ok ok more thoughts on theme and why it Matters:
- it's the string wrapping together plot and character, they are disparate concepts without it
- 9/10 of the unsatisfying endings of your fave franchises are bc the theme wasn't well-established or thought out

- why? bc even if the audience doesn't give a shit abt theme, when a story fizzles out with no point or no message to tell, it just feels... meaningless
- you can bluff your way through most of a story without taking theme into account. but the ending will always get you

idk just my 2 cents!!! i dont rly Know anything, i just recently learned how to put my intuition/feelings about story into words so ymmv