Let’s talk about the elevator scene…
This scene is so revealing.
There’s quite a lot at play here that the average moviegoer might not immediately be aware of–the sexually charged body language, the dark and light symbolism, the film score–but the Reylo community has already spotted it all. Because, well, Reylos are intellectuals. 😊
But there’s a lot that’s easily missed in just the dialogue. I’ve thought a great deal about this scene and viewed it multiple times, and now I want to take a deep dive into the literal words they speak to each other and what they mean both on the surface and just below.
First let’s set the scene:
* This is the first time Rey and Kylo are physically side by side since she tried to kill him in the forest on Starkiller Base.
* She is there, on the enemy’s ship, of her own free will.
* He is escorting her to see his master, and he’s put her in handcuffs. She doesn’t resist the handcuffs.
* She’s changed her clothes, put on makeup and decided to leave her hair down.
* He’s looking less baggy-eyed and his hair is clean and fluffy.
* Their previous interaction was hella intimate, resulting in a shared vision.
So keeping these things in mind, let’s move on to the dialogue as it would (probably) appear in the script.
You don’t have to do this. I can feel the conflict in you. It’s tearing you apart… Ben, when we touched hands, I saw your future. Just the shape of it, but solid and clear. You will not bow before Snoke… You’ll turn. (whispers) I’ll help you. I saw it.
I saw something too. Because of what I saw I know when the moment comes you’ll be the one to turn. You’ll stand with me… Rey, I saw who your parents are.
Now before we get started, I’d like to make a bold assertion. And it is this: If interpreted correctly, the dialogue in the elevator scene shows you just exactly how the confrontation in the Throne Room will go down, including how it will end.
I’m going to take the dialogue and break it into parts. Then I’m going to give my interpretation of each part.
“You don’t have to do this.”
* I think she’s saying that he doesn’t have to take her to Snoke, that they can just sneak away without any sort of dangerous confrontation having to take place.
“I feel the conflict in you.”
* She’s reminding him of their bond and the way it allows her to sense his inner state. And she feels his conflict–he can’t hide it from her.
“It’s tearing you apart.”
* A simple, declarative sentence. A fact.
* She knows the toll this conflict is taking on him. She feels his pain.
* She’s using his real name now, the one his parents gave him, to remind him of his light side upbringing and appeal to his true nature–or what she believes it to be.
* She wants him to know that he’s Ben now, not Monster or Murderous Snake or even Kylo Ren–the name he chose for himself.
“When we touched hands, I saw your future.”
* She’s making him recall the intimacy of that moment. It’s the reason she abandoned Luke and crossed the galaxy to be face to face with him, despite the dangers.
* But she’s saying “I saw your future.” She doesn’t know yet if he saw anything.
“Just the shape of it. But solid and clear.”
* She doesn’t know the details, but the feeling of it came through–a good feeling.
* She speaks confidently as if she’s certain of her own abilities and he should be too.
“You will not bow before Snoke.”
* She’s telling him she knows he can transcend Snoke’s manipulation, that he can be free of conflict–it will no longer tear him apart.
* not bow = stand (remember this)
* He’s currently with the First Order, on the dark side, so if he turns as she says he will, it must mean he will defect to the light side or Resistance. There are only two sides, right?
* This is still part of what she believes she saw when they touched hands. I don’t think she saw him actually turning, she just felt his future and it gave her a good feeling–so, therefore, he must turn to what she perceives as the good side.
* Also “You’ll turn” means “I won’t turn.”
“I’ll help you. I saw it.”
* I’ll help you = I am here for you
* I saw it = reminding him again that she has seen his good future
* She whispers these lines as if to show sincerety. Or perhaps the whisper is to say it’s their little secret. To me, it even comes off a bit demure, perhaps implying a potential romantic relationship if he turns.
* But this is her final appeal, a plea for him to believe in her abilities and see the way to his good future.
* He’s basically saying, “you’re not the only one that has this power.”
