Skeleton Crew Ep. 3 charts an emotional course.
In which I overanalyze one letter and draw comparisons to Treasure Island.
The Short Take:
A thrilling ride that establishes Jude Law as an essential component to the series. The themes of trust and deception shine through.
[SPOILER ALERT: I’ve eliminated 99.9% of the possibilities. Only spoilers for Episode 3, “Very Interesting, as an Astrogration Problem” remain.]
Image Credit: StarWars.com
The Long Take:
Was that a typo?
If you were paying really, really close attention to the title listed on Disney+ for Episode 3 of Skeleton Crew, you may have noticed an oddity in the spelling. Instead of saying “Very interesting, as an astrogation problem,” which is what my new favorite owl cat alien, Kh’ymm says about At Attin, the title is “Very Interesting, as an AstroGRATION Problem.” From my albeit limited experience playing Star Wars RPGs, I know that astrogation (without the r) is what you roll for when you want to navigate somewhere in the Galaxy. And how well that roll goes determinations whether or not you end up where you want to be. Barring some Berenstain Bears level Mandela Effect that would mean that I’m about to embarrass myself, I can’t help but think there is a thematic clue in the potential wordplay, the shift from astrogation to astrogration.
Only, what is astrogration? (Stand down, spell check. Get ready, Google.)
Image Credit: StarWars.com
Some cursory sleuthing reveals that it could either be a reference to the giant from Greek mythology named Gration, son of Gaia and Uranus, killed by Artemis and Heracles. Or it could be a more archaic noun form of grate or grating, as in annoying or vexing. OR it could be a noun form of grate as in a cover made of crossed bars, intended to guard an opening. One might even call that a Barrier, in the parlance of Skeleton Crew.
I could make all of these work, and the literal reference to a barrier protecting At Attin and therefore obscuring the planet is realistically the most likely candidate. But I would prefer one of the other two because then we’re potentially talking about Jude Law’s character, Jod Na Nawood. Or Captain Silva. Or Crimson Jack. The more we learn about him, and the more names we collect, the more he seems like a space giant to me. A legendary figure known throughout the Galaxy by different names. And in this episode the climactic moment is not one of the several times our crew find themselves in mortal peril. It’s not when Wim sits, wide-eyed and smiley, in a gunner seat (as cool as that moment was). It’s when KB and Fern demand that their new maybe but probably not actually a Jedi friend really is. He’s not allowed onto the ship without telling the truth, which forces him to say what I infer is the first truthful statement he has yet made: “The truth is, I’m just like you. Okay? I’m lost. I’m alone.” He may not be confessing the whole story, but this is the emotional truth that has been smothered by all the lies. We’re reminded moments earlier that he still may not be trustworthy because when asked if he’s a Jedi he says, “I never said that” in a cheeky lie by omission way.
What does he mean by lost, though? My guess is that since he makes a point to say he’s just like the kids, he was, like they, accidentally swept away on an adventure, like a piece of driftwood taken from the safe, warm beach by the tumultuous tide of the Galaxy. Perhaps he ran away from a Jedi temple when he was a youngling and never found his way back. Fern’s mother in this episode does make a comment about how when she was a girl she would run away with her friends but the safety droids always found her. So it seems that children running away is a recurring theme.
Image Credit: StarWars.com
Regardless of his origin story, the fact that a group of children are the only ones to get the infamous pirate to reveal his true nature — to bring down his barrier — is wonderful to see because it shows the purity and power of childhood innocence. Kids remind us that sometimes things really should be so simple. That right and wrong should, in fact, be so clear. My kids stun me with this all the time. We walked by an ashtray once and as I was trying to explain what it was for, and ended with “it’s complicated.” My daughter said, “but why would someone smoke if they know it is harmful?” In her eyes, it was simple.
As she watched this episode with me, she went on an emotional roller coaster, very much aligned with Wim. At first she had complete faith that Jod was a Jedi because [insert wiggling fingers here]. But as the episode went on, and especially when he turned on Kh’ymm, who also seemed good, she got confused: “Why does he seem like a bad guy now?” To go back to my misspelling bit at the beginning, if we go with gration as in grating as in annoying or vexing, we could say that Jod Na Nawood creates a problem for crew and audience alike because we can’t yet figure out whether or not to trust him.
This episode reminded me so much of Treasure Island (or, more accurately, because I’ve probably only read Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel once, Muppet Treasure Island, because I’ve seen that hundreds of times) because Jod is so coded as Long John Silver. Charismatic and able to talk around the truth, they are both silver-tongued. The name Captain Silvo has to be a reference to that character as well. Silver genuinely bonds with Jim Hawkins, but a lot of the story is Jim Hawkins listening to his friends’ warnings about not trusting Silver. I guess that makes Fern and KB the Gonzo and Rizzo of the story? (Fear not, Treasure Planet fans. I see you. I just haven’t seen that film enough to reference it as I can Muppet Treasure Island.)
Image Credit: StarWars.com
At any rate, Jim doesn’t want to hear it because he likes Long John so much, but, in the end, the harsh reality that Silver is a back-stabbing, self-serving pirate sets in. The arc of naïveté to loss of innocence is potent, and while we are nowhere near the end of Wim’s arc, I think, this episode still raises the question: Where does nobility end and idealism or naiveté begin? Wim and Jim both have the ability to see good in people and give them the benefit of the doubt, but will that end in disillusionment and heartbreak or make them even better heroes?
Towards the end of Muppet Treasure Island, Long John has a moment of vulnerability with Jim that shows he, like Jod, may be both untrustworthy and a friend:
Long John Silver: Aw, hell, Jim. I could never harm you. You're honest and brave and true. You didn't learn that from me.
Jim Hawkins: I learned it from my friends, Mr. Silver. Now, take your oars and row away. I never want to see you again. Ever.
Image Credit: Tough Pigs
I can’t help but think a version of this is in our future with Wim and Jod. Tim Curry’s Silver is ultimately irredeemable, but he does have an emotional sincerity that comes through. That’s what makes his character so appealing. And it’s what I suspect will make Jude Law’s Silvo a compelling and lovable character as well. I can’t wait to see how these kids will make an impression on him. What will they learn from each other? How will they change each other? [Cue lyrics for Wicked’s “For Good.” Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.]