A Stunning Finish To a Wild Journey

Editor’s be aware: The beneath accommodates spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 8.

After seven weeks of unforgettable episodes, Skeleton Crew has lastly reached the tip of the road with its finale. Episode 8, aptly titled “The Actual Good Guys,” was penned by sequence co-creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, and directed by Watts. The episode picks up proper the place the penultimate episode left issues final week, with Jod (Jude Legislation) posing as a visiting Emissary, a lot to the chagrin of the core 4 — Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and KB (Kyriana Kratter) — who’re pressured to face idly by as two of their mother and father, Fara (Kerry Condon) and Wendle (Tunde Adebimpe), fall for Jod’s lies.

After Fara and Wendle query him about their youngsters’s conduct whereas they have been on their little joyride, Jod is fast to make sure that the 4 he is been touring with should not given the chance to disclose his true identification. He orders that they be confined to their quarters and that the droids monitor them, simply in case they trigger extra bother. Wendle appears shocked by these drastic measures, however makes no actual try and thwart them. Noticing that Fern is the probably to trigger bother for him, Jod means that she accompany him to meet the Supervisor, in an effort to show her about easy methods to behave, and Fara is fast to volunteer to go along with them.

From there, the unlikely trio makes their means up the raise to the Supervisor’s workplace, whereas Wendle takes Wim residence to take pleasure in a pleasant homecooked meal (which appears to be like surprisingly like a Stouffer’s microwave meal). Wendle tries to speak to Wim about making up his evaluation take a look at, however Wim protests that “it doesn’t matter” after which nearly lets slip that Jod isn’t even a actual Jedi. He stops himself, however not earlier than the outburst piques Wendle’s curiosity — and the ever-listening droids. Wim tries his greatest to speak round what he can’t say, and settles on telling his father that there are specific individuals on the market who wish to break issues. After dinner, Wim tries to speak with Neel over the radio about arising with a plan to rescue Fern, however the droids are eavesdropping, and Neel isn’t willing to get in trouble with them.

Was {That a} ‘Wizard of Oz’ Nod, ‘Skeleton Crew’?

When Jod, Fern, and Fara arrive on the higher flooring the place the Supervisor is meant to be, all the things feels off. There are rows of deserted computer systems, mud overlaying each floor, and a really eerie, unsettling aura. Jod questions if the place is deserted, however Fara assures him that all the things is so as. Because the trio approaches the middle of the room, the Supervisor (Stephen Fry) is revealed to be a big droid who has been operating issues on At Attin! The reveal feels very very similar to The Wizard of Oz, when the nice and highly effective Oz is revealed to be nothing greater than a person behind a curtain, although in Star Wars, the reveal occurs in reverse. The Supervisor notes that he has been watching Fern with “nice curiosity” earlier than turning his consideration to the unfamiliar presence in his workplace. Jod introduces himself as a Republic Emissary and Jedi, and the Supervisor makes a remark about how he believed that no Emissary would ever visit At Attin again. Jod fully overlooks the implication behind that remark, in favor of asking the Supervisor to assist him get his different ship by the Barrier, and that spells bother for him.

The Supervisor calls Jod on his bluff, revealing that the final phrase that he obtained from the Republic warned that each one Jedi have been traitors. So which lie is Jod telling about his true function for being on At Attin? The Supervisor orders the droids to apprehend Jod, however earlier than they’ll full that activity, Jod ignites his lightsaber and drives it into the Supervisor’s orbital socket, destroying the droid and inflicting your complete planet to lose energy. As Jod’s true intentions are revealed, he tells Fern to “carry your mummy in control.” Fara insists that she can provide his ship the entry they should get by the Barrier, and Jod takes her up on the provide. However not with out turning his lightsaber on the mother-daughter duo, to make sure that she follows by along with her promise. She is true to her phrase, and Jod will get phrase to Gunter (Jaleel White) to carry the frigate by the Barrier to allow them to launch their assault on At Attin.

