Welp.
The 100
Thursdays on The CW at 9:00 p.m.
Written by Karly
Stop watching right now, right at this moment, and never turn your TV back on again.
Well, I feel dumb. I feel dumb for calling Clarke and Lexa our bookend couple when their storyline is so reminiscent of so many tragedies from more twenty years ago. Things aren’t different. They’re so much the same.
But let’s start from the beginning. Murphy finally realizes that Polis is named after the thirteenth station, Polaris, which was destroyed when it didn’t join the coalition. As he pieces it together, we flashback to Polaris and meet Beca, the scientist who created Alie. After Alie gets onto the grid and fires the nuclear missiles, Beca sees her mistake. Alie didn’t value human life because she wasn’t biological. So she’s going to introduce Alie 2 to the united space stations. Alie 2 will be better because she’ll be grafted onto humans. Of course, Beca’s associates think this is a horrible idea. But Beca injects herself with black blood (nightblood! which I guess is synthetic) and sews the biological chip onto her brain stem and escapes in a pod to the ground. The badge on her jumpsuit says Commander.
Reading drawings on Titus’s walls, Murphy tries to explain that the woman they worship is actually from the sky like he is. Titus, of course, will not accept that their religion is a myth, or worse, artificial intelligence, and beats him even more.
Later in the ceremony room, the TriKru village leader, Semet, brings Octavia to Polis on the anniversary of Ascension Day. Who knew this was foreboding? Semet wants vengeance for the attack on his village. Lexa decides she won’t attack SkaiKru yet, but will enforce a blockade five miles outside Arkadia. Any Skyperson outside the blockade will be killed. Octavia is pissed off because she knows Pike will not abide by this. But I thought this was a reasonable policy. Clarke and Octavia need time to go to Arkadia and deal with Pike themselves before the 12 armies lay waste to their people.
Octavia finds Indra, who is not recovering well from her injury. Indra wants to give up, regretting that she didn’t die with honor. But Octavia needs her to get up and help her get revenge on Pike. Indra does her change her mind in the end and they march to Arkadia.
Lexa wants Clarke to stay of course. Titus warns Lexa that to be strong, she has to enforce the blockade. She can’t make exceptions for Clarke anymore. Love is weakness and that weakness may be used against her like it was in Costia’s case. Bringing up Costia was the worst thing he could have said. Lexa was strong in Costia’s case. The Ice Queen killed her and chopped off her head, yet Lexa still invited them to their coalition. She shouts “I am more than capable of separating feelings from duty.” Lexa can’t deny her feelings any more though, now that she’s so close to losing Clarke.
Your shirt.
DON’T.
But these women know that they are still leaders. Clarke meets Lexa in her bedroom to say goodbye, and visibly catches her breath when she sees her. She knows then she can’t walk away with a handshake. They speak to each other in whispers and Lexa starts to cry. They kiss like this is the last time they’ll see each other. They kiss like they are so hungry for each other and sad about the circumstances. I want to fall to my knees when Lexa lets out a strangled breath through her tears. They walk over to the bed and the screen fades to black.
Later, in Lexa’s giant bed, Clarke runs her fingers over Lexa’s tattoos and asks her about the one on her back. There are seven circles for the seven nightbloods who died on Lexa’s ascension day. What happened to number eight? Lexa doesn’t want to talk about it. And Clarke just wants to extend this moment of peace they have with each other before their duty pulls them away.
So Clarke leaves with Octavia to Arkadia, and Lexa deals with the unrest in Polis, right? No. Of course not. Instead, Clarke goes back to her bedroom and finds Murphy and Titus there. Titus intends to frame Murphy for Clarke’s death and pulls a gun on her. Titus has never fired a gun, so he’s firing bullets everywhere. Lexa enters and catches one in the stomach. Clarke wants to stop the bleeding, but Lexa and Titus know exactly what this means. Lexa isn’t afraid.
My problem is that instead of seeing Lexa die in Clarke’s arms, I see the strings around them. Instead of hearing “I don’t want another commander, I want you,” I hear “contractual obligations” and “plot device.” I didn’t even start to feel sad about Lexa’s death until two hours later, and still in a mixture of anger and hurt about what this means in the bigger picture.
Because we have to consider the bigger picture here. This is not a twist: it is only surprising how awfully familiar it is. We feel this in our bones. Science fiction television isn’t written in space: writers are just as surrounded by this media as we are. This isn’t new. There is a mass communication theory called cultivation theory that assumes there are common themes in all of television and hypothesizes that heavy viewers will begin to perceive reality as it is portrayed. What does it say when so many lesbian storylines end in tragedy? When the theme here is that lesbians must die to move a story forward. It has been cultivated in us for decades. The writers and producers have to acknowledge where their story falls in this narrative. And what effect can it have on us?
How to Get Away With Murder
Thursdays on ABC at 10:00 p.m.
Written by Sadie
You’re like lesbian Dumbledore, huh?
But with a sexy side of Slytherin.
It’s the week we’ve all been waiting for: EVE IS BACK! And I’ll get to that, I swear. We start with Laurel confronting Annalise about Wes’s involvement in the murder of his mother. Annalise says that he wasn’t involved and that an investigator messed up and ultimately it was ruled a suicide. Laurel points out that the police and the investigators lie all the time and that she thinks Annalise knows more than what she’s letting on. She tells her to mind her own damn business and if Wes wants to ask her something, he should ask it himself. Meanwhile, Wes is back at the therapist’s office and he’s telling her that he thinks Annalise killed his mom. Naturally the therapist, being a therapist, is more interested in Wes’s obsession with Annalise than she is a ten-year-old alleged murder.
