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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

The kids and droid of Star Wars Skeleton Crew
The kids and droid of Star Wars Skeleton Crew

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is a show unique to the Star Wars galaxy. This is a show focused on four kids who end up on a forgotten ship. They have to navigate their way through challenges ranging from pirates to personal limitations. The stars of the show are Wim played by Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Fern played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, KB played by Kyriana Kratter, and Neel who is voiced by Robert Timothy Smith and acted by performance artist Kacie Borrowman. Rounding out the cast is  Jod Na Nawood played by Jude Law.

What is it about?

The series begins with the four kids living in a mundane suburban style environment which feels much like the ones found in America. These children go to school and take assessment tests. They ride what amounts to a bus to school. Things still look futuristic on their home planet of At Attin but this is a place not disturbed by the downfall of the Jedi nor the rise of the Empire. It’s protected inside a barrier which does not allow ships to enter or leave their planet.

One day the four children stumble upon an abandoned ship. Without intending to, they take off and leave through the barrier. For the rest of the series the kids try to overcome their differences, work together, and find a way home. There are many people looking to take advantage of these children. At Attin is nearly forgotten as legend in the galaxy and is rumored to have boundless treasure.

 Jod Na Nawood is an opportunistic pirate looking to make a big score. When he comes across the kids, he does his best to profit off of them.

Should you watch Star Wars: Skeleton Crew?

I don’t want to spoil too much about the series for anyone who has not seen it yet. But that’s the basic premise. I will say this series doesn’t exactly feel like Star Wars to me. It shares DNA with movies like The Goonies, E.T. or even the show Stranger Things. It’s a group of kids thrown together to try to overcome obstacles. The adults are either unhelpful, unaware, or actively trying to harm the children. But while watching you never get the sense the kids will be put in serious danger.

The show is clearly targeted to a younger audience so I will say I am not the intended demographic here. And I think that’s great, actually. There is only one other Star Wars story I can think of that truly focuses on a child and that is Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. And that’s focused on a kid we know grows up to be one of the greatest villains in the galaxy.

While I can’t say I was thoroughly entertained here, I do think this is a good show for kids. I found it to be predictable in most instances but it has a clear sense of adventure and fun. There weren’t any “filler” episodes but there were times when the characters seemed to be shuffled from one place to another just to drive the story. But I don’t think that is something a young kid will notice.

Ultimately, if you are a Star Wars fan or you have a kid you want to introduce to Star Wars this is a good show to let them watch. I do have a caveat to that which I will get into below.

Things Skeleton Crew got right

Another thing I appreciate about the series, and wish would happen in more Star Wars shows, is an actual conclusion. If you watch the first season, you will get a full and complete story. Not that there aren’t some missing pieces or plot holes here and there but the story has a true ending. I was not frustrated as I was with ending of The Acolyte because Disney wouldn’t renew the series. I still want the end of that show. Skeleton Crew thought ahead enough to make sure we had an ending.

The kids in the series all nailed their roles here. I usually don’t like to talk to much about the performance of any child because, well, the real world sucks for kids who didn’t deliver an amazing performance in a show. But these kids were phenomenal. I fully bought into the dynamics of not just the kids characters but the way they developed their relationship over time. It is predictable how it plays out but it doesn’t make you root for these kids any less.

And one thing to call out specifically for this show is the portrayal of KB. She’s a kid in the series who had an accident and now has droid parts which help her to move and see. She’s differently abled than the rest of the kids and she has a moment where she acknowledges it. She embraces her different-ness. She doesn’t see it as a bad thing necessarily but she acknowledges both her limitations and enhancements. It was refreshing to see this in any show but especially in a Star Wars show.

Things Skeleton Crew could improve

In addition to being predictable, there were reasons the show didn’t feel like Star Wars to me. For one, this feels like a story we’ve been told before as there are so many shows and movies involving a group of kids coming together to overcome a problem. It’s pretty standard. At times it felt as if this story was meant to be told as something else but then shoved into Star Wars.

I don’t mind that but there were moments that seemed like, oh they were going for Stranger Things there or whatever. This is odd to say but it felt like I was being told a story rather than traveling to a galaxy far, far away. Since Star Wars is essentially fantasy this shouldn’t bother me but I think the mimicked suburbs just felt way too much like anywhere you can go in America.

