authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
First off—spoilers for Episode IX. Duh. Oh my god, this movie was not good for my blood pressure. I was red in the face by the time the credits rolled. I’m glad my friend was driving, I’m not sure I would have been safe on the road after leaving the theatre. I was simply reeling. I avoided spoilers all week and had only a vague idea what to expect, so going in I was both terrified I’d get my heart …
I don’t know if any of my fellow Reylos still visit, but I’m putting this out there for anyone who wants to talk about it. I’m intrigued by the Dark Rey “reveal”—I put that in quotes because there could be any number of explanations for the brief image we saw of her garbed in black wielding a red sabre. Or at least holding one. I’m not sure what to think of it yet, I’m still browsing others’ theories on YouTube.
I was watching Wayward Jedi’s latest video (meh) and saw this one in my Recommended Videos sidebar and checked it out. Makes the same points all of us have been making since December, but sometimes it’s nice to watch these things and know I’m not crazy. One thing he pointed out did kinda blow my mind, not because I didn’t know it, but because I hadn’t thought about it quite that way:: Rey’s backstory is typically that of a …
I can’t imagine anyone singing opera in Star Wars, but just like I heard Reflections from Mulan in my head every time I thought about Rey’s mirror scene, I hear Think of Me from the Phantom of the Opera when I imagine Rey and Ben waking up after splitting the sabre. A lot of the lyrics could apply, but the part that triggered this correlation in my mind is (1:44): Think of me, think of me waking silent and …
*speaking like a tour guide* And here we have Ben Solo’s expression immediately following Luke’s line: “The Rebellion is reborn today. The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi.” Note the worry in his brow–he’s doubting himself, doubting his efforts, doubting his victory. Panic swirls in his eyes; for years he was convinced that killing Luke was the ultimate solution to his problems. But now he realizes–Luke is no longer the biggest threat. Killing him …
LyricalRiot asked if I’d seen Wayward Jedi’s recent video on Ben’s redemption. I started to reply as a comment, then decided the topic merited its own post. Yes, I did see it, and I was going to post about it, but I didn’t want you guys to get sick of me just parroting someone else’s thoughts. But since you asked… I agreed with the general points WJ made. I think he oversimplified the crimes that Ben’s committed as Kylo Ren, …
So… I don’t think anyone but Luke knew that Vader died redeemed. He told Leia, and presumably Han, after the fact, but I don’t think anyone else knew. So then how did Snoke and Rey know? A million guesses as to Snoke, but Rey… I can only assume Leia told her before Rey took off to find Luke. Hmm….
So I slowed the playback during the Crait scene to try to catch some of Ben’s facial expressions to help me figure out what he might be thinking. I paused it at the precise moment he saw the Falcon and half a second before he ordered it shot down. I thought he might look surprised to see the ship, but I did not expect…this. I had to share it with you guys. I think I’m dying inside. Damn it, Rey, …
Something that just occurred to me because I’m an idiot who doesn’t notice as many details as I like to think I do: Skywalkers. They who walk in the sky. Who do we know who walks in the sky? Gods. And WJ’s theory just became that much more compelling.
Thanks again, Monica, for pointing me in this guy’s direction. Dude’s a fricken genius. His review of TLJ was fascinating, and he just posted his commentary on the TLJ novel. I encourage anyone who’s interested in Reylo or the mythology of Star Wars as a whole to listen to it. I saw little to no Reylo in the novel, but he saw Reylo and Save Ben Solo everywhere. I don’t hate the book as much now after he took me …