“Bryce Dallas Howard has delivered an amazing episode of Skeleton Crew that is full of heart and highly entertaining. She always gets the best performances out of her cast. KB is the real star of this episode but everyone also delivered.”
It’s that time of the week for a new episode of Skeleton Crew and it’s also the first day of 2025. It’s the perfect way to start the New Year with new Star Wars content. Episodes are released weekly on Wednesdays in the UK at 2 a.m. and on Tuesdays in the US at 6 p.m. PT on Disney +.
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD RETURNS
Undoubtedly, Bryce Dallas Howard has directed some of the best live-action episodes of Star Wars television. Thus, it was clear that the fandom was collectively waiting for her episode of Skeleton Crew. And I’m happy to say she hasn’t disappointed yet again. Bryce Dallas Howard always gets the best performances out of her cast. She also knows how to work with her set pieces. This is an amazing episode of Skeleton Crew. From start to finish it truly feels like an Amblin adventure from the 80s with just 30 minutes. Like I always say the runtime of an episode doesn’t matter, it is its content that defines its quality. And here, it’s highly entertaining in the best possible ways.
Moreover, the visuals of Lanupa are still stunning. It makes you feel like you are there, like it’s real. It’s definitely a planet that stands out among other Star Wars snow planets. We’ve seen the luxurious side of Lanupa in episode 5 and this one shows us the junkyard side of the planet, which is also very interesting.
In true Star Wars fashion, we get to see a crab monster that was animated through stop motion. Phil Tippett never ceases to amaze me. He is a Star Wars legend. So it’s genuinely great that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have made him come back for the TV series. They previously brought him back for The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. It’s 2025 and these series are still using stop motion, there is nothing better than old school filmmaking. The results are there. When all is said and done, Skeleton Crew deserves an Emmy nomination for the special effects!
KB’S EPISODE
Furthermore, this episode also has a lot of heart and that’s thanks to KB. This is her episode. Previous episodes had hinted that she had a medical condition. And now we learn why she has the same apparatus as Lobot in The Empire Strikes Back. Character development is key and this episode is exactly about that. It gives new appreciation to KB. Plus, Kyriana Kratter uses that time to give a heartfelt performance. Her and her character are the real stars of this episode. Nevertheless, everyone delivered too. Each of these kids are really good in this episode even more so than in the previous ones. This is Howard’s magic right there.
So far, the friendships among the kids were on one side Wym and Neel and on the other KB and Fern. But this episode switches the duos – Wym and KB, Fern and Neel. This allows to strengthen the bonds between the team and create new bonds within them. It’s duos that work giving each character a renewed appreciation. Pairing them with someone else brings them out of their comfort zone and pushes them to learn about each other.
IT’S A PIRATE’S DREAM
Because it’s KB’s episode and the kids have been separated from Jod Na Nawood, we don’t get to see Jude Law a lot in this episode. But, the little bit we see of him is brilliant. Jod continues to talk his way out of things in this episode and manipulate everyone. This character is the best attempt at a Han Solo type of character since Han Solo. That’s thanks to the writing but also the actor playing him. Jude Law is a highly skilled actor and he clearly knows how to bring Jod to life. On top of that, this episode does a little world building for the pirate’s lore. It’s little things but it adds to their world. The cherry of the cake is probably Jude Law humming a verse from a pirate song. In-universe songs are always cool!
VERDICT
Bryce Dallas Howard has delivered an amazing episode of Skeleton Crew that is full of heart and highly entertaining. She always gets the best performances out of her cast. KB is the real star of this episode but everyone also delivered.
Episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew release weekly on Wednesdays in the UK at 2 a.m. and on Tuesdays in the US at 6 p.m. PT on Disney Plus.
Collectables and Anime Editor for Future Of The Force.
Star Wars expert and Japan connoisseur.
