If the show had a bit more honesty about it, we would have had a scene where Lexa, wanting to teach her Nightbloods a little history, takes the children, and Clarke out for a ride.
They reach the bombed out remains of another city, one much larger than whatever Polis might have been. We can see the range of devastation. They can sit on a hill and look down upon it.
Lexa tells the children how it used to be a great city, full of people, how the land they live on was once part of a great nation that stretched from one ocean to another. But. The people who built that nation weren’t honest. They were greedy and arrogant. They’d stolen the land from others, the ones who came before them. She tells them how the people were subjugated, murdered, pushed out of their land, their way of life, their homes and left to all but die out.
When Aden asks ‘why,’ she explains, looking directly at Clarke, at how the invaders had superior weapons, how they thought the natives were savage and inferior. They thought nothing of taking what they had, destroying their way of life, because the invaders saw themselves as superior, of more value.
But even if the natives were savages, if you can even believe that word, they were not without value. They were not inferior. They deserved to live and to grow and to thrive. They weren’t monsters. And they did their best to protect one another and what they had made and were proud of.
‘But the invaders stole it all from them?’
‘Yes, they did.’
Clarke says nothing the entire journey.
Clake, before the fight, in the toilet, probably: Oh my god Lexa is going to be killed. I have to watch.
Clarke, at the fight: I hope she doesn’t get mutilated or anything. Gored, maybe. That wouldn’t be too bad. I’m sure I could fix that. Maybe.
We never got to see Lexa’s closest relationships: taken from her
parents as a toddler, raised by the Flamekeepers, namely Titus, along
with several other Nightbloods we never knew (aside from Luna). Lexa’s life was bookended by those who would use her for their own ends, but Lexa proved quietly defiant and could not be broken by their will. Instead, her very nature was questioned and and embraced in spite of itself by someone who shared so many qualities as to be twin-like. A soulmate.
Who
were the other Nightbloods? Did Lexa have a sibling (like Luna)? Was
she close to any of the others? Luna’s talk with Clarke gave us no
suggestion as to the status of her relationship with Lexa before she
became Commander. We did learn how brutal their lives could be, and what
they were ultimately subjected to in the conclave system. Very little
of it made sense, to the point of it being almost surreal (which, given
our own times, might not have been so unrealistic), so it’s easy to see
Lexa as a lonely figure growing up in a privileged but fragile
environment where only one can be left standing.
We never saw her relationship with Anya, though we saw the impression she made. Anya was stoic, ruthless, pragmatic. She was our introduction to Lexa before we ever met her, but what were they like together? Anya, not much older than Lexa herself, would have helped trained Lexa in combat and tactical thinking. She would have subjected Lexa to hardship and even humiliation in training her, to ‘toughen her up’ as it were. Some have speculated her as a mother figure to Lexa. If Lexa was her second before she became Commander, it’s possible Anya knew the other Nightbloods and would have had to have treated them similarly. If Nightbloods are raised to die, or become Leader, no one would be encouraged to be close to them, to be friends with them, much less family. Anya would have kept an emotional distance, knowing her time with Lexa might be very short. Anya was a practical warrior, not an emotional one. She could care for her people, but she might have held Lexa at arm’s length, also for very practical reasons. Lexa might have admired Anya and, no doubt, mimicked her as a warrior, but did she have feelings for Anya? Lexa appeared to show some vulnerability on this point when Clarke presented her with Anya’s braid – but Lexa never brings up Anya again. She moves on.
We never saw
her relationship with Costia. Who was she? There is speculation she was
one of the Commander’s handmaidens or maybe a soldier, a guard or
someone who worked some menial job in the tower. We know Lexa cared for
her – ‘She was mine’ – though we know little else of her feelings beyond the
outrage of her murder. Was Lexa incensed because something of her ‘hers’ was taken, or did she really love this girl as she implies to
Clarke? This was a relationship not to be, as Lexa was raised to believe ‘love is weakness’ and ‘to be Commander is to be alone.’ Who was
responsible for Costia falling into Azgeda hands? It’s easy to speculate
that, perhaps, Titus might have betrayed the girl in order to get what
he wanted from Lexa: the Commander herself.
