tlj creating a force bond between rey and ben/kylo as a device to build their relationship without dueling, and tros using that same bond to make them duel all the time and define the bond as new force lore is really a perfect summary of the two movies' approaches to storytelling

the force bond in tlj was a means to an end, a way to explore the characters' dynamic and their personal conflict while building the romance; tros used it as a cheap plot device so it could get rey and ben/kylo to fight without even having to write them onto the same planet

tlj: "what matters about these characters is their connection to each other, their loneliness and conflict, the romance from rey's pov" tros: "oh cool a new force thing! i'm going to say it's a never-before-seen force thing that the sith wanted to do"

like i'm still amazed that tlj used the force bonds to further rey's character development and self-discovery about her trauma, and tros just decided to replace that with ben/kylo making generic villain taunts at her and them seemingly talking past each other before dueling

ben/kylo really doesn't come off like the same character that he was in tfa and tlj in the first half of tros: this isn't even about him being villainous, but because even his darkest, most villainous moments came from his anger and self-hatred, like a raw nerve

so for him to fall apart the way he did at the end of tlj, seem regretful in his final scene when rey closed the door, and then act like a smug, self-confident villain coldly barking orders at his underlings like ot vader in the next movie we see him just doesn't make sense

if he'd been standing tall on crait, glaring at the resistance fly away with a cold expression on his face, maybe. but it just doesn't work with where tlj or even tfa left off, so the tone of the conflict he has with rey and the way they interact for most of tros is ooc

it really feels like jjerrio were like "ok, rey and ben/kylo talked to each other through the force bonds so we have to do that" but didn't understand why the force bond conversations worked or how rey and ben/kylo's dynamic had actually been developed

so they fell back on how vader acted and spoke and outright repeated some force bond dialogue in some cases, like rey bringing up ben/kylo killing han again. that ground was already covered in tlj but jjerrio wanted to do a tfa sequel ig, so they did it again but badly

and nevermind how the rey backstory retcons actually took away most of her character development in tlj and the meaning behind a lot of its most powerful, painful dialogue. "you had a father who loved you, he gave a damn about you" is a perfect line for rey nobody

the implication is "he gave a damn about you (but mine didn't)." she already knows the truth about her parents abandoning her on some level, despite her denial. but what it means for rey's character vanishes in light of the tros retcon that her father did care, and died for her.

sorry this is really long and really badly-written but sometimes i just need to rant about tros' incompetence again