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.
“When we’re talking about relationships, ‘parent’ and ‘partner’ are just one letter off,” Paige, a marriage and family therapist, tells her live feed. “How you got parented is how you got partnered.”
That likely explains why Paige struggles in the dating realm. Her father, Edwin, was never around to parent her, spending more time in prison than out of it.
Now he’s finally getting out once again. Edwin promises to change—but Paige remembers how many times he’s said that before. Edwin, however, is serious—and this time, to show his commitment to change, he’s going to live with Paige and her son, Finneas, in order to stay away from negative influences.
“I got one daughter, and you got one daddy,” Edwin tells Paige. “We gonna have to work this out.”
But with so many hurdles preventing the ex-con Edwin from reincorporating, time will tell if he can keep his promise.
In Season Two, we see that time hasn’t been kind to Edwin. After being arrested for driving without a license, Edwin decides to Paige would be better off without her dad being in her life. Edwin feels like he’s more trouble than he’s worth to her, and he believes that he needs to fix himself before reengaging with Paige’s life.
Paige, for the first time, agrees with him. So she begins advocating for “detachment therapy,” i.e., separating from things (and people) who cause you anxiety … like her father, for instance.
But another therapist, Murphy Collins, thinks Paige will never truly work through her issues with Edwin that way. “You weren’t detaching,” he says. “You were amputating. You were cutting yourself off from your father. And you know who else you were cutting yourself off from? You.”
Collins exposes the flaw in Paige’s strategy: She wants Edwin to change. But she doesn’t recognize that she needs to change some things about herself, too.
And unless she’s willing to work through those issues, Paige will be stuck as little more than a family therapist with a broken family herself.
Despite his failures as a father, Edwin has some good advice for Paige, especially when it comes to her relationships.
“Men make time for what matters the most,” Edwin says.
Of course, those words only sting for Paige.
“Oh, this, from the man who was basically gone my entire childhood?” She counters.
It goes to show that though the advice might be good, it’s really the actions behind it that prove its value. And when it comes to Unprisoned, there’s a lot that’s both said and done that you’ll certainly want to steer clear of.
Unprisoned is not a Plugged In-friendly show. Characters engaged in sexual intimacy are present in more episodes than not, including in the first episode, where an uncensored woman is seen completely naked. The third episode mocks Jesus and Christianity as a whole, citing Bible verses in a disparaging way. And throughout, we’ll see some racism and some drug usage, and we’ll hear lots of swearing—including plenty of the crudest language from a young girl.
Unprisoned may have some merit as a story of a father’s reconciliation with society and his family. But we’re unable to reconcile with this show when it exposes its viewers to its problematic content.
(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.)
After being confronted on the flaws of her therapy style, Paige and family decide to attend a family reconciliation session with therapist Murphy Collins.
Murphy’s book is titled Full-Frontal Family Therapy, which one person describes as sounding “hot.” Someone thinks another character needs to have sex in order to stop being so anxious.
Paige implies that whoever has the most familial trauma will have the best advice on fixing family relationships.
Edwin wears a cross earring. Murphy describes himself as a “healing coach,” and we see a statue of Buddha in his home.
Someone texts while driving and crashes his car. A woman vapes. A man admits to selling illegal drugs.
The n-word is used once. The f-word is heard four times, and the s-word is used more than 15 times. We also hear “d–k” and “h—.” God’s name is used in vain twice.
When Edwin is released from the penitentiary, he promises Paige that he’s not going to get arrested ever again. However, Paige has her doubts.
Edwin visits Paige’s previous foster parent, Nadine. The two have sex, and we hear loud moaning. When Nadine exits the bedroom in a bathrobe, we see her uncensored breasts and genitals. Paige talks about how the two should control their “horniness.” Later, Nadine sends Edwin an emoji that has a sexual meaning. Edwin purchases condoms. Paige helps Edwin purchase underwear. Paige discusses her attraction to white men—to Edwin’s apparent disdain. Paige dates a man who is “almost divorced.”
When Edwin’s ankle monitor is removed, he utters “hallelujah.” He also says that “God is good.” Paige calls another set of her foster parents “saints.” Paige’s foster sister, Esti, references how Paige’s dad walked into church in atypical attire, laughing about how it almost made her mother drop her hymnal.
A man smokes a marijuana joint. Nadine does drugs, too. People drink various types of alcohol. Someone vomits. Paige’s son, Finneas, skips school.
The f-word is used 10 times, including one time that’s preceded by “mother.” The s-word is heard nearly 15 times. “A–” and “b–ch” are heard a couple times. Someone is called a “ho.” God’s name is used in vain seven times, including twice in the form of “g-dd–n.” Jesus’ name is abused once.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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.
The Madness tells of one man’s desperate attempt to prove himself innocent in a violent political environment primed to destroy him.
STARZ fantasy drama ‘Outlander,’ now in its seventh season, is as outrageous as it is outlandish—in just about any way you can imagine.
Language, violence and sexual content will make ‘Dune: Prophecy’ much less accessible to families than the films it’s based on.
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