We saw, briefly, her relationship with Gustus, her closest advisor until we met Titus, and both these men mirror one another in their point of view: Lexa is important to both of them ‘You are the coalition,’ Gustus tells her, ‘You are special, Heda,’ Titus tells her, later. These seemingly protective father figures are also the most critical of Lexa, both convinced an alliance with Skaikru will kill Lexa or worse, fracture their world. She listens to both Gustus and Titus with detachment and, sometimes, visible impatience. She doesn’t like being questioned. It is Kane, a stranger, who points out Lexa is a ‘visionary’ who sees a bigger picture than probably anyone around them. Neither Titus or Gustus see this ‘bigger picture’ and it is the great tragedy that none of these Grounders lives to see its potential, that they worked so hard against it. Gustus and Titus are, in each their own way, men of war who would have had Lexa wipe out Skaikru for the very real (and historic) threat they posed, and not without justification, but for Lexa’s hidden dimension: she saw a bigger picture and she saw it through her soul’s twin, Clarke.
In her
relationship with Clarke, we saw Lexa soften, become hyper focused on
Clarke’s well-being and state of mind. She knew Clarke would suffer for
killing Finn and wanted her to get through it as quickly and painlessly
as possible. Don’t love, she implies to Clarke. Don’t do that to
yourself. You’re a leader. Do not suffer. Detach, become what your
people need you to be.
If we imagine for a moment that Lexa,
underneath her warpaint and armour is just an exhausted and frightened
young woman, clever and proud and strong, yes, but also bending a little
with the weight on her shoulders, we can see her plea to Clarke to ‘be
the leader her people can look to, put their hopes and dreams into’ as a
personal need for Clarke to lead her, as well. ‘Be my hope, stand with me, we will make the world over and it will be a wonderful thing.’ But Lexa is surrounded on all sides by immovable objects: her culture, Skaikru’s, Mt. Weather, Azgeda.
As
a child on the Ark, Clarke also grew up in a privileged but fragile
environment where any minor infraction (for an adult) could mean death.
It made little sense, it must have been surreal at times. In a sense,
the 100 being sent to Earth was a kind of conclave, too. Who would be
left standing at the end? It’s hard not to see Clarke as the ultimate ‘victor,’ surely the way Lexa saw her ‘I told you my spirit would choose wisely.’
It is Lexa’s faith in Clarke that becomes the unstoppable force that takes on her own way of life, head-on, and will not compromise. ‘We must love one another or die’ might be Lexa’s unspoken mantra. Offering her life and loyalty to Clarke, Lexa, reminding Clarke she is ‘born for this,’ makes herself Clarke’s subject (in Hakeldama, Lexa angrily tells Indra how Titus is her subject ‘they are all my subjects’ – it is a petulant moment of self-hate. As Clarke’s self-imposed subject, Lexa is reflecting her own failures – at Mt. Weather and, now, with the massacre) Clarke is the leader Lexa looks to, has put her hopes and dreams into. She cannot insult Clarke further by putting this into any other words than she did, on her knees, in total supplication: ‘I swear fealty to you, Clarke kom Skaikru, I vow to treat your needs as my own and your people as my people.’
Did Lexa swear an oath to Costia? Did she bow to Anya? She killed Gustus for his betrayal, setting up the conditions for her own (and the punishment that should have awaited her, by her people’s law), she berated Titus for his one-sidedness. In the other Nightbloods, she lived with and lost what should have been close comrades. It is hard to not feel her anger at all those losses when she shouts at Titus for not believing in her ‘I am more than capable of separating feelings from duty.’ It is not just of Costia’s death she speaks, but of all of them she has suffered at that point. Killing the other Nightbloods. Losing Anya. Killing Gustus, walking away from Mt. Weather. Countless others we may never know about. And yet, the worst: the damage done to the one person she looked to as a great hope – Clarke.
Has anyone ever stood up to Lexa the way Clarke did, just days after first meeting her? Did anyone move Lexa to such immediate protectiveness as Clarke did? They hardly knew one another, but Lexa was already prepared to kill to save Clarke (bye, Quint) and would rather Clarke have run and save herself from the pauna than try to save her. It is after this moment we learn how little Lexa regards her own life, a confession Clarke mistakes as a belief in reincarnation. Lexa smiles at Clarke not in flattery that Clarke would save her because she is better than her generals, but because Clarke doesn’t understand, there is a secret only Lexa really knows. Lexa was raised to die with the promise of living on in the Flame. But even Lexa could not know what that meant until it happened.
