Finn, Rey, Romance, and Conflict
The criticism that Finnrey as a ship is just cute and fluffy with no tension is so comical to me because… did these people watch Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015 dir. J.J. Abrams)? The movie where Finn’s and Rey’s respective traumas clashed head on (”Come with me.”/”Don’t go.”), tearing apart two people who deeply care about each other? The movie where Finn bared his deepest truth to Rey, and Rey had a traumatic flashback from the distress of Finn leaving? Where he overcame his greatest fear to be there for her, which in turn helped her overcome her abandonment issues to seek her destiny?
What’s more, the reveals about the starting point of The Last Jedi indicate that Finn and Rey’s conflict from TFA is far from resolved. He still wants to get away from the fighting, this time with her, and she still has a reason to stay. Their argument back at Takodana was rudely interrupted in the previous movie, not properly ended. They went into crisis mode and reaffirmed their caring for each other before they were again rudely interrupted by Finn’s coma and galactic war. Ever since Takodana their story is basically an ongoing couple argument that they haven’t been able to end because inconsiderate masked villains and intrusive superweapons keep getting in the way.
One conflict Finn and Rey do not have is over mistreating each other and other people. That’s another misunderstanding of this ship, I believe, that meaningful conflict in a romantic relationship can only come from the parties treating each other badly or hurting others. That’s not true at all, though: Good people can still disagree in loving, thoughtful ways. Imagine that, a love story that does not depend on mistreatment as a sign of love or an obstacle to overcome; a love story that’s actually about love.
The crux of Finn and Rey’s ongoing conflict is that they’re each still trying to figure themselves out. Finn was raised to have absolute certainty and conviction which he abandoned. He is now left without a reason to fight, and wants space to find himself far away. Rey grew up unmoored, with no purpose other than survival and reunion. She is now seeking certainty, and her visions and dreams tell her she will find her place with Luke Skywalker. They’re each striving to grow into themselves after their difficult upbringings, and they see their paths in opposite directions.
The above would not even be a problem if Finn and Rey did not love each other so deeply. Young people, including people who dated, grow apart all the time and go their separate ways. It’s a part of life. But Finn and Rey want to be together despite their diverging paths, so much that that all Finn wanted to do was run away with Rey, so much that all Rey wanted was for Finn to stay with her.
This is the source of the conflict and suspense between Finn and Rey, that their love draws them together while their journeys pull them apart. This push and pull, wax and wane, rise and fall are at the center of their tension and shape the emotional landscape of the sequel trilogy. (Aficionados of Korean pop culture may also be familiar with the term milttang, the back-and-forth courting ritual that lends spice to romance.)
Finn and Rey are almost unbearably cute together, yes. They could have notihng but fluffy cuddly hours until the heat death of the universe and it would still not be enough. I’m not here to tell anyone what they should like about the ship or to police anyone’s fannishness.
I do, however, have a problem with dismissing the canon relationship of Finn and Rey as cute and fluffy and nothing more, and therefore dissatisfying as a central romance. They are cute, yes, thanks for admitting that, and they also have this incredible dynamic that was set up in TFA and is central to both their characters. It would be simple bad writing to set up such a meaty conflict and then ignore it as something just “cute” and “fluffy” that can be safely discarded.
There is nothing safe about Finn and Rey’s relationship, though. They both have so much riding on their love, forged in the warmth of companionship and the fires of adversity. It doesn’t matter how you define its nature; calling it a friendship or familial love does not make it any less central or important, and calling it a cliche romance with no depth does it a serious disservice.
Done right, Finn and Rey’s reunion will be an epic moment and a major milestone in their journeys, taken separately yet together. Theirs is the story of love between two heroes who have their own journeys without either being only the love interest for the other, which is both challenging and rewarding from a story standpoint. Will they grow apart or grow together? I eagerly await the answer.
