I have a new appreciation for Episode 8, which I already liked more than 7, after hearing what Rian Johnson was going for with the Luke stuff. He was trying to reflect the reality of what it means to grow up, and for Rey that meant learning that there was not a person who could just hand her all the answers or solve all her problems. That even the legendary Skywalker is human, has made mistakes, etc. This was being juxtaposed with another truth about being an adult, and that is sometimes you need to cooperate and follow a plan, and that you sometimes don't know what you don't know. That's reflected with Po and Finn trying to do their own things and it kinda blowing up in their faces. Probably the reason why the movie didn't feel right to people as these are not the usual themes of a mythic legend or epic. Really interested to see how 9 is handled.
I've decided to watch 8 again before next Thursday. The Clone and I have plans this weekend to watch it while it rains all day. Also read where Giancarlo Esposito will be playing a major role soon as it is going to be showing the formation of the First Order. And I'm more excited about that than anything.