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link-is-a-dork · 5 years ago

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Finished Age of Calamity.

I got a lot to say about this game. I'm not very good at in depth stuff so I'm trying my best here. This has been sitting disjointed in my drafts for a week and I'm tired of it. So here you go.

TL,DR at the top so save you the bother: it was really fun. Characters were fun to see interact, gameply is solid, beautiful visuals. TLDRs should always be at the top, why are they usually on the bottom???

Story:

The story can be summed up with: BotW Before the Storm AU where everything is the same except none of it is because Hyrule won 100 years ago.

In all seriousness. Just after Hyrule falls (presumably), and before the events of BotW, a small guardian (the egg) awakens and somehow travels back in time. Using the Sheikah slate, our heroes recover information the egg held and try to prepare for Calamity Ganon. The antagonist, Astor, is here to ruin everything. He doesn't really do much though...?? I guess?? He teams up with the Yiga before the game happened. The champions' successors are here too because time travel bullshit! :D

The scenes in AoC that correspond with the memories in BotW, and in extension the Champions' Ballad DLC, happen differently, it's like a reimagining of sorts? I don't know if this game is supposed to be canon. Is it a what if situation? I kept waiting for the scenes where Zelda is just snarky and disdainful towards Link but it doesn't really happen like that. We stop the events of BotW happening entirely, so the game isn't telling a story where we're not supposed to win, game is telling a story where we prevent the post apocalyptic future from even happening, creating a paradox. If the future doesn't happen then there's no reason to stop it, but if there's no reason to stop it then there's no one to stop it and so on and so on but this isn't the focus.

Comparing Hyrule Warriors (Definitive) and Age Of calamity:

Both Hyrule Warriors Definitive (HW) and Age of Calamity (AoC) have their own merits with what they have and what the other does not. I like how collectables and chests in AoC are automatically picked up\opened after a few seconds, so you can just peace out after killing and breaking stuff. There seems to be less emphasis on capturing outposts and keeps. At end game we can revert to the champions' original attire, switch between Zelda's winter clothes, white dress, and her adventuring outfit, but it seems her royal dress is not available.

I wish we could get more alternate costumes for the rest of the cast like we could in HW, but I suppose this a more serious game with more focus on story than silly recolores. Link gets alternate costumes of course, whatever is found in BotW can be unlocked in board missions similar to Adventure maps in HW. HW is definitely more shallow in its story, but I'm not saying it's a bad experience. Both games have fun side missions that don't relate to the plot and it's a good way to grind one character for level ups and eventually enough money to train the others. Both games have a mysterious seer antag, Cia and Astor respectively, that ultimately end up being betrayed by Big G. Shocking, I know. We fight Big G.

Gameplay and Characters:

The game is very pretty, identical to BotW obviously. The controls are responsive and satisfying, although the camera can get a bit buggy, especially when fighting Wizzrobes.

Sheikah runes all do the same things they do in BotW but each character has a different way kf using them. Cryonis can be used outside of water, that's the main difference here.

This "review" would be EXTREMELY lengthy, even more so, if I go into as much detail as I originally intended, which pains me because I had SO MUCH written out already before adding this current paragraph... So I'm going to summarize who I currently have unlocked.

Link's sword and shield set is as much as you would expect, nearly identical to Hyrule Warriors. He can also use a spear, for rapid albeit weaker hits. A slow, powerful two handed weapon which, if using R2 to attack, causes "temporary damage" and can due you in if you don't maintain your health. I don't believe healing with food found on the battlefield will undo this damage so you have to heal with X if using these attacks.

Zelda has two weapon types; the Sheikah Slate which I prefer to use over her Bow of Light. With the slate, she uses something like a cocktail of lesser version of the runes. With her bow, it's rather straightforward but if you press R2, you can she what's filled in your special gauge for strong attacks with Y or X until it's depleted.

Impa can use clones to attack if you utilize her ninja sigils properly. She's very fast and depending on how many clones you have at your disposal, your strongs, runes, and specials are more powerful.

