Steph26

I never thought he was wanting to take off her wristband when she fell and he caught her. I viewed it as pure instinct in wanting to save her; he would have done it with anyone. And I didn't think he even contemplated dropping her; I just felt like it surprised them both, and they were affected by the grounders' techniques and the whole situation.

Damocles

He was talking about removing her wristband a few minutes earlier, but I'm not sure if that exact thought was in his mind at the time. He definitely hesitating in pulling her up/took too long to pull her up. But I guess they could have both been a bit shocked too. There was definitely some contemplation going on through his mind then, he clearly didn't like her yet and wanted the ark to think she was dead.

Maud&Danny

“Someone please give this boy a haircut,” Raven says the third time Bellamy blows his curls out of his eyes in the middle of their meeting.
so let's be criminals

brave princess

^Love that drawing of Clarke cutting Bellamy's hair. Based on Bob's pic on twitter he's letting his hair get long so who knows, Clarke may have to cut it.

TFTNT, Rose!

I also never felt like Bellamy thought about dropping her and letting her die. Yes, he had shot Jaha to get on the dropship with his sister but Bellamy never actually killed anyone with his own two hands until Dax which was to save himself and Clarke. Sure b/c we, the audience, and Clarke didn't really know Bellamy all that well that it seemed like he would've let her hand go and let her die to solve a problem but what the episodes after 1x02 showed us was that Bellamy was a lot of talk but when it came down to it, he wasn't a killer. I'm sure there was a part of Bellamy that thought that if he were different that he would just let her fall to her death but that wasn't who he was/is.

Maud&Danny

“I bear it so they don’t have to.”
olivia draws. sometimes.

Fuzzy Dunlop

I'm sorry but the entire point of that scene where she falls into the pit was that Bellamy was thinking about dropping her. They build up to it over the course of the episode. First he tells Murphy all about how intent he is on getting her wristband, then he tries to intimidate Clarke into taking it off and she says basically "over my dead body." So then when he reflexively catches her, he's at this clear point where he could easily let her fall to her death and the look on her face shows that she knows he's thinking about it. But we never get to find out if he really would have because Finn, Wells, and Murphy come running over like "What the hell, dude? Pull her up already." If he wasn't thinking about it, he would have tried to pull her up right away. They all know that he was thinking about it. Clarke and Bellamy give each other these really intense, distrustful looks and Finn even tells Wells not to help him cut down Jasper so that they don't have to leave Clarke alone with Bellamy and Murphy. I think it's definitely our first clue that Bellamy is conflicted and isn't a purely ruthless villain, but we'll never know if he would have actually dropped her or not because the other guys stepped in and broke up the situation before Bellamy could decide.

Damocles

^ in the past I would have disagreed you and argued with you, but after re-watching episode 2 yesterday that's completely how I see it too now. There is absolutely no trust or respect between those two yet. But you basically just have to wait another hour and then it's there At least, the first glimmer.

Steph26

Agree to disagree. Even the first time I watched it when I couldn't stand Bellamy for the first half of the season, I saw it completely as his instinct to save her. It wasn't about Clarke; it was about Bellamy showing he actually cares about other people without meaning to show it. I remember thinking, "Wow, he actually has a heart" the first time I watched.

Damocles

I guess I just don't see it that way anymore, I mean this is the same episode where he encouraged knife fighting and strung up his friend to hang overnight on a tree (which in real life wouldn't have ended well like it did on the show). For me personally, I still thought Bellamy was garbage when I first watched this episode and I'm pretty sure it wasn't until the next episode with Charlotte when I realised he was an as*hole with a bit of a heart, and started questioning how authentic his douchebaggery was.

Fuzzy Dunlop

Yeah, exactly. It's the plot of the episode. When you watch it in the context of the whole episode, it's not even subtle that he's thinking about killing her. The fact that he hesitated at all ties in to how he couldn't bring himself to kill Atom, but that doesn't change the fact that the "catch" scene was all about putting Bellamy in a position where Clarke's life was literally in his hands. Sure, he grabbed her as she was falling, but he didn't even try to pull her up afterwards. He sat there scowling at her, clearly trying to decide what to do, until the other guys stepped and stopped him from killing her. It's not until a few episodes later that Bellamy and Clarke start learning how to trust each other. And I agree, it wasn't until I saw Bellamy with Charlotte that I realized that he might not be the bad guy of the series.

kenni727

Fuzzy and MiniElky, I concur.

I can see that. Though that really is a horrific moment - her killing a guy and all. But when you really think about it SO many of significant Bellarke moments revolve around something, horrific, violent, etc. You've got him almost dropping her in the spike pit, she kills Atom, Murphy's lynching, Charlotte jumps off a cliff, they torture Lincoln, she almost kills Dax to save him, he does kill Dax, he shoots Anya saving her from getting shanked...is there more? I feel like there's more. But that's all after knowing each other 3-4 weeks? That's some Grade A Romance right there. Riiiight.

I get it though. Those are some powerful and poignant moments they share rife with intensity and chemistry. But the violence and brutality of it all is why I don't think I really shipped them until the end of season one - and not even fully then. Up until the finale I was intrigued by their dynamic and loved the bond they had forged as co-leaders. They overcame their differences to work together. They came to truly respect, trust, and rely on one another. They each saw something in the other that got them through.

So at the end of season one I looked forward to seeing more of their bond and was curious how it might evolve, liking the idea of a romance developing at some point. Season two was the game changer for me. I find it funny how many other shippers were disappointed with the lack of Bellarke this season and became disheartened or lost hope while it was this season which clinched it for me. Going into season two I was excited for more Bellarke, but also prepared for the writers to take their story somewhere else. And while I still don't believe there was an ounce of romance to their story in season two their bond was solidified. The level of trust, understanding, and acceptance these two have will forever be unrivaled.

Well that turned longer than I intended and I still haven't pinpointed a specific moment.

Maud&Danny

Then it was badly done or shot because I never once thought he'd drop her.

Damocles

Season 2 for me just made me love them even more. And don't even get me started on the finale again This is not ordinary relationship that you'd see on the CW. Oh no, we've shared one possibly stressful moment! Oooooh there is some sexual tension here!

No, they started off despising eachother (from what I could tell), and went through countless horrific events together and that's how their bond grew. That's not normal. But it's certainly powerful.

kenni727

Whereas I think the opposite. I think it was excellently shot and acted because I see the conflict there in Bellamy and his hesitance either way - to save her or drop her.

It's crazy how one scene can be interpreted six ways from Sunday. And then some. Which is what makes this show so great. I think.

And MiniElky, so NOT normal. But theirs is the stuff of legend.

Fuzzy Dunlop

And you can see the realization in Clarke's eyes when she looks down, sees the spikes, and then looks back up at Bellamy. It's like she has that adrenaline fueled extreme focus on his face and all she can do is hope he doesn't drop her. There's not a whole lot of great acting in those first few episodes (the rewatch is a little bit painful! ) but that scene in particular is really well done.