Wim Lastly Will get His Hero Second within the ‘Skeleton Crew’ Finale

Wim and Wendle watch because the frigate descends onto At Attin and begins firing on the poor, unsuspecting residents of the planet. Wim desires to assist, however with the facility fully shut off throughout the planet, little or no is working. Fortunately, Neel and KB present up on their hoverbikes with a plan to take Kh’ymm (Alia Shawkat) up on her provide from Episode 3 and name within the cavalry to deal with their pirate problem. Wendle snags a motorcycle from the bully, Bonjj Phalfa (Shane Almagor), from Episode 1, and joins the youngsters on their harrowing rescue mission.

Wendle and the youngsters are pressured to take a shortcut by the forest to shake off the pirates, however Vane (Marti Matulis) and the opposite pirates tail all of them the best way again to the Onyx Cinder. Alongside the best way, Neel will get shot off his bike, however fortunately he isn’t harmed. In actual fact, getting separated from the remainder of the group proves useful, as a result of Neel is ready to discover a turboblaster just like the one he admired with Hayna (Hala Finley) on At Achrann. Nevertheless, Wim and KB run right into a snag of their plans once they arrive on the Onyx Cinder. The ship has docking clamps on it, which is holding it grounded, and and not using a energy provide, they’re caught. As a Stage 7 Techniques Coordinator, nevertheless, Wendle is aware of precisely the place they should go to reroute energy to the docking clamps.

Again within the Supervisor’s workplace, Jod reminds his pirate crew to maintain the residents of At Attin alive, as a result of he wants them to work for him within the mint. Whereas he plots out his new enterprise on At Attin, Fern begins placing collectively a plan to take him down. Fara expresses her worries about their state of affairs, noting that they have been all imagined to be protected from this form of hazard on At Attin, however Fern assures her that if there’s one factor she’s realized from her journey, it is that irrespective of how scary issues obtained, they always managed to find good people. Fern means that their greatest plan of action can be for Fara to distract Jod whereas she steals a blaster from one of many powered down droids so she will be able to stun Jod. Naturally, Jod catches wind of their scheming and fires off a warning blast to maintain them in line.

Whereas Jod broadcasts a message to the entire of At Attin, promising mercy to anybody who follows his orders and agrees to work for him, Wim arrives to place a crimp in Jod’s plan. In the end, Wim lastly pulls off a convincing ruse! Wim tells Jod that he has despatched a message to the B-Wings to come back and deal with their pirate drawback, and provides him the choice to give up now. Jod initially sees by the bluff, seeing that it is not possible to get a message out to anybody with the Barrier nonetheless up, however Wim goes on about utilizing some magical crystal they discovered within the mountains, and Fern feeds into the deception by revealing that Wim has been working with the Jedi all alongside. Jod is fast to shoot that concept down, since “the Jedi are all dead.” However they didn’t want Jod to imagine them, they only wanted to maintain him distracted lengthy sufficient for Wendle to sneak previous and allocate energy to the docking clamps.

Jod catches on too late to forestall Wendle from fulfilling his mission, and he’s so completely amused by the truth that Wim introduced his father with him. It’s clear that Jod has an actual problem with how liked the youngsters are by their mother and father. Jod is much less amused, nevertheless, by Fern’s try and steal a blaster to take him out, and issues shortly begin going downhill for the core 4. Throughout city, KB — with the assistance of SM-33’s (Nick Frost) head — is ready to energy up the Onyx Cinder and set off for the celebrities. Neel makes use of the turboblaster to distract the pirates lengthy sufficient for her to get by the Barrier, although the pirates do in the end destroy the weapon earlier than he can deal an excessive amount of harm. KB is ready to ship At Attin’s coordinates to Kh’ymm and request help, and he or she guarantees to ship the New Republic (who’ve grow to be the pirate patrol) to their support, however sadly, KB isn’t capable of warn her in regards to the Barrier earlier than catastrophe strikes.

