Skeleton Crew‘s season 1 episode “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin” is a little cookie cutter when it comes to plotlines, dialogue, and the general atmosphere. But that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the show. We all have to start somewhere when it comes to TV. And as a critic, I have no room to really talk about cookie cutter or subpar plot points because I love the Fast and Furious movies. And not even because they’re fun trash. I’ve cried.
For many who are starting their Star Wars journey, this is their beginning. Wim, Fern, Neel, and KB are the first space heroes they’ll connect with. And Jude Law’s Jod will be the first person they’ll know who wields the force. It’ll leave a mark. For that, I’m giving the show so much leeway. Because again, “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin” is so basic YA TV storytelling that it’s entering cringe storytelling for the adults that Disney was trying to bring in when they originally started advertising this show.
But I’m losing myself. Plot. That’s what we need to talk about. What happened in “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin.”
Skeleton Crew season 1 episode 4 truly tricked me into thinking they had made it back home. It was unexpected and made me pause and think, “Maybe there is a bigger plan.” Because you don’t just get to the destination in mind that quick in storylines. That’s even more true for this show who took two episodes to bring in Jude Law even though he was advertised as the heart of this show on posters everywhere. But it wasn’t At Attin. It was a planet like At Attin.
The only reason why Jod and his merry gang of children ended up on this eerily similar planet is because someone was testing something. You don’t just configure homes and neighborhoods in a way that is so familiar that someone mistakes it for their home. Planets like this happen when you want to prove a point. Like this way of living is the right one. And you just have to prove it. The other planets, especially the one they find themselves on in “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,” didn’t work. But At Attin did. And it continues to work. That’s why it’s being hidden.
This is the mystery I want to know more about when it comes to Skeleton Crew. Because these kids, who are practically babies going out and experiencing this big ol’ world, they’ve lived one kind of life. A life where the life of a young soldier like Hayna seems impossible. And while a part of me wants to protect them and keep them innocent from the universes cruelty, you can’t run forever. The universe is catching up to At Attin. I just fear that when it does get rediscovered by the universe, it’ll be torn apart. And these kids, who are still slightly annoying, will have to pay the price before they even have a chance to grow up.
New episodes of Skeleton Crew drop Tuesdays at 9pm ET.