So, to my caution for showing a kid this series first in the Star Wars cannon. I’m not sure this is a best first show for a kid. Why? Well, once they see it they are going to assume other Star Wars stories are similar. While there may be more seasons of Skeleton Crew, I doubt we’ll get another story involving kids like this one soon.

As entertaining as Jude Law was in his role, I feel like Jod Na Nawood as a character had a lot of wasted potential. He’s either a roguish pirate, or a helpful Jedi (I won’t spoil that part for you) but in the final episode he says something that makes me want to see so much more about his life. And Skeleton Crew is not the show to accomplish that. I don’t really want a spin-off show of this show but I’d read a novel about his early life.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew in Conclusion

If you like an entertaining show that is well acted, full of fun, includes a good dose of adventure but is predictable this is a good show. If you want something complex and full of the backstory of the galaxy that touches on events we’ve seen before, this is not the show for you. It’s not what I would call essential viewing for a Star Wars fan. But I do think it’s a fun entry into the Star Wars universe. I want there to be more stories told about the galaxy, even if the vibe isn’t exactly for me. I hope Disney takes notes here and doesn’t decide they need to just make more Skeleton Crew. Rather, I hope they make more kinds of Star Wars shows both geared toward kids and adults. We’ll have to see.

I don’t think most people will think the show is a waste of time but I don’t think everyone is going to love this either. But it was a worthy effort and I’d like to see more of that.

May the force be with you.

P.S. Want to see more Star Wars reviews? Check out those posts here.

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Friday the 13th the Series Season 2

Friday the 13th the Series Season 2

Hello dungeon crawlers, Slick Dungeon here! Well, it’s Friday the 13th once again and you know what that means! Yep, it means I will complain yet again that there are only 12 Friday the 13th movies. Give us one more! Not a reboot or a remake. How about a battle royale between Jason and all the final girls and boys? Alas, that’s probably not going to happen. But if you’re itching for even more Friday the 13th content there is the television series. It has… almost nothing to do with the movies. I reviewed the first season here. Friday the 13th the Series Season 2 continues the story of the first season while still allowing an anthology format. There are worse things you could watch. And better.

This not a show I highly recommend. It’s fun if you experienced it when it was out and if you are old enough to remember that, it’s a nice blast of nostalgia. But if you’ve never seen it, I recommend watching other, better horror shows first. One I can recommend is Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiousities. That one is a true anthology and there are some brilliant episodes in that one.

However, there are still some great practical effects here, a decent dose of gore (for a television show from the 1980s), and enough of a plot to keep the viewer interested. It can feel a bit repetitive as each episode is our team of Jack, Ryan and Micki hunting down a cursed artifact from the cursed store they inherited. It does allow us to meet new characters each episode and the premise changes. Some are more creative than others.

In this season there is a Phantom of the Opera knockoff episode, a pocket watch that can stop time, and a cursed key chain that will allow a racer to win races but at a cost. There’s even a strange radio that grants wishes… as long as you are willing to allow someone to die. And of course, in the background Uncle Lewis is still trying to come back to life and spread his evil throughout the world. The on again off again flirtation of Ryan and Micki also continues. Ryan seems to date a new girl every other episode but he gets super mad any time Micki has an interest in someone else. Plus they are cousins, by marriage they will have you know, so it gets complicated. And the heart of the show remains Jack who is sort of a Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer figure. He gets into the action a bit more than Giles tended to though.

If you have run out of other Friday the 13th material to watch on this Friday the 13th, well my first recommendation is to re-watch any of the movies. But if that has you bored, watch the fantastic documentary Crystal Lake Memories. If you have seen that and are still bored, then yeah go ahead and watch Friday the 13th the Series. It’s mildly enjoyable and it’s got some fun moments. Just don’t expect anything too amazing.

Watch out for black cats crossing your path today!

Superstitiously yours,

Slick Dungeon

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Friday the 13th: The Series Season One

Friday the 13th: The Series
Friday the 13th: The Series John D. LeMay, Louise Robey and Chris Wiggins (from left)

Hello internet folks and happy Friday the 13th! Slick Dungeon here and if you’ve read my blog before you probably know I enjoy a good Friday the 13th movie. The trouble? I’ve reviewed them all. Don’t believe me? Just check them out here. But there’s more out there. Did you know there was a Friday the 13th TV series? It’s true. I’ve watched the first season and I’m here to tell you all about it. I’d tell you about all three seasons but I gotta have something to write about next time! There will be some spoilers for the show so be forewarned. This one can be tough to find though so I’m linking a YouTube playlist below where you can find it. Not sure how long it will be there so watch when you can.

the series playlist

This playlist has all 3 seasons and as far as I can tell, all of the episodes.

