim secretly communicates with Neel to try and figure out a way out of this predicament. In one of the episode’s funniest moments, Wim avoids discovery from the safety droid by pretending that he was playing with action figures, rather than communicating with Neel over walkie-talkie. Wim actor Ravi Cabot-Conyers has played the actor brilliantly throughout the season, in large part due to the actor’s ability to make Wim feel like a real kid. Here, Cabot-Conyers demonstrates this once again as he humorously and naturally pretends to play with action figures.
Meanwhile, Jod, accompanied by Fern and her mother Fara, make their way to the Supervisor. The following scene definitely has flavors of the reveal of the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, as the audience is finally able to see who is behind the proverbial curtain. The Supervisor also reminded us of Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The reveal of the Supervisor, however, falls somewhat flat unfortunately. We weren’t expecting some big surprise as to who the Supervisor is or what his true intentions are, but the reveal that the Supervisor is just a big droid is disappointing. More generally, the finale doesn’t unravel the mystery of At Attin much further, leaving many unanswered questions. What exactly are the Great Works? Why was At Attin and the other Jewels of the Republic hidden? Given how intriguing the mysteries of At Attin have been this season, the failure to answer some of these questions left us wanting a little more.
As Jod tries to convince the Supervisor to allow his pirate frigate entry past the barrier, the Supervisor shows it’s more clever and aware than one would think as it calls out Jod’s lies. The Supervisor notes that the last message At Attin received from the Republic was that “all Jedi were traitors.” This is a reference to the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, as depicted in Revenge of the Sith. Palpatine branded the Jedi as traitors and commissioned Order 66 to kill them all, which was seemingly the last contact At Attin ever had with the Republic. This is an interesting point as it confirms that the planet remained unknown to the New Republic and was possibly used by the Empire for continued production of credits. Again, however, learning more about these mysteries of At Attin would’ve made for more rewarding viewing.
Jod then impales the Supervisor with his lightsaber, leading to all the safety droids shutting down. Jod’s overthrow of the Supervisor feels a tad convenient and easy here as all it took was stabbing the Supervisor for its entire control of the planet to collapse and fall into Jod’s hands. Nonetheless, with Jod fully in control of At Attin now, the stakes are higher than ever. There’s no Supervisor to protect the planet anymore, leaving Jod free to welcome his pirates to the planet and pillage it of its wealth. The visuals of the pirates arriving to At Attin reminded us of adaptations of War of the Worlds and were terrifying in showing this level of destruction brought to such a peaceful place.
Thankfully though, Jod’s destruction of the Supervisor and subsequent shutdown of the safety droids means the kids are free of oversight and can start their rebellion against Jod. Wim tells his father of Jod’s true intentions and that they are the only ones who can stop Jod. This is one of several ‘hero’ moments Wim is given in the finale. Wim yearned for an adventure in Episode 1 and idealized the Jedi for their heroics. Now, Wim is actualizing the values and bravery of Jedi in launching a plan to stop Jod and retake his home. It’s one of many touching moments in the episode and demonstrates yet again why Skeleton Crew is such an endearing show.
After getting out of his bubble bath, Neel joins up with KB and comes to Wim to devise a plan against Jod. They come up with a genius idea to get aboard the Onyx Cinder, go past the barrier, and contact Kh’ymm, who can then alert the X-Wings (or “real good guys”) to save the day. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the 80s Amblin classics that Skeleton Crew is inspired by is when the kids come together at the end to defeat the enemy, despite all the odds stacked against them. Due to their age, no one expects them to be able to devise and execute such a plan, but the kids (and the audience) have hope that they will. In the finale here, it’s a lot of fun to see the kids put their heads together and become the unexpected heroes their planet needs.
In another winning moment for Wim’s dad, Wendle steals the hoverbike from Bonj Phalfa (the teenager from the pilot who is named after Harrison Ford’s character from American Graffiti). After catching up with the kids, Wendle and the others find themselves in what proves to be the series’ most expansive action sequence to date. Aboard hoverbikes, the kids and Wendle race away from the pirates through the suburbs of At Attin. The visual effects to bring this action to life are superb and are especially incredible considering Skeleton Crew is a television series and not a blockbuster theatrical film.