If Lexa had lived, it is more than possible she would have changed her people’s way of life far beyond ‘blood must not have blood.’ She likely would have ended the conclave system, likely would have shared the secret of the Flame with Clarke (shared everything, no doubt). It is possible her entire government would have changed to something more democratic, not relying on rare Nightbloods to supply a small pool of potential autocratic leaders. Clarke would most certainly have done her utmost to end such a terrible system, having grown up in one herself.
Clarke is now all that is left of Lexa, forever incomplete without her, robbed of the Flame, Lexa’s half of their soul, that should have been hers, and all that Lexa wanted to accomplish, so much ash and dirt.
In Madi, though, Clarke seems to have found a piece of Lexa again, a reminder of what she was, and has not failed her so far. In Madi, there is a reflection of the young, ill-fated Nightbloods that Lexa was a mother-figure to, and, so, through Clarke, Lexa lives.
Lexa Appreciation Week, day 3 – favourite relationship
So what you want is an alternate season 4? Right. You asked for it. It is Long.
**
Instead of returning to Arkadia with Bellamy (in this universe, Bellamy gives himself up to Indra after the fall of the City of Light to await punishment for his participation in the massacre – Jaha is arrested as well), Clarke takes off with Murphy and Emori, meeting up with Raven and Monty – they will all travel back to Becca’s home/lab (Emori being the guide). Raven isn’t convinced of Alie’s tale of melting reactors and a radiation deathwave (sounds hokum to her) – she sees no spike in background radiation from Arkadia.
In Polis, Indra works with Kane and the other ambassadors to calm the people and get back some sense of normalcy. Bellamy is sent to work farmland for some northern villages – Indra deciding to follow ‘blood must not have blood.’ Octavia sees him off, telling him she might forgive him one day – but it will be years. For his punishment, Jaha is assigned to clean up Polis and help with the wounded. In too much shock at all he’s done, Jaha doesn’t resist.
It has been agreed amongst the ambassadors that no new Commander will be chosen for now, but all the ambassadors will work together to maintain order. Kane affirms Skaikru’s desire to remain part of the coalition and is accepted as their new ambassador. Abby remains in Polis as well, helping with all the wounded. Indra reminds the people not to forget the wisdom of Heda Lexa, and to respect her wish for peace. Many saw Lexa in the City of Light and is it generally believed that she acted as a sort of guardian angel, returning from death to protect her people from Alie.
**
Clarke has kept the Flame.
When her small team arrives at Becca’s lab, there is a surprise: a Flamekeeper named Gaia is present with several women warriors – whom Clarke immediately recognises as Lexa’s handmaidens/personal guard – and Luna (there is no insane security perimeter covered by hundreds of armed drones).
Clarke is surprised that any Grounders know of the place, much less seem familiar with it. Emori explains how she used to distract Alie while The Commander and her people used the lab – though she never knew what for.
Clarke has Questions right off the bat – why are they there, are they aware of what has happened in Polis, and, angrily – why did Lexa’s personal guard abandon her on the night she was murdered?
One of the handmaidens, an older woman named Kell is offended, telling Clarke that they never abandoned Lexa.
In Polis, Indra privately grieves the losses of the last several weeks – she asks Octavia if she hates her for sending Bellamy away, but Octavia is surprised Indra didn’t just kill him for what he did, he deserved it. Indra tells Octavia how, after the massacre, Lexa turned her back on ‘blood must have blood,’ how Lexa had plans to further involve Skaikru in the education of their people, wanting to build a school, and how besotted she was with Clarke, she just wanted peace for all of them. Still bitter about Mt. Weather, Octavia tells Indra that if Lexa was so interested in being friends, she shouldn’t have abandoned them. Indra shocks her with a revelation about Lexa’s choice (or lack of it) at Mt. Weather.
Bellamy, with his guard, meets Echo again – he is not pleased to see her, but she points out he cannot judge anyone. She asks him about the massacre, were they so afraid of Azgeda? Bellamy says they didn’t distinguish between Grounders and Lexa’s betrayal had stung them all. Echo tells him he’s a fool. Lexa was betrayed, not Skaikru. She tells him Skaikru set themselves apart too much, hiding behind walls. If they’d made some effort to integrate a little, many misunderstandings and tragic events might have been avoided.