What is Friday the 13th the Series?

The TV series is totally separate from the films other than the name. There is no Camp Crystal Lake, hockey masks, or any of the other iconic stuff you’re used to. The show is its own endeavor. Its about three characters who track down cursed objects and lock them away in the vault of an antique store.

Micki, played by Louise Robey is the cousin of Ryan Delaney, played by John D. Lemay. For reasons that are not fully clear, their uncle gifted the two of them an antiques shop called Curious Goods. The third in the party is Jack Marshak played by Chris Wiggins. Jack knows about this estranged uncle who made a deal with the devil for immortality in exchange for letting loose horrible evil on the world through cursed objects.

That didn’t work out because ol’ uncle Lewis died and was sent to hell. Jack clues in the cousins on the situation and they all realize cursed objects shouldn’t be hanging out in the world. But, Jack didn’t show up until after the cursed items were sold. The mission is to get them back. Each episode features one cursed object.

It’s almost an anthology show but it does have consistent plot lines going.

Is it Any Good?

If you are old enough to have watched this series when it was on, it’s not as good as you remember. But, if you’ve never seen it, the show holds up better than you’d expect. It does share some DNA with shows like The Twilight Zone or Amazing Stories. In fact, the first episode is a complete rip off of the Talky Tina episode titled The Living Doll from The Twilight Zone.

Other episodes deal with items like Dracula’s cape, a cradle from the Titanic, a surgical scalpel used by Jack the Ripper etc.

Most of the episodes are self contained so you can watch them in any order. But, if you do you’ll miss a bit of the overall plot. There’s a love story between Ryan and Micki. It is made clear over and over the two are cousins. However, at one point, far too late in the series they declare the two of them are only cousins by marriage. So I guess dating is okay? Anyway, it seems like the writers couldn’t decide which way to go on that.

Considering this is a show from the 80’s, don’t expect to see amazing effects. Most of them hold up and the practical ones involving blood and violence tend to work. Just don’t expect much when it comes to things like lightning effects.

The acting is competent but not groundbreaking. The directing is the same. As far as the soundtrack goes, well, if you’ve ever wanted to hear an 80’s synth pop version of I’m a Little Teapot with tons of keyboard and saxophone, this is the only show for you. Overall, the soundtrack is decent and will drop you right into the 80’s.

Notable Episodes

Some of the better episodes deal with items which are a bit morally gray. One of the best is the one dealing with the cradle in the Titanic. The way it works is you have to kill a certain number of people to keep a newborn baby alive. By the time Jack, Ryan and Micki have figured it out, they have to decide if they take away the item, knowing the baby will die or allow the mother to kill enough people to keep the kid alive. It ends with a less than perfect solution but it’s an interesting problem.

The first episode establishes the world but as I said it’s a Twilight Zone rip off. Not bad but stick through to future episodes so you can see some of the better ones.

The worst episode in the first season is the last one. It’s a clip show with the barest of plots. The episodes are hit and miss but if you like horror, there is something here for you.

In some ways it feels like a very early version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Supernatural. Young people guided by an older person who knows all about this hidden world. The overall plot is a little messy but it’s enjoyable.

Should You Watch Friday the 13th the series?

This Friday the 13th, if you haven’t watched all of the movies in the series, put those on first. Not because they have anything to do with the show but because they are better.

If you’re just looking for a great anthology show, I recommend The Twilight Zone, Amaxing Stories and even Freddy’s Nightmares before watching this one. But, if you have seen all of that other media and you still just need one more hit of that good ol’ Friday the 13th franchise, this show will do.

Unluckily yours,

Slick Dungeon

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TV Review – Ash vs Evil Dead (Episode 2)

Ash vs Evil Dead Episode 2

Howdy evil fighters, it’s me Slick Dungeon back with another review for the Ash vx Evil Dead television series. There are some spoilers below so go have a look at the episode before reading the review. Or in other words, “Focus up and let the boomstick do the talking.”