Upon temporarily escaping the pirates, Wendle has (yet another) great moment when he cheers for their achievement. This is the first of several times in the episode when Wim teaches his father how to have fun and, in a sense, be a kid again. We didn’t expect this finale to add yet another endearing quality to its themes, but it certainly does here as the workhorse, nonchalant Wendle breaking free of the constraints of his role on At Attin and actually having a good time definitely put smiles on our faces.
Still running from the pirates, the kids are split up when Neel is shot off his hoverbike. For a brief moment (especially given Kratter’s ominous comment about “Death”), we held our breath anxiously, but, thankfully, the adorable Max Rebo lookalike lived to see another day. Neel then hilariously rolls out of the way of the pirates’ spotlight in a funny little visual gag.
Neel, Wendle, and KB make their way to the Onyx Cinder, only to discover that the ship is stuck with docking clamps. The only way to release the ship is to restore power in the Supervisor’s tower. Wendle for the win yet again here as he delivers a hilarious, dorky dad moment with the line, “Son, you are talking to a level seven Systems Coordinator.” We didn’t expect to become such fans of Wendle in the late stages of the show, but we certainly have.
Back with Jod, Fern and her mother have a heart-to-heart that includes one of the series’ best lines. Fern tells her mother, “Everywhere we went, even the worst places, there were good people too. People that can help us.” This line resonated strongly with us as it showed that there are good people and brightness in even the darkest of places. It definitely harkens back to Anakin’s line in The Phantom Menace, “You’ve always said the biggest problem in this universe is that nobody helps each other.” It also reminded us of themes from The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker in which, despite overwhelming odds, good people still came together to help one another.
Jod hops on the PA system to announce to At Attin that the planet is now under his control and that they all work for him. Here, Jod emphasizes that he hasn’t just come to At Attin to steal some credits and leave – he’s here to say. Jod wants to take over the planet, use its citizens as slaves to work in the Mint, and continually pillage At Attin of the credits it produces. As if the stakes couldn’t get higher, now so much feels on the line for the kids and citizens of At Attin.
Wim then infiltrates the Supervisor’s tower and confronts Jod, while Wendle secretly tries to restore the planet’s power. Wim comes up with a hilarious story about the Crystal of the Founders, an incoming Jedi Army, and his collaboration with the Jedi to buy his dad some time. Much to the audience’s excitement, Wendle manages to restore power and KB is able to fly the Oynx Cinder beyond the barrier to contact Kh’ymm, who says she will send the New Republic there way. Elsewhere, Neel finds the turbolaser on the roof of the school and uses it to cover KB. Many expected this to happen after Episode 4 showed the kids uncover a turbolaser on the roof of a similar building on Hayna’s planet At Achrann. The payoff is great here, as we see Neel’s bravery shine once again, taking control of the turbolaser and fighting against the pirates head on.
Just after contacting Kh’ymm, KB and the Oynx Cinder are shot down by pirates. While we didn’t exactly buy that this was the end of KB, the moment still delivers an emotional hit, in large part due to Fern actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong’s harrowing scream as she watches her best friend KB (seemingly) fall to her death.
In the aftermath of what appears to be KB’s death, more is revealed of Jod’s true nature. A saddened and frustrated Jod says, “It didn’t need to be like this,” indicating that, despite all of his talk of violence and destruction, he ultimately never really intended to hurt or kill the kids and their parents. Yes, Jod is the ‘bad guy,’ but he didn’t want KB to die and wanted to get the treasure of At Attin without hurting people, if he could. Jod even says a little later, “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want to damage this wonderful planet.”
Knowing that Kh’ymm’s X-Wing fighters won’t be able to pass the At Attin barrier while it’s still up, Wim and the others try to disable the barrier. Unfortunately, Jod holds a lightsaber at the neck of Wendle and threatens to kill him if Wim doesn’t stop. Jod then proceeds to reveal more of his backstory, finally confirming that he indeed is (or was) a Jedi. Jod says, “When I was your age, all I cared about was not starving. I was living in a hole in the ground, and a Jedi found me. She may have been desperate and ragged like me, but she told me I had potential. And that was…Well, she only taught me a little before they hunted her down. And they made me watch whilst they killed her. That’s the galaxy. It’s dark, with a few pinpricks of light.” Jod’s little monologue is excellently delivered by Jude Law and got us eager to learn more about Jod after such a tantalizing tease. Who is the “desperate” and “ragged” Jedi that saved him? What must that have been like to see his master die following Order 66? Just enough was revealed about Jod this season for us to be satisfied with how the mystery of this character unfolded. Unlike the mysteries of At Attin, which largely remained unresolved and left us a bit disappointed wanting more, Jod’s background was sufficiently explored, while leaving enough for fans to ponder about for what will (hopefully) be revealed in a second season.
