abazethe100:

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I like your interpretation for that artistic choice in that moment, and I will come back to it in this post. Okay, so my review ended up being a book, I’ve decided to break down parts of the episode with the different asks people gave me. It’s much easier because brains would explode if I tried to write a full out review (I may still though, we’ll see). 

If you are a huge Cl.exa fan, you may not want to read this. You have been warned. 

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Premise 1: In order to better understand where I am coming from in this post, you’ll need to know that I believe the COL Le/xa was summoned by Clarke and her need, and that it wasn’t the real Le/xa we came to know in 2B or 3A. Look at the following dialogue between Clarke and AI Becca:

Clarke: “Did you give me this (talking about her Father’s Watch)

Becca: “No, you did. ALIE 2.0 has merged with your mind. But your mind is in control. And only the mind that is in control can operate the kill switch.” 

Clarke summoned things she needed to gain strength and guidance in COL, and she “fixed” them in order to remember the best parts of them:

Reminder - Emori in 3x15: “I would if I had any [defects].” Ppl fix things in the COL. ;-)

1. Her father’s watch - once broken is now fixed and ticking (she fixed its defect). 

2. Her season 1 clothing - the part of her she identifies with (current identity is a defect, so she fixes it)

3. The switch - she’s pulled two switches that caused pain (she fixes it by summoning up a switch that can save people - she is fixing her past wrongs/defects). 

3. Le/xa … well, do you see where I’m going with this? 

• Screen-To-Script: “Goddamn right IT’S LE/XA! In full battle armor and war paint – the perfect [fixed] embodiment of the SPIRIT OF THE COMMANDERS.” (LINK TO SOURCE)

• Interview with Eliza Taylor: Did you at least ask them why you’re wearing Clarke’s first-season costume when she enters the City of Light? “I did! I thought it was kind of a cool spin. It was the first season costume, but it was blue shirt as opposed to gray. Jason [Rothenberg, EP] was like, “Well in the City of Light, you see yourself as the way you would have liked to have been, the way that you think you look to other people.” I kind of like that, especially after everything Clarke’s been through. Even for me as the actor, I identify with Clarke the most in that wardrobe. It was nice to put it back on A) it’s just such a nice callback and B) because it still fit after three years and I’m really happy about that! (Laughs)”

Clarke summoned the Le/xa she loved the most, the Le/xa she “saw,” not the Le/xa that was portrayed on t.v. over the last year. This COL Le/xa hadn’t broken her heart in 2x16. This Le/xa had the real Le.xa’s fierce nature, snarky smiles, and relentless passion … but the L.exa in COL also lacked the real L.exa’s sadness, seriousness, raw anger, and dubious morality. At first, I was thrown by COL L.exa … because it wasn’t the Le/xa I remembered and connected to in 3A. This L.exa felt surreal, and Alycia Debnam-Carey over acted the part (which was weird to me because she is a brillant actress that knows how to do subtle acting). However, I believe this was an intentional artistic decision made by the director, Jason, and Alycia because they wanted show that this was Clarke’s mind in control, and it was the flame connected to Clarke’s mind itself guiding her to the kill switch, not the real Le/xa but parts of the real Le/xa (the better parts, the fixed parts) definitely. In the end, it was really Clarke that saved herself in that moment Le/xa sailed over her head and killed those COL people bots, not Le/xa (which is important to me because our Clarke is not a damsel in distress, thank you very much). (Note: one of the many reasons why the ADR ILY should have been left out). 

                                                             - - - 

Okay, knowing that premise now, I want us to look at two very important moments in the COL. In order to understand these moments in the script, I’ll need to remind you that “love is weakness (but really a strength)” is a running theme in this show, and it has always most strongly centered around Clarke/L.exa and Clarke/Bellamy. That is canon, and we all know it, but we’ve learned throughout 3B that love became a strength for Clarke… and who helped her realize that, by the way? hmmm … I wonder … I wrote a meta about it (HERE) between Clarke/Bellamy. It was important that this theme was rehashed between Clarke/Bellamy before 3x16 because it was reminding us that Clarke’s love for Bellamy gives her strength … same with Le/xa. 

Note: The writers rehashed this theme with Le/xa and Titus in 3x07 to remind us all about Le/xa’s link to Clarke and theme of “love is weakness (but really a strength). 

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Clarke/Le.xa in the COL (Clarke’s memory for Le/xa gives her strength):

Screen-to-Script: 

Le/xa: “Our fight in not over” Clarke finds strength to pull to standing, before falling …

Note: Le/xa gave Clarke strength to fight. Love is not weakness; it is strength. 

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Clarke/Bellamy in the COL (Clarke’s memory of Bellamy’s act of selfless love in Mt. Weather gives her strength):

Screen-to-Script:

ALIE: Will you really condemn the human race to die in six months?

Clarke: (trying to convince herself more than anyone) We’ll figure it out. We always do. [Note: she thinks of the delinquents and her friends in the moment, not necessarily Bellamy Blake … not yet. This is important so that people realize that later it IS Bellamy that gives her that final strength to pull the level in COL. Here, the delinquents/family were not quite enough to give her hope.]

