ST Rey & Kylo Ren in Episode IX

It is a bit different in that Rey really can't accept Kylo on his terms since his terms are unacceptable. Darcy and Rochester weren't trying to murder people Elizabeth and Jane were trying to save. However, Darcy did have to accept that Elizabeth's family is part of the package, that he has to care about them because she does. If he can't he doesn't really care about her enough. To disrespect them is to disrespect her.

 

Darcy is nowhere near Kylo Ren. Elizabeth first just thinks he is full of himself. as @oncafar said Darcy is not trying to murder someone that Elizabeth cares about.

 

What's interesting to me about the saber splitting in half in TLJ as opposed to going to Rey in TFA is that it implies Ben was "right" in some manner. He's not correct in being on Team Dark Side, so I have a difficult time seeing in what way he's right... Except maybe in joint leadership with Rey, but under different circumstances.

Without Snoke around I could see him being invested in being a "father figure" to the galaxy. We can infer from his statement about Han Solo being a disappointment as a father, his view of Luke turning against him, and then outright "cutting his losses" with Snoke that father figures have been a real problem for him, so I can see "decent fatherhood" being an ideal of Ben Solo's. Who knows. He's seen enough of Rey's past, taking care of the less fortunate in the galaxy (freeing the oppressed like Little Anakin said he'd do, anyone?) could be an ideal he espouses and that certainly wins him points with Rey.

 

I think there ARE a lot of P&P similarities though. I was just pointing out the major difference. The ST would be a far more dramatic enemies to lovers in that the enemy actually is a villain. Darcy was more just a pompous ***.

 

You're right...when both called the saber in TFA it whooshed past him to Rey without a single thought. This time when Rey called it, it didn't immediately go into her hands. They're both somewhat right, somewhat wrong and there's a middle ground that needs to be found between them (aka balance).

 

This reminds me completely of Ygritte on Game of Thrones describing to her wildling comrades in all the ways she’d kill Jon Snow. And we all know how that turned out...

 

The saber refused to go to either of them, because neither was right so it broke in half (they've been described by the writers as two halves of the same protagonist, yin&yang, two sides of the same coin). The force wanted to connect them, wanted them to work together because when they did join together it was perfect balance. The force chose to bond them, after all.

 

He says to Rey that he did not hate is father.

 

I never said that the "the purpose of her existence, or her top priority in life is to find belonging".

Maz said that Rey is seeking belonging (and Rey does not object) and her belonging is ahead.
I said that her belonging is with Kylo.
And I add that this works both ways: Kylo will find his belonging with her in a perfectly EQUAL kind of relationship.

It seems to me that you read the film with a sort of feminist eye.
Star Wars is first and foremost a fairy tale. Yes, the women are strong, but so are fairy tales archetypes and Rey is an archetype, as well as Kylo Ren.
Everyone has a place in the story, a very definite role and this goes leagues beyond the Women's Liberation Movement.

 

Well, the Force joining them and refusing to choose a side is what makes me feel I was challenged as an audience member to ask myself the question, "In what way is Ben Solo correct?" Rey wants him to turn to the light and help the Resistance, he wants her to bring dark order to the galaxy with him. We know she's in the right about him turning back to the light -- the Force was pulling at him incessantly about it in TFA and he's more conflicted than ever in TLJ. That's what leaves "she needs to rule with him" as an option on the table for me.

 

However, how is having to force sensitive individuals ruling the galaxy a good idea?

 

The Force was in pure harmony when they touched hands and were vulnerable with each other (Force Theme played when they touched). They are the balance between the light and dark, as he is not fully dark and she's not fully light. As it stands now, they're in the perfect positions to be at the head of each side of the war and somehow meet in the middle.

 

How is she not in the light?

 

It's hard to say where Rey falls fully though. Especially after the scene with the cave on the island. She went to it not just once but twice. She went all the way to seek answers. The real question in regards to that is how far is Rey willing to go to help the cause of the side she is on. I'm not saying I think Rey is dark side or anything like that. But it is interesting to wonder because Luke does comment on how she just went for it and didn't question it and came back. It brings up a good deal of many questions.

