Ellfoy

Love it April. Well said. I have stopped to consider Clarke and Bellamy's relationship as either romantic or platonic long ago. I feel like you loose a whole chunk of their relationship if you pick one.

Well if He's on that list, she's on that list. I can't imagine them being willingly seperated.


I will like to add that this show really gain at being binge watched. I have watched ep8,9 and 10 in a row and it was so much better !

April7739

I've found that it doesn't matter whether I binge or watch live week by week. I love it all the same.

I have found, however, that the thing that amplifies my love for this show the most . . . is posting about it here with you guys. Cheesy, I know, but it really is true!

Thanks, Margaux, I'm glad you like that post.

Ah, I love what you said there about losing a big chunk of their relationship if you only pick one. Their relationship is so deep and so multi-faceted that sometimes the enormity and complexity of it overwhelms me . . . in a good way.

destroyer of worlds

Back with more thoughts later but yes, I so agree, Margaux. Like we have said time and time again, BC are not a pairing that you can simply put into a nice, tidy box labelled as "romantic" or "platonic". To me, a lot of their moments have a romantic vibe to it (if that makes sense ... reaching out for his hand when she's scared, getting stabbed in the freaking leg but still focused on finding her etc.) ... but there's some moments that are just platonic but really, nothing wrong with platonic love either ... where two people just so clearly love each other that it doesn't even need to be defined.

Have a great day, you guys!

April7739

I don't even know if I've ever seen a ship that can encompass . . . so much.

destroyer of worlds

They just make me feel so many emotions at one time ... especially that 3x05 scene. They're one of a kind, that's for sure.

Close to a new thread now, who wants to start?

loppabelle

Quick drop through.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Still not over that gun scene. But what can I do? Love my Bellarke angst!

Ellfoy

You know what ? I actually think that this problem of "platonic or romantic ?" is why the 4x11 is mostly interpreted in two very different way.
Platonic love: Bellamy convinced Clarke that she was doing the wrong thing (by using all the difficult decisions that had to face in the past together, as partners).
Romantic love : Bellamy is the one person Clarke can't kill even for the sake of humanity.

The thing is I actually think that the 4x11 is one of these special Bellarke scene when both sides of their relationship are completely merged and impossible to dissociate. There are plenty of Bellarke scenes when it is easy to put a platonic label (most of their business, support and team scenes) or a romantic label on (3x02 for example) and then there are the others scenes. The scenes who are really difficult to label and usually these very scenes are the strongest ones because it emcompass all of their relationship.

Bellamy's arguments in the scene were a summary of everything that they had to went through together. It was a reminder of what Bellamy and Clarke's relationship was built on : a partnership when they had to face impossible decisions together which les them to developp this bond of trust, faith and support. And above all understanding. This very same arguments told by anyone but Bellamy to Clarke would not have made the same impact. This part was a reference to their platonic love.

But, there was definitely something else in that scene. A question which was clearly stated in 3x15 with "Start with Bellamy Blake" but had already been implicitly adressed since season 2 : Could Clarke kill Bellamy/let him die ?.
Clarke closed the dropship door on Bellamy in 1x13 to save her people. However thinking that if this scenario replayed, present Clarke would do absolutely the same thing would lack some reflexion : Clarke has changed and lived some deep traumatic experiences (particulary concerning losing people she loves) and especially Clarke and Bellamy's relationship is so much more than what it was in 1x13.
In season 2, she send Bellamy on a suicide mission (which was his plan to start with) while being all "love is weakness" because "it's worth the risk" and then deeply regretted it for the rest of the season. It is about Tondc: Clarke's justification was actually sated as "I did it to save Bellamy" and "I couldn't take that (Bellamy being found out) risk". Sure there are other reasons for Clarke choosing to let the bomb fall because Bellamy was their inside man so that is why they needed him to be alive and blabla. However Bellamy could be found at any moment by the MW men, was it really worth it to let this bomb kill all this people ? Clarke was even against the idea in the first place but Lexa managed to convince her and she actually used the Bellamy card to do. And shortly after this, we have the "You care about him" "I care about all of them" "Yet you worry about him more" conversation. So yes Clarke's choice in TonDC was certainly not all bout her feelings about Bellamy but it did weighted in it. It was also the first instance when we saw Clarke choose Bellamy's life over others (including Octavia's).
Then, we get to season 3. We started with the infamous and deseperate "I'll do anything ! I'll stop fighting ! Just please don't kill him." and ended the season with "Start with Bellamy Blake" and THE QUESTION.
Season 4. The writers decided to put back the subject on the table (this is a French expression, I don't know if this make any sense to you) in a rather unsubtle way. First, the List. Clarke could have find rational reasons to put Bellamy on the list (the most obvious being that they need guards and he is probably the best one.) but we could see clearly that the decision wasn't rational. She had already decided that Bellamy would be on the list before actually making it. Then, we have 4x05. Bellamy's life against 50 seats ? And that bluff ? "You think you can shake my resolve ?" "Wait !" Well resolve shaken girl. Of course, you can still find other justifications like : "she was trying to avoid a war". The Arkadians would have won easily because they had guns. "Clarke want to save everyone", well the last two episodes proved that if Clarke does want to save everyone if possible, she is still my people first (which is pretty human) and she still gave up on these 50 seats.
All of this leading us to the 4x11 scene. So far Clarke had got lucky (well not really but), she could pick Bellamy's life without too much overthinking it. At this point, unconsciously (or not) she always choose Bellamy's life over everyone but Bellamy against what she think is the preservation of humanity is another story. This was probably Clarke's worst nightmare coming to life because if there is two things that Clarke will do anything for, it's saving humanity and Bellamy Blake.
And this doesn't feel really platonic you know. Even more when you think of the parallel this drew with the story of Clarke's parents. Abby sacrificed Jake on the Ark to save it and in 4x11, she actually learned from this and choose Kane when she decided to help Bellamy.

