He had reacted poorly to what had happened earlier, and that had been reflected in the Supreme Leader’s judgment. To add to the discomfort, that slimy sycophant Hux always seemed to appear at the most awkward possible moment.
He gritted his teeth, angry at himself. It was a measure of his current weakness that something like jealousy toward an insignificant simpleton like Hux could even enter his mind. It was nothing but a waste of physical energy and mental concentration. Hux—Hux was not worthy of such attention.
The girl, on the other hand…
Even as [Kylo] callously rifled through her mind, he had somehow revealed his own. Rey found herself in his mind even as he invaded hers. She felt his rage...But she also felt his hurt, and his loneliness. And his fear...Kylo had retreated at finding Rey in his head - had practically fled from her. But that had not been the end of that strange, sudden connection. She had seen more - far more...It was as if his training had become hers, unlocking and flinging open door after door in her mind...Kylo had urged her to let him be her teacher - had pleaded with her, almost.”
I don't think that he's playing chess there. I think that this is something that he genuinely saw, and genuinely believes that because of this connection [they share], basically. It's less like, 'I can use this on her.' It's more, 'Oh my god, we have this in common, this is more of a kindred spirit that even she realizes.'"
[...]It's a very naked, open, emotional appeal.
It's his version of, 'I'm just a girl standing in front of a guy'...
Kevin Smith (Filmmaker/Actor):
"You can tell, he genuinely cares about her."
"His relationship with Rey is one of equals, a constant tug of war and peace.[...] As they battle for each other’s hearts and minds."
Standing at the foot of the ramp, an uncertain and uneasy Leia found herself fiddling with the seals on the front of the jacket Rey was wearing. Foolish nonsense, she told herself even as she continued. Unworthy of her status and position. But it felt so right, and so natural, to be doing so.
“I’m proud of what you’re about to do,” she told the girl.
Rey replied in all seriousness. “But you’re also afraid. In sending me away, you’re—reminded.”
Leia straightened. “You won’t share the fate of our son.”
Trepidation flashes across Rey's eyes......Kylo Ren nearly touches her face........ They're both surprised: they react to a feeling that passes between them. -- An energy they recognize in each other.
And then it's gone. Adversaries again.
"Let him think she'd given up--he'd soon discover otherwise. Jakku had trained her to do two things better than anyone else could. The first was to salvage broken things. The second was to wait."
“Ben as a toddler, forever following Han. Carrying the dice from the Millennium Falcon - the ones his father had used to win the beloved, battered freighter - and promising anyone who’d listen that one day he would be a pilot, too, like his daddy."
“She had felt so alone, all those nights. But never as alone as she did staring at her own reflection, beneath the island in the cold and the dark. When the tears finally ebbed, Rey lifted her head. She knew who she had to talk to about the cave, about what she had sought and what it had shown her - someone who would understand how solitude and loss could eat away at you until there was nothing left.”
“Kylo Ren knew who was in the escape pod even before it opened with a hiss of vapor - her presence had been a steady pulse from the Force...”
JJ Abrams ('The Force Awakens' Co-Writer/Director)
"So the idea here is that Kylo Ren’s gotten inside of Rey’s head, sees that she has seen the map and is now letting go of the droid as his goal, and focusing just on her. And clearly you think, well he must be able to just extract the information he wants now.
But because he’s taken her, you get a sense that there might be something else going on here."
Rachael (JournaloftheStarWars.com)
"There is no mention of Snoke or even the Dark side – Kylo is intent only on Rey, and the offer he makes is an offer made between the two of them [...] his regard for and fascination with Rey win out over his duty to Snoke. He selfishly wants her to himself"
"He actually spent a lot of time shirtless, just hoping for that connection to kick in." - think this is a bit cheeky
"Rian wanted the rain and fire to peel away as their hands were getting closer. Having a big sound there just didn’t have the intimacy that the scene demanded. It can be so hard to get the balance right to where the audience is feeling the same thing as the characters. I wanted the audience to lean in and feel those hands about to connect. When you take the sound out and the music out, then it’s just two hands coming together slowly. It was about finding that balance to make the audience feel like they’re in that moment, in that little hut, and they’re about to touch and see into each other’s souls, so to speak. That was a challenge, but it was fun because when you get it, and you see the audience react, everyone feels good about that scene."
Joanna Robinson (Vanity Fair)
"I can say no moment draws more audible gasps and applause than when Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren and Daisy Ridley’s Rey whirl around in brief slow-motion, stand back-to-back, and take on a room of their shared enemies together.
"I think he is redeemable. He does the right thing, in order to help her.
William Shakespeare, Jedi the Last
"Two bodies in a swift, majestic dance, Made for this fight, this moment, and this chance."
