Like most people, I have multiple favorite scenes from The Force Awakens but I really wanted to challenge myself and only write about one and after much contemplating, I finally decided! This one scene may have stood out just a smidge more than the others for me. Yes, I just said smidge. *Waves hand* Move along.
I absolutely love the interaction we see between Rey and Kylo Ren, especially in the interrogation scene aboard the Starkiller. When she finally comes to and realizes she is being held against her will by "a creature in a mask", she immediately begins to panic. When you're bound and woken up to someone in black staring you down, I'm sure you would too! Kylo removes his mask like it's no big deal, which led me to believe that it wasn't a necessary piece but rather something to hide behind. He's an angered and tormented character and he can't let anyone know of his struggles within. He must constantly appear in control to everyone around him. Though he sensed something more about Rey he must've felt he had the situation under control, at least enough to take his mask off and reveal his true identity. Rey stares at the face of Kylo almost surprised to find a young human face underneath. Rey is used to being able to take care of herself but appears vulnerable and unsure of what will happen next. However, she refuses to give him the information he has been searching for and so he begins to use the force to cycle through her brain. We learn of Rey's feelings and dreams (could the island surrounded by water be an indication that she is Luke's daughter? Or more of a sign of who she's supposed to be and where she's supposed to go?) and her admiration for Han Solo, the father figure she wish she'd had. Kylo's disregard for his father is obvious and sets him off while Rey demands he get out of her head.
The part that I love the most about this scene is when Rey begins to fight back against Kylo. But before I get into that I wanted to briefly mention when Kylo tells her, "Don't be afraid. I feel it too." What do they both feel in this moment? Fear? An unknown familiarity of some sort? Could they be cousins or possibly siblings? Have they unknowingly crossed paths before? In Rey's vision, did Kylo actually save her from the figure who was about to attack her? Were they both Padawans being trained by Luke? I'd love to know your theories on this matter. I definitely think Kylo Ren knew who she was or who she could be as soon as she was brought to his attention.
Kylo Ren realizes it's not going to be easy to retrieve the information he needs to get to Luke Skywalker, so he takes things up a notch using telepathic intrusion, and from Rey's reaction it was just as uncomfortable as when he used the same tactic on Poe Dameron. After a moment of physical discomfort, she begins to concentrate and presses forward, no longer sitting back against the interrogation chair. Her breathing evens out, and her focus is fixed on the figure before her. Kylo begins to lose his stamina and shockingly realizes the force is with Rey as he feels the push against his palm that is unsteadily shaking but still pointed at Rey. In this moment I was reminded of the battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan on Mustafar, particularly the scene where they're attempting a force push against one another at the same time. Equally strong in the force, there's a moment where they're both wrestling against each other to send the other flying backward. Their hands almost meet when suddenly each of them are thrown backwards from the intensity of their powers. We see a very similar situation with Rey and Kylo. Rey isn't as powerful as Kylo, at least not yet, but the more she focused on using the force to withstand Kylo's grasp the more he became unsteady. Finally, when Rey declares that he is afraid of never being able to be as strong as Darth Vader, both of their bodies are quickly jolted backward from the release of the force. Not because Rey could no longer keep her ground but because Kylo was so shaken by her ability to see the truth inside of him that he wasn't able to focus enough to continue what he probably thought would be an easy interrogation. We see both of their facial expressions for a brief moment. Rey looks surprised and shocked from the power of the force, something that, to her knowledge, she has never experienced or "tapped into" before. But Kylo is looking at her with fear in his eyes and befuddlement. He probably wished he never took the mask off. From this point on things have definitely changed between them and I'm really looking forward to seeing how each of their characters will develop individually and what the tension will feel and look like in their next scene together. Especially after things ended the way they did.
What did you think of this scene? Did you pick up on anything I might have missed?
When Kylo Ren says "Don't be afraid, I feel it too." I think he is pointing out the force, either dark or light. He knows she is force sensitive. I believe he knows who she is. He will learn shortly how strong she is and like you said, it will throw him off.
ReplyDeleteI think that is a very good theory, especially since he doesn't seem surprised by it. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI follow your sister Jaclynn's blog, and recently discovered this one. I am a big Star Wars fan too, and am looking forward to more of your awesome posts! :D
ReplyDelete~Lizzy
Hello Lizzy! Thanks for visiting :) I am glad you liked the post. Feel free to look back through some of my older posts as well as I'm sure you'll find more that you like :)
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