When we last left Ash he had just finished fighting off a bunch of Deadites in his trailer. His coworkers Kelly and Pablo are still new to the fact that the dead rise and are a bit overwhelmed by the bloody gore they’ve just seen. But Kelly is convinced her missing mother has turned up at home. She takes off on Pablo’s motorcycle so of course Ash and Pablo have to follow behind, hoping to protect Kelly.

The utter gore and insane humor of the series continues in the follow up episode, especially when Ash is told to play nice at family dinner. Bruce Campbell continues to ham it up in every good way in this show and it makes it well worth watching.

In addition to Ash some of the other characters have great lines in this episode, especially Kelly who gets to start to give as good as she gets. For example, “Pablo, believe it or not, the rude, middle-aged man you brought is kind of ruinin’ my mom time.”

The plot to this series is never going to be even the slightest bit believable but the fun factor here is just too good to pass up. I could attempt to write a super lengthy analysis of this episode but I think I will let the words of Ash sum it up, “Don’t you get it? If you snag a little fish, you’re not gonna eat it. No, you use it as a bait fish, to catch the whale. I’m the whale, Pablo.”

If this series continues like this I am going to be all here for it. Until next time Deadites.

Horrifically yours,

Slick Dungeon

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TV Review – Ash vs Evil Dead (Episode 1)

Bruce Campbell in Ash vs Evil Dead

Hey internet it’s me Slick Dungeon. I wasn’t sure if I was going to review this series because I didn’t know much about it but I got through all of the Evil Dead films so thought I would give this one a chance. There are spoilers below for the first episode so fair warning. Groovy? Groovy.

The show begins with Bruce Campbell tightening a man-girdle while the song Space Truckin’ plays in the background and… I. Am. On. Board. For. This! I can’t think of a better way to start an Evil Dead series. This gets right into the comedy by showing Ash picking up a woman at a bar and telling an obvious lie about his severed hand. He has a moment while he is uhh… having an intimate moment in the restroom… where he sees the face of a Deadite. He hasn’t seen this in the last thirty years and can’t figure out why it happened.

He goes back to his trailer and realizes he read the passage from the Necronomicon while he was high and, you know, unleashed Hell on earth yet again.

We see a pair of police officers investigate a house where there is a demon and one of the officers ends up shooting her partner. She’s not sure if she is crazy or really saw what she thought she saw. This part of the show gives us the best chance for horror since it’s pretty unlikely Ash will die and we are not yet attached to these characters. There’s a decent amount of gore and scares here but it still seems to have a sense of fun.

We switch back to Ash who is still working in a big box store but now has lackeys who basically cover up his poor work ethic for him.

To keep from giving too much away, I will just say Ash has gotten himself and some of his coworkers into trouble and he’s going to need to get them all out of it.

So far, the show has kept the same mix of fear and fun you find overall in the Evil Dead film series and I feel like this is a much more natural follow up than the remake of the original film was. I’m excited to see how the rest of the series plays out.

Horrifically yours,

Slick Dungeon

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Lovecraft Country (Full Circle) Episode 10 Spoiler-free Review

The Season Wraps up With It’s Final Episode

Hey Everyone, Slick Dungeon, here back to give a spoiler free review of the tenth and final episode of the HBO series Lovecraft Country.

After nine intense and dramatic episodes, the only real question left was if this series could deliver a satisfying conclusion. A lot of threads had been developed and a lot of drama had intensified over the show so far. The conclusion was a high bar to climb.

I don’t want to get into spoilers here, obviously, since this is a spoiler free review but I can say that the conclusion does measure up. I will say that parts of the episode were a bit slower than I would have expected but in the long run I think that just led to intensifying the drama.

While the conclusion was satisfying, I don’t think every story thread was wrapped up perfectly and there was room for improvement here. But as a show overall, this still gets an A+ for its ability to deal with horrors both real and imagined.

If you have not watched any of this show, do yourself a favor and give it a go because it has been one of the brightest spots of television all year.

Horrifically yours,

Slick Dungeon

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Lovecraft Country (Rewind 1921) Episode 9 Spoiler-free Review

The Intensity is Turned All the Way Up In The Penultimate Episode of the Season

Hey Everyone, Slick Dungeon, here back to give a spoiler free review of the ninth episode of the HBO series Lovecraft Country.