Flashback: Wes and his mom are sitting on the couch when there’s a knock at the door. Immigration Customs Enforcement or ICE is there for Rose. Lo and behold! Who’s the lawyer for ICE? That would be Eve. Really dramatic music plays right here but even at this point I was pretty sure this was a trick by Annalise to get her to testify.
Back in the present Laurel and Frank go down into the basement to continue their never ending fight. Frank is all “you asked me to share so I shared” and Laurel was like “yeah but the thing that you shared is that you killed someone” and then get really mad about it which is a really self-righteous stance to take, considering she’s been part of nearly half a dozen murders herself. But who’s keeping score?
While the team stands around and debates about what to do next, another email comes in and this one is a video Michaela at Caleb’s house. Annalise demands to take the computer with her to the DA’s office and then she drops it on his desk. She asks for blanket immunity for her and the team in return for the email evidence that Philip is back in town.
Flashback: Eve shows up to Annalise’s hotel room, finally. So it turns out the whole immigration thing was actually set up by Annalise as a scare tactic. Eve feels rightfully skeevy about all this, but still wastes no time in hitting on Annalise. Annalise then reveals to Eve that she’s pregnant and Eve’s reaction to this kind of puts the nail in the coffin on the “it’s Eve’s baby” theory.
Back in the present the therapist is still obsessed with Wes and his maternal complex. I don’t really understand why he didn’t expect this. Wes says that he is going to go to the police instead and then storms out of the office.
Back at the DA’s office, Annalise calls the team and lets them know that the immunity deal could be coming through, but during the call she gets a tip from Nate who says they’re actually about to serve them with a search warrant. Like a total badass, Annalise knows exactly what to do. With the DA standing right in front of her she calls up the team and tells Bonnie to shred everything. Because they’ve got this kind of mind meld thing going on, Bonnie knows not to actually do this, but to put in motion the steps it would take to get the search warrant and all evidence obtained invalid. (Or “ fruit from a poisonous tree,” as it were.) Needless to say they get their immunity.
Flashback Eve is still in the hotel room and obviously bitter about Annalise being with Sam. (Aren’t we all?) Old white dude calls up Annalise and ask her about this whole immigration mess, and Annalise assures him she’ll show up for court.
Back in the presen,t Laurel tries to invite Wes to the team slumber party but he tells her he’s not interested and he’ll take his chances with Philip. Over at the slumber party, Asher is the only one prepared, wearing the appropriate dragon onesie. Frank and Bonnie opt to wait things out at a bar instead.
In the hotel room ten years ago, things come to a head between Annalise and Eve. Eve, like pretty much all of us, really hates Sam. Eve then does that thing that lesbians do sometimes do where she accuses Annalise of going with Sam because he’s the safer bet. Then Annalise does the thing some bisexuals (or at least myself) do where she doubles down and says that she’s not even gay and that’s why she left Eve. Man, they are really trying to hurt each other aren’t the?. This is not the reunion that I expected. Clearly these two have cleared up these problems between them in the last ten years!
In holding, Rose and Eve discuss the options, which are limited. Eve tells Rose without this testimony she will be sent back and Wes will be left in the US. Rose asks Eve if she could spend the night at home and Eve relents.
In the present Wes breaks into Annalise’s house and finds both the accusation that she may have killed his mother and he finds Eve’s name on the court documents.
In the past, Eve and Annalise make up and the Annalise has a minor maternal breakdown and Eve walks her back. Come on, Annalise! Just run off with Eve; you know you want to.
Wes has now convinced himself that he was the one who murdered his mother. His therapist isn’t so sure.
Back in the basement argument zone, Frank professes his love for Laurel… again… but still Laurel can’t get over the whole “strangled a girl on the roof” thing and she officially breaks it off.
Ten years in the past, at 2:02 apparently, Annalise gets a call from old white dude, who wants to see her in gis office. He begins to threaten Wes again and Annalise leaves to see Rose. At 3:20, she makes it to their apartment and she warns Rose of the threat against her son. Rose says, “You don’t know what he’s capable of,” in reference to old white dude. So was he the real killer? Is that why he’s so concerned with the outcome?
Rose then gives this amazing speech about how she will not be owned by the creepy old white dude. She then walks over to the sink and seeing no other way out, she turns and says, “Take care of my boy” and stabs a kitchen knife into her neck. Annalise screams and then begins to call 9-1-1, but doesn’t. And runs from the kitchen just barely missing Wes on his way in. So, this is what Eve and Annalise did to Wes.
The episode concludes with Wes traveling to see Eve and Annalise. He is not there to greet her but from underneath the bed Philips hand reaches out, and with Eve on the phone, Annalise calls out for help.
Wow. So here we are just two episodes left in the season and there is still more to be revealed. It looks like Eve should be here for the remainder of it!
Broad City
Thursdays on Comedy Central at 10:00 p.m.
Written by Riese
This week on Broad City, a new investor walked into Deals Deals Deals and consequently into Ilana’s sexual fantasies. Played by Vanessa Williams, hot Investor Lady pings Ilana’s pants (well, hot shorts, really) from the moment she strides into the office, hair aloft, scarf blazing in the AC, non-prescription eyeglasses concealing her penetrating eyeballs. “Flawless bitch!” Ilana exclaims, declaring that she’s not sure if she wants to BE Miss Hot Lady or if she wants to be INSIDE Miss Hot Lady.
