Ryan Shoots First: Skeleton Crew (S1 Ep8) “The Real Good Guys”

Man these short series go fast, we have already reached the finale of Skeleton Crew and the series that came out of nowhere and (for the most part) united Star Wars fans from across the spectrum goes out with a bang.

I loved this finale, to the point I watched it again right after it was over and I can’t say I have done that with any other series from Star Wars or Marvel. I have raved about how this show gets its characters so well and treats them with care and all of that comes to a head in this finale. We get amazing action sequences, harrowing heroics, and the culmination of everything the kids and parents have been through in the series. Every kid gets multiple moments to shine, showing that even the things that were perceived as their weakness became their strengths once applied to the experience they have gained. Whim’s hopeless optimism, Fern’s stubbornness and edge, Neel’s meekness, and KB’s disabilities all play into the roles they take to execute the plan to stop Jod. I also wanna take a moment to commend the parents, again the writers handled them great as well. They aren’t just absent or dimwit parents, the mystery of At-Attin frames any naivety they may have but at their core they love their children and in given circumstances are willing to take chances and break the system a well. They are so much more than the caricatures we maybe placed them in after first meeting them. That Whim’s dad is just a goof and Fern’s mom an overbearing control freak. 

Jod is a complicated villain who when he says he never really wanted to hurt anyone and doesn’t want to destroy their way of life you mean it, the problem is the compromises he has made one after another have led him to a place and to a person he doesn’t recognize. Many were debating if he should get redemption or not and while threatening to gut the kid’s parents right in front of them is a pretty dark place to come back from in one episode it is a place I could see down the line if they choose to pick up his story again. And that is the rub, the show doesn’t give us much in an epilogue to see what the fallout is or a tease of where to go, no second season is announced and I wouldn’t be shocked if it doesn’t happen but I can imagine seeing these characters pop up again somewhere in something, and while that is better than nothing it is slightly sad to say goodbye to them. Those kids have bright futures in the galaxy and I don’t need an entire show about it I would like to see where they end up. 

Skeleton Crew‘s finale is a roller coaster of adventure with an excellent chase, some breathtaking shots, and satisfying conclusions to arcs present throughout the season. It has that Star Wars magic and I can only imagine how 12-year-old Ryan would have been filled with wonder at it at the time. Give me a ship and an adventure and leave me to it. 

Observations

• Man, he’s diabolical 
• Ugh, parents were so close to being helpful
• Slick Whim 
• Well that room is very Death Star coded 
• It’s like a giant R2 head that’s amazing 
• Way to go Fern 
• They should really stop putting all the necessary stuff in the eye of droids. 
• Fern with that head shake. Damn 
• Neel loves his baths 
• Dang that’s a sick shot 
• Way to go kids. God when I was a kid I would have ate this up. 
• Man these visuals in that speeder chase were amazing! 
• I just screamed NEEL!!!! 
• I love the parents are naive but it works in the story and generally are good parents. 
• “Even in the worst places there were good people too” all timer. 
• Yes 33!!!!
• Get it Nee!! 
• Finally Jod’s backstory and yes it’s Order 66
• Ouch man. 
• Yes, whim!!!!! 
• God, I love that sound 
• B Wings using their lasers! 
• KB got some of the most iconic shots 
• Haha, the parents 
• Whim is like “fix my damn ship” 
• Yeah I really wanna know what happens to Whim. His story is just starting. 
• Man, I was hoping for an epilogue or something