Tag: octavia blake

Hi hope you don’t mind me venting can i do that? I’m angry af about them turning Luna and Clarke into monsters tf is that about? Is she going to kill Bellamy so he can be a hero like Octavia? Get out, messed up. SAVE US

It is a mess, yes, but I don’t think Clarke will kill Bellamy, least of all to make him a ‘hero.’  It is regressive and it is appalling that the Blakes are given morally superior stances that neither have earned and all at the expense of two women who have known better, but the narrative doesn’t want it that way, I guess. There will always be a problem with Skaikru depicted in anyway as heroes as most (save Clarke, Kane and Octavia) see grounders as savage, inferior and have isolated themselves from them and their influence.  Skaikru were always heading in the direction of becoming another Mt. Weather (one of the first comparisons grounders make of them is to the ‘mountain men’), hypocritical and responsible for at least one-thousand grounder deaths since they came to Earth. 

Bellamy’s participation in a massacre, his open murder of two messengers and later, no one seriously calling him into account for it (especially Clarke and Indra who both had deep personal losses as a result – it’s baffling) – is uncomfortably echoed in Octavia turning into an unrepentant ‘assassin’ – almost mockingly taking up her brother’s previous ‘occupation’ and shaming him with it (yet Indra is ‘proud?’ Confounding character reasoning, not much a surprise, really). Killing to give Skaikru an advantage.  Neither deserve to be the ones to deliver ‘justice’ or point out the flaws of those around them.  It’s a painfully dishonest form of storytelling.

I don’t want to guess too much on this (I’m ALWAYS wrong), but Clarke’s shaking gun waving made me think of Titus, having also lost all hope, trying to shoot Clarke to get Lexa to go to war.  Here, Clarke is, as far as we can tell, trying to prevent what could be a mob of angry grounders from getting in and wiping them out (as, if this all holds true, they deserve – and Titus is exonerated as Lexa rolls in her non-existent grave) – but what if the gun goes off and hits someone else?  I’ve been curious why Abby has been so seldom-seen (and whose death might shake Clarke back to her senses?).  

I’ve no evidence for this, just a thought.  

Whats up doc? we’re sitting here waiting for ze update AND it would be nice to get your breakdown of recent events COUGH COUGH theloo COUGH COUGH you usually have something by now! stay cool my doc

I’m sorry you’re having to wait – I’m writing from bed with inflamed tonsils and a cough that won’t quit. I promise as soon as I’m able, the update will happen.  

As for ‘recent events’ –  I’d like to wait until the season is over and see how things pan out, really.  I am bothered (like everyone else) by what appears to be Clarke’s betrayal of all her progress, but I want to know more about her reasoning.  Is it going to put her in parallel with Lexa’s betrayal at Mt. Weather, is she the new Dante Wallace, is it just the old ‘doing it for her people’ reasoning, is the narrative twisting her in a way to mirror Bellamy of series 3 while Bellamy is twisted to mirror her from the same season?  Are we calling JR petty for writing Clarke in a way that, from the narrative perspective, destroys her credibility as Lexa’s partner?

I am on board with the idea that Clarke is mostly in character, by the way – her progression is being twisted – but, like Bellamy and much of Skaikru, she never really integrated with the Grounders or took much interest in them.  She bonded with Lexa and had minor relationships with Any and Niylah – but we never saw her working with or interacting in any meaningful way with the Grounders (except to get what she wanted at the time).  She gave Lexa preference because they developed a personal relationship – and Lexa isn’t quite as ‘savage’ as her people appear.  Through Lexa, Clarke should have developed a greater understanding of the Grounders, made friends even – but she didn’t. Her actions to protect only ‘her people’ are nothing new – it’s just a shame that, as a character who has been built up to ‘unite all of our people,’ as a character who claimed to love Lexa and believed her legacy should be peace – she just seemed to have kicked off and said ‘fuck it, I can only deal with my own.’  Really, Clarke?  

I’m going to secretly blame Roan.  If he’d kept his mouth shut at her Ascension, they could have argued over whether she was disrespectful or not in the safety of the bunker with all their people (or 1,200 of them at least – sorry you other 4,000 or so).

I think there is more going on (how long was the Conclave, anyway – long enough for Clarke to fetch her people and go back for all their furniture?), though I’m dubious that there isn’t a plan to make Bellamy ‘the voice of reason’ and offer him redemption through Clarke’s regression – a narrative cheat that is nothing short of an insult.  With Jaha in the mix – a man for whom morality is an inconvenience – and a possible other, as yet inactive plot point, this could be yet another unnecessary narrative contrivance. 

