Would you ever ship reylo romantically after 9 m, given the right situation/scenes/interactions? If so, what would you need to see?
I’ve talked about Reylo here, but I’ll try to expand on it.
As of right now, I don’t ship Reylo. I can see the appeal of it (hero x villain, death x maiden imagery, dark and light coming together, etc.) but, as I see it, their relationship is really complicated as to just say “yay or nay” to them as a pair.
In TFA, they were clearly on opposite sides, but you could sense the ever-growing tension between them, especially after Kylo “accidentally” bonded with Rey through the Force, creating a link between the two. They’re linked, but they’re still enemies.
This changes in TLJ. Rey starts the movie seeing him as a monster, but through the Force Bond, she starts to connect with him. She sees that behind a terrible man that kills and tortures, is a man utterly afraid and lonely, just like she’s feeling in that moment. It’s interesting how their relationship shifts in Ep. VIII, because they could see each other as partners (not romantically speaking -at least) in bringing balance to the galaxy, but they don’t agree on what that balance is or must be. So ultimately, they fight. They’re still enemies. But now, they have a better understanding of each other, not as the last jedi or the supreme leader, but as people.
Having said this, there’s one thing about their relationship that stands out for me (and not in a good way)
This is classic gaslighting. That’s a very common thing abusers say to make their partners stay with them. It’s a tactic that plays right into the fears of the abused person (being alone, feeling worthless) and the sad thing is that it works (if the victim has no one outside the relationship). He says to her that she has no meaning, unless she’s by his side. He says that by his side (and by his side only) she will have meaning, purpose. We know this is a load of BS. Rey (for all her issues) knows this is a load of BS. Especially since her last scene in TLJ is this:
She’s not nothing. She’s not alone. She has purpose and people she can call family, people that will be there for her and cares for her just as she will be there for them and cares for them.
For all the “potential” (IDK what other word I can use) I see in them, the abusive undertones in their relationship is something that I just cannot look past.
Now, you asked me what would I need to see in The Rise of Skywalker to make me ship Reylo. I truly don’t know. Because for me, I have to see things first, analize them, see what they make me feel, and then decide. Especially in SW, since TFA, TLJ and TROS are all part of a chapter of the Skywalker saga.
I’d like to see the redemption of Ben Solo. After all, Star Wars is about forgiveness and finding your way to the light. Star Wars is about hope: hoping that good will prevail, hoping that better times will come, hoping that no matter how hopeless something may seem, it can all work out in the end. If Vader could be redeemed at the end of ROTJ, so can Kylo Ren in TROS. How it will happen? My guess is as good as yours, nonny. I’d like it very much though if they abstained from the “redemption through death” trope. It’s been done with Anakin already and I’m really tired of seeing characters (from the ones that fucked up that one time to straight-up villains) go this route.
Kylo Ren is a complex villain. He knows what he’s doing is bad, but in his mind he’s just too far gone for any kind of salvation. He thinks the best solution for the galaxy is to burn it all down; the jedi, the sith, the republic, the first order. All these things are what brings chaos to the galaxy, so he wants to get rid of them (the thing is that to “get rid” of all those things he’ll have to commit mass murder, so... yeah). He’s also a victim; he was groomed by Snoke since before he was born, he had to live with his voice inside his head all his life. He’s both tortured and torturer. He’s willingly on a path of darkness but at the same time he wants it to stop. He’s alone and hurting and yet he does things that keep people away. He kills Han in TFA but spares Leia in TLJ. He’s a rich character, full of dichotomies and extremes.
What I’d like to see in IX is for him to find balance on his own, get rid of the extremes he’s always measured his life in. I don’t want him to end being the Supreme Leader, I don’t want him to turn into a Jedi. I want him to find himself, to finally be Ben Solo. But I also want him to repent, to go through some sort of penance for the terrible things that he has done, especially since he knows and acknowledges it. To find forgiveness through owning up to what he’s done.
As for Rey... TBH I don’t see a romantic endgame for her. So far it just hasn’t been part of her arc. Her arc is driven by her sense of identity and belonging. Since TFA, she wants to knows who she is, she craves for family, for people that would truly care for her. She also has this huge identity issue. Growing up alone in Jakku, where people work every single day until they die, she truly believes she’s no one, a figure in the background watching life pass by, day by day. By the end TLJ she has found the family she’s been waiting for in Finn, Leia and the Resistance. But she’s also found a sense of self: she’s a jedi, the last jedi, she’s a fighter, she’s a valuable member of the Resistance. After a life of believing she didn’t matter, she ended up being one of the most important people in the whole galaxy. All on her own, all because of her and her power.
She’s a restless hero, always willing to help and do the right thing. She’s incredibly powerful. But she’s also a young girl, with her own fears and insecurities. But she’s strong as hell because of those fears and insecurities, because she manages to rise up above them and keep on fighting and doing the right thing. She’s very compassionate but she’s also extremely fierce when she has to, especially when it comes to fight for the people she loves and the right thing.
I can see Rey offering compassion to Kylo Ren, one that wants redemption and works for it. I can see this happening only if KR is truly commited to move forward in leaving the FO behind and start working in repairing the damage he’s done to the galaxy.
Other than that, I don’t have any other expectations regarding Reylo. I’m trying to go into IX with no expectations, headcanons or theories (or the less amount my good ol’ brain can manage to reduce them to), not because I have low expectations, but so I can be properly surprised. It’s the final chapter of the Skywalker saga, so I don’t want to be spoiled (since I guessed a lot of things when it came to TLJ). When it comes to SW, it’s like a huge easter egg hunt for me: I search for hidden meanings, symbolisms, nods to other movies/materials in rewatching the movies. Rewatching the movies is what makes the whole experience fun!
To give you a short answer, nonny. I have to see IX before I can decide or am inclined to ship Reylo. As for now, I’m fascinated by their dynamic, but I don’t ship it romantically. Maybe come back after TROS comes out and I can give you a proper response?