* It feels like he’s standing up for himself in a way, reacting to and matching her confidence. He’s recently felt so weak and he doesn’t want to appear that way in front of her.
* The “something” he’s talking about is Rey’s parents. We find that out in just a minute.
This next sentence I’m gonna chop up a bit. Here’s the whole thing…
“Because of what I saw I know when the moment comes, you’ll be the one to turn.”
PART ONE: “When the moment comes”
* He already knows that when they face Snoke a “moment” will come when allegiances will hang in the balance.
* Since he knows a turning point will come, he’s basically saying he’ll be the one to initiate it. Because how else could he know for sure that such a moment would come? The vision he spoke of had to do with Rey’s parents, not a fight with Snoke, so I don’t think he has knowledge of how the events in the Throne Room will play out–besides, of course, what his own decisions will be.
* But I also think “moment” means her ultimate decision about their future which comes later when he offers his hand.
PART TWO: “Becuase of what I saw… I know you’ll be the one to turn.”
* Again, what he saw is who her parents are.
* So because of who her parents are, she will turn. This is the best part and the most revealing of Kylo’s character because he’s assuming that because her parents threw her away she will turn toward a different life. Sound familiar?
* And I think it’s also safe to assume that the different life he thinks she’s going to turn toward will have nothing to do with the one she currently has. So, goodbye Resistance.
* And again, “you’ll be the one to turn” means “I won’t be the one to turn.”
* He’s confidently confirming what she said earlier, that he will not bow to Snoke. He will stand and she will stand with him. His mind is already made up as far as the choice between Snoke and Rey goes.
“Rey, I saw who your parents are.”
* So here’s the big reveal, the info he has that he knows she wants. And it kind of cuts the tension and eliminates the possibility of them fucking against the wall kissing had the elevator kept going.
* And I don’t think he would’ve told her the truth about her parents at this point. I think he was saving it for later, when it would have more of an impact. Some might call that manipulation, but in my opinion, it’s not much different than her using her physical presence to effect him. They both had different cards to play to win the game, that’s all.
So back to my bold assertion
Kylo knew that he would betray Snoke (had probably been thinking about it ever since the Force Bond started up) and I think he was confident enough in his abilities and Rey’s allegiance to think he had a shot at killing him. And after his lightsaber came back to him spinning at his feet, he figured out how to do it.
Kylo knew that Rey would back his decision, believing what she did about his “turn,” and help him clean up the mess.
Then, when it was all over and they fucked on the hard floor faced each other again, he knew she would listen to him because he hadn’t yet played his last card.
He was sincere in his proposal to start something new–not the light or dark, but something else–and when she hesitated, he whipped out that card.
Getting her to admit that she’d known the truth about her parents all along just recalled their special bond, that the Force put them together for a reason. And Kylo believed that reason was to break away from the light and dark and be something different. And he thought she wanted that too, but he badly underestimated the strong connections she’d made with the other Resistance members.
Kylo had the right idea, but he still just wanted to run away from his past, not make peace with it.
And Rey sees the Resistance as the infallible good guys, the right choice, the only choice.
They both saw only one possible happy ending to their meeting, and the dialogue in the elevator tells me that their ideas about what that happy ending would be were different. He was always gonna offer his hand, but she was never gonna take it unless he was following her back to the Resistance.
Luke said it wouldn’t turn out like Rey thought, and he was right. But he could just as easily have been talking to Kylo too. Or maybe it was really a screenwriter talking to his audience.
These two kids are high on the power the Force is giving them and over-confident in their own talents. Rey believed she alone could bring Kylo back to the light after years of darkness and Kylo believed he could kill his master and marry the light-side girl. They’ve both got to be insane to think these things!
Maybe limited social interaction in their pasts is to blame for this colossal misunderstanding. Or maybe it’s because they’re just idiots in love. I think it’s all of thee above.
Thanks for sticking it out with me. I didn’t mean for that analysis to turn into a long ass meta, but that’s what happened.
Now I want to know what you guys think about this scene. Comment, message me, ask questions, whatever. Let’s start a conversation. ✌
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