If my ‘theory’ (ha) that Raven is still possessed by Alie (who we last saw alive on what remains of The Ark), that means others could still be possessed by her as well (just because everyone was kicked out of the CoL doesn’t automatically mean Alie’s control was lost – just hidden, perhaps).  I do believe that Clarke, as the last Nightblood, will obtain the Flame, but to what purpose? Fight Alie again? Work with her?  

So – do we really think Skaikru will be in the bunker by themselves?  I don’t think it will be as simple as everyone coming to their senses and deciding to share. Outside, there will be anger – Skaikru has betrayed everyone again. There must be a way to get them out of the bunker or another way in. Or, that inactive plot point only to be revealed at the last moment.  

Deus ex machina. 

Raven is preparing to go into space – there’s a rocket, better use it – will she be going alone?  Can she take off in the midst of an explosive deathwave?  Don’t you need help to launch those things?  Is Alie on the Ark waiting for her like a ghost in the machine?  

What about Arkadia and those staying behind? Something about that bothers me, about Jasper, as well, but there isn’t enough to build on it.  

I’ve been reading influences with stories like Lord of the Flies, The Masque of Red Death, and others, but I wonder if an overriding influence will be Colossus: The Forbin Project (a remake of which Rothenberg was once associated with).  In the book (and film), the powerful AI, Colossus merges with another powerful AI, Guardian (sound familiar, POI fans?) and takes over the planet. Humanity is now in their ‘care.’   

Will we see two AIs merge for series 5 – and what will happen? 

If we don’t see the ‘deathwave’ devastating Polis (as an early teaser promised), is it a let-down?  I can picture that happening and leave everyone hanging as to who survived.  

Distorted Angel.

I might have one disagreement with some over Luna.  Moments of characters losing hope on this show are common and results vary – but Luna always felt a bit off to me.  From the moment we met her, she is a figure of drama: from the way visitors are brought on board her rig to the way they live: she lays on the ‘peace and love and zen’ vibe rather thick. Like Jasper, she’s a character who lost hope long ago. She ran away as a result. She’s been living in a bubble world ever since.  

Does Luna really believe all the things she says? Is she this wise and noble creature or is she someone trying to convince others (and herself) that she is? She seems to be clinging to her beliefs to save herself from the reality of her past as a trained killer.  When she attacks Clarke and tells her she would have killed Lexa in the Conclave – compare to her telling Octavia about her Conclave experience killing her brother (’I wanted to live’) – we see the distorted person inside.  She has always been dark, hurt, dangerous – but she pushed it down in order to help others.  

I’m not surprised if she came to the conclusion (especially after spending time with Skaikru!) that no one deserves to live. She’s lost everything and sees only the worst – instead of what could be.  She isn’t a ‘visionary’ (like Lexa).  She doesn’t see a bigger picture.  For Luna: she is a killer, she has killed, her world is brutality and death and she escaped for a bit – but it wouldn’t last.  

Is she mad?  Possibly.  It isn’t too far for her, but it is deplorable that they choose to turn her madness into villainy.  It is awful that she is taken out by Octavia in a manner that suggests she was never anything but a villain.  I would rather have seen her breakdown, then drop her weapons and ‘run away’ again, bringing herself full circle (if she’d returned to Raven, with whom she bonded, that might have been nice).  

Octavia – the only character written as the mythic hero archetype, begins to fulfill that character design (she gets Indra’s sword, even stands before the throne in Polis, symbolically, she is the rightful Commander who brings the people together).  She bridges the two cultures here – a foreshadowing that if they don’t work together, they’re all going to die.  The two cultures must either die off, or merge, or develop as something else.  Is one better than the other, no – but one thinks it is and that’s a huge problem that haunts this show.  Interesting trio we are left with: Octavia, Kane and Indra to deal with the Grounder chaos.  

If the bunker is Becca’s ‘crypt,’ might something significant be buried there?  I’m completely not serious, but I think it’d be hilarious if there is a locked space that requires Lexa’s little gear to open – and they have to figure out yet another way to screw the Grounders in order to get it. 

Hi doc! theres money on this so, if EVERYONE gets nightblood who will be the next commander?

Are you betting money on my response? Hope you haven’t put much money on it.

As much as I like logical progressions in stories, this show writes itself into so many corners, that if you offer a suggestion, it will almost always be wrong.  