This is probably similar to when I didn’t know if I wanted to be Shane or date Shane (it turned out to be the latter, but trying the former was pretty fun). Ilana’s wearing a dog hoodie, though, so there’s that to contend with. Ilana is totally transparent about the fact that she does zero work at work, but having her salad-finger on the pulse of the social media generation. Miss Hot Lady puts her in charge of social media, suggesting Ilana has been an untapped resource prior to this moment.
Then Ilana tweets a thing about a horse fucking a dude and gets fired. She tells Miss Hot Lady that she’s figured it out — she wants to be IN her — and the lady tells her that she has to leave and so she leaves. It’s okay! I think she’s gonna be working for the Hillary Clinton campaign soon which’ll be hilarious, I saw some sides! There are bound to be some more lesbos there. Oh, also she called Abi her wife. I really love that Ilana’s desire for men and for women are getting pretty equal play this season.
I am so so so so so angry about the 100. So angry. I can’t believe how hard they worked to convince us to trust them, that they understood how important clexa was, that they wouldn’t give us yet another dead lesbian. I’m so angry. How many times do we have to watch ourselves die. WHY can’t we be HAPPY
I’m feeling alternately dead inside and seething angry. You guys know how this stuff gets to me. I’m going to be angry about The 100 for a long long time. I’m done with the show.
I’m still going to watch it, but I’m not going to love it anymore.
This felt like a betrayal.
And not because Lexa died, but because she died so soon adn so,so randomly.
I´m going to stop watching to. I feel that continuing to do so would be supporting decisions like these.
I tried to post this on the 100 storylines post and it is awaiting moderation, I guess so many links sets off a spam warning!
But I think it might be worth repeating here given what you said about the end of the 100 episode.
I just realized that Lexa was killed by a guy who was trying to kill her girlfriend because he was convinced it was dangerous for her to have a girlfriend.
Obviously Titus’s fear wasn’t based on homophobia.
But still, between being killed by someone who is angry you have a girlfriend is such a disgusting parallel to real life events I threw up a little in my mouth when I thought about it.
We see more than enough of this on the news, we don’t need it to happen in our fantasy worlds too.
If they just HAD to kill her, couldn’t they even have her die a death you’d expect of a Commander? Fighting for her people and shit. Or stabbed in the back by a rival or anything other than this? Any other time than one commercial break after she and Clarke got together?
Ugh.
There were so many things wrong with how this happened.
“My problem is that instead of seeing Lexa die in Clarke’s arms, I see the strings around them. Instead of hearing “I don’t want another commander, I want you,” I hear “contractual obligations” and “plot device.” I didn’t even start to feel sad about Lexa’s death until two hours later, and still in a mixture of anger and hurt about what this means in the bigger picture.”
This is perfect. Exactly how I felt. But I want to say that it’s been a pleasure to read your recaps, Karly. I was so excited about catching up with this show right after season 3 began and getting to read the recaps along with everyone else. :(
Thank you heather for having the brilliance of that other post that allowed us to process our feelings (and get zero work done) before boobs on your tube was ready. I would have exploded otherwise
<3
I’ve realized why lesbians like subtext so much. When the writers won’t admit their characters are gay for each other, they usually don’t kill them.
Nominate this for the Too Much, Too Real comment award
Comment award nom Seconded.
That is definitely the biggest reason I love subtext, but it’s only good without obvious queerbaiting.
I think the worst part of this fucking mess of The 100 is how we trusted them even though we knew we shouldn’t and how we could feel the threats and the red flags, but they told us to trust them and like suckers we fell for it because we were getting a story like we’ve never been given by a show like this.
The biggest ramification for me is not in seeing this storyline I think I’m going to get shot after realizing my love for another woman, it’s that deep down our stories just don’t matter. That our stories are only meaningful if we’re dead.
When I was coming to terms with realizing I was gay, the hardest part was this underlying feeling that the world just hated gay people, that deep down the real truth was there isn’t anything redeeming about being a queer person. This was coming from a girl who grew up in one of the most liberal areas of the country, with liberal parents who openly supported gay rights. Even with all these privileges, the long term reality of being queer still appeared so overwhelmingly bleak.
What this kind of storyline reinforces is the idea that our stories are only worthwhile until the point that they can cash in our pain for something more worthy. We are temporary and expendable. That’s what these stories are telling us again and again. That’s something that these straight male writers are never going to understand. That’s why I am so angry and betrayed for thinking this would be different.
I’m not angry that Lexa died–I’m devastated, of course, but this is a brutal world, and so death of beloved characters is to be expected.
But I’m fucking mad as hell that the creators of this show went out of their way to court a young queer female fandom even after they knew how Lexa’s story would end. I’m not talking about what was shown on-screen, I’m talking about the misleading and intentional “happy ending” leaks, the widespread acknowledgment of how harmful dead lesbian tropes are, Jason constantly acting like killing Lexa would be absurd & storyline suicide… in short, everything the marketing machine did to make us feel like THIS was the exception, that The 100 was a place where the stories of queer women would be respected and honored… and then dudes didn’t even come up with an original idea for how to kill her off and just cribbed a mediocre storyline from 2002.
I probably should have seen the writing on the wall after the Wells-for-Jasper death swap, wherein Jason didn’t have the balls to kill of a mediocre white dude that he liked (and who was related to the casting director) so ended up killing off a black man in order for the show to hit it’s “surprise death” quotient… I guess I just thought the show had grown up a bit? Or I just really wanted it to? The desire for really compelling representation (and Alycia Debnam-Carey’s stupidly expressive face) sort of overrode my cynicism about trusting anything produced by the racist & sexist machine of capitalism, I guess.
