Look to J.J. Abrams’ first TV show to understand The Rise of Skywalker‘s ending
Director J.J. Abrams’ very first television show, Felicity, holds surprising clues to The Rise of Skywalker’s confusing ending.
J.J. Abrams has never been good with endings. Though the Star Wars fanbase has become increasingly toxic, and there was always going to be a contingent of fans who would refuse to be happy regardless of what happened in the final film of the Skywalker Saga, Abrams also has a track record of shooting himself in the foot.
Let’s go all the way back to his first major project, Felicity. For those who don’t know, Felicity starred Keri Russell as Felicity Porter and chronicled her adventures and love life attending college in New York City.
The show focused heavily on the love triangle between Felicity’s high school crush, Ben (Scott Speedman) and her nice guy RA Noel (Scott Foley). But the show also featured a wealth of friends and characters, including Felicity’s roommate, Meghan (Amanda Foreman), who was the epitome of late ’90s The Craft gothdom. Meghan’s “witchcraft” was a long-running joke on the show and a foil to straightlaced Felicity (whose wild streak included an infamous haircut).
After lots of ping-ponging for the first three seasons, it became clear that the show couldn’t decide how to end. With five episodes to go, Felicity’s best friend Elena died unexpectedly.
At this point, the show truly lost all grip on reality and bought into Meghan’s witchcraft, which up to this point, had been a joke, and sent Felicity back in time. The remainder of the season focused on Felicity undoing all of the storytelling that came in the episodes prior (sound familiar?), a sort of time-travel version of “It was all a dream.”
While Felicity ultimately, happily, ended up with Ben (and somehow saved Elena), this ridiculous plot device cheapened the ending, leaving many viewers dazed and confused. For something so heartfelt and character-driven, it was strange to be thrown into sixth gear and suddenly have magical time travel be an actual part of a very grounded show about attending college and growing up.
Keep in mind that Abrams also had a hand in co-creating Lost, which had one of the most controversial endings of a television show of all time. And there was all of the Rambaldi nonsense on Alias. (OK, now I’m just being silly.)
To be clear, I am not on the cancel J.J. train. No one can argue that he isn’t an incredibly skilled writer and director, and the man has created some of my favorite things of all time. That said, endings are not his strong suit.
Abrams undid so much of the character work built by not only Rian Johnson in The Last Jedi, but by himself in The Force Awakens, that one can’t help but scratch their head.
To begin with, there’s the almost complete erasure of Rose Tico. There also seemed to be an arc building to reveal that Finn is force-sensitive, only to have the ball dropped, not to mention the weird moment with Lando and Jannah at the end.
Most glaringly, though, (depending on how you feel about The Last Jedi) is the plot surrounding Rey. Johnson developed the novel idea that Rey was not related to anyone, was not special at all, in fact, aside from just being herself. This plot point in The Last Jedi undid much of the decades-long Star Wars lore that built up power in connection to family dynasties, and instead showed that anyone could be a Jedi and lead the resistance.
However, within the first few minutes of The Rise of Skywalker, almost the entire new trilogy is undone by revealing that Emperor Palpatine has been alive this whole time and orchestrated everything in the previous films, all because Rey is his granddaughter. It feels retconned, unearned, and unnecessary. We all know Abrams likes his symmetry. If Anakin was some nobody kid on Tattooine, why couldn’t Rey be the same?
I’m not saying that I could have written a better movie myself. Finishing out the trilogy, and the newly marketed term Skywalker Saga at that, is a huge responsibility to fans and to Disney. I do not envy Abrams that task. (Well, maybe I do, a little.) Additionally, there is no doubt in my mind that known tinkerer Kathleen Kennedy had a hand in the chaos we all experienced.
However, I am saying that Abrams should no longer be allowed to end sagas, but instead be tasked with worldbuilding, which is what he does best. Let him make all of The Force Awakens and Star Trek installments and whatever other lens-flared beginnings to franchises that he can.
Despite what that one contingent of haters might say, his work is solid…until it ends.
Next. Rose Tico is in less than two minutes of The Rise of Skywalker. dark