Revali and Teba both use a bow, surprising no one. Revali fights better in the air (press R2 for that) but Teba is preferable overall.

Mipha, using her trident or spear, lacks strength but hits quickly to make up for that. HER SPECIAL HEALS HER TOO SO LIKE, SAVE AT LEAST ONE BAR IN CASE YOURE DYING. Sidon dual wields but I don't have enough experience with him to make much of an assessment...

Daruk is the heavy, like Darunia. He's slower and powerful. When you use combos, magma forms and those can be used to cause damage as well with, you guessed it, R2. Yunobo is entirely food motivated, he has a rock sirloin to eat at in battle that gives him different combos.

Urbosa can command lightning. She's agile and has many different ways to use said lightning. Her range isn't as wide as you would think. The Riju-Patricia duo are fun to play with but hard to control. The pair are good for hitting large groups hard.

Hestu isn't my favorite character to use. He uses his maracas to attack and he can call upon his Korok friends. Like Impa's clones, they enhance certain attacks.

Kohga was an unexpected fave. As with most characters, he's more fun to play the more combos he gets. Like Zant in HW, he has a (stress or tantrum) meter which fills up with the use of combos. When it's full, he can unleash a powerful beam attack. But fill it too much and it can hinder you.

King Rhoam is also really fun to play. An absolute powerhouse, switching between hermit and king form during strong attack combos wrecks everything in your wake. He's surprisingly quick.

There's a few more players to unlock but I have yet to do that. So here's other character stuff next:

Eventually we can play as the egg, which DOES indeed have a name, but we have to work for it. My main squeeze, Sooga, is seemingly not playable much to my dismay. Probably because he died. Fuck you, Astor. I knew you were gonna be a bastard but I didn't expect you to game end my beefy side piece (I must have missed it but according to his Zelda wiki page Sooga was shown in the secondary credits scene so idk is he alive??). I don't think we get to play as Astor either, like we could play as the antags in HW but monk Maz Koshia can be unlocked?? Ok, I'll need to do more board missions to find out who else is playable. I told my friend NOT TO TELL ME but she has a way of just ruining everything without outright stating things but now I know Super Saiyan Garou-Dorf is playable...

Missions:

Before every mission you can prepare a meal(s) with a status effect. You play through the recruitment of Link and the Champions, go through each of their Divine Beasts and get to pilot them.

You kill a lot of things, the maps have a handful of Koroks and chests to keep an eye out for. Larger enemies like Moblins and large monsters can have elemental variants, which can be exploited. As a Warriors game, play is very repetitive but not too exhaustive or boring. I could play for hours.

Each story mission seems to average 15-30 minutes if you're playing close to the recommended level. There's checkpoints you can reload from if you die and you're brought back to full heath starting at these points. So if in a pinch, dying may prove useful.

The final battle has no reprieve between fighting the Blights, Mini G and Astor, to fighting Evil Terrako, to fighting Big Boy Calamity Ganon. Remember in ALBW where Yuga and Ganon fuse?? Yeah so Big G takes on a humanoid form in the final battle. Link nearly died so I had to send him to the most isolated corner of the arena I could while everyone else fought. I made sure to be overleveled but I still barely won.

Miscellaneous:

King Zora is Alduin.

The gameplay was closer to Warriors style than standard Zelda and we cannot change it. I actually got so used to AoC that I had to change HW back go default.

I was originally simping for Astor before he was even introduced but then Sooga happened.

Since none of the Champions died in this game, can Sidon and Mipha grow up together now that she isn't dead?

I had a really good time with AoC overall. The English voice acting seems better this time but still just passable, though that doesnt ruin my experience. It kinda adds charm, like old Resident Evil and Silent Hill games.... Astor in particular was a worry I had but his voice was fine. We got to hear some more characters from BotW speak in Aoc. I hope voice direction keeps improving if Nintendo chooses to continue to have full voice acting.