Independent queer media 4ever <3
Agree with everything you wrote. Like, they essentially lied and are now all we love the actress we love the character and we understand the implications of killing off a fan favourite lesbian, but we’re still gonna do a misogynistic, homophobic tragic lesbian death storyline. A handful of people have gotten mad at me for saying this, but honestly why not kill off Bellamy or Murphy, two extremely abusive misogynistic characters instead.
I absolutely, 100% agree with this. Queerbaiting in one of its worst forms. My trust was betrayed and it’s fucked up that I’m also blaming myself for trusting in the first place.
God, I was so mad and hurt about Wells I stopped watching the show. I came back when I heard about the Clexa storyline and even then I waited until I was sure it was being treated like a real concrete & respected thing.
I guess this was a “fool me once, fool me twice…” scenario =/
I’m not super upset about the 100 but DAMN am I bored with the way they did this plot ‘twist’. It was obvious from a mile away – the moment the Kiss of Lesbian Death is bestowed the countdown to pointless death begins.
I was hoping they’d do something interesting with a scene that was just… so Buffy. I kept hoping they’d show me something interesting (Lexa pulls through, Titus is put to death, the political playing field is radically changed) but alas they did not.
It was such a cliche, which I thought was a shame because this was frankly one of the few stories on this show I’ve found not completely ‘paint by numbers’. They had something interesting with Clexa – a real internal conflict for Lexa that was going somewhere. In the end we’ll now get tortured Clarke, sadness, confrontation and resolution in Arcadia/ Pike will die. The suspense with where this is going is completely gone – it resets all the progress in Polis. Boring. This isn’t plot development – it’s a shortcut and it bores me.
“the moment the Kiss of Lesbian Death is bestowed the countdown to pointless death begins.”
OMG that’s so perfect haha.
Also I feel absolutely the same about Clexa being the only really compelling story of the show. I actually decided watching season 2 that outside of Clarke/Lexa and a few of the other female characters, I did NOT trust this show at all in terms of being good or enjoyable. Time and time again they proved that all male characters, even LITERAL MASS MURDERERS were to be sympathized with and given a free pass on any of their actions as long as they made a sad face about it at least once.
It makes me so mad that even knowing all this I still trusted them like an idiot.
You guys let’s all just rewatch Carol to heal our souls?
Already downloaded in HD.
Ahah I’m loving you and your HD / SD comments tonight. Enjoy your flatscreen tv <3.
I must admit that I bought Carol before watching The 100 tonight and spent a solid five minutes gaping at the preview pictures.
In HD.
Holy shit.
Be real though how close is your face to the screen ?
Ordered it in BluRay…so so extremely glad.
It’s sad that Carol was written, like, in the 50s and that’s where gay women have to go to find solace from this.
I am still so heartbroken after The 100, but I have also been really trying to thing critically about what I saw, and this is what I’ve come up with.
In a vacuum, taken completely out of context, Lexa’s death made sense. It had been foreshadowed since the beginning of the season, the actress had other contractual and scheduling obligations, the show is a violent one where people die in almost every episode, and Lexa’s death would serve not just to move Clarke’s plot forward, but to move forward every single storyline the show has been setting up this season. Taken out of context, there was no alternative – killing Lexa made the most sense from both a production and a storytelling point of view.
But in context?! Taking into account the historic marginalization of queer women on television, taking into account Tara, and Delphine, and Shay, and Naomi, and all the others too numerous to name? Taking into account the lesbian death trope, and the kill your gays trope, and the real laws that were really on the books about how gay characters on television could be portrayed? Taking into account the intended audience, the suicide rate of queer teens, and the vitriol coming out of the Republican presidential race?! Taking into account how the show’s writers and producers have been promising a happy ending and actively appealing to their queer audience?! Put in THAT context, to then kill off a character as important and as beloved and as unique as Lexa, in a manner that DIRECTLY REFERENCED the death of Tara!?!?!?!
Oblivious. Negligence. Cruelty. Queer-baiting. Sadistic. These are just a couple of words that come to mind.
This + it was the stupidest death on the show, and that alone was really offensive.
Honestly, even taking out real world context, I’d think Lexa’s death was stupid. She’s the freakin’ Commander. Let her go out with a death befitting her character role!
I actually disagree with what everyone’s saying, how the 100 kills off major players all the time and this shouldn’t be surprising. Yes and no.
The characters people name drop (finn, wells, anya) were main characters in the sense that they got quite a bit of screen time, but not in the sense that they were well-established as characters. Finn and wells were both mainly very obvious plot devices for the development of characters who were actually main characters (namely, clarke, Abby, and Raven). When an aspect of their personality was no longer convenient, it got tossed out. Wells was just there to aid in the storyline about clarke’s relationship to her parents and also to be a target of mob mentality and create a shift between bellamy and clarke’s relationship. Finn was a pacifist who became a mass murderer overnight? Because killing him added to the fading tension between clarke and Raven and also forced them both to grow, clarke especially in the way she views her role as a leader, her attachment to the greater good. This was an evolution in her morality (which is what most of the second half of season two was about) and anya was there to act as a bridge for lexa and clarke’s developing relationship.
But lexa-lexa from the beginning was a character as fully fleshed out and complex as bellamy, clarke, Raven, Abby, kane or Octavia and more so than most side characters (like Jasper or Murphy or monty). So I don’t think it’s comparable or predictable, personally. Not even for this show. I think they killed a fan favorite because they thought it would be edgy but in reality it’s the most tired trope in the book and they just screwed themselves out of the most diehard fans they had.
