Pride before the fall

loveyournightmare:

reylosdragon:

loveyournightmare:

I think we can all agree
that Kylo Ren has a bit of a superiority complex in ep VII. (bit, yeah) It’s apparent he thinks he’s
better than people around him. Most importantly – Kylo Ren thinks he is better
than Ben Solo,an upgraded 2.0  version, if you will,  hence the clear contrast between these two sides of him.

He thinks he is better than the old man with former ties to his family (Lor San Tekka). He thinks he is
better and more loyal servant to Snoke than Hux, the pragmatic technocrat. He
clearly sees himself above the common white collar workers of Starkiller base
(poor Mitaka). And last but not least – he bears no respect towards his father.

Until Bloodlines comes out,
we can’t speculate about the relationship with Leia, but if I had to guess, I’d
say he feels very differently about her than Han. After all, she has Vader’s
blood and she is Force sensitive.

Kylo places value on two things: the legacy and
the ability to use the Force.

That’s why I completely, utterly, face flat fell in
love with Kylo’s and Rey’s dynamic. She
bested him in everything. And she has
neither – a prominent family bloodline (as far as he is aware in TFA!)  nor the training in the Force.

Yet, she managed to turn the
mind probe on him, escape, and in the end, defeat him in a physical duel.That s the source of Kylo’s
fascination with her, “just a scavenger,” as he addresses her during interrogation.
She was nothing to him when they first met, but a minor hindrance on the way to
the map. But boy, was he in it for a surprise…

WHERE HAVE WE SEEN THIS BEFORE…hmm.

That’s why I think classic
redemption arc is more than possible, because they can very easily follow the trope
Pride before the fall – and they’ve
already started in TFA.

 Kylo strutted from his shuttle on Jakku like a peacock,
like this hot shit, a gift to the galaxy – and for a part of the movie, he
really was. (Catching a blaster bolt mid-air, slaying San Tekka, torturing Poe).

Only then, in the second
part of TFA, his actions failed to demonstrate his superior mindset – since he met Rey, it all went wrong. He
completely misjudged her, underestimated her and lapsed when he left her unattended.
(Come on, two guards, more than enough, no way she’ll use the Force, she
probably doesn’t know she has it. Play it cool, Kylo.) 

Kylo’s pride is one of the most important qualities of his well-crafted and multidimensional character. Rey is Elizabeth to his Mr. Darcy. They fashioned them them into these two centuries old, well known, and easily recognized literary archetypes. That’s why it felt so familiar to many of us, because we’ve seen the story of a smug asshole villain and a low born, common heroine. We know where it’s gonna go. We know how it might end. 

Secondly, Kylo fits a trope of Inferiority Superiority Complex, where “it turns out a character
who seems to think the world of themselves actually doesn’t; their high-and-mighty attitude hides
crippling insecurity. They’re often eager, even desperate, to prove
themselves, and they won’t take it well if their attempt fails. Commonly
they’ll try to feel more secure by putting others down.” (x)

So, not only is the smug, confident facade a mere projection, but Rey is the only one who sees right through it! “You’re afraid that you’ll never be as strong as Darth Vader.”

I can’t wait for the change in their dynamic in episode VIII. Buddy has it bad. It’s futile to portray his former, confident persona in front of Rey, when she already knows how insecure he really is. How will their next meeting go, then?

Will he still think less of
her, contrary to the ample evidence she provided, that she is actually more
skilled?  Will he try and flatter her –
or maybe lure her to his side by telling her how strong she is, but at
the same time dangerous? Will he be openly in awe of her abilities, trying to
deflect, but not attack and make her “see his side” in a completely different manner
we’ve seen so far?

gifs not mine, credit to the creator.

We’ve even got a failed [marriage] proposal. All that’s left is for him to save someone she loves and then ask her again.

^^^ @reylosdragon  wow that is SO right. I’m glad you added that; I neglected to mention the “You need a teacher” bit. And even how he says it – practically undermining her powers, saying that she NEEDS a teacher, when it’s clear she can very well manage on her own and hold her ground in a fight. It is completely fascinating how well Rey and Kylo fit into that classic pair of P&P.