yeah no hi I was just rewatching the Rayllum fight in 3x08 (SUCH a great scene for them, sets up TTM, etc.) and I was just overcome again by the fact that Runaan gave Ethari the moonstone necklace, didn't come back, then Ethari gave it to Rayla, not knowing whether they'd see eachother again, then Rayla tried to pull the same on Callum and he straight up broke it. Like he very literally and figuratively broke the cycle. I'm unwell again -queenofthesurfacestreets
not sure if tumblr cut off my ask but YEAH. That 3x08 scene is so good for them and it really drives home Callum's thing about breaking cycles, which you've probably talked about before, but I revisited it today and I'm UNWELL
Okay yes Callum as Rayla's literal and metaphorical chain-breaker is so fucking good and I love it so much. (Have touched more on 3x08 here specifically)
Like in 1x02, Callum talks - almost pretty successfully - Rayla out of being an assassin, or at least a proper assassin. Then, by shattering the primal stone in the finale, he leads to the chain of events (geddit?) that result in the removing of her binding, which is her core metaphorical/literal chain symbol in the series. We see this pop up again in 2x07 as he frees her from the Cycle emotionally / philosophically as she explains to him, and then he follows it up by literally breaking the chains of the dragon she's trying to free. (Side note: I do love the 2x07-2x08 subplot so much because it's what reaffirms the larger theme of the series, where breaking the cycle alone in action isn't enough - the methods you take to get there also matter.)
Then last but not least in 3x08 he breaks the literal circular pendant she gives him that's a symbol of her family's grief, goodbyes, and remembrance, saying that just the memory of her isn't enough, and allowing her to make a choice unburdened by guilt.
The framing shot similarities too of each one having a hand close up, then crushing something, save the primal stone which gets a darker toss inversion (like the 1x04 cube) when he smashes it.
(Also: the pendant meaning "My love will be with you even when the moon is not," Callum seeing and knowing that exchange, and then "And wherever she is, she loves you too" like ugh, it's so freaking good and heartfelt in all the ways)
Also because I've been compiling and rewatching so much of Rayla's trauma surrounds a lack of agency / being restrained & immobilized. She's such a physical character this makes sense (Callum and Ezran have their own prison motifs, but Callum gets stuck in his head and Ezran is weighted by the crown, which is its own complicated thing) but it is interesting to see how much it pops up. Her ability to use both hands fading, refusing to leave the dragon and being cornered in, stuck under rocks with Sol Regem, trapped in ice by Viren, etc etc. And most of those cases results in Callum freeing her as well, which is neat, I think!
Another note building upon Rayla's nature to get stuck (aka a constant cycle just like the moon, even as her phases/character still changes) is that for most of the characters, they're resolving or showing little ways that they're changing from their predecessors.
Janai is not the traditionalist her brother wants and has her own plans for her people; Ezran is missing but actively resolving to be different/better than Harrow; Callum picks through Viren's things, but wants to be nothing like him (how successful that is, we'll have to see); Janai and Amaya have greatly changed in their relationship, with Janai carrying a healing salve to never hurt Amaya again, etc etc.
But Rayla isn't doing any of that. She's just repeating the footsteps of her parents and predecessors, the same way she was in 1x02 and 1x06 and 3x08 and arguably even in 3x09 as the Last Dragonguard, and especially in TTM. And it's patterns that destroyed all of them, their relationships with her and her own sense of self worth along with it. (Thanks for nothing, Silvergrove)
Now she's repeating Harrow's, leaving a letter, convinced she has to pay the price for her mistake (not successfully killing Viren, in her case) and that no one else can or should pay that price - not realizing there doesn't have to be a price paid at all.
H: The last time I saw your mother, she said, "I will see you on the other side." I don't know what lies on the other side, but I do know I will be watching over you and your brother. Always.
R: I will think of you under every full moon. Please don’t let this hurt too much. But, if it does—if you feel that soft aching—know that that piece of your heart isn’t missing. It’s not missing at all, Callum: I’m carrying it with me! Always.
In some ways Ezran's key thematic purpose is to explore the concepts of the Crown / explicit Legacy and Nature, Callum's is Freedom and Magic/Power, and Rayla's is Duty, Sacrifice, and Paying the Price.
So like, TDP owes me emotional compensation / will be paying for my therapy bills, but what else is new?