Yes.
Agreed. Particularly in Wells’ case. The guy was only in the first three episodes and it was obvious he was living on borrowed time. How is he getting lumped in as a main character?
Re: HTGAWM (because I really need to think about something happier that The 100 right now, and how fucked up is it that MURDER is my happy place!?)
Great recap Sadie! But you forgot to mention one small detail, which was that BONNIE was listening in while Frank talked to Laurel about killing Lila. If you’ll remember, Bonnie killed Rebecca because she thought Rebecca killed Lila – Bonnie never knew that Frank killed Lila for Sam! I’m really looking forward to how she deals with this information!
It was SO GREAT to see Eve again! But was I the only one who groaned at the line “one of the many things you can’t do now?” If The L Word taught us anything, it’s that you can have really hot sex when you’re pregnant. I really just wanted them to bang in that hotel room, and clearly Eve did too.
Final note – I totally knew that was Philip in Wes’ room. For a smart woman, Annalise can be an idiot sometimes.
It’s not that I’m opposed to the fact that Lexa died at all. Killing off a queer character isn’t always the Worst Thing Ever. Sometimes it makes sense for the narrative. Considering Lexa’s role in the story, it makes sense that she’d eventually have to die.
But not like this. Not some tired rehash of Tara Maclay’s death. Of all the “bury your gays” examples to rip off…
If Lexa had to die, she should have gone out in a blaze of glory.
But it’s Rothenberg. I never trusted that jerk.
And of course the way they aggressively courted an LGB fanbase just added insult to injury.
I may have missed something. Are you peoples still covering “Pretty Little Liars”?
In standalone recaps through the end of the season, I think she said.
I was waiting for this post to discuss the end of The 100 but I have too much inner rage to know where to begin
It says HGTAWM on the preview of this article. Shouldn’t it be HTGAWM?
Hey Candice, this article is a 2x a week catch up of queer/ feminist tv. Today’s article had “HTGAWM”, but also “The 100” and “Broad City”. You have to scroll down a bit from the top, but you will find Sadie’s HTGAWM recap in the middle.
Most of the comments are about The 100, that is true often because the show is so popular. But that is particularly true today because of the major character death that happened in this week’s episode. So people are (rightfully!) taking the time to rant, vent, and mourn.
But there are some How To Get Away with Murder fans around here! And we enjoy each other’s commentary and have some good back-and-forth.
Glad to see you and hope you stay around!
Glad to see you around here
I mean the acronym has the letters in the wrong spot in the preview.
LOL! Well, now I feel SUPER SUPER silly. My apologies!
Y’all remember the bombing of Tondisi and how Abby reacted.
That is about where I’m at right now with this.
Yo, okay, I posted this on the other thread but I think it’s relevant here for other people wondering other reasons why this particular death on The 100 hurt so bad:
“There were definitely warning signs. The show kills people ALL the time. Frankly, it’s sort of the point – post-apocalpytic sci-fi political drama? People are gonna die. Beyond that, the treatment of POCs has been very problematic; I think a lot of people are used to having to choose between good POC representation and good queer representation, though, so it was still a surprise that this would have happened – though, I think, not as much of a surprise as it would have been if they had not been racist.
Also, the producer, Jason Rothenberg, is known for trying to keep a very tight lid on spoilers. He tweeted about filming the finale in Vancouver and told fans to come find them, and they were shooting a Clexa scene, so a lot of people took that as a warning – there was no way that wasn’t going to be used in some way, because it was so intentional and out of character for him. I don’t think anyone expected this, though.
Finally, the possibility of Lexa’s death has been talked about a lot on the show. People were hoping that was just because she is in such a prominent position, but obviously that was not entirely the case… Also, there have been a lot of lines like “May we meet again” or “Death is not the end, Clarke,” so a couple people are wondering if she will actually be back in the City of Light scifi storyline that’s sort of like a hallucination where there is no pain and no death, particularly because that seemed to be going on in the aforementioned finale filming in Vancouver. Unclear as to whether or not that will happen; I’m entertaining the possibility but frankly I think what’s most likely is that Clarke sees her in the City of Light and they get to say goodbye again and then Lexa will be gone for good.
I think there are several reasons why a lot of people are crushed, though:
1) The queer representation had been very good. They were treated like whole people, their sexualities were not the focus, and the Clexa scenes were respectfully portrayed. That made this much more shocking.
2) The producers had acknowledged the “Bury Your Gays” trope and had been reassuring fans for months to “have hope” and “trust them.” So the fact that they then turned around and committed the trope was like a slap in the face to a lot of fans who /had/ trusted them.
3) The scene occurred directly after they kissed for the first time since the betrayal at the end of Season 2, and the first time they had sex. It was separated only by a commercial break. So for a lot of fans, not only was it like being dropped from the top of a rollercoaster, but it means there is really no enjoyment or collective effervescence or anything around the ship becoming canon again because it was immediately followed by Bury Your Gays.
4) The producer literally said after the episode came out, “I don’t even want to talk about the trope that’s out there about LGBT characters; that is not something that factored into the decision.” Which was also like a slap in the face, because when it had come up before it had been followed by “we’re aware,” “have hope” and “trust us.”
5) The producer is also citing the actress’ work schedule as a reason to kill her off, and a lot of fans are pointing out that that’s at least a little bit BS. She’s said Lexa is her favorite character, her agent has said it would be good for her to continue on The 100, and FTWD have said that they would be happy to allow her to film several episodes per season in the future. So killing her off didn’t really have to happen.