Becca: “There’s still hope” [Note: Becca is doing what Clarke needs and is part of Clarke’s mind . . reminding Clarke of her own belief that there’s always hope season 1 callback]

ALIE: “According to my calculations, there’s is not.”

Becca: “Ten second, Clarke”

Clarke’s hand is frozen over the lever, tears in her eyes as she gazes upon the malignant planet. 

ALIE: (practically in Clarke’s ear now) “Let me ease their pain, Clarke. We can save the human race … [anon reminder: head tilt] together.”

This lands on Clarke. It’s what Bellamy said to her at the Mt. Weather lever, a moment that haunts her still. [Note: Again it is BELLAMY, not the delinquents that give her hope. She didn’t think about the together in 3x11, she thought about Bellamy and her in 2x16.]

Finally, she looks back at ALIE, finding her strength … 

Clarke: “You don’t ease pain. You overcome it … and we will.” [Note: because Bellamy is the memory she drew on for her strength … this also implies that she believes Bellamy has been the one to help her “overcome” her pain as well. Again, please don’t misunderstand me here. Clarke 100% is strong by herself, but here and elsewhere this season Bellamy has inspired her and reminded her of herself …that’s been his role]

With that, she PULLS the level with AUTHORITY.

Now, we know that Erica uses the head tilt action to show that she is learning and using that knowledge in attempts to convince people to her side. I also believe ALIE is using her knowledge (knowledge she learned from Jasper and Abby) that she learned about Bellamy and the delinquents to “ease” Clarke into accepting ALIE’s help. She must have learned that this word “together” is important to Clarke and that, when Clarke hears this word, Clarke tends to become compliant. What ALIE failed to understand was that the word “together” wasn’t a word devoid of emotion … it was a word brimming with love (An emotion that ALIE cannot understand and has now continuously used on others and found it effective. Lol, except between Bellamy and Clarke–Bellamy to Raven ALIE in 3x11 “you don’t know what you’re talking about”. Bellamy and Clarke’s love for each other has been literally incomprehensible to ALIE, which I find absolutely amazing). I believe this word, “together,” did indeed recall Bellamy to the forefront of her mind. It reminded her that even in the darkest of times there was this one thin thread of hope that has passed through her experiences on Earth, and Bellamy Blake always seems to remind Clarke of that hope … not only does he remind her of hope, he helps her to believe in it. With that belief (belief that she and Bellamy will save the world again together, and the reminder that she was able to overcome her pain because of the delinquents and Bellamy), she pulls the lever. She gains real hope for the future… and the source of that hope came from her memory of Bellamy. It’s that simple, folks, and that is f*cking powerful stuff. 

I already saw some Cl.exa folks try to minimize that moment and the script-to-screen, saying that it had nothing to do with Bellamy’s love for Clarke or Clarke’s love for Bellamy. Some of them are still calling us delusional (and we are delusional if we think that moment is romantic, by the way. It’s not romantic … it’s more powerful than that, quite frankly). Don’t worry my anons and followers, we aren’t delusional. Why? Because we actually acknowledge Clarke’s entire story and all her relationships, not just the one. I acknowledge that Clarke had romantic feelings for Le/xa, and that she had come to “love” Le.xa on a deep level, but Bellamy’s love for Clarke and Clarke’s love for Bellamy has consistently sustained Clarke more than any other love on this show. Bellamy has never truly broken Clarke’s heart, not in the way her past lovers have … and that, my friends, is significant. No, Bellamy and Clarke are not “romantic” yet, but what kind of story would be told if Clarke didn’t end up falling hard for the man that has been her consistent and loving partner. A partner that she trusts, she believes in, she hopes with, she heals with, she fights with, she is equal to … and so, so much more. It’s only a matter of time, and people that don’t want Clarke to be with someone like that must not understand what unconditional love looks like. 

Besides, Aaron Ginsburg said that the one emotion that would save the day this season was “love” … it’s significant that the memory Clarke drew upon to “save the world” was a memory of Bellamy. 

Again, that’s powerful … and it was a move I predicted because I know, and you all know, that the most important relationship on this show is Bellamy and Clarke. The show will always begin with them (those damn lever moments) and end with them (again with those damn lever moments), because together they embody the theses of the show (love is strength, faith, hope, belief, home, the better way, and living not just surviving). 

Bellarke is the most beautiful relationship I have ever seen, and that is why I will always cringe and roll my eyes whenever these two have “romantic” relationships with other people because it, quite frankly, feels fake to me. I really do hope that the writer’s go with Bellarke next season because if they do anymore “side romances” for these two … It would be f*cking frustrating. *sigh*. I do, however, think they will begin to really go down that road between Bellarke this next season. It just makes sense. 

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Endnote: If you want further meta on why Clarke and Bellamy are the embodiment of the theses of this show please go (HERE). I explain how and why the show centers around these two and always will. It’ll help you understand the way this show is structured around these two.