The title of the episode probably gives you a good clue as to where and when the main events of this episode happen, especially if you know your American history well. With all that this show has delivered week in and week out I was not sure if it would be able get better.

It did. This episode is utterly nail biting, intense and superbly emotional. The family drama deepens and connections are made and resolved. Events that have been spoken of previously in the show come to light and are turned in stunningly surprising ways.

This show is absolutely a must see for any horror fan, especially if you have a strong stomach. There were a couple of episodes that I thought were not as strong as the others but overall this show is gripping television.

There is only one episode to go. If you have not watched Lovecraft Country yet, binge as fast as you can this week because the final episode is sure to deliver everything you would want in a horror show.

I can’t wait until next Sunday to watch.

Horrifically yours,

Slick Dungeon

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Lovecraft Country (Jig-a-Bobo) Episode 8 Spoiler-free Review

The Horror of Reality Collides with the Horror of the Cosmos as the Family Drama Intensifies

Hey Everyone, Slick Dungeon, here back to give a spoiler free review of the eighth episode of the HBO series Lovecraft Country.

After seven episodes one would think that you could not get much more intense than the previous episodes. Yet this episode delivers everything you could want from this show.

The episode is electric with drama and it has loads of horrors. It proves that our hero Atticus is far from perfect and that things could go critically wrong. None of the characters are safe, from the world, from nightmares, or from themselves.

A lot of the episode reminded me of some of the best of Stephen King stories. If you love horror, and have not started watching this series, you need to get on this one right now. It’s terrifying in both the way it portrays the impossible and in how it portrays reality. Added to that is deep character development with nuanced heroes and villains.

This episode does propel the story forward and feels like it is building toward an epic conclusion of the season. There are only a couple more episodes to go but I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

Horrifically yours,

Slick Dungeon

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Lovecraft Country (I Am) Episode 7 Spoiler-free Review

Cosmic Adventure Replaces Horror for This Episode

Hey Everyone, Slick Dungeon, here back to give a spoiler free review of the seventh episode of the HBO series Lovecraft Country.

After the stellar sixth episode, this one seems jarringly different. It’s not that this episode is bad. We do get more of the family drama, especially between Atticus and his father but the rest of the episode lacks any horror and seems almost whimsical instead.

On the one hand, that’s a nice breather from the intensity of this show and the acting remains brilliant. This episode centers around Hippolyta and shows off a seriously impressive range on the part of Aunjanue Ellis. It asks difficult questions about identity, race and social injustice all while showing how vast the cosmos can be.

On the other hand, this episode feels a little bit out of place, especially after the horrors of the previous episodes. I am sure that the plot from this one will tie up in later episodes but this one definitely feels like it has more of an adventure story feel than a horror story.

There are only three episodes left for this season so I expect the horror will be cranked up to eleven on those and I am definitely looking forward to watching them. I’m sure Hippolyta’s story is going to intersect but I honestly have no idea how that is going to happen.

It should be fun to see and let’s just hope that Atticus and company can survive and stay sane along the way.

Adventuringly yours,

Slick Dungeon

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Lovecraft Country (Meet Me in Daegu) Episode 6 Spoiler-free Review

The Series is Bold Enough to Ask What Makes a Monster

Hey Everyone, Slick Dungeon, here back to give a spoiler free review of the sixth episode of the HBO series Lovecraft Country.

What is a monster? Can a monster have human emotions? Can a human who has done monstrous things still be a human? These are the questions that the sixth episode of Lovecraft Country wrestles with. Not enough horror poses this question and those that do typically just ask it on the surface. This episode was masterful at asking this question and forcing the audience to truly think about it.

The episode itself is basically a flashback episode that relates to the larger story. It’s the only episode so far that does not take place in America but that’s all that I am going to tell you because I really don’t want to give this one away.

I think if this show is going to win Emmys in the future, it should be this episode that is considered. The acting here is fascinating and the drama is real.

I have thought a lot about why this show is so good and I think it is this; the show can let you see something horrific, a terrible monster that is objectively scary, and then moments later the show will let you see something from reality that is even scarier. Any show that can place reality as the real horror has done its job well because while we might have nightmares about the big scary monster, there is no escaping reality.

I have no idea where the drama will take us next but I know I am ready for the ride.

Horrifically yours,

Slick Dungeon