Ok so I completely started rambling and I don't even remember where I was getting at.

That the 4x11 scene was both about the "pure" platonic bond between Bellamy and Clarke and also the romantic side of their relationship (Clarke putting Bellamy's life over everyone) and that it is actually impossible to know what convinced Clarke to lower the gun, whether it was because Bellamy managed to reach her or just that she couldn't kill him, it's probably both, Clarke may not even know herself. And it doesn't even matter at the end of the day : the reason why Clarke lowered the gun was still love. To reuse April's words, she choose Bellamy. And ironically, by doing so, she actually choose her humanity.

And I do know that at was one of the first to be like "Clarke chose Bellamy over humanity" but to be perfectly honest when I watch an episode for the first time, I am so stressed and absolutely not rational. So it's always the shipper and fangirl who talks.I completely overreact in a negative or postive way. I always need a day to cool down. I'm just saying that for future reference. It's a bad idea to try and talk some sense to me just after the episode.

ETA: And in the end I think that the answer to the question is that Clarke would choose Bellamy over everyone but that choosing someone over humanity would be dumb because what would be the point ? And Clarke is very much aware of this. Bellamy VS Humanity wasn't even the question raised by the episode. Because someone VS Humanity was already answered in 3x15. No the real matter was that Clarke was faced with the two most important thing for her and that Bellamy made her understand that there were others choices, that she didn't have to always pick one or the other. This is what was the most important: Clarke breaking out of that mold. This was all about Clarke's character journey and Clarke wouldn't have come to this conclusion if she didn't love him (the horror at having to kill him acting as an electrochoc + Bellamy, the only one able to understant, reaching to her). Anyone in Bellamy place would have been dead.

destroyer of worlds

Going to bed, eugh.

Margaux ... I know what you mean. I tend to get all fangirly and pumped up after an episode and it takes me like half a day/a day to calm the **** down and see things a bit more objectively. And I agree that it's hard to separate the "platonic" and "non-platonic/romantic" part of their relationship, you just can't. It doesn't exist on its own, their relationship has always been a fine balance of both.

CanIcallYouKate

I am drunk right now so I'm just going to say:
I love your post, Margaux!

Alexa

i forgot i did that! haha. loveeee. i wanna rewatch 1 and 2 again even

April7739

Margaux, I can't wait to read that post, but I will have to do it later!

I will just say that I actually had a student say "Bellarke" in class today, and it was literally one of my proudest moments as a teacher ever.

Steph26

Oh man, your teaching stories are some of my favorites.

destroyer of worlds

Kate ... didn't get a chance to chat with you before I passed out last night but have the BEST ever trip, hun!

Alexa, when are you planning to rewatch?

Steph ... good to see you back.

April has so many Bellarke student stories, I love it.

Steph26

We closed on our house so I've been sooo busy. But I did watch the episode. I thought, "Wait, Bellamy actually opened the door and they didn't get attacked; something actually went 'right' for once?"

destroyer of worlds

IKR? Still two episodes to go though, so things can still go really badly, I think.