In this week's episode of Skeleton Crew, Jod Na Nawood may have ventured into the realm of the "irredeemable" unless there's a stunning twist in-store next week.
But this turn didn't come as a surprise to me because if you've watched Jude Law's nuanced performance as Jod closely, you'd know Jod has always been a guy who struggled to suppress his dark side urges. Unlike Palpatine's lust for ultimate power, Jod is driven by his greed for wealth. You can argue one is more plainly evil, but Jod was at his coldest this week and showed no signs that he's capable of mercy, which doesn't make him much better. It has been established that he's not worthy of trust, and I don't see that changing.
Although Jod showed signs of warming up to the kids, I suspect this was a clever deception. He never genuinely warmed up to the kids. I think the writers wrote Jod as a cunning and greedy villain, and I'm perfectly ok with that. Star Wars has to stop copying itself, and I had to roll my eyes at several takes over the past few weeks that compared Jod to the epitome of fatherhood, Din Djarin, or the best brother in the galaxy, Hunter. I secretly hoped that Skeleton Crew wouldn't follow these shows and do something different with Jod, and the show didn't disappoint me.
Just because one show about a man with a notorious reputation as a bounty hunter, who becomes an unconditionally devoted father to a strange, adorable green baby was a hit, it doesn't mean every new show needs to follow the same formula. That limits the scope for anything fresh, and luckily, the writers decided to take a different route and offered up a tale that serves as a warning. Skeleton Crew teaches a harsh lesson in “We’re Gonna Be In So Much Trouble," proving that children must be careful when they're out in the real world. If someone seems shady, it's best to steer clear of them.
Our young adventurers were warned several times about Jod's true character. However, for narrative reasons, they decided to stick with him for a few episodes instead of running away the minute they suspected him. This was a requirement of the plot, and there's still a chance Jod could do a 180 in the finale. However, that would seem phony and undo the impact of today's completely black, in-your-face, blood-curdling character reveal. Jod is the stranger we were taught not to trust and the person we were told to run away from as quickly as possible.
Jod only has his self-interests at heart, and he'll go to any length to satisfy them, even if it means slaughtering the children and their parents. This is harsh and brutal, but it teaches us that trust should be earned. In a big galaxy, the chance of meeting good people is pretty low, and pirates are usually scumbags! The kids should be grateful they made it home alive and should remember to leave the adventures for when they're older. They can return home with a greater appreciation for their parents, who should now seem more than the boring adults who object to all their little adventures. The way Jod treated them in this episode will probably stay with them for the rest of their lives as a reminder that if multiple people warn you not to trust a guy, you shouldn't!
As for Jude Law's performance, he excels at portraying Jod at his darkest and most unhinged. This episode was expected to deliver the age-old Order 66 flashback or another pitiful backstory. Instead, the mystery regarding Jod's past still hasn't been revealed. Maybe it'll remain a mystery; perhaps the writers haven't decided on Jod's backstory. They might be saving those details for Season 2 - should it happen. For now, we should all say hello to the latest well-written and slimy yet charming Star Wars villain, Jod Na Nawood.
Skeleton Crew is streaming on Disney+.