I would absolutely love more Hyrule Warriors games but Nintendo doesn't plan on it becoming its own series. They're a nice departure from the core games. Why don't I just play Dynasty Warriors you might ask? Because theyre not ZELDA games. You get me? it's like asking why I dont just play any ol' horror, puzzle, actions game if I like Resident Evil so much. It's the characters.

AoC has a lot of stuff to get, koroks to find, board missions to complete, plenty of end game content via board missions. Also a big Fuck You to us for ALMOST GETTING TO SEE THE QUEEN IN A FLASHBACK GODDAMNIT! But thinking about it it was probably just Zelda's model. Same dress.

So uh yeah. Age of Calamity is a blast to play. If you liked HW and Warriors games overall, you'll like AoC. If BotW didn't compel you enough, AoC actually might!

I think that's all I have to say? I kept adding things before posting and I'm sure I'll have plenty more to add after the fact....

#legend of zelda series #age of calamity spoilers #age of calamity #aoc spoilers #review #liad talks #liad post #2020

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queenofcarrots · 7 years ago

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Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens (a meta)

This is a meta about Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren and their interactions in The Force Awakens. I don’t write much meta and this isn’t intended to be a work of scholarship, I just want to investigate the relationships that these three characters have with each other. One million thanks to @red-applesith and @thisgarbagepicker for talking through this with me and being so encouraging.

There are lots of great meta about Rey and Kylo Ren, particularly coming out of the Reylo fandom. There are also good meta about Finn, but several of those I’ve seen come from an anti-Kylo direction. There does seem to be a general preference in the fandom to keep the dynamics between those characters neatly split between "Finn and Rey" vs. "Rey and Kylo". I haven’t seen an extended meta that focused on these three characters equally, so that’s the space I want to fill with this meta. I’m interested in considering these characters together, not setting them up against one another.

Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren / Ben Solo have strong connections with each other as pairs and as a group of three, culminating in the showdown scene in the forest on Starkiller at the end of The Force Awakens. This scene and the one that immediately precedes it (the bridge scene, in which Kylo kills Han Solo), along with the kidnapping scene on Takodana, are the only scenes in either of the two sequel movies in which these three characters appear together on screen. But these scenes are only the culmination, so let’s start by looking at the scenes where these characters either appear together or refer to each other.

Rather than break the scenes down by character pairing or grouping (Kylo/Finn, Finn/Rey, Rey/Kylo, or Kylo/Finn/Rey) I’ll move through the film chronologically, marking each scene which includes a pairing as KF, FR, RK, or KFR. This way we can see how these relationships move through the movie, and in some cases how they affect transitions between scenes, or how groupings change within scenes. I’ll mark the scenes with minute marks, mostly in order to make sure to keep things in order, but also to make it easier for people to check on this if they want.

There’s not only the grouping, there’s also the running theme of Family: Kylo’s issues with his family, particularly his father, and the Skywalker legacy lightsaber, Rey’s mysterious background, and Finn’s utter lack of a known family. I think family is so important for these three, and this theme also has an impact on their relations with one another. So I want to bring this out in the meta as well.

The first several scenes we’ll look at are KF scenes, apart from one. Kylo and Finn are the first of these characters to meet, in the first extended scene of the film, and this meeting has serious implications for the film moving forward (arguably it’s the catalyst for the rest of the movie - nothing would have happened as it did if Kylo hadn’t let Finn go on Jakku). I think it’s relevant that the first scene takes place on Jakku, where we find out later that Rey is living only miles away from the current action. So although she isn’t physically present in these scenes, and we won’t even know she’s there until later in the film, her presence is arguably relevant to this scene. (Heck, one could argue that even this early scene is a KFR scene, because of that.)

Minutes after landing on Jakku (5:47), Finn is marked by the blood of his fellow stormtrooper, after which he has a bit of a breakdown. (I can’t help but think of a baptism by blood when I watch this scene.) As @secretreylostan pointed out to me in a recent ask, it’s only after this bloody handprint that Finn has his breakdown; up to this point he appears to be doing what all the other Stormtroopers are doing.

Kylo shows up immediately after.