6) Finally, people are frustrated because her death happened in a really non-meaningful way. She was the Commander of the 12 Clans, the singular most powerful person in the show, who was phenomenal in battle and a brilliant leader, etc. etc. etc. People were expecting her to die, sure – hopefully she would not but expectant that she would – but nobody was expecting her to die by a stray bullet because she opened a door at the wrong time. For a lot of fans, that was the final piece of disrespect.
Hopefully that puts what’s going on a bit more in context!”
Anyway. I am sad, and hurt, and angry. I saw so many young queer kids on Tumblr last night who spiraled back into places of self-harm. I woke up this morning and threw up before I went to class because I felt so betrayed, and stunned, and in denial and shock and /anger/. I am mad at Jason for betraying the trust he extended to COURT (read:queerbait) towards young queer fans, mad at myself for letting myself believe that we might get a storyline that didn’t end in tragedy, and mad at a world that apparently won’t #LetLesbiansLive2kForever.
I have never had something on a show hit me as hard as Lexa’s death did last night. Still reeling. I’ll be mourning this for a while.
Yeah, I’ve seen that finale spoiler too. I’ll definitely be happier if Lexa and Clarke get to see each other again, but it would be a virtual reality and therefore temporary. Her consciousness may be in the City of Light, but her body is gone. And I’m guessing Clarke is going to the CoL to destroy it, since it’s fucking people up. So, at best it will just be a more prolonged goodbye. But maybe Lexa’s consciousness will truly die in battle like the commander we know and love.
And I feel so bad about these young fans who found this triggering. Ricky Whittle posted a video urging them to seek help and I hope others follow suit.
I don’t know why, but I’m just not that upset about Lexa’s death… I mean obviously it was heartbreaking to watch happen and I cried my freaking eyes out, but I’m not angry, if anything I’m more intrigued than ever. I mean HOW MANY TIMES have we heard, and even from Lexa herself, “death is not the end”? I don’t really know what it all means yet but I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of Lexa and I’m pretty sure they said 3×11 is a Kim Shumway penned script, and she’s queen of Clexa, so I have faith. I’m like Lexa right now. Sad but not angry or afraid.
Also, I don’t think her death was just an arbitrary plot device. It was the whole freaking plot! Revealing that Polis originated from Polaris and that Becca was the original commander and that the second AI has been living inside Lexa this whole time is going to do insane things for the rest of the season and the whole damn show. It’s essential. It’s embedded in every other part of the story and connects everything together. That’s a huge deal and means Lexa was, is and will continue to be an integral part of the narrative.
I will agree that is was a really fast turn around. I would have liked for the characters to have a moment to breathe before the gun shots started flying. But I think that was done very much on purpose because of the heightened affect it will have on Clarke. I mean, talk about emotional whiplash. She finally gives in to her feelings for Lexa and then in a moment, it’s all over. She’s gone. The last look we see on Clarke’s face is so telling. She’s devastated beyond belief. She can’t even believe it. She’s sort of crying but more than anything, she’s in pure shock. They were just in each others arms and now Lexa is dead. Lexa’s body just got carried away. She is literally gone. This is going to be Clarke’s driving force and strength and it’s going to carry her and her actions her a long, long time. I think how fast things happened is only going to fuel that fire even more.
Lastly, I’m just happy and thrilled that the sex scene even happened! I mean, we might not have even gotten that on another show. They could’ve said their goodbyes and done the whole arm shake thing with long, tearful looks and then that could’ve been it. They still could have killed Lexa just as suddenly in the next scene, but without the payoff of Lexa and Clarke finally coming full circle back to each other and letting themselves be free for a moment. That scene was beautiful and sensual and tragic, even though we didn’t even quite know why just yet. But I’m glad that scene happened and it exists. I’ve watched it 50 times or more probably and it’s just lovely and real. It’s not a fan fiction, it’s not what I wished would happen in my head. They wrote it, they shot it, the ladies acted the hell out of it and I’m just very grateful.
And I don’t believe this is the end of Lexa/Clexa. There’s been too many “maybe somedays” and “may we meet agains” and “death is not the end” and “until our final journey on the ground”… etc thrown around. No lines are throw away lines on this show. Everything means something so I have hope. Like Lexa, I have eternal hope for these two, even I get spit in my face and it seems there should be none. I still have hope.
Or maybe I’ve taken Jaha and Alie’s City of Light chip and therefore can’t really feel sadness any more. Either way… show, you’ve still got me and Lexa will never be gone from my heart.
Rest assured, we will see Lexa again and she will just as tragically be ripped away – again. I wish she could be in Kim’s episode, but Jason confirmed AMC allowed her 7 episodes, and that last one will be the finale. As if the trauma from her dying the first time wasn’t enough, we’ll see her die yet again. Jason Rothenberg will give himself a pat on the back because THIS time it will be the honorable death the Commander of 12 clans deserved.
Without actually knowing anything I’ll bet the farm Lexa sacrifices herself to save Clarke and she alone destroys the City of Light, thereby destroying herself to save the girl she loves. It’s cheap and it’s maniacal, he purposefully told people their location when they filmed the finale. He KNEW. I can’t support that.
Even if her death has blow open the mythology and neatly tied together all the plot lines this season/the series. It’s a shame they condensed her death into this episode, I wasn’t even able to appreciate the Grounder Commander backstory, Erica Cerra was great as Becca. I do applaud you for being able to separate it from the scope of outer influence. I loved this show so much, but it’s been tainted. I can’t even look at a gif of Clarke and Lexa without getting anxious and feeling hollowed out. I wish I had your resolve. Maybe I’ll check the season when it’s on Netflix and I’ve coped with being played so deliberately by a show runner. I hope the season pans out better than a stray bullet.
