see, i found they frontloaded the jokes and they didn't detract because of that. they'd start the scene off funny, and then do the serious stuff. i was legitimately on the edge of my seat for most of the film...and not just because i was wearing my clunky mandalorian armorleia is still the daughter of anakin. she has just as much raw force power as luke, and don't tell me he didn't teach her a few things before he vanished. snoke was blinded by his own hubris. he thought ren was totally under his control, just like palpatine did with vader. it'd be like thinking your pencil will suddenly stab you. your tools can't make those decisions.i liked the whole point of the thing with holdo, that you need to trust your leaders sometimes, but yeah, because of poe sending out finn and rose, not knowing...that's what fucked up her plan.the knights of ren seem to have been left on the cutting room floor, unless they're saving them for episode 9.with DJ, they did show he broke through the sensor and shields to get onto the ship. of course, they might've let him on too...the twist to rey's backstory is...she doesn't have one. that's a big part of her character, she fears that she's nothing of significance. that's why she attaches herself so closely to han and luke. she's hoping, just like the audience, that they're secretly her father figure, and that she must be important to the galaxy because of her lineage like they were. but really, she's more like anakin. a nobody child with dead parents from a backwater desert. again...i agree on snoke, but i can let him slide as a red herring. putting kylo as the new leader and big bad is exactly where the series needs to go. yes, his backstory was kind of predictable, but it shows he takes after the whole usual skywalker drama side of things.i...don't think she was communicating telepathically with them. but i've worked with abused horses, and just showing them the slightest bit of care and compassion can be enough to get their trust. they were trained riding/racing animals too, so getting them to listen wouldn't be all that hard.