He does these things in short order, each of which tells us something about him as a man or what he wants to do:

Demands the map to Luke Skywalker (his objective) (7:10)

Kills Lor San Tekka after being challenged about his Family (his sore spot) (7:30)

Freezes the blaster bolt (his strength in the Force) (7:35)

Orders Poe to be taken in for questioning (his objective, his ruthlessness) (8:19)

Orders all the villagers to be killed (his ruthlessness) (8:31)

Senses Finn disobeying a direct order, doesn’t do a dang thing about it (his compassion) (8:54)

He’s just been built up over two minutes as being absolutely strong, deadly, ruthless, and then his introduction ends with Finn. There’s no reason for him not to strike down Finn right then and there. But he doesn’t.

He does release the blaster bolt that he’d frozen earlier, which could be interpreted as a warning shot to Finn (and I’ve seen it interpreted that way in other meta). But it’s clearly not meant to touch Finn or hurt him physically.

At this point we interrupt our KF fest to meet Rey (10:43). Her entire introductory scene is Rey by herself, but we do get the theme of Family here too - that is, it is apparent she doesn’t have one. She works by herself, lives by herself, depends on scavenging for her food, and she counts the days by carving notches in the wall of her home. Hundreds and hundreds of them that we can see.

The next scene that I would call a KF scene is blink-and-you-miss-it (19:25): When Finn goes into the chamber to get Poe, he tells the stormtroopers guarding him, “Ren wants the prisoner.” The other stormtroopers let him take Poe away. Does this imply that Finn had worked directly with Kylo before? Or perhaps as suggested by @red-applesith (and as the novel confirms) it simply demonstrates that Kylo is indeed a high-ranking member of the FO, known by the stormtroopers, a person of enough importance that his name alone conveys authority. In any case, the guard doesn't question Finn's motives or request any kind of proof.

The next KF scene is when the FO discovers that Poe has escaped, and Kylo knows immediately that it was FN-2187 who helped him (22:24). He says, “The one from the village. FN-2187.” I think he’s being reminded of his act of compassion on Jakku, and of the consequences of such compassion. Note that he doesn’t indicate to Hux how or why he noticed FN-2187 on Jakku. Perhaps because he considers it a weakness. [Going out of order for a moment, on p. 237 of the TFA novel, Snoke takes Kylo to task over his compassion for Rey, berating him with: “It isn't her strength that is making you fail. It's your weakness.” - his weakness being the same compassion he showed to Finn at the very beginning of our story.]

The next scene I want to mention is technically about Finn only (and he’s not even in it), but it includes that theme of Family so I want to be sure to mention it, because it ties in with Rey’s earlier introduction (23:42) - perhaps this is an FR scene after all. This scene happens directly after Finn and Poe are shot down over Jakku, when Phasma and Hux are talking about FN-2187. We learn he was sent to reconditioning after Tuanul, and that he had no prior signs of non-conformity. We also see a picture of wee Finn in the lower left of this shot - our first indication of his childhood.

The next scene is a KF scene and begins with an interesting transition: From Finn looking down on Niima Outpost to Hux and Kylo talking about getting the droid (26:12). I think it’s interesting because it brings us into the scene with Finn on our minds - much as Finn is apparently on Kylo’s mind. At this point Kylo is still focused 100% on BB-8-and the map, but he also wants to talk about the capability of Hux’s soldiers. He doesn’t trust them now, and makes clear references to FN-2187 committing treason, although he doesn’t call him by name. In this scene Kylo is thinking of two things: getting the droid (and thus the map to Luke Skywalker), and the treachery of FN-2187. Regarding the theme of Family, it’s in this scene we learn that the stormtroopers under Hux’s command are “programmed from birth,” so we can make further assumptions about Finn’s childhood, and his lack of a family (similar to Rey).

Finally, our first FR scene, when Finn and Rey meet meet on Jakku (28:00). Once the FO come calling they escape from Jakku on... the Millennium Falcon, aka Kylo’s dad’s ship (31:42). Can we call this Family? Can we really stretch and call this scene KFR?

