REVIEW: Skeleton Crew – Season 1, Episode 4, “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin”

Television Reviews

***SPOILERS***

In “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,” the crew flies back to Atlanta Attin… or so they initially think. SM-33 soon tells Jod that they’re actually on At Acchrin, another of the Jewels of the Galaxy. The children encounter two factions, the Troik and the Hattan. The Troik take them to their stronghold, an abandoned school resembling the kids’ school on At Attin. Their leader tells the kids they have potential; the Troik believe in the strength of children and train them just like the adults. However, this has a drawback, as he expects Fern to lead the group into battle. Rather than the Hattan, though, they encounter Jod, who returns the clan’s eopies, which the Hattan had stolen. The children are released into Jod’s custody, but the Chief’s daughter, Hayn, takes them to the planet’s control tower. There, they find coordinates to each of the Jewels, except for At Attin. SM-33 says he destroyed those coordinates when he was here with his old captain, but he can’t remember At Attin. Fern has a breakthrough and orders SM-33 to remember At Attin. This works, and his memory is jogged, but then SM-33 turns on the children. 

SM-33 and Jod continue to be highlights of Skeleton Crew, sharing two hilarious scenes in “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin.” Fern tasks SM-33 with keeping Jod on the ship when they arrive on the planet, prompting some jokes from the droid about babysitting Jod. However, I found it even funnier when Jod is faced with the Hattan tribes, and he just kneels on his knees and says, “Just shoot me.” It’s very basic, and it could just be Jude Law’s delivery, but this had me in stitches. I also chuckled when Jod remarked on the “taste” of At Acchrin. The comedy has been surprisingly good in Skeleton Crew, especially where Jod and 33 are concerned. That being said, SM-33 is also rather frightening in “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,” specifically near the end of the episode. Once Fern forcibly rekindles his memories of At Attin, SM-33 turns hostile and becomes a killing machine. This was really well done, and I’m surprised by how quickly this character shifted from funny and amiable to threatening and genuinely terrifying. I wonder how they’ll bring him back after this, and I hope they do. The show would suffer without his presence. I can’t believe I didn’t even like SM-33 in the premiere; now, he’s the only character who can keep up with Jod. 

I like the idea of the Hattan and Troik tribes, but all of this needed more time and focus. We don’t even see Jod’s interactions with the Hattan, let alone the battle that “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin” seemed to be building to. These enemy tribes are easily the weakest facet of “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,” even though I like some of the concepts they embody. The Troik consider their children capable fighters and train them just like adults. This contrasts with the kids’ lives on At Attin; they’re taught about currency, but otherwise, they’re coddled and not trusted with much. The constant warring amongst At Acchrin’s tribes is likewise a far cry from the quiet complacency of At Attin’s peaceable civilization. I’d love more context for this, but the Hattan get it even worse than the Troik. They did us dirty playing up the conflict between the tribes, only to defuse it by having Jod pay the Hattan off and return the Troik’s eopies. This segment of the episode and its pacing are easily the biggest flaws with “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,” and unfortunately, it’s not insignificant. 

I still “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin,” though, and both Neel and Fern develop here. Neel learns to be brave from his short-term Troik girlfriend, Hayna, while she learns kindness from him. Hayna sees Neel giving his food to some of At Acchrin’s starving children and seems equally confused and touched by the gesture. This brief relationship is cute and another part of the episode that I would have liked to see more of. It directly affects Neel, one of the main characters, as he learns to stand up for people he cares about in (probably) his first relationship. This experience obviously emboldens him to protect KB, Wim, and Fern from SM-33’s attacks at the end of the episode. For her part, Fern shows genuine self-doubt and questions her role as Captain for the first time. Wim, usually her harshest critic, reaffirms Fern’s strengths as a leader, and she praises him similarly. Seeing Fern cry and face doubts greatly humanizes her; this is exactly what Lucasfilm wouldn’t do with characters like Rey and Osha. Despite being stubborn and quick-witted, Fern is still ultimately a little kid with fears and insecurities. I like it.

“Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin” isn’t as good as the previous episode,“Very Interesting, As An Astrogation Problem,” but I still enjoyed it a lot. I liked it more than the two-part premiere, especially the first episode. It’s very funny, (half of) the leads get some much-needed development, and I love what they did with SM-33. This episode probably should have been longer, showing Jod’s business with the Hattan and their conflict with the Troik. Both the beginning and the end of “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin” are more enjoyable than the stretch with the tribes of At Acchrin because of their flat portrayal. I’m still enjoying the show, and “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin” deepens the mystery of At Attin while also continuing the Treasure Planet vibes. Seriously, Skeleton Crew features a robot forbidden to remember a treasure planet? SM-33’s Captain killed his crew to keep them quiet? Jod is growing to care about the kids over the treasure? Is it just me? Anyone? This episode could have been better, and I hope the next few are, but I’m glad I watched it.

Let us know what you thought of “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin” in the comments!

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