 

Also the fact the Luke believes the dark side to be bad still makes me believe that balance can only be done on the light.

 

Or maybe it's about finding away for the dark (Ben) and the light (Rey) to join forces without them changing sides, like someone said, meeting in the middle? Maybe it's the dark in him and the light in her that will make the balance somehow? It makes me think of Revan, he was light and went to the dark, then turned light again and finally ended up using both the dark and the light (in him).

 

maybe Kylo was right in seeing just how connected they are and there is something in the Force that seems to want them to do something together. It's just that galactic domination isn't it.

 

From all of the interviews I read and the all of the story group's input - I got an impression that the Balance of the Force is the main theme of the ST. And without complicating too much (SW has always been simple in its core) Ben and Rey are likely to be the representatives of the each side of the Force - on the surface level without even touching the subtext - the hut scene is a symbol for the Balance. Or how Balance should look like in the end. A harmony between the dark and the light.

IMO, Ben and Rey are capable of finding it together (hut scene), but still not mature (or adult) enough to keep it. Hence the saber break.

 

Oh yeah, the Force is in balance through acts of love and compassion -- it wants them to come together rather than fight. I'm sure Kylo's sithfit line about "destroying her... and all of it" will end up being super ironic as there's more than one way to "destroy" one's enemy and take down the established order. The Force wants it to be through love and kindness; the Force will get its way.

 

I can't remember, but did the kyber break in half or crack? Or was it just the housing?

 

Just the housing. The kyber crystal is in tact. Which is a nice callback to Rogue One -- "The strongest hearts are made of kyber".

 

I think (though I'am not 100% sure) it was only the housing.

 

Well put. And I agree. There is so much focus on how the dark and the light together creates balance. You can't have balance without the other, hence the yin&yang symbol (in the film, of prime jedi)

 

While I TLJ, my main issue with it, if I had to pick one, is that I felt like by dropping Rey's storyline after the PG scene, we lost out on getting more characterization of her. At the end I was like wait that's it for Rey? Maybe I just wanted more. I kind of think that if we'd seen her, idk, waking up before Kylo & escaping Snoke's ship, her emotional reaction in the aftermath of all that, or idk, something else, than we would have a better sense of what her thoughts/feelings are on Kylo as they evolve. I mean I've been for Reylo since TFA & think that what we did get is great & plenty, but maybe for those who didn't see it that might have helped explain her view more? Idk.

Back to thoughts on Rey's isolation & whatnot, I know y'all have talked about it & I agreed w/a lot too, just chiming in. I too think it'd be interesting if she finds herself restless despite being where she wants to be, w/the Resistance & her newfound family. She definitely wants that connection to others & believes in their cause wholeheartedly, but I can't quite buy her being completely happy/herself there. She was alone for so many years, it's hard to shake that quickly, especially given the small window of time in which TFA & TLJ takes place. Not to mention the freedom she had; though she felt like she needed to stay on Jakku, she answered to no one but herself at the end of the day. And spending short amounts of time "living" with a few people (Han, Chewie, and Finn on the Falcon in TFA; Chewie & Luke in TLJ) is different from living amongst the resistance, day in & day out. Even though there's only a few of them left.

She's already clashed w/Luke, did what she felt was right & went to Ben, so I think it'd be interesting if she finds herself disagreeing w/aspects of the Resistance too, or her role in it. To say, "I love my friends, believe in the Resistance & will fight for it, but I disagree w/the direction they want me to go in..." or something like that'd be cool. And as several of y'all have said before, w/having to write Leia out for 9, she's the only force user they have, & how this just isolates her further. She's still new to the force, & even if Luke teaches her as a force ghost, I don't think that'd be smooth sailing after the whole, "You went right to the dark side!" thing. Maybe I'm putting too much into this, but I think Rey would want to learn everything she can about the force, both sides. She might try to contact Ben on her own for his knowledge, the only other force user she knows of. Which would get them talking (or arguing) again.