Tony Twist has chosen to move his family from the city to an old lighthouse after his wife dies. His children include Bronson, Pete, and Linda, each of which is left somewhat ill-defined by this episode's end. "Skeleton on the Dunny" has the unenviable task of establishing the context that will inform the rest of the series while showing viewers what types of stories to expect.
Expository information is doled out in a way that feels less labored than in many similar pilots. This comes from the way the screenwriters create contexts in which the information can be presented in the course of a standard conversation. One may consider how the opening car ride or the conversations Tony has with neighbors reveal significant information through dialogue.
However, the ghost story element feels undercooked, which is fine given this episode's primary function. There is little real conflict in this story. The crux of the conflict comes from how dismissive the Twists are of Bronson, who sees a ghost in the dunny. This is a trope of horror stories such as these, and it grew tiresome seeing the story develop in such a derivative fashion. The ghost story felt more like a distraction than an integral part of the episode. (The chintzy visual effects don't help the story either.)
Also, the characters seem a bit formless at the moment. This is normal at the end of a first episode, but it irked me nonetheless. Pete and Linda appear to be temperamentally quite similar, while Bronson is the fearful child whose observations are dismissed as exaggerations. Tony seems to be the closest to possessing dimension, as his enthusiasm and gregariousness endear him to his family and his new neighbors.
In spite of those issues, I still look forward to seeing what the series has in store. This show seems like it will proceed with an episodic structure akin to "Scooby Doo, Where Are You!" (1969-1970) or "Ghost Stories" (2000-2001). As such, I'm anticipating a monster-of-the-week structure. With this structure, the series' intrigue will stem in part from the complications each monster brings before they depart at the end of the episode. Another aspect of the series' intrigue will be how the characters interact with these complications. The core of the show will be the bonds that are rooted in the Twist family and the community surrounding the lighthouse.
