Yeah I enjoyed reading it but ultimately they could have just said "Despite hopes for galaxy-wide peace, the New Republic has created the Resistance to defend against a new threat - The First Order, formed from the ashes of the defeated Empire. " But better, but you get the idea.

Why is it a coincidence that Rey and Finn found the Falcon? They are strangers to Han and everyone else. Unless Rey turns out to be a Skywalker or whatever, I don't see how it's a coincidence.

Well apparently it's not really easy because a lot of people feel it wasn't properly explained

Hacks don't love their work, that's what makes them hacks

I had a similar idea - yeah it woulda been pretty easy to set up the general dynamic. I think they were overly invested in repeating A New Hope's outsider(s) join the group narrative.

Abrams has a thing for spaceships on planets, see the two Star Trek movies

I don't think they ever said anything about abstinence per se. Just not an actual relationship. Maybe there were special Jedi brothels … Dang that's gross, sorry

"Episode VII is more like a melancholy deconstruction of the OT fairy tale."

The second death star was really the problem. Now it's a tradition!

Re: Rey's provenance

No-one who saw the trailers or knows the actor

He was tactically brave but not strategically ; )

he contributed pretty heavily to destroying the death star

Not saying they did or didn't sell it but his whole arc is similar to Han Solo's in that he's mainly self interested then grows into a joiner. In Finn's case the difference is he's driven by fear not selfishness (or at least more explicitly driven by fear). So his change is fairly late in the movie where he shows…

I don't think it's an either/or proposition wrt CGI spectacular and character development.

Yeah I don't understand how people take such vague statements and spin it into "This Is What Literally Happened".

the show is made for viewers, like me, not the actors. I have access to all I need to form an opinion 100% as valid as Jon Hamm's

I'm happy because of all shows Mad Men probably has the easiest repeatability… Talk about being about the journey- I'll just start it again!

You hit the nail on the head

A soap opera.