Comedy
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Disney+’s ‘Skeleton Crew’ has some problems, but overall it’s a return to form, when the galaxy far, far away was relatively safe for the family.
Long ago, Xadia was a land where humans and elves peacefully coexisted. It was a land filled with six primal sources of magic: The moon, the sun, the stars, the earth, the sky and the ocean. But peace could not last—not when evil lurked in the heart of man.
Years passed and a wicked human magician discovered a seventh source: dark magic. He grew his powers and knowledge in the shadows, then broke forth and unleashed terror. In an effort to save themselves, the Moonshadow elves (one branch of many kinds of elves) and dragons forced the magician and all other humans out of their land and to the West, while everyone else remained in the East.
For ages things seemed to settle as a powerful dragon, Thunder the Dragon King, defended the border between East and West. But wickedness had only grown, and humans finally destroyed the beast and stole the last living dragon egg, opening up the border once again.
Eventually, the dragon egg hatched and became the Dragon Prince. And evil king Viren, the false king of the humans, wanted to steal the Dragon Prince’s power and wipe him, and his mother the Dragon Queen, from the face of the earth.
He was opposed by those unified and fighting for good: The true king, young Ezran, his stepbrother Prince Callum, and the Moonshadow elf, Rayla.
Together, these three united the pure of heart in Xadia and restored Ezran as the rightful heir to the human throne, protecting the dragons and bringing hope to a broken Xadia.
But uniting two worlds is anything but easy. And when Viren and his daughter, Claudia, seek to free the imprisoned elf Aaravos, the trio of Ezran, Callum and Rayla must work harder than ever to eradicate the evil from Xadia.
Brought to life by the head writer of Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Dragon Prince finds its television origins on Netflix. And it has many of the characteristics that made The Last Airbender so popular.
The storyline is thick, its characters are well-developed and the animation is eye-catching. And we find plenty of positives here, not only in the witty writing and humor, but in the heart of the main characters and in the lessons of selflessness, honor and sacrifice.
But be aware, parents need to watch out for plenty of issues. This series is TV-Y7 but often feels as if it’s meant for an older audience. Scary, perilous scenes are common, as is bloodshed and intense battles. People kiss often, including sometimes between two women. And sorcery and enchantments are used in nearly every episode.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Everyone regroups after the previous season’s climactic battle. Thanks to Ezran, Callum, and the rest of our heroes, Aaravos is still trapped within his pearl prison. They bring the pearl back to their castle in Katolis and debate what to do with it.
Elsewhere, Viren awakens. He’s surprised to discover that he’s alive, given that he refused to perform a dark ritual to make his resurrection permanent. He’s horrified to learn, however, that Claudia performed the corrupting ritual in his stead.
We see the aftermath of the resurrection spell: Blood stains the sand of a seashore in a ritualistic pattern.
Despite Claudia’s sacrifice, Viren refuses to continue down an evil path. He owns up to his mistakes (including corrupting Claudia) and decides to turn himself in to pay for his crimes.
Characters discuss what to do with the imprisoned Aaravos, which includes destroying the pearl prison. This would presumably kill Aaravos as well. A person is missing the lower half of one leg, lost in a previous battle. A young mage sews magic-blocking runes into a blanket. Someone is briefly possessed while he sleeps.
Characters profess their love, both romantic and familial, to one another. Heroes faithfully support their friends through struggles.
Heroes and villains alike face the final challenge to locate Aaravos’ prison, and no one will go down without a fight.
Currently, an expiring resurrection spell is keeping Viren alive, and Claudia needs Aaravos’ magic to save him permanently. In a vision, Aaravos reveals that rescuing Viren will require a blood sacrifice. There are conversations about death, and we see the infected wounds of an injured dragon, which cause her intense pain.
A character magically heals a creature, and someone has a vision of Aaravos using magic to commit murder. Callum uses runes and an amulet to help his companions breathe underwater, and he casts spells to find Aaravos’ prison. Claudia mixes her own blood (which we see her draw from her finger) with ink to transform herself into an octopus. When Callum and Claudia meet, they fight. Claudia throws rocks, and someone in Callum’s crew shoots arrows at her. In the fight, a character severs the leg of his opponent.
Couples are seen kissing.
While Viren and his daughter, Claudia, quest to free Aaravos (an evil Startouch elf) Ezran is on a journey to keep the elf imprisoned. Meanwhile, Rayla goes behind Callum’s back to discover the truth about her parents’ disappearance.
Rayla calls her commitment to her family as a “sacred” promise, and her journey involves discovering some dark magic. She uses magic to steal and break into a secured area, which contains potion ingredients, and Rayla discovers “cursed coins.”
Other characters also encounter magic. Callum leafs through a magical book, and we learn that a sick character has come back to life after being dead for two years. Ezran braves perilous rocks and a raging sea. Later, Ezran and his team nearly slip off the high rocks.
Several scenes involve startling situations: A girl discovers a magical item that frightens her, and another moment involves a magical creature screaming, “Blood of child,” at two alarmed characters.
Claudia’s boyfriend, Terry, puts his arm around her as they talk. A humanoid goblin wears minimal clothing (though nothing critical is seen).
Humans and Moonshadow elves join forces to defeat wicked king Viren before he kills the Dragon Prince.
Humans and elves fight King Viren and his band of wicked, mythical creatures using hand-to-hand combat, swords, fire and sorcery.
A fire-breathing monster is killed as arrows penetrate his eyes and skull. A man is stabbed through the chest and blood seeps onto his shirt.
King Viren is possessed by a snake-like creature. It’s insinuated that King Viren is raised from the dead after he plummets to his death. Creatures and humans use spells, sorcery and enchantments.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
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