So – a new Commander? Who? Why? Gaia will likely turn up again, so will Indra. Who is connected to them? Octavia.  Those Aragorn jokes seem a little less funny?  Octavia has been in the process of becoming something for a while. Does it seem a likely fit?  Perhaps, in the future, at the end of the series.  She fits the mould of mythic heroes: 

  • A secret birth, a child that had to be kept secret (Arthur, Aragorn, Luke/Leia)
  • Apprenticeship with an older, noble character (Arthur, Luke)
  • A threat to the old order (on the Ark and on the ground) (Arthur, Aragorn, Luke/Leia)
  • Survives a terrible wound/fall (Aragorn, Luke)
  • The claiming of a weapon of power (Excalibur, Anakin’s lightsabre, Isildur’s sword) – in Octavia’s case, this could mean The Flame, or maybe she’s given Lexa’s sword?  This is where I lose the thread because Octavia hated Lexa (she might have developed a little respect after death) and having her succeed Lexa would just be another loss of whatever legacy Lexa has lying around.  Octavia is not her heir.  She’s a warrior, a murderer as well, which taints her a bit – but if there are growth spurts for her character, who knows?  

Now, Lexa was seen as somewhat Arthurian (in series 3, at least), but Octavia rings certain bells.  If they will have another commander, it makes sense to me that this character would not emerge until the end, a new commander for a new day (if, you know, they all survive) and being a character who has an understanding of both Grounders and Skaikru, Octavia might emerge as that leader.  But who knows? 

It is possible that, if given night blood, Clarke could take the Flame again but for no use other than to have it, not to be Commander.   Sadly, it seems Clarke’s agency, fierceness and leadership have been undermined and overwritten and she’s basically a shell of the character she was.  Niylah telling Clarke that ‘Lexa lives through her’ might be hinting at something, but – not enough to suggest anything (except a Clexa endgame scenario that isn’t terribly likely).  Clarke could wind up a brood mare like all the other women who could survive Apocalypse part deux, just settle down and repopulate the world, or she could save her thankless people one last time and wave goodbye.  

This last bit, of Clarke being killed off (which some seem to want to see) is a problem to me because the makers of this show got scorched over killing off one queer character already (as we all know, eh) – are they likely to risk pissing off everyone again by killing another?  Clarke could very well live and I’d love to see her as the Commander proper.  

Now, having said that, it isn’t at all likely to happen.

Like I said: hope you didn’t put too much money in this!

geekariffic:

thedoctor-smith:

If you can excuse a (straight) character’s absence from the episode by saying ‘she’s sleeping,’ or off rounding up her clan because there’s a possible war coming (someone needs to tell Indra the plan has changed – or maybe Indra should just reinforce Polis with Trikru now that Azgeda have up and left) – you could have let the lesbian live. 

Just saying. 

Octavia has nearly died 4 times in the last two episodes (stabbed and fell off cliff, fell off horse to bleed to death, stopped breathing, got blown up) and she’s still alive.

I like O, but this smells like Plot Armour.

Indeed. It’s already been well-discussed about how Roan survived his shot to the chest, Jasper, being speared, etc.  Lexa’s betrayal at Mt. Weather made no sense for her character – but it was designed to shock.  Her death was designed to do the same.  They knew it would hurt.  That is exactly what they wanted.

 For a show that is so grim, with a cast and crew that have repeatedly stated ‘this is what the show is about’ ‘anyone can die’ – the deaths that have taken place vs. the improbable survival of so many ‘main cast’ characters is kind of telling and, deliberate or not, a little ugly (Wells, Any, Lexa, Lincoln, Pike all represented minorities and are, arguably, the most controversial deaths on the show). 

Representation on this show is not without its positives (Raven, Clarke and Octavia form a triumvirate of female empowerment – though it seems Clarke is being sidelined and setup for a more personal tragedy), but they’ve targeted too many minorities for shock value death for it not to be a real-world problem.

Not sure I understand how/why Octavia was allowed to survive that fall (why the fall, she could have been speared and Echo could have left her to die and you’d have a more probable narrative for her survival), but this show likes its ‘holy shit’ moments (and really loves to borrow from other properties, LOTR, in this case). 

Does it say something deeper about Octavia (she cannot be killed?) or is it a kind of a character joke: she’d survive being kicked off of Lexa’s tower?  She fell to Earth and survived so a fall from a cliff is nothing? Octavia is a ‘hybrid’ between Skaikru and Grounder and, therefore, the best of both? Something better?  I don’t know that we’ll ever see a complete picture of her.