As Jod continues to talk, Wendle steps up with his own hero moment and punches Jod in the face. This gives Wim and Fern enough time to grab Jod’s fallen lightsaber, Wim to ignite the lightsaber like a badass (now that he has learned from his previous attempt), and Fara to disable the barrier.
Moments later, X-Wings flood the sky and come to save the day. While we half expected someone like Carson Teva to be one of these X-Wing pilots, we’re ultimately glad this wasn’t the case as it makes the Star Wars galaxy feel bigger and more realistic with more than a single X-Wing pilot showing up for every conflict there is.
The New Republic take down the pirates, while Wim and the others leave the Supervisor’s tower. Before that, however, Wim gives a final call out to Jod, showing that, despite everything, Wim still developed an attachment to Jod. It’s a heartwarming and heartbreaking moment, one that shows the true kindness of Wim and the blissful innocence of children. After Wim and the others leave, Jod solemnly waits as his dream falls apart before his eyes. Although Jod went true villain mode these past two episodes, we can’t help but feel a little bad for Jod here, especially after what we learned about his rough upbringing. A sly smirk on Jod’s face suggests that the Jedi-turned-pirate has a plan up his sleeve to escape the New Republic (and make his way off the planet with some credits), although unfortunately we don’t see more of the character. As we’ll note in a bit, this is one of several elements of the series that feel to conclude rather abruptly in the finale.
The kids make their way to the crashed Oynx Cinder and discover that KB is alive! We expected this to be the case, and yet it still comes as a relief to know one of the series’ best characters will come away alive. What results is a touching group hug between the four kids in a moment that marks the friends’ triumphant achievement in the finale. Following this, Wim yearningly looks into the sky at the X-Wings, hinting that he may become one of these New Republic heroes someday soon.
And then…the episode just ends. As many fans have already noted, the finale ends on an extremely abrupt note, desperately crying out for some kind of epilogue. We’ve grown so accustomed in Star Wars stories to see a tease for what’s next and that’s not the case here. But, more fundamentally, that’s not the problem with this ending. It is not the absence of a tease that is the issue, but, rather, the show abruptly concluding so shortly after the main plot has wrapped up. There are so many loose ends related to what happens next to the kids and on At Attin (not to mention everything to do with Jod) that ending on this cliffhanger of sorts left us feeling a bit disappointed. It is a testament, however, to how invested we’ve become in these characters that our lasting impression of the finale is that we simply want to see more of them. A more damning impression of this finale would be relief that it’s all finally coming to an end, although that couldn’t be further from the truth.
VERDICT: 7.5/10
Skeleton Crew rounds out a joyful, heartfelt, and exhilarating season with a suspenseful and action-packed finale. The reveal of the Supervisor falls short and the mysteries of At Attin remain frustratingly unresolved, but there are plenty of touching and hilarious moments in this final episode to make up for these issues. Wim’s father Wendle becomes an unexpected standout, while Fern delivers one of the series’ best lines about the good that exists in the galaxy and Wim becomes the hero he always dreamed he would become. Tantalizingly, more of Jod’s background as a Jedi is revealed, proving to be a satisfying conclusion to this mystery for the time being and having us excited to learn more about this fascinating and complex character in future stories. After an exhilarating final moments that saw the kids save the day and take back At Attin, the season finale comes to a surprising and abrupt conclusion, which left us desperate for some kind of epilogue or tie-up of loose ends. The Skeleton Crew finale may not have been the resounding home run that much of the preceding season was, but its successes far outshine its issues. The story of Wim, Fern, Neel, and KB exceeded all of our expectations and showed Star Wars at its most joyful and hopeful, which is ultimately what this amazing franchise is all about. We are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that this is not the last we see of the Skeleton Crew as there are plenty more stories to tell with them and plenty of excited fans who will be excited to see these characters once again.