I’m sorry you’re feeling so hurt. I probably am feeling it deep down and just surpressing it for survival. Or I actually did just take the chip… ;)
I’m sorry you’re feeling so hurt. I probably am feeling it deep down and just suppressing it for survival. Or I actually did just take the chip… ;)
This is my opinion of Lexa’s death as well, and I actually appreciate the irony in Lexa dying at the hands of Titus in such a meaningless way. But because my approach on this is so so so in the minority, I’ve been avoiding all online discussions. I haven’t read any articles dealing with the backlash. I’ve had to Unfollow Clexa fan groups that I’ve co-founded. I can’t participate in a rage and a grief that I don’t feel because I don’t want to invalidate the very real pain of everyone else.
It’s reassuring to know I haven’t been the only one to accept Lexa’s death as it is because I’ve felt like a monster from not being able to relate to everyone else.
I just watched it (knowing she was going to die and knowing queer women are upset because I have checked the internet in the last 24), and I expected not to be angry about it because (1) the heavy, heavy foreshadowing (obviously her character was going to die) (2) I like my ships tragic (I like ships more if someone dies) but ugh! The tropes! and the way they did it! That was awful! Not the thing to copy from Buffy!
I cried more when the astronaut was talking to his family as the world was blowing up than I did when Lexa was dying because it was just so Tragic Lesbian Trope I was too angry to be sad.
But, unrelated, my love for Octavia is growing exponentially, and I love how she embodies the angry smol trope so well. I’m also so into the world building they’re doing.
I’m just so heartbroken.
And if they really needed to kill her (honestly I think it makes sense for the plot, but they didn’t NEED to do it like this, they could have easily found another way) at least they could have done so later on in the season? And certainly not 2 minutes after THAT scene. At least they could have let us enjoy their little moment of happiness. We don’t even deserve that, I guess.
So heartbroken.
I just want to remind everyone that one of the writers of the 100 is writing on the Xena reboot so…….Yeah. I’m sure that will turn out to be trainwreck.
Yeah, I was so excited for the Xena reboot after getting into The 100, but now I am DREADING it.
In a just world, writing this trope filled garbage should absolutely disqualify him from being anywhere near Xena. But alas, our voices don’t matter and we’ll get the same outcome again and again.
This comment was the first I’d heard of the Xena reboot.
Turns out it’s not just “one of the writers”, but the guy who wrote this very episode of the 100.
But I’ve been reading his tumblr the last few days. At first he just reblogged (is that the right tumblr word? I don’t have tumblr figured out yet) things people sent to him for several days, now he’ll add the occasional comment. http://okbjgm.tumblr.com/
And I’m surprised to find myself excited about the Xena reboot. Apprehensively excited, because Trust No One always seems like a good TV-watching motto.
But I do feel that he is being genuine and I’m willing to have a little faith that someone who is willing to listen and admit to the failings of their own audacity and naiveté can learn from it. It also sounds like he has a lot of creative control over the reboot.
Maybe it will be so terrible it will join Skins Fire on the list of shows that we should collectively agree never happened. Maybe it will be fun. I’m willing to wait and see.
I was trying to think to myself why I was so unfazed by Lexa dying, and then someone mentioned on Twitter this is EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO TARA! Then, I got super super mad. It was literally frame for frame the same! The making-up, the sex, the gun, the random shooting, the doorway!! Ugh! So frustrating. How come Clarke noticed her back tattoos, but never noticed the FUCKING HUGE SCAR ON THE BACK OF HER NECK?! They easily could have just gotten Clexa back together and Clarke could have been like huh, what’s that scar on your neck? IT WOULD BE THAT EASY!
Yes! They could have just done flashbacks to Lexa’s conclave for us to see the process of getting a new commander. They literally did not have to kill her. The blockade was already sending Clarke back to Arkadia, so even if ADC had contractual obligations and couldn’t shoot we would have still understood why she wasn’t necessarily showing up in the episodes. The focus could have been put on Arkadia and the Grounder warriors enforcing the blockade.
I’m so sad! I’ve seen those “leaked” screen caps when it looks like they are back together, but I don’t know what context we can expect. Lexa became the reason why I watched the show more than I had in the past. It was nice to see a strong, female character on the screen, challenging the other strong female character.
I find myself not looking forward to future episodes. I don’t see the reason as to why she had to die. In order to show the “spirit” of the commander? No, we could have learned about that in any other way, this was not the only way to do this.
Gutted. Absolutely gutted.
I see all the “leaked” photos/footage for what it is. More manipulation of the queer fandom in a desperate attempt to hold on to our viewership. Just about every sneak peek and leaked info this season has been about Clexa exclusively as if they are the only part of the show. They know exactly what they are doing over there. JRoth told us Lexa was going to be in the finale weeks ago. That is why Clexa fans were absolutely blindsided by her death in 307(besides his pandering on Twitter) because they had no reason to believe she wasn’t going to survive until at least the finale even if she wasn’t in every episode. We knew that much to be true due to ACD’s recurring status.
They are still trying to pull this shit even now by dangling more BTS of the finale with Lexa as a way to hold on to disgruntled viewers when I bet my life-savings all of her scenes will be about closure for that relationship with her probably giving her blessing for Clarke to move on with Bellamy. I won’t know because I won’t be watching but maybe Autostraddle will recap it and I’ll read about it after the fact.
