With the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story on Netflix today, I thought it was another excuse to gush on the movie some more! As I’ve spoken about a lot on the show, Solo has connected with me in a way that no other Star Wars movie has before; this is what has a lot to do with why I’ve come to rank the movie so high on my list!
One particular scene that continues to be one of my favorites is the campfire scene with Han, Chewie, Val, Beckett, and Rio. In the very classic Western style, we have this intimate moment between our characters where they divulge a bit about themselves, what they’re after, and ultimately what matters to them. Up until this point in the movie, the action has been almost none stop so this brief campfire scene is a moment of rest where our characters can collect themselves and get ready for the task at hand.
It is during this scene where we learn what is driving both Beckett and Val. In a brilliant foreshadowing for the kind of life Han will be stuck in by the time we get to the OT, we learn that they too are trying to pay off some debts and get out from under the thumbs of their debtors. This fits so perfectly into the general, overall theme of Solo which is that of the desire for freedom. Just like Han, both Beckett and Val long to be free! In theological language, freedom always has two components: freedom from something or someone and freedom for something else. For Beckett and Val they long to be free from their debts and debtors so they can be free for a life of relaxation (showcased in Beckett’s desire to learn the valichord). For two thieves who have constantly been on the run, it makes sense that all they long for is a place of rest and relaxation. I’m sure both Beckett and Val have been living very anxious lives.
Thanks in large part to the great acting of both Thandie Newton and Woody Harrelson, they quickly sell me on the fact that these two genuinely care for one another and that their love has withstood some very difficult times. I absolutely love Val’s line that “everyone needs someone.” Both Beckett and Val have found their someone and I think that alone has carried them through the very difficult lives they’ve led. Having someone to love, to lean on is something we all desire. And when Han sees the affection between these two, he’s not afraid to answer Rio’s question about what is driving him. While Rio thinks it’s nothing more than revenge, Val is able to see through this young man’s exterior to his heart; she knows love drives him.
And then Han gets this grin on his face, surely remembering all the good times he shared with Qi’ra. He remembers their near escape from Corellia when they both dreamed together for nothing more than to be free of the hell they grew up in and free to just fly among the stars, together. Han shares his regret that he got out but Qi’ra didn’t and his only goal now is to earn enough money to go back and pull her out of hell. Look at the deep, genuine smile that comes to Val’s face when he says that! She knows what it’s like to love someone, even recklessly. I’m pretty sure Val wants to see Han make that desire real. So what does she do? She sits down with her “someone” and they share a passionate kiss.
The smile that overtakes Han’s face in response to seeing love made visible warms my heart SO deeply! I’ve been so fortunate to watch two of my greatest friends continue to grow in their love for one another and every moment I spend with them and see that love made real, I can’t help but smile just like Han. And that’s the beauty of love; when we see it it sparks something deep within us. For Han, seeing Beckett and Val’s love gives him the hope that his love story with Qi’ra isn’t over; that he too deserves love. I think Han’s smile in that moment is informed by these two truths. First, he lights up by the warmth (and what great storytelling to have this scene by the warmth of a fire) of love before his eyes. And second, I think Han is elated by the possibility that he too will find a love as rich and deep as Val and Beckett’s.
What makes this moment so perfect for Han too is that Beckett and Val are very similar to him: they’re unrefined. Beckett and Val are thieves, they are imperfect and have probably struggled through very hard lives just like Han. And yet, they found love. There’s no reason Han won’t too.
~Karl LaClair
Creator and co-host of The Wampa’s Lair Podcast
