To preface, The 100 started off as an excellent post-apocalyptic series. The pilot began by sending one hundred kids from space down to Earth, in order to discover whether the land was survivable after years being trapped in a spaceship called The Arc. From the beginning, fans fell in love with the characters that coined the name The Delinquents. However, two favorites emerged early on, Bellamy and Clarke. They easily became the heart of the show, and a large fanbase became dedicated to their characters, as well as their potential relationship. For years and seasons, the fans rooted for these characters. Until the final season derailed all of that.
Bellamy Blake is one of the most well-written characters showcased on any CW show. Due to the nature of the story, he has faced many struggles and has even played the villain a few times. In fact, in the first few episodes he appeared as more antagonist than hero. He and Clarke began on opposite sides, and it seemed as if he was on the wrong one. However, his development was crafted perfectly, and the audience started to see the truth of his character. With the addition of flashbacks to his time on The Arc, we saw how devoted he was to his family, most of all his sister, Octavia. That he would do anything to protect her and keep her alive. As the season went on, he started to have the same dedication to The Delinquents, and became the leader that they all needed in order to survive. He became the hero of the show.
As the series went on, Bellamy's character developed more, displaying both his flaws and weaknesses. As he was fiercely loyal to his friends, there were times when he fell victim to authority figures that exploited his protectiveness. This was showcased in Season Three, when he let antagonist Charles Pike lead him down the dangerous path of another war against the Grounders. The audience saw him falter, crumble, and make mistakes. Then, we saw him grow and become stronger by breaking out of those difficult times. For years, his character continuously fought to help not just his own people, but other sides as well. Even in his darkest moments, it was clear that he was trying to save others.
The driving point of Bellamy's role is his relationship with the other characters. One of the strongest is his friendship with the other main character, Clarke. While they started on opposite sides, they soon became the closest bond on the show. We saw them work together, we saw them struggle with being apart, and we saw how they broke whenever they fought. No matter how much they disagreed at times, they could never let each other die. When Bellamy was going to risk the survival of the human race in Season Four, Clarke couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger and instead let him take the risk. In Season Six, when Clarke was all but dead in front of him, Bellamy quite literally brought her back to life. It was clear that these two could not bear to let the other go.
Now we get to the latest and final season. Just days after Bellamy saves Clarke from certain death, Octavia gets sucked into an Anomaly and Bellamy races to save her. By putting his own life on the line, he gets captured by The Disciples. After refusing to leave his sister, he gets blasted into another realm. The others believe him to be dead, and are devastated by his loss. However, Bellamy survives, along with one of the Disciples. For three months, he fought to get back to his friends on an icy mountaintop, where he had to climb to the top in order to reach the exit. During their climb, the Disciple encouraged Bellamy to believe in their cause and religion, Transcendence. The belief that they needed to save all mankind by fighting in One Last War. Bellamy refused to accept this, arguing that his people were what mattered to him. It wasn't until he truly saw how Transcendence was real, how it led him to see his mother and saved his life, did he believe. That belief is what brought him back his friends.
However, once he returned and displayed himself as a Disciple, things began to go downhill. The others refused to understand what he saw, and for two days he begged them to see his point of view. For Bellamy, he knew that The Last War was the only way to save them. Unfortunately, no matter how many times he told them he was fighting for their survival, they only saw him as a villain. Despite everything particularly Clarke and Bellamy had been through, she wouldn't believe in him, or even try to help him.
The same girl who first offered Bellamy forgiveness in Season One, now withheld it. The same girl who fought alongside him to save their friends, now stood against him. The same Clarke that never had to go anywhere, or do anything alone because Bellamy went with her, now had no belief in him. The same Clarke that called Bellamy on the radio everyday for six years because he kept her sane, now turned her back on him. Due to a fight over her daughter's sketchbook, Clarke decided to shoot Bellamy in the heart.
This rightfully confused most fans. She could have easily shot one of the other Disciples around them, or Sheidheida, the actual villain who showed him the sketchbook. Or, Clarke could have shot Bellamy in the arm or the leg, anywhere but the heart. Was it really necessary, to kill him over something like that? Did it make sense to any of their characters? It doesn't seem to make sense. It's difficult to believe how Clarke could leave not just Bellamy behind, but also the sketchbook that she killed him for.
It was, however, the most recent episode that seemed to be the nail in the coffin of this once great show. When Clarke tells the others that she killed Bellamy, she is greeted with understanding and a warm embrace. Even Octavia, who Bellamy was in this position for due to him trying to save her, wasn't phased. His girlfriend Echo, after committing countless murders the first time they believed Bellamy was dead, now claimed that he deserved to die for believing in a cause that made all the years of hardship they faced mean something. His other friends shared these sentiments, declaring that his belief in Transcendence killed him.
Ultimately, what are fans meant to take from this last season? It feels impossible to root for any remaining relationships, when the closest one, the so called Heart of the Show ended so terribly. It feels useless to continue watching when one of the main characters has gotten a less than satisfying conclusion to his story. Furthermore, it makes you wonder what the writers were thinking at all.