**
In Arkadia, Jasper keeps busy writing. Harper questions him – he’s clearly changed. Calmer, no anger or resentment. He tells Harper he’s writing of everything that has happened to them since they came to Earth, how they came to be there, all the people they lost. He wants to write a history of sorts so that others will know. Harper asks him about his experience in the CoL. He tells her it was perfect but all wrong. Nothing should be perfect.
**
At Becca’s lab, Kell explains to Clarke how they were misdirected by Titus on the day Lexa was shot. Afterward, he brought her body to them for them to prepare for cremation. Angry at him for not contacting them immediately (and knowing far more about Lexa’s anatomy than Titus), they disobeyed Titus’ orders and took Lexa’s body to the lab, putting an unknown cadaver in her place for the funeral.
Clarke is stunned to learn Lexa is alive, but comatose, and Luna was called upon to be a blood donor. Luna points out that Lexa did save her life more than once. She owed it to her.
The handmaidens and Gaia are guilt and grief stricken that they did not take the Nightbloods with them – but Titus had them under a full guard (one that, ultimately betrayed those poor kids).
Kell is concerned that Lexa might have brain damage since she was under for over ten minutes and the Flame was removed. She hopes the Flame’s return might restore her.
Whilst Raven and Monty use the lab to explore Alie’s doomsday story (as well as all of Becca’s work), Clarke goes with the handmaidens to give Lexa the Flame.
Luna isn’t impressed with anyone, is hateful of the whole Flame/Commander/Becca/Alie business, gives Raven, Monty, Murphy and Emori a little-known history lesson about how the Grounders and their system of government came to be.
**
Passing near the remains of Mt. Weather, Echo tells Bellamy how Queen Nia had been working with Mt. Weather, promising them she’d deliver ‘donors’ in exchange for guns. Bellamy asks her if they have them. Echo confirms that Roan forbade them, had them locked away.
In Polis, Octavia is assigned to help Abby and slips to her how Lexa had been told by Emerson that Skaikru and Ice Nation and Mt. Weather were working together to betray Lexa and her army – told right in front of her warriors (including Indra). Lexa didn’t believe it, but her generals did and she knew that if she didn’t get her army off the mountain, quickly, her people would probably slaughter Skaikru. Demanding the return of her people, Lexa left. Octavia acknowledges they might have misread Lexa. She’s still angry, still hurt over Lincoln, but doesn’t know who to blame anymore.
**
At Becca’s lab, Gaia administers the Flame to sleeping Lexa. The handmaidens and some of the Flamekeepers and the Commanders had always known of the place, though it was largely avoided to isolate Alie. They needed to keep an eye on her and to make sure her code never infiltrated the lab network.
Lexa wakes, confused, wondering where is Clarke and Titus and Aden. Is Alie gone? Clarke enters and the others leave them alone – Clarke overwhelmed and Lexa apologetic, telling her that she would have told Clarke everything – she just didn’t get the time. She hopes Clarke will give her that time now, and Clarke affirms she can have all the time she wants, forever if that will do. Lexa is despondent over losing her Nightbloods.
In the lab, Raven and Monty learn of Alie’s deception, but find something else they didn’t expect – they are not part of the only human colony. There are other survivors – groups located in Norway, Africa, South America and New Zealand. Raven, curious how so many people could have survived a vast nuclear apocalypse, learns of strange environmental factors that led to these pockets of habitable space. She decides they need to try and contact these survivors somehow.
No longer needed, Luna intends to return to her people, but not before seeing Lexa again. Their reunion is bittersweet and proves they were once close and Lexa did all she could to protect Luna and her people on the rig from exposure. Luna wishes they’d kicked Titus off the tower when they were kids.
Gaia and the handmaidens confer about the best way to return Lexa to Polis and restore her as Commander. Lexa is nervous about this, wondering, since now all the Nightbloods are dead, if it isn’t time to try a new form of government. She plans on returning as soon as possible to help oversee the changes and work with Skaikru to better integrate the clans into a stronger social structure that benefits all. Clarke isn’t happy about this, telling Lexa she has a chance now to be her own person, to not be a servant to her people. Lexa takes Clarke to Becca’s mansion.