Finn and Rey have met, so now it’s time for Kylo to learn about Rey. I think this scene is particularly interesting because it begins with assumptions of what’s important up to this point: update on the droid, oh no there’s FN-2187 messing things up again. But then we have “The Girl” and things get really interesting. (I think of this as a KF scene that shifts to KFR).

After Rey and Finn escape from Jakku, poor Mitaka is sent to give the news to Kylo. He tells him three things:

The Droid escaped on a stolen Corellian YT Model freighter

FN-2187 may have helped

They were accompanied by A Girl

Kylo’s reaction to each piece of news is really interesting. Hearing about the escape on the freighter, he makes a joke (The droid… stole a freighter?) - although surely he is reminded of his father, even if he doesn’t believe this is his father’s ship? So I’m also tempted to tag this scene with Family.

Hearing about FN-2187 helping the droid escape sets Kylo off; he lights up his saber and destroys the console. He is angry - not only has this trooper escaped but he’s actively thwarting him in his quest to track down Luke Skywalker.

But hearing about The Girl changes his demeanor. He still seems angry, but it’s a focused anger rather than the violent anger of a moment before: Dragging Mitaka across the floor, holding him up by the neck: What Girl?

This is the beginning of the change in Kylo’s objective, set in his very first scene, from finding Luke Skywalker to finding The Girl.

In the very next scene of the film (37:45), Finn and Rey run straight into Han Solo - Kylo’s dad - pulling him into the story - pulling Kylo’s Family into the story. They help him escape, in the Falcon, along with BB-8 (don’t forget BB-8, he still has the map to Luke Skywalker!)

The next scene is with Kylo, Hux and Snoke on Starkiller (49:27). This scene does three important things: first, it reminds us that the objective is still to find Luke Skywalker. We can’t forget that this is still supposed to be Kylo’s main mission! Second, in this scene we discover that both Snoke and Kylo are aware of an awakening (perhaps having to do with Rey, making this a RK scene), but but also, third, Snoke informs Kylo that BB-8 is on the Millennium Falcon, along with Han Solo (and, we can presume that Kylo himself connects the dots at this point: The droid was with FN-2187 and a girl in a stolen freighter on Jakku, now it’s with Han Solo on the Falcon, ergo FN-2187 and a girl are with them now). One might argue this makes this a KRF scene, and also there’s that Family again, getting more and more wrapped up with everything else.

In the next scene (51:19) we have Rey, Finn, and Han. First, Rey helps Han stabilize the Falcon, then we have Rey and Finn learning for the first time about Luke’s wayward apprentice, although neither of them realize who exactly he is. (Note that the camera is solidly focused on Rey as Han says (53:02), “One boy, an apprentice, turned against him, destroyed it all”, and my Reylo heart sings a little song). The entirety of this scene brings Rey closer to Han (Family), and I label it KFR because it includes Finn and Rey, but Kylo is there in spirit.

The next stop for this group is arriving at Takodana (54:48), and meeting Maz.

There are important conversations between Han and Finn and Han and Rey in the scenes right after they land, and they serve to bring both of the younger characters closer to Kylo’s dad. I choose to tag all of these both with FR and with Family:

Han arms first Finn (55:00), then Rey (55:32)

Han knows Finn is lying about who he is (I’m talking specifically about his admonition: “Women always find out. Always.”) I have heard that Han recognized his boots as stormtrooper boots, but I have no reference for this.

Han offers Rey a job

They all go in and meet Maz (57:39), and then the very next scene is Kylo’s scene with Darth Vader’s mask (58:52). I think these two scenes are interesting contrasts, the first with Finn and Rey, along with Kylo’s dad (FR, Family), hoping Maz can help them; the second Kylo alone, begging for his grandfather (Family) to help him.

Takodana is where Finn and Rey finally separate: first Finn decides to run away to the Outer Rim, and then Rey is kidnapped by Kylo Ren. This first part of the Takodana story is FR with a dollop of Family.

