She does. She talked to Han about having an argument about the ship’s previous owner putting in the regulator.
Having talked too much about the one part I didn’t enjoy, let me be fair by and talking about all the aspects which worked for me, and why I’m likely to see it at least one more time before it leaves theaters.
Finn was fascinating precisely because he’s not a reactive character. From the very beginning of the film, he’s making active choices and defining who he is in terms of the world around him. This is something of departure for hero characters in Star Wars, who usually chase after the Obviously Evil Villains, or run away from Obviously Evil Villains. Finn has no such ambition, yet he comes across as a brave and effective figure in his own right. The only thing he lacks to become a hero is a reason.
As I mentioned way back, he seems to latch on to people nearby, but since Finn was “conditioned” at some point and can’t remember where he comes from, that’s not terribly shocking. The people he meets are literally the only people he knows who don’t build planetary superweapons. And speaking of which, once he has a chance to consider it, said superweapon outright frighten him. This makes a great deal of sense and it’s nice to see somebody admit that planet-killing in a rather scary concept. He’s not trying to act like a great hero, and he’s willing to listen to good advice and try his best. Sometimes, of course, his best is a little awkward. (“That’s not how the Force works!”) Additionally, I found his over-excited demeanor endearing. He’s clearly operating on raw adrenaline for half the movie.
And Poe: Poe is just great, and I hope he’s a bigger character in future films. He sees right through Finn, but shows he’s brave, kind and generous even when not fighting Obviously Evil Villains. He’s a great soldier, and to my eye you know exactly who he is when he take a shot at Ren. He has to know this is incredibly dangerous, but it also would potentially be a victory worth his life. (This may actually mean Ren’s later wound is a plot point, but that’s unclear.)
And on to Rey. I’ve said why I though the later part of the movie went in the wrong direction for her, but let me explain why I like her as a character. The image of her eating a meager dinner and gazing wistfully at the stars she wants to visit - she doesn’t need a word to explain. I loved every moment we see her commit to a new path, and having to face the fact - which she really knows but can’t yet admit - that there’s nothing to go back to and nothing more to wait for. The mere human being in a vast galaxy spooked by visions of the dark side? Perfect.
And Kylo Ren. Not my favorite villain in the series, but he has an side which twists the Star Wars themes in interesting ways. He’s not the Big Bad Villain yet - but he may well be on the path to becoming one. The little things, like the fact he keeps unleashing his rage on the nearest piece of computing equipment, make him a more intriguing foe than he had any right to be. He seems like a Vader-copy, but unlike the many pseudo-Vaders in Star Wars, this was an intentional character choice and tells us much about him. We don’t learn how or why he came under the domination of the Dark Side, but we can get the hints. And I actually liked the fact that he looked mostly like an ordinary man under that helmet. It really sells that the path to the dark side could be for anybody. No one starts out as a scarred cyborg consumed by evil, after all.
