The 100: In Praise of Bellamy
|
Trying to survive against all odds in an unforgiving environment is nothing new for the characters on The 100. How does one wrestle with the sacrifices that are required for survival and the fact that sometimes the needs of a few outweigh those of the many? (We still miss you, Leonard Nimoy.)
Is it ever justifiable to take a life, and what does that mean for a person or character going forward? These are all questions posed by The 100 on a weekly basis, but they were especially prominent in the Season 2 finale, “Blood Must Have Blood, Part 2.”
Of course the show doesn’t always answer such questions. So the aftermath of the decisions that were made in the finale are going to be felt for quite some time. Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor), as leader of the Sky People, may have rescued her people at the end of the day, but she’s also got lots of blood on her hands to show for it. Thankfully, she didn’t rescue her people alone; when push came to shove Bellamy Blake (Bob Morley) was right there to pull the trigger on the mass murder of the Mountain Men that saved the Sky People. And so he deserves a little bit of a shout out.
Don’t get us wrong, our love for Clarke Griffin here at The TV Junkies is something fierce. She’s one of our favourite characters on television and we thoroughly enjoy watching her kick ass week in and week out. Truthfully, we can’t say enough about Eliza Taylor’s amazing performance as Clarke in the finale (and really all season long). Often times the focus of articles on The 100 revolve around Clarke and the rest of the amazing female characters on the show. We get that, and it’s one of the show’s best aspects. But let’s just take a sec to focus on the men of The 100 here. Well, one man in particular anyhow–Bellamy Blake. For without Bellamy, there would have been no way Clarke could have pulled off that epic rescue.
Let’s take a few minutes to throw some much warranted praise in Bellamy’s direction, shall we?
Bellamy, you’ve come a long way baby
Remember the Bellamy we first met? He was stuck up and arrogant and seemed as if, for a time, he was going to be the downfall of the group. My how the times have changed! Bellamy, almost more so than any other character (except maybe sister Octavia, played by Marie Avgeropoulos) has grown into one of the strongest, most logical, practical and captivating characters on show.
He’s a hero
What B did to rescue his people has warranted Bellamy straight-up hero status. Thankfully it also looks like he’s finally going to be recognized amongst his own people as the hero he truly is and not just another delinquent.
In the beginning of the season, Kane imprisoned Bellamy, he finally sees him as the hero he’s become. #The100 @wildpipm @hicusick
— Jason Rothenberg (@JRothenbergTV) March 12, 2015
He was the inside man
Nothing would have been possible had Bellamy not been successful in infiltrating Mount Weather. Everything hinged on him and he didn’t let them down. There would have been no rescue, not of the Grounders nor of the Sky People, if it weren’t for Bellamy. The acid fog wouldn’t never been disabled and they never could have opened the door or cut the power to the mountain without him. Things looked pretty bleak for awhile there, as Bellamy almost had to undergo a draining treatment on his bone marrow, but thankfully he escaped and in the process was responsible for setting the entire rescue plan in motion.
In the beginning of the season, Kane imprisoned Bellamy, he finally sees him as the hero he’s become. #The100 @wildpipm @hicusick — Jason Rothenberg (@JRothenbergTV) March 12, 2015
He’s a great brother
Bellamy always has–and seemingly always will–look after Octavia. She’s the most important person in the world to him and he strives to put her safety above everything else. Octavia may be a complete and total badass Grounder warrior now, but she’s never too tough for Bellamy to look out for. In fact, it was his love for Octavia, and seeing her surrounded on Level 5 of Mt. Weather, that pushed him to utter the line “my sister, my responsibility,” and help Clarke pull that trigger.
By the way, credit goes to @WildpipM for the call back to MY SISTER MY RESPONSIBILITY in tonight’s finale. It was a brilliant adlib! #The100
— Jason Rothenberg (@JRothenbergTV) March 12, 2015
He AND Clarke pulled that trigger
When the moment of truth came for Clarke, it was Bellamy that was there for her, just as he’s always been. They pulled that trigger together and in some ways Bellamy took on part of that burden for Clarke. She may ultimately still feel the complete weight of the decision, but what he did should not go unnoticed.

Clarke needs him
Ask any Bellarke shipper out there and they’ll give you a list of reasons why. But it’s true. Clarke Griffin needs Bellamy Blake. Maybe not romantically, maybe not yet, but she needs him as a friend, a co-leader, and as a confidante who also understands that sometimes you must make horrible decisions in order to survive at all costs. They are a team and by now both characters seem to realize it. For all those reasons, Bellamy is invaluable to Clarke.
He returned the favour and forgave Clarke
Proving just how invaluable and needed he is, Bellamy forgave Clarke for pulling the trigger in perhaps the most compelling scene from the finale. There was so much unspoken emotion in that moment, and whether or not #Bellarke ever happens romantically, this is a bond they share that will never been unbroken. It was a great callback to Season 1 when Clarke forgave Bellamy and he the look on Bellamy’s face as he echoed her words back to her, “You’re forgiven… You don’t have to do this alone”–was just heartbreaking.




Bob Morley commands the screen
Morley has an onscreen presence that lasts for days. He commands any scene he’s in and I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re seeing him as the star of an action series on the big screen one day. Some actors just have “it.” “It” can’t be taught and Morley has “it” in spades. Got “it?”
Clarke may have walked away from Bellamy and the Sky People at the end of the finale, but I suspect she’ll be back soon after Season 3 starts. When she does return, she will need Bellamy, possibly more so than another character, to help her live with the burden of what she did in order to save her people and survive another day. Thankfully, we have every confidence that Bellamy is more than up to the task and will take this responsibility in stride. But we have just one question: How are we supposed to survive five+ months until a new episode of The 100?
Sound off on any and everything related to The 100 in the comments below!
That was one emotional season finale! Poor Clarke didn’t even have time to come to terms with shooting Kade’s father when she had to flood Level 5 with air from the outside. I don’t know if because Bellamy was inside Mount Weather for days, & saw how the Sky People were being treated that he didn’t seem to feel guilty to the same extent that Clarke did. But, I do think he was a hero & great friend for not letting her pull the switch by herself. I’m not even sure she could have done it if she had to do it alone. Hopefully, it doesn’t take her too long to realize that she was left with no choice. As she told Abby, “I tried to be the good guy.” I felt sorry for Jasper, too, losing Maya after all she had done to help him & his people.
One thing I didn’t understand was why the Sky People all went back to their base instead of taking up residence in Mount Weather. Mount Weather can give them shelter & protection from the elements, as well as from any enemies. They would have comfortable quarters to live in, food for everyone, & better medical facilities. They could have treated their wounded, Abby & Raven much better there than at their base, not to mention not having to carry them back, & cause them more pain along the way.
Love Bellamy but …. *smh at anyone acting like it’s so hard for male characters get love. Right. The media nd fandoms never praise the guys. lol…. The 100 is one fo the only shows I watch where the wonderful ladies get so much praise, instead of the guys. It’s great to see.
This article is everything!!! Thanks for acknowledging and appreciate Bellamy’s character and Bob’s terrific performance. He deserves it. And I agree with you Clarke is EVERYTHING too but it doesn’t her from once in a while praise other characters…I would like to see more about the rest of them 🙂
There is no doubt about it, Bob Morley is one of the most underrated actors on television, he is so talented and the finale proved that over and over again. The desperation you can see when Clarke is leaving was so heartbreaking, and the ‘my sister, my responsibility’ line was so on point and perfect and completely something Bellamy would say in that moment.