My main take away from The Last Jedi...

[lizbee]

I mean, okay, it was ... structurally problematic.

"Let's just send two characters off on a side quest which ultimately doesn't affect the plot at all" was certainly a choice which was made, and it's just through sheer luck and the talent, charisma and chemistry of John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran that the Finn and Rose plotline was so entertaining that I almost forgot how ridiculous it was.

But what I keep coming back to is this: how are the second generation Rebel men so terrible?!

Poe: receives an important lesson from Leia about the more subtle types of heroism that don't end with a whole lot of people dying unnecessarily. Turns right around and chucks a tanty mutiny because a lady, who has no need at all to explain herself to him, refuses to explain herself to him.

He comes across as entitled and kind of obnoxious and mansplainy, and it's only because Oscar Isaac is so pretty that I don't hate Poe outright. (In fact, I kind of ship Holdo/Poe, but only if it's a bit kinky and he's not allowed to speak in her presence ever.)

(BASICALLY, now I have a second-favourite space vice admiral, and it's niche, but I'll take every crumb that 2017 throws my way, and also if anyone were to write fic where Holdo and Cornwell get drunk, lament the pretty-but-useless men under their command and then make out, there's an audience for that right here.)

Meanwhile, Ben Solo -- in addition to his many, many other failures -- has decided that the way to win Rey over is to re-enact Darcy's first proposal. You know, the one where he insults Elizabeth's family but deigns to love her in spite of them.

Mate. You gotta read the whole book. And also stop killing people, although his actual body count was a lot lower this time around, so well ... done?

Anyway, IN SHORT, someone has badly let down the sons of the Rebellion. I assume it's Han Solo's fault somehow. Or Lando's. Or both. Thank heavens we have Finn, The Only Non-Garbage Man Of His Generation, to save us all.

(I am genuinely annoyed about the Poe thing, though. Like, you go in expecting Kylo Ren to be THE WORST, and that is the one area where he's not going to disappoint you. But Poe turns out to be awful in such a common, mediocre way, just like millions of men out there in the real world. Only prettier.)

Comments

[lizbee]

RIGHT? IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO FINN OR ROSE, I WILL BURN IT ALL DOWN.

At least Finn's attempted sacrifice was the culmination of an arc where he started out determined to run from the First Order, then stayed for an individual, and now he's ready to die for a cause.

Next step: living for the cause instead.

[rj_anderson]

Oh man, yes. I almost lost it when I thought Rose was going to die, too. SO glad she was just unconscious and looks likely to make a full recovery. Kelly Marie Tran is a treasure and must be protected.

And yes to Finn's character arc. I don't understand the people who claim he didn't have one in this movie, or that he somehow regressed from his heroism in TFA. It was totally clear to me that the only reason he fought with the Resistance was to save Rey, not because he believed in their cause or thought they had any chance of succeeding, so I wasn't surprised to see him trying to desert with the beacon to save Rey from going down with the Resistance ship. I loved how clear it was by the end that he had come to believe in the Resistance, and was ready to fight for them no matter what the cost.

I would still recommend the beginning of the Canto Bight sequence as a convenient place to step out and go to the washroom, much like the Rathtars scene in TFA, but that doesn't mean the whole thing is meaningless (unlike the Rathtar sequence which... kind of was).

[lizbee]

WE WATCHED TFA AGAIN LAST NIGHT

AND I WAS LIKE

WE CAN JUST FAST FORWARD THROUGH THE RATHTARS

THE ONLY GOOD BIT IS WHEN REY SAVES FINN WITH SECURITY CAMERAS

[sabrina]

Me, every time. Why am I here? There's some quippy Han & Chewie back and forth, and the Rey saving Finn, and that's like the only part of that scene I care about.

[rj_anderson]

It is interesting, though, in that it reminds us that Han always did have a pretty cavalier or even downright callous attitude to other people dying as a result of his actions, unless those people were in the very small circle of people he cared about. It's the Skywalkers, not the Solos, who have the bigger humanitarian perspective.

[lizbee]

HAN SOLO IS A TERRIBLE PERSON AND WHILE PARRICIDE IS OBVIOUSLY NOT GREAT, HIS DEATH WAS NOT A HUGE LOSS FOR THE GALAXY

[rj_anderson]

BUT LIZ I STILL LOVE HIM

(Even though I still also feel bad for poor Greedo.)

[lizbee]

HE WAS A DEADBEAT SPACE DAD WHO WAS ONLY REDEEMED BECAUSE THE SKYWALKER TWINS LOVED HIM

[rj_anderson]

RUDE

(But true.)

[anghraine]

I was just casually catching up with my feed and YOU HAVE MY SWORD LIGHTSABER.

[sabrina]

I legit have real issues with how they characterized him, because it is not where I would have taken him post-RotJ, but I'd say it's definitely true for this canon.

Also, Ben has a lot of Han's less favorable characteristics...

[grimorie]

!!!! Other people who also think Finn had an arc in TLJ! I honestly don't get people who say he didn't, and he didn't get to do anything. He had the emotional arc of committing to the cause that isn't limited to Rey! He has one up on Han in that way. Han was only ever committed to the cause because of the Twins!

[sabrina]

YES. I really liked Finn's arc too. I didn't see it as immediately as I saw Poe's, but when I stepped back to think about it - it was kind of an essential piece of character development for him I think, and I really am excited to see where he heads in 9.