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!