Worst part is those weren’t even leaked. Jason tweeted for fans to come watch them film the finale. It’s 100% them in the City of Light. Without actually knowing anything I can already tell you what’s going to happen.
Jason will give her the honorable death Heda deserved the first time. Clarke will be forced to choose yet again between Lexa and her people – and Lexa will sacrifice herself to save the girl she loves and singlehandedly destroy the City of Light, along with her “spirit.”
It’s manipulative and conniving and we all knew something was off when Jason told fans to come out and watch them film. He hates spoilers getting out. He keeps everything close to the chest, but we set aside our suspicion because he repeatedly reassured us he wouldn’t do us the way everyone else has. He wove a beautiful and complex story between two leaders, and in the same breath of letting them finally be together he ripped it away. He used us to spread the word that Lexa would be in the finale during the hiatus as a buffer because he KNEW the reaction following her death. He wants us to stick around because LOOK! SHE’LL BE BACK. No, sir. You do not get to manipulate us again. This is why I have trust issues. Never again.
I have so much to say I don’t even know where to start, so I’ll just say what adds insult to injury is that whenever a queer character has been killed is always justified by the writers and showrunners and straight people by saying “no no this is different this isn’t like other queer character deaths this was not about a queer character dying this is different our character had to die we had to do it but it’s different” while patting themselves in the back for how groundbreaking they were, and disregarding queer viewers that keep telling them how it’s not different how it’s exactly the same as every other gay character getting killed before
Most of my thoughts are simply variations on things others have said, but… I’m going to say them anyways, because I feel the need to put them out there so they aren’t swirling around in my head.
I never had any doubt that Lexa was going to die. Given how much death factors into the show, and given the real world time constraints of scheduling, I expected and had largely accepted that Lexa would die. But like so many of you, I didn’t expect it so soon. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that I would feel just as devastated if her death occurred three episodes from now as I do now… though I doubt it.
I understand how Lexa’s death helps move the show forward. I was (am?) interested in how the storylines are intersecting (and impressed that the writers could actually make me even marginally intrigued by A.L.I.E. and the City of Light). I guess I’ll have to see if that’s enough to keep me watching when what was one of the best parts of the show – the magnetic, evolving relationship between Clarke and Lexa – was so suddenly taken away.
One question for you all – did you buy Titus attempting to frame Murphy for killing Clarke? Because while I was upset for so many other reasons you all have listed (how it came JUST AFTER Clarke and Lexa finally get together, how mundane a death it was for the grounder Commander), I’m also not entirely sure that I believed that Titus would act the way he did. I understand his sentiment (the convo between him and Lexa was excellent), and maybeeee I can get there with the attempted murder of Lexa earlier in the episode, but…. I don’t know. It seemed too fast for me. We’d been building up to Heda’s death with all of the foreshadowing and political intrigue, but I did not anticipate Titus trying to kill Clarke. And it wasn’t – “OH that’s a surprise, I can totally see that.” It was – “Ummm I guess I can see it? But not really?” Did anyone else feel the same – or were you all on board with that aspect?
Re: Titus’ actions, yes, I bought that completely because think it’s been adequately implied that Titus was involved in Costia’s murder somehow, for the same reasons. He is the one who taught Lexa that love=weakness. He loves Lexa like a daughter, that’s obvious, but his methods of protecting her have been manipulative and overbearing. While I obviously deplore Titus’ actions, I can’t really hate him, because everything he’s ever done has been for the purpose of protecting Lexa. It might be interesting to watch his relationship with Clarke after all this, and if she ever discovers his complicity in Costia’s murder.
I was a bit suspicious of Titus role (in Costia’s death and now in Lexa’s death) because it seemed more important than mere teacher or/and adviser, or even father figure. Flamekeeper for me it’s a religious leader and this episode showed that in a very explicit way. So, all his actions, plays and machinations made more sense when you take religion into consideration and all the things he would do to defend it.
The past episode or two really heightened the religious aspect for me… I wish I had felt the importance of it a little sooner, but I do agree. Factoring in what appear to be his religious teachings also makes Titus’ actions more believable.
It also makes him extremely dangerous.
Whoa – clearly I missed something! Was Titus’ role implied in this episode or in episodes past? Not sure how I missed that, but it certainly would make his actions more believable to me.
Yeah, I thought that part was pretty sloppy. Titus reminded Lexa of what happened to her previous lover and she threw it back in his face, I’m not sure I buy that he would really think killing Clarke would work to spur her into declaring war. Especially by framing Murphy, a character Lexa has barely (ever? not sure) interacted with who certainly isn’t representative of the Arcadia camp at this point.
I allowed myself to get sucked into this relationship more than I thought, but mostly I’ll miss her character, I think she was one of the most interesting on the show. I would have followed their relationship anyway for the queerness but it was also fun to watch two intelligent young women with a lot of opposing political power navigate around each other. Though maybe we’ll get that again if New Heda is the Ice Nation girl and not the 10-year-old boy, which seems like the more interesting choice plot-wise. (I admit I am a bit curious now about how the nightblood tech works from the scientific angle.)
That is, if I can bring myself to keep watching this show despite what feels like an impending Clarke-Bellamy trainwreck.
If Clarke-Bellamy happens, especially in the short-term, I’m out. I just can’t see them doing that though? Hopefully that’s not simple naivete on my part.
Well, now I’ve watched it, and all I can say is, Clarke better skin Warren alive for what he did to Tara. Lexa. I mean Lexa.
You mean Willow