94) Lexa dies on The 100 Television shows have been pulling the “Bury Your Gays” trope for decades, but the outcry that met this particular character death actually brought about some change. In season three of The 100, Grounder leader Lexa was killed shortly after having sex with series protagonist Clarke. This was mostly because actress Alycia Debnam-Carey had left for a starring role on Fear the Walking Dead, but that didn’t change the fact that it was yet another example of a LGBT character being murdered shortly after finding love. Fan response was immediate and intense, tuning out of the show in protest, unfollowing the creators on Twitter en masse, and raising thousands of dollars for an LGBT suicide prevention organization. Their reaction led showrunner Jason Rothenberg to apologize in a post on Medium, and Lexa was later brought back in the season three finale, giving her and Clarke the reunion fans were hoping for.
93) The Lost finale Lost was the first modern genre show that had the ability to turn almost anyone who watched it into a fan. People of every age, gender, race, and level of nerdiness could be heard talking together about about smoke monsters, time travel, and frozen donkey wheels over the course of its 2004-2010 broadcast. When the appropriately titled “The End” aired on May 23, 2010, people all over the world were rapt, waiting for the answers they’d been hoping for all along. That… didn’t happen. But the collective discourse about it—the frustration, the confusion, the anger, even enjoyment—was a singular moment in the expansion of nerd culture to the mainstream, and one not truly replicated until Game of Thrones.
This article’s take is lazy. Lexa was killed off entirely because that is what Jroth wanted for his story. The constant insinuation that she was going to another show (which she had already gone to when filming series 2) doesn’t work: she might never have become a regular on the 100, but killing off the character was entirely about the story they wanted to tell. Via Javier Grillo Marxuach, we were told that the production/writing team knew and understood the Dead Lesbian Cliche – they just felt they were superior to it. They had many options for this character. They chose death.
This article also insinuates that Lexa’s appearance in the series 3 finale was some sort of capitulation to the fans: we all know it wasn’t, it was filmed long before 3×07 aired.
I don’t know anyone who believes Jason Rothenberg’s ‘apology’ as anything other than an excuse. He never truly acknowledged what he did or interacted with fans afterward, unlike Grillo Marxuach, who demonstrated what real leadership with a sense of responsibility looks like.
who looked at Alycia and said “ah yes. bloodthirsty warrior. fearless queen of battle.”
Probably the same person who realised they were about to cast a rather fine young actor.
PS: just to take the piss, Lexa was never actually written or presented as a ‘bloodthirsty warrior.’ Fearless, queen-like, excellent in battle, yes.
Perhaps without meaning to, this post kind of reinforces a sexist norm that a (young) woman can’t be taken seriously in such a role. I think ADC (and many other women in similar roles) completely disproved it.
A WEEK AGO: “What happened?” “You almost died, Heda.” “Clarke-” “Is safe back in Polis.” “Where am I? My people need me.” “You need not worry about that for now, Heda.”
I’m so very sorry for the long delay on an answer. I’ll do my best here, but I’m sure others have covered this as well.
I think Lexa’s biggest mistake here was not taking charge immediately. She allowed Clarke to influence ‘blood must not have blood’ and she walked away, went home to Polis and sat it out until it literally killed her.
I don’t know the logistics for the Grounders, but if they had the ability, I would have immediately ordered all the bodies to be gathered up and placed on some mass transport system (wagons? biers?). Since she had already ordered her army to Arkadia (that was seemingly forgotten in the episode), she could have ordered her captains/generals to have her army circle the camp, with something akin to fireballs/flaming arrows at the ready (do they have something like Molotov cocktails?). Just have them lit up, prepared to fire on Arkadia (threatening to burn it down before any Skaikru can get a shot off might be an effective threat, and they’ve got plenty of explosive material there, not to mention the immediate loss of life). Lexa has to turn this situation to her advantage, not let Pike rest on his murderous laurels in Arkadia. Take the fight to him, immediately, catch him off guard. She also spreads the story to her people that they have to save their brothers and sisters in Arkadia who have been ‘terrorised’ by Pike and his conspirators, setting up a redemption for Arkadia once this is all over (to Clarke’s obvious relief).
So she’s ordered her army to surround Arkadia, ready to burn it down at a moment’s notice. She has her soldiers bring the bodies of the dead before Arkadia’s gates and lay them out, for the Skaikru to see what Pike did (if they’ve got consciences, this will affect everyone and force them to a decision about whether to support a mass murderer – a bit ironic, really). Lexa eads this charge herself, she has to. She announces to Arkadia Pike’s crimes, the bodies of the fallen, that they are about to burn down Arkadia, unless Pike and his conspirators are handed over. She gives them one hour. Might be useful to have Clarke speaking to them as well, telling them to surrender (I’d never have let Clarke enter the camp, but use Octavia as a means to deliver the message, to help push the others to the right side).
Being closely surrounded, their camp about to burn, being low on food (Pike already told us this), now aware of the deaths he caused, the Sky people will have no choice but to either give up Pike or fight to the death. Kane should be the voice of reason here, pointing out Pike’s folly, they are surrounded by thousands, on land that belongs to the Grounders, and they’ve wronged them, again, more lives taken for no good reason. Kane believes in Lexa’s fairness, knows if they surrender, the rest will come to no harm. If Pike has a shred of decency left (he’s a ridiculous character in many ways, the school teacher who went this far without considering reality is a major stretch of believability), he’ll surrender and order his people to stand down. The Grounders may not have bullets, but they have a righteous cause on their side and they can let Arkadia burn.
With Pike and the others surrendering, Lexa might need to cancel blood must not have a blood for a bit, since it’s doubtful the Grounders will accept banishment for him. Pike is executed while his seconds, including Bellamy are reprimanded into Indra’s custody for their punishments (life working on farms, taking care of the families of the fallen or something similar).
Kane, being the pragmatic leader he is, orders the Arkadia guards to surrender their weapons. This will cause controversy (and not all guns will be surrendered, obviously). They make a show of this to Lexa and her people as a sign of goodwill and Kane reaffirms their desire to remain part of the Coalition. Lexa keeps turning this into a positive as she praises her army for their strength and compassion and saving the lives of their Arkadian brethren (using such language to keep Arkadia in the family, as it were). She orders supplies for Arkadia to help them through the winter and offers to have hunters teach them the best places to hunt, forage, etc. A new summit will have to go forward with new plans for how Arkadia can ‘atone’ and be a useful part of the world.
Lexa makes the point that Arkadia needs to open her gates, take down her walls in order to integrate and find peace amongst their people. Isolation only leads to suspicion, dislike, lies and, eventually, violence. Kane agrees (though he’s going to be fought on this by so many who do not want the ‘purity’ of their way of life invaded). Jaha, yes, chipped Jaha, speaks to this as well, reinforced by Alie, who wants to control Arkadia for her own reasons.
Alie, the hidden danger, decides they need to control the Commander. To this end, she orders Jaha to seek out Clarke Griffin.
Does this make any sense? Just a few thoughts on it, but, like I said, I think others have covered this in various ways and so much of series 3 is just a narrative mess that goes nowhere, rewriting the whole thing is the only good option to make anything fit.
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.
The Doctor Is Out 