A lot has changed in the world since The Rise of Skywalker was released last December. What has not changed (and probably never will) is my hatred for the ending of the movie. Like many, I was extremely disappointed with the sequels. For most of The Rise of Skywalker, I was content — it seemed as though they were redeeming themselves for the atrocity that was The Last Jedi. Until the Reylo kiss. I know some people were unsurprised by it, but I was, and I thought there was no need for it. Almost a year later, I still think it should not have happened. Here’s why.
- There Was No Need to Give Rey a Love Interest
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We, as a society, have progressed beyond the need to give every character a love interest. Honestly, before the kiss, I was kind of excited, thinking she didn’t have a love interest. I thought it was so cool that they not only made a woman the lead, but then, as an extra, she wasn’t just going to end up with a man beside her (not that having a man beside her makes her any less badass). It just would’ve been kind of interesting if her story was all about her own growth, and the men around her were just supportive buddies.
- They’re Literally Related
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This is gonna be a lot to follow, so just bear with me. In The Phantom Menace, Shmi tells Qui Gon that she was just pregnant one day, no father. However, in Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine reveals that with the power of the dark side of the Force, one can create life — implying that this is how Anakin came into the world. Now, in the comic series, Palpatine is depicted manipulating medi-clorian to impregnate Shri. This would make Palpatine the great grandfather of Kylo Ren. Since Rey is Palpatine’s granddaughter, that makes her Kylo Ren’s first cousin once removed. Gross.
- Their Connection Was Not Romantic
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The first defense I hear for this kiss is that “tHeY HAd a CoNneCTiOn.” Technically, yes. But not because of love or the power of the light side of the Force. No, they had a “connection” because Snoke/Palpatine made a connection between them. He wanted Kylo in Rey’s head to torture her and provide the First Order with answers about the rebellion. Their connection was just to make them pawns, and Kylo used it to make her feel uneasy. Which brings me to my next point…
- They Spent Most of the Trilogy Torturing One Another
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Every time their connection was used, Rey was extremely uncomfortable. Kylo knew this and he kept popping up to bother her anyway. He played mind games with her for the better part of three movies. They worked together, maybe twice. But Rey watched him kill her mentor twice. He put her through so much emotional turmoil. After watching all of that, we were just supposed to accept that just because he was damaged, it’s okay that he was terrible to her. No, what we’re not going to do is glorify toxic relationship dynamics, and that is exactly what having them kiss did.
Everything about the Reylo kiss was problematic. Kylo may have turned back to the light side of the Force, but they did not know each other like that. Also, right after they killed him off. They could have hugged or looked into each other’s eyes and that would have been enough for the Reylo shippers — and the rest of us could have left the theaters feeling satisfied with the ending of the Skywalker saga.