Jod is surprisingly careworn about this flip of occasions, and tells the youngsters to go be careful the window as KB and the Onyx re-enter At Attin’s environment at an alarming charge. He remarks about how “it didn’t need to be like this” and appears genuinely remorseful on the prospect of one of many youngsters dying. Fern is distraught, watching in abject horror because the ship crash lands, seemingly killing her greatest good friend, and Wim is indignant. Whereas Jod’s regret appears real, it doesn’t cease him from brandishing his lightsaber and threatening to kill Wim’s father when he makes an attempt to make a break for it to drag the lever to decrease the Barrier. Wim unleashes a bit of extra vitriol in Jod’s path, lastly discovering his voice after being comparatively hesitant to talk up all through the sequence, saying, “You’re no Jedi. You lied, and now the true good guys are coming.” This declaration from Wim lastly unlocks Jod’s traumatic backstory, which has been lengthy overdue.

Jod’s Backstory Explains A Lot in ‘Skeleton Crew’

As pirates are wont to do, Jod launches right into a monologue about his previous. When he was a toddler, all he cared about was not ravenous. That is one thing that the youngsters on At Attin have been comparatively resistant to, however Jod has hinted at — since he scarfed down what little meals he might discover on the Onyx Cinder after his jail break. He reveals that when he was this hungry little one, a Jedi discovered him, and he or she gave him hope. He was particular, and he or she wished to coach him and provides him a greater life, however then she was hunted down, and he was made to observe as she was killed. The second confirms that Jod is a true morally gray character, and never a villain; although he could do villainous issues, he’s only a man attempting to scrape by and attempting to grab a chance to steal credit, which is the one factor that issues within the galaxy. Skeleton Crew feels very very similar to a primer to Andor in moments like these, readying youngsters to see what damaged techniques can do to an individual.

No matter his motives, the youngsters and their mother and father nonetheless need to cease him. Jod insists that he by no means wished to harm anybody, and he doesn’t wish to harm the planet, he simply desires to take management of it, and this little rant results in Wendle leaping to his ft and socking Jod within the face. Chaos ensues after that. Jod drops his lightsaber and Wim snatches it up; Jod shoves Fern round with the Drive; and Wim and Fern strive to withstand Jod’s makes an attempt to grab again the lightsaber; and Wendle and Fara go after the lever. In the long run, Wendle and Fara overpower Jod, the Barrier is lowered, and the New Republic launches a powerful assault on the pirates.

Fara, Wendle, and the youngsters make a break for the raise, however not earlier than Wim calls again to Jod, who has resigned himself to his destiny. Even after all the things, there’s nonetheless no true animosity between Jod and the youngsters; if something, there could lastly be a bit of respect shared between them. Jod watches as his frigate takes on hearth from the New Republic pilots and his desires of limitless credit go up in flames. (The best way the scene is framed is kind of paying homage to the ultimate shot of Fight Club, a stunning allusion, although Skeleton Crew has had no scarcity of them.) The kids and their mother and father make it to the crash website, the place they uncover that KB and SM-33 survived the touchdown, and Wim watches because the New Republic pilots zip round overhead, which appears like a callback to the closing scene of The Last Jedi with the broom boy.

With its finale, Skeleton Crew delivers among the finest closing episodes since Andor whereas leaving the door extensive open for this story to proceed someplace down the highway. Whereas Watts and Ford have plenty of ideas for a Season 2, there isn’t a phrase but on whether or not Disney intends to greenlight extra of the sequence, which has been falling behind its friends in its Nielsen ratings. The chances have been stacked towards Skeleton Crew, which had episodes touchdown on Disney+ on main holidays—a transfer which is atypical, and extraordinary with conventional community schedules. No matter details and figures, Skeleton Crew has confirmed itself to be not solely a extra family-friendly companion to Andor however a sequence that completely captures the magic of George Lucas’ storytelling all through his trilogies.

All episodes of Skeleton Crew are streaming now on Disney+.

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