Finn, who has at this point been on board with helping to get BB-8 back to the Resistance, picks back up on his plan to run away when he learns the FO is probably on its way, asking her to go with him (1:02;15); he also finally tells Rey the truth about his background, and we as an audience learn that he was - like all of the stormtroopers - taken from his family, and he never knew them.

As Finn leaves the building, Rey has the first hints of her Force vision, hearing her own voice as a child calling out from the basement (1:04:00). Recall that at this point although the FO is preparing Starkiller they are also planning to attack Takodana, so as Rey has her vision, Finn is preparing to leave and Kylo is preparing for his arrival.

The force vision is the first time we have RK scenes from Rey’s point of view. This is when Rey first sees Kylo Ren: in the rain (saving her?) (1:06:07), then in the forest (1:06:29). Both times he is masked.

At the moment Starkiller fires (which is visible from Takodana for reasons unexplained by science, but I’ll allow it) (1:09:47):

Kylo Ren is watching from the Finalizer. He does not appear to approve. (1:10:07)

Finn is packing to leave, but pauses to watch with the others. (1:10:19)

Rey is running through the forest, away from the lightsaber, but ends up being followed by BB-8. (1:11:06)

While Rey is running away, she has her first in-person experience with Kylo, RK, when she sees his ship from the forest (1:11:39). It’s after she sees his ship that she runs back to the castle, accompanied by BB-8.

Immediately after this, Maz gives the Skywalker lightsaber to Finn to give to Rey, effectively forcing them back together (1:12:09). She could have given it to Han, but she didn’t. He really can’t leave now; FR are back together again (with a Family connection to Kylo provided by the lightsaber)

While Finn and Han fight stormtroopers, Rey comes back to the castle with BB-8 (still concerned over that map to Luke Skywalker! Don't forget!) but is presented with stormtroopers - which she shoots (1:12:45). She’s just found out that Finn was a stormtrooper. Does she think about him at this time? If she does, it doesn’t stop her from shooting. Does this count as FR?

Kylo comes off the ship and heads to the fight, but when he’s told that the droid was seen with a Girl he immediately heads into the forest (1:13:06). Is it because of the mention of the droid, or the mention of the girl? I’m pretty sure it’s the girl, but either way, solid RK scene.

Finn takes the lightsaber as his weapon and fights with it for several minutes (beginning at 1:13:54). I’m going to count these scenes as KFR because at this point the Skywalker lightsaber is so caught up with Kylo, and Rey, and Kylo’s Family.

The next relevant set of scenes are Kylo and Rey meeting in the forest (beginning at 1:17:13). There has been so much written about these scenes so I’m not going to say much here, except that it’s so very clear that his objective for getting the droid (and thus the map) has been completely overtaken by his objective to (literally) get the girl. Up until this point it hasn’t been clear but his actions here make it absolutely so. Kylo uses the fact that Rey’s seen the map as an excuse to take her and leave. We know from previous scenes that Snoke doesn’t want the map in the hands of the Resistance, so even if he takes Rey he really should still take the droid! But he doesn’t, because he’s in awe. Our first extended, in-person RK scene.

Finn and Han are distraught watching Rey carried away by Kylo (1:18:45): KRF with a big helping of Family. This is the first time that Han has seen his son in our story. The circle of Rey, Finn, Kylo, and Kylo’s family is beginning to grow tighter.

Then we have more Family: Leia, Kylo’s mother, arrives with the Resistance (1:19:47). Poe brings Finn to Leia, and Finn has now met both of Kylo’s parents (1:22:24).

There is a brief scene where Han and Leia talk about their son (1:24:10), a good Family scene, which segues directly into the Interrogation scene.

As with the Takodana forest scene there’s been so much good Reylo meta written about the RK Interrogation scene (beginning 1:25:38), so I won’t dwell on it too much. For the purposes of this meta I will say that Kylo’s line “Murderers, traitors, and thieves” is clearly a reference to Finn (he’d referred to his treason in his earlier conversation with Hux), but also (per @thisgarbagepicker and @red-applesith) ‘thieves’ could be a reference to Han Solo and/or Maz (who had the lightsaber, perhaps stolen at some earlier point from Kylo), and ‘murderers’ could refer to Han Solo as well; in any case we have both KF and Family. I’m also interested in his unmasking (at 1:26:15) vs. Finn’s unmasking. Rey has only met an unmasked Finn; how might she have felt if she had met him masked? Is she thinking about Finn when Kylo takes his mask off and she first sees his all-too-human face?

