Welcome back stinkers! I am back with yet another video, this time, I have finally come back to Skeleton Crew! For I have finally given you my breakdown and review of Skeleton Crew Episode 5. And it’s official, guys! This show officially keeps getting better and better. It defies the curse of Disney+! It is ever so often where we get a good, let alone a great Disney+ original series. I only say that to put emphasis on this. This is the best episode of the show so far. And every episode so far has been great to amazing!
Jake Schreier
What gets me quite excited is the fact that this episode is directed by Jake Schreier. Now it really shouldn’t be a great surprise how amazing this episode was. For. Schreier has been a part of the development of award-winning shows, such as The Bear and Beef. But what gets my head spinning is what Schreier has coming up. In a couple of months, Marvel Studios releases the highly anticipated Thunderbolts*. And you’ll never guess who’s directing. So, with the track record Schrier has had on top of the amazing trailers, I get more and more excited for Thunderbolts* every day.
Skeleton Crew Episode 5
Shifting focus back to the episode in itself, I had so much fun picking the best parts, that made this episode the best of the series so far. One of the things that really went into that, is the fact that I thought it was the funniest. I mean simply the premise of the episode alone is the fact that Jod took these kids to an adult exclusive resort!
The Parent Squad
Moving on to my breakdown, we open the episode with the parents trying to get their kids back. I love the fact that it isn’t the kids 100% of the time. The show’s even better, when we also see the parents trying to save the kids. The parents are on a bit of an adventure themselves. We get our first look at this workplace of analysts. Now this of course looks like a normal friendly workplace, but that’s what I don’t like about it. There is clearly something evil behind the scenes, and they’ve just put this friendly planet up as a facade for whatever evil scheme they have going.
At Atin Supervisor
That’s when Wim’s dad mentions the “supervisor” when confronting Fara. Ok, we’re learning more and more about At Atin as we move along, which we should. What we now know so far, is that the Old Republic created these Jewel planets, in which I believe was the Old Republic creating these new types of societies. These test planets if you will. That’s when they land at At Atin as their “perfect” one. We also now know that there is a supervisor, in charge of all of this. There’s a person that Fara reports to.
Now if that’s the case, it has me a bit on the edge. Because it seems like she’s a good person, that does the right thing, but if she clearly reports to this boss that isn’t so good, what does that make of Fara? What does that make of the rest of the parents? I think that closer to the finale, whenever, or if these kids come back to their parents, there could be an emotional confrontation between the kids and their parents, as they learn the truth of what At Atin really is.
33 Reveals His Captain
Our Skeleton Crew then ties SM33 to the table, Jod geeks out as he learns who 33’s old captain was. Now we did see that skeleton at the beginning of the season, but I think they put that there to sort of misdirect us. For I think that this old captain is still out there, and he obviously has something to do with At Atin. Maybe he’s the supervisor?
That’s when we get this sweet heart to heart moment with Wim and Jod. Wim is weeping on the floor, and Jod walks in on him. Now he doesn’t exactly say the right thing, but it’s still such an emotional scene, and it really snowballs into the eventual plot twist, the betrayal later in the episode.
Skull Ridge Mountain
The crew then land on what SM33 thought was Skull Ridge Mountain, where he technically wasn’t wrong, however it’s been revamped into Lanupa. And it’s this adult exclusive resort. I’m actually kind of surprised by the amount of “adult exclusive” references they make in here, going all the way back to episode 2, with that club on the ship port. They are welcomed in a traditional resort style, but the kids are greeted as the wise elders from the Bratric system.
Pokkit
That’s when Jod gets caught in 4k, with yet another one of his fake names, Dash Zentin. Jod is confronted by a bounty hunter, by the name of Pokkit. Who is played by Kelly Macdonald! Who if you didn’t know is the voice of Merida. I don’t know how I didn’t guess the first time I watched this. That voice is just about a clear give away.
Sinking Into Roles
That’s when Jod bribes his way up to the suite, and I loved this moment we get between him and the kids. The four of them are being kids, goofing around, and Jod freaks out at them. This is the episode that I think showed the most of Jude Law sinking into his role, and the kids sinking into theirs. This is arguably the episode where they act the most foolish, and where Jod acts the most adult. I mean they literally have the most parent to kid conversation that you could get. It also goes to show how they implemented that variable that they introduced near the beginning, when throwing Jod into the mix. But I truly think this is a moment of the show that is a standout.
Pokkit Working with Brutus
It is then revealed that Pokkit is working for Captain Brutus. And what do you know? We get a Hutt bathing in the mud! That’s when this guard gets to the truth and catches Jod! Professor Umiam Gorelox of Scipio is actually a Muun. So, just bad luck for Jod. KB outsmarts them, and they get to the lower levels. That’s when they meet this big hulking creature, Cthallops. The kids and Cthallops made a deal to where if they entertain him, he will help them in their search. In which I enjoyed the fact they’re already telling stories about their recent adventures.
Amblin Feel
Now the rest of this episode is the most Amblin this show has felt so far. I thought it was the perfect balance of Goonies, and I got some Indiana Jones in there too. The pirates are catching up, and we get yet another fake name. We got to new names for Jod in the same episode!
What is Jod’s Real Name?
We’ve gotten to the point where we should be asking, What is his real name? I think it’s either Jod or Silvo. And the fun thing is the fact that they lean to two very different sides of the character. Silvo is basically his pirate name, and I think Jod is some sort of Jedi name, because he is clearly force sensitive. He’s used the force too many times now for it to be some trick.
But here’s a theory I’m willing to throw out there. I don’t think these are names he’s coming up with on the spot. We saw him steal the name Professor Gorelox in this episode! So, I think that these are people that Jod’s come across in his journey, and he might’ve ended them in some way, and take their name for his own.
The Blunder
The crew opens up the chamber, and it is just treasure galore! Yes, the blunder is even booby trapped, which yet again makes me think of Indiana Jones. 33 takes control of the system, fills the previous chamber back up with acid, and the pirates are dead. What a waste of Urkell. 33 then loads a projection of the previous captain, but it is very clearly messed up, Neel even points it out. They’ve obviously done that on purpose, narratively. I mean it’s not only keeping it a mystery to them, but it’s also keeping it a mystery to us, the audience, which is great.
The Betrayal
And right when us and the kids had a bit of trust in Jod, he breaks our hearts and stabs the kids in the back! I still however saw a little of a heart in Jod, because he at least gave the kids the opportunity to yield. If he was like the other pirates he would’ve just ended all of them like that! But he’s at least grown enough of a connection to these kids, he doesn’t kill them. It is still very heartbreaking, and you’ve got to remember, at the opening of the show, he wasn’t portrayed as a good person.
But I think by the finale these kids are going to have changed Jod into a better person, and in a moment of hope, he’ll come back around to those kids. And when the kids fell through the floor, I saw a bit of sadness in Jod’s eyes, I really did. That’s when we end the episode with Jod picking up the lightsaber.
Skeleton Crew Episode 5 Wrap Up
And that is going to do it for my breakdown and review of Skeleton Crew Episode 5! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read yet another one of my blogs! Make sure you not only come back to The Big Stinker Blog but check out The Big Stinker on YouTube for videos covering these topics. So, until next time stinkers! Bye bye.