In the mansion Clarke marvels at the comfortable home and how it has been maintained. We learn Alie employed robots and drones to keep it clean and tidy. They wonder together about having a home of their own, what it might be like. Lexa’s sense of obligation is going to win out, but Clarke tries to convince her they could have their time, now and let the world go on without them. Lexa reminds her of all the sacrifices made, how she must honour them and help her people rebuild. How she wants Skaikru to be teachers. Clarke could teach art, if she wanted. She promises Clarke they will have their own home and tells Clarke she loves her and reaffirms her oath of faithfulness.
**
Bellamy, Echo and his guard reach the northern villages to find they’ve been destroyed. They find some bodies – with bullets in them. It is a harsh reminder of the last massacre. Bellamy demands who is in charge in Azgeda now that Ontari and Roan are dead? Were any of them ‘chipped?’
Tracking the attackers, Bellamy and the others are horrified to see a well-armed army of Azgeda warriors. They are captured and the leader, a dark-skinned woman with a mad look about her and tattoos that suggest she was once with a clan other than Azgeda – is angry at her people being used by the woman in red, blaming Skaikru for bringing her to their people and causing havoc. She claims to be Nia’s rightful heir – after Nia had kidnapped her and tortured her – she is owed Azgeda – and the Coalition.
The woman tells Bellamy and Echo that she died for the Coalition and, therefore, she will take it for her own. Bellamy is confused by what she means – Echo explains to him how Nia had traded her from Mt. Weather with a dozen of her own warriors, twisted her mind, meant to use her as a weapon against Heda Lexa.
The woman rouses her warriors, telling them to prepare for invasion. They chant her name: COSTIA.
Terrified, Bellamy and Echo plan on their escape to warn the others.
**
In Arkadia, Kane and Abby have returned and are discussing the likelihood that they will have to tear down their wall and further integrate with the Grounders in order to survive. Abby isn’t sure they’ll ever be able to, but Kane assures her there is a way and they will find it. Raven radios from the lab and confirms Alie’s lie, but that there are other pockets of humanity around the globe. She thinks they should make it a priority to contact them or find a way to travel. Abby openly considers the possibility – there might be better options than staying with the clans. The other survivors might be more like them. Kane points out that hasn’t always been a good thing.
Abby wants to talk to Clarke, but is told she is busy and that they will be returning to Arkadia soon.
Nyko arrives with some more sick Grounders – though they were never chipped. Abby is able to take a better look at what is causing their illness – it wasn’t radiation poisoning, but something akin to Mt. Weather’s acid fog. Some of the survivors confirm a ‘cloud’ of sorts – from the north. Kane orders Miller and a few others to investigate.
**
In Polis, they have also been updated on the new acid fog survivors and that Alie’s story was a lie. Indra is told that Kane has sent some people to investigate where this new ‘acid cloud’ came from. Having a bad feeling, Indra orders Octavia to take a group and investigate as well.
**
Learning of the new acid cloud business, Raven and Monty programme some drones to have a look. Emori speculates Azgeda might be up to something. Gaia, Kell and the other handmaidens agree, with Kell particularly concerned about possible new leadership in Azgeda.
At the mansion, Clarke and Lexa have hardly got out of bed, unaware of what is brewing beyond the walls. Murphy interrupts them to let them know they need to start heading back.
A one-shot set in the steampunk universe of The Flame and The Dame, just prior to the start of that story – and a response to @anonbemetoo‘s ‘Strangers on a Train’ prompt.
Clarke Griffin is a nightclub singer and bar owner who needs a few days away from her life – she settles on an overnight trip on the Skytrain (a steampunk version of the Orient Express) and meets a mysterious woman. Thirst and chaos ensue.
Lexa: You’ve never seen me fight.
Clarke: No, but I watched Roan kill three men before the first one hit the ground.
Lexa: Clarke, I literally killed seven people just to get this job.
C’mon Clarke, you gotta think these things through.
Very good, but also unnerving – the girl with the rifle, smiling.
Note about Clarke’s handedness: we usually only see her use her left hand, but does not imply she can’t use both. She does appear to be bi-dexterous. ;-D
The Doctor Is Out 