Much of what Kylo says to Rey in this scene is projecting, but I want to note especially his line “so lonely, so afraid to leave.” (1:27:06) I’d like to think that this is not only him reading her mind and thinking about his own loneliness, but that it’s also a callback to his interaction with Finn on Jakku: KF. That was a man who was not afraid to leave, and who in fact left.

After digging around in Rey’s mind (including touching on his own father, Han Solo, although it’s not clear that Rey knows their connection - Family again) Kylo finally gets around to looking for the map (at 1:27:52), at which point Rey turns the tables on him because she’s a fucking badass, and he never gets the details of the map after all. He’s so far from where he started, his objectives are so thrown off, and it’s all because of that dang stormtrooper.

womp womp

Kylo immediately goes to Snoke (1:29:10), but he just wants to talk about The Girl (it’s an RK scene); it’s not until Hux comes in that they talk about the droid and the map (remember, his objective?). Hux wants to use Starkiller to destroy the Resistance, but Kylo asks for more time, and “guidance” to get the map from The Girl (it is unclear what kind of guidance he thinks Snoke may be able to provide). At this point Snoke seems more interested in destruction, but he does ask for The Girl to be brought to him.

RK scene: Kylo returns to the room to discover that Rey’s escaped, presumably on her own and using her Force powers, and has a tantrum (1:31:27).

Meanwhile Finn is reporting to the Resistance about Starkiller base, in a pretty solid FR scene (plus Family, since both of Kylo’s parents are present) (1:32:12). They figure out how to destroy Starkiller, but Finn is insistent that he must be there on the planet to disable the shields. I really love this scene because Finn is being quite devious. He wants to get to Starkiller to rescue Rey from Kylo (he admits this to Han later), and he uses his knowledge of the base as leverage to get them to send him there. Finn is joining with the Resistance in order to 1) take care of Rey; 2) escape (he still hasn’t forgotten his own objective, but he won’t leave until he knows Rey is safe).

As Rey attempts to make her way out of the base (beginning 1:35:04), both Finn (with Han and Chewie) and Kylo are searching for her, Finn having come with Han on the Millennium Falcon. After they land Finn finally admits that he’s only there for Rey, although he does help get the shields shut down. These are several scenes that fit together, KR, FR, Family.

Once the shields are down, Finn and Han first come up with a plan to get Rey, who they still think is being held captive, then find her wandering the ship (1:40:59). Note that Rey can’t tell Finn how she escaped: “How did you get away?” “I can’t explain it, and you wouldn’t believe it.” - she can’t tell him. This is between her and Kylo. A FR scene with K in the corner.

Then we get to the bridge scene (beginning 1:44:36), which is where the shit really hits the fan. It’s the first time since Takodana that we have Rey, Kylo, and Finn (KFR) together in the same physical location (although Finn and Rey are at a distance, according to the script for TFA they can see and hear what is happening on the bridge, and Kylo can see them).

Other metas have mentioned Kylo’s unwillingness to challenge Han, and the appearance that he’s actually trying to run away from him as he crosses the bridge. I want to think about this scene considering those two things, and everything in this meta up to this point, particularly Kylo’s interactions with Finn:

First was Kylo’s willingness to look the other way when when he sensed FN-2187′s disobedience on Jakku, which led directly to:

FN-2187 escaping from the FO, with their Resistance prisoner

FN-2187 saving the droid and somehow ending up with Han Solo on the Falcon (Family)

FN-2187 bringing Han Solo to Starkiller, where Kylo has basically just been forced to kill him

After killing Han, Kylo looks up to see Rey and Finn (1:50:13). The camera focuses a close-up on Finn. At this moment, Kylo Ren has just killed his father. We know from TLJ and from the script and the novel that 1) Kylo didn’t hate Han, and 2) he immediately feels that the killing has weakened him, not made him stronger. No wonder he’s so angry at Finn! Look at how much he’s lost from that one, single act of compassion.

Now we come to the Starkiller forest (beginning 1:51:00), which, again, there has been a whole lot of Reylo-focused meta written about. This scene moves from KFR to KF (after Rey is knocked out) then to RK (when Finn is knocked out) then finally to FR (when Kylo is knocked out). That seems really poetic when I write it out like that.

The opening conversation is very focused on Family. I’m not certain about Kylo’s opening “We’re not done yet,” (is he talking to Rey, referring to what happened during the interrogation, or to Finn, referring all the way back to their interaction on Jakku, or is he speaking more generally about what just happened?) but his next lines, “It’s just us now. Han Solo can’t save you,” seems to me to be both a threat to them, and a reminder to himself that he’s just killed his dad.

Kylo knocks Rey against the tree first, presumably to keep her out of the way while he dispatches Finn (KF). Finn takes the lightsaber (Family) and the fight proceeds. Kylo doesn’t kill him immediately, instead he prances around, taking his time. He wants to cause Finn pain - this is personal for him. He burns Finn’s shoulder just because he can. Once Finn actually gets a hit in Kylo knocks the lightsaber out of his hand, punches him around, and cuts up his back. Oddly enough he doesn’t spear him though or cut off a limb, which he could have done easily. Interesting, right? Is he dealing out compassion for Finn even now? (Or, as @thisgarbagepicker and @red-applesith suggest, it this Kylo being an arrogant twat, considering the murder of Finn a waste of time, considering that the planet is about to explode? A cat playing with a mouse, up until the mouse bites back? I kind of like this idea too.)

Next is all Rey and Kylo (RK). After she is able to call the Skywalker lightsaber (an example of Kylo being denied his own Family), he fights her very differently than he fought Finn. He isn’t trying to hurt her (in the novel he states "I could kill you right now. But there is another way."), and he even offers to be her teacher in the Force. Then she kicks his ass and takes Finn to safety (FR).

She does take a moment to look at him over her shoulder, Skywalker lightsaber in her hand (Family), as she follows Chewie and Finn onto the Falcon (FR, RK). (I find this an interesting parallel with the end of TLJ.)

But the movie’s not over!

The final relevant scenes are all FR and Family. First, Chewie, Finn and Rey arrive at the base (2:00:09), and Rey meets Kylo’s mom (Family) - another nice hug for Rey.

The last FR scene in the film is Rey saying goodbye to Finn in the hospital (2:02:32).

Leia (Kylo’s mom, remember) and Rey say goodbye, too (at about 2:03:10) - Family.

Then, finally, our last bit of Family, Rey (with the Skywalker lightsaber) meets Luke on Ahch-To (2:05:55).

Coming after the climax in the forest these small scenes are a bit of a letdown, but they set Rey on her way for her next journey, and push her deeper into Kylo's family/story - setting her up for her next chapter in The Force Awakens.

In conclusion, we can see that the characters of Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren are tied together in various groupings throughout The Force Awakens, particularly around Kylo's family, especially his father, Han Solo, his father's ship The Millennium Falcon, and the legacy Skywalker Lightsaber. Additionally, @thisgarbagepicker pointed out that throughout TFA, Finn, Rey, and Kylo are all given the chance to leave something destructive behind. Finn succeeds at Tuanul, leaving the First Order; Rey succeeds in leaving Jakku (although she’s forced into it, a bit, and it’s not until her conversation with Maz that we’re sure she’s not going to go back), and Kylo fails - and he’s still working towards it at the end of The Last Jedi.

I started extending this meta into The Last Jedi, but it became clear pretty quickly that the addition of the Force bond and the characters of Luke Skywalker and Rose Tico change things, especially around the concept of Family, so eventually I’ll do a second meta looking at the same themes in TLJ.

#rey #finn #kylo ren #han solo #meta

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