episode six skeleton team was directed by Bryce Dallas Howard and ultimately put some much-needed spotlight on KB. Of the four children, he is the one who has felt the most neglected, so it was appreciated that the show finally paid some attention to him.
We open basically where we left off, with the kids falling into the trap that Wim set last week to escape Jod. Ultimately this led them to the Trash Heap and the dilemma of how to return to Onyx Cinder from their current state. The more strategically minded Fern believes that the only way to reach the ship is to cross the rock wall. On the other hand, Wim thinks that following some small hermit crabs (whose shells are made with old technology) will help them. In a surprise move, KB agrees with Wim, but we later learn that this decision was not made because of better planning, but because of his lack of rock climbing skills, but to tell Fern. Had no heart.
KB explains to Wim that she is often expected to keep pursuing Fern and do everything she is capable of. She says that sometimes her best friend lives in a fantasy and doesn’t understand that KB is different and has his own limitations. This was a surprisingly subtle revelation, especially considering that it revolves around kids who may understand these concepts but don’t always act on them for fear of hurting their friends.
But that’s not the only obstacle KB has had to contend with. We get to learn a lot about her visor and her enhancements, mainly that they are there because of an accident that happened earlier in KB’s life. The technique is essentially an artificial one and that is why it has its limitations, which explains why she went with Wim instead of climbing the wall with Fern and Neil. But the prosthetics were also a time bomb of sorts, as they also malfunctioned, forcing Wim to go into action mode to save scrap to replace a part for KB.
Elsewhere, Jod breaks out of the pirate’s vault in a Jack Sparrow moment, laden with jewels and pearls, but is immediately captured by his former crew due to information from Pokkitt. Captain Brutus buries him to death through the airlock, but Jod is able to impress the crew with the promise of unlimited treasure with the minting of Old Republic credits on Etienne. This promise saves him (for now) and it looks like a crew of scalawags are headed to the planet to seek their fortune. Plus, we got to hear Jude Law sing a pirate shanty.
In the end the four children are reunited, which is fortunate because KB and Wim were about to be eaten by the queen crab. A bit of trivia fun, but the queen crab is a stop-motion animated creature, which continues skeleton team A commitment to old school influences. Onyx Cinder then finds herself in a garbage dump in the path of a strange looking truck that is eating garbage, so the kids find themselves and their sudden home without having to take the ship into the air. Had to think fast without any adult supervision. Home. They all used the skills they learned along the way and even pressed the SM-33 button, which they were explicitly told never to press, which in turn changed the ship to a sleeker design. . It was very strange that the ship was hidden inside the shell of another ship, thank God they had that thing.
Like episode four, this episode also splits the children from pairs and focuses on one child more than the others. Unlike episode four, which I wasn’t a huge fan of, this one felt more organic and integral on both a character level and a narrative level. This was the episode where the concept of individuality and the fears that come with friendship really came to the fore, which was an essential key to this story and I’m glad we got it. With two left, I think all parties will now be in At Eightin, as KB has the coordinates of the planet in his memory banks, and Zod has them too and will bring the pirate crew to the literal treasure planet. Stay tuned for those reviews!
