Halfway through the season and 'Skeleton Crew' maintains its strong momentum, even if this fourth episode isn't necessarily a home run. The kids find themselves on a dark mirror-like version of At Attin that has been ravaged by generations of war. Unfortunately, this solid story idea is undercut by being executed slightly too simplistically, even for a kids show. That being said, there are some great moments here. The world-building, was interesting and a we get a few satisfying twists in the larger adventure, including a terrifying final moment. Of course we can't forget about Neel, who finally gets the attention he deserves, sieving upon the opportunity and becoming the internets new favourite adorable Star Wars character (at least until Grogu shows up again).

With the two-episode premiere out of the way, 'Skeleton Crew' can start finding its groove, and while this episode is enjoyable, the show might need to keep searching for what exactly that groove is for at least another week. Despite getting to spend a full, though somewhat short, episode with Jude Law, it's the kids (and especially Nick Frost's SM 33) that continue to steal the show. It's probably just a matter of time, but Jod (Jude Law) has yet to fully land as a character. A handful of charming scenes gets him going in the right direction though. Overall, this is a relatively safe step along the path for a show that has yet to get into the meaty parts of the adventure. Our prediction? Things really pick up in earnest next week. Stay tuned!

Ahoy me mateys! Star Wars is back on TV and this time it's pirate themed baby! Julian and Rachel return to recap and review this two-part series premiere, and are happy to report that the show is off to a great start. Star Wars has been in a difficult place as of late. Something that has been discussed a lot as of late. Each new piece of content announced or released is under a microscope, and probably rightfully so, considering the mixed levels of quality we've been getting from Lucasfilm of late. Amongst all that angst, 'Skeleton Crew' was not at the top of a lot of fans wish-lists, but sometimes low expectations can do wonders. Despite a somewhat slow first episode, the series seems to quickly figure out what it wants to be (Treasure Island in space basically) and hits it's stride through it's second episode. The child cast is charming with great chemistry, but it's Nick Frost's droid character that really steals the spotlight so far. Be warned shipmates, thar be full spoilers ahead!

It’s been two months since we did our “State of Star Wars” episode where we essentially eviscerated the current situation in regards to the decision making process at Lucasfilm and their seeming inability to get a movie into production, among other things. Well in that time, we’ve had a smattering of news stories of all stripes, which Julian and Rachel cover in this episode, but what really prompted another Bonus Episode was the latest piece, again from The Hollywood Reporter, exploring the situation in further depth on the movie side of the business at Lucasfilm. Your hosts deep dive on all of it, and then cap things off with something much more lighthearted. Next up, ‘Skeleton Crew’ in December, where we’ll be breaking down every episode. Stay tuned!

Following the cancellation of ‘The Acolyte’, many fans are taking a step back and asking questions about the state of the franchise. And rightly so, considering the confused state that many have been left in. Especially considering that Lucasfilm continues to leave us in the dark, with no official word following the recent cancellation. They've also done very little to inspire trust in their current creative process given the number of high profile project announcements that have never come to fruition. Meanwhile, the fandom is imploding on itself. Creators and influencers in the community are pitted against each other, seemingly in a fight for influence over control of the narrative surrounding each new project. Debates over what is or isn’t "Star Wars" wage on the internet as fans dodge bad-faith landmines across their social feeds. Julian and Rachel look at where things stand with Star Wars today, how we got here, and what the future might hold.

With the decision to go with another flashback episode last week, ‘The Acolyte’ season finale had a lot of work to do to wrap up all the loose threads left dangling. Unfortunately, the series largely didn’t leave itself enough time to conclude those plotlines in a satisfying way. Yes, the lightsaber combat continues to be amazing, and despite some very good character work in episode 6, the series continues to lack the patience (and runtime) to give the major emotional beats time to breath. The finale was no better, as it blew through some pretty big character moments, especially for Osha, without take a moment to really let them sink in. Despite that, there are still some standout moments here and some intriguing breadcrumbs to follow into a possible season 2 (which has not yet been confirmed). Julian and Rachel unpack every revelation, head-scratcher, and character cameo as they break it all down scene-by-scene.

Unfortunately, the flashback format worked against this episode from the start. Not enough interesting new information was revealed to justify breaking the momentum the show had leading into this week. After an incredible action episode, 'The Acolyte' followed that up with a great character episode that teased a fascinating finish, despite there still being many threads left dangling. Due to the decision to place this second flashback episode, this time from the Jedi's perspective, in this penultimate slot in the season, we're now left with only one episode left to wrap everything up. The episode itself does feature some beautiful shots and some intriguing ideas, but it's a little too shaggy, given how much weight was put into these reveals earlier in this season, to ultimately feel satisfying. With a steep hill yet to climb, plot-wise, it'll be interesting to see if the show can stick the landing.

After last week's action-heavy episode left our jaws on the floor from the sheer spectacle and shocking character deaths, 'The Acolyte' uses this follow-up episode to give us a breather. With the main characters now split between three different plotlines, we spend our time jumping between a series of one-on-one conversations, reminiscent of 'Game of Thrones' when it was at it's best. The most interesting of which is Osha and The Stranger/Qimir, as we see the beginnings of the temptation to the dark side. Never before has the Star Wars leaned into the "from a certain point of view" concept more in live action than in this episode. We finally start exploring that "Sith" perspective that has been teased by the creators. Some may call this "filler", but for our money, this is some of the best Star Wars you can get. Listen as Julian and Rachel unpack every nuanced line of dialogue and character beat in this week's Small Screen Star Wars podcast!

Star Wars fans rejoice! ‘The Acolyte’ has delivered some of the best lightsaber action we’ve seen in many years. Unfortunately, the good comes with the bad. At least for the characters on the show. As expected, with The Master/The Stranger fully entering the story, it meant that some Jedi weren’t long for this world. That proved to be true more than I think anyone expected. However, as Jecki herself said only last week, “It’s always an honor to get to witness anything or anyone transform into the Force”. Though I’m not sure she meant so soon. This episode was chock full of brutal and surprising deaths and deep cut lore references, that I’m sure satisfied even the nerdiest of Star Wars fans. And despite a character reveal we all saw coming, many interesting questions remain unanswered as we head into the final three episodes of the season. Julian and Rachel break it all down, and predict what role the Sith have yet to play in this story.

After a bit of a detour last week, spending an entire episode in flashback, we return to the main adventure. This week's episode, "Day", is largely a positive step forward for the series, bringing fun (if sparse) lightsaber action, improved character development, and an enhanced sense of place, as they spend less time in cramped sets and more time shooting on location. That all being said, it's the big finish that will leave the biggest impression. Unfortunately, the decision to cut things off right when the action was ramping up felt like a bit of a cheat. With a relatively short run time this week, and a story that really felt like it was hitting it's stride as we got closer to the end of the episode, the choice to not follow through on that momentum with a satisfying finish, instead using a cliffhanger, comes across as a means to brag about an extra episode in the season, as opposed to serving the story in the moment. Oh, there was also some very cool cameos this week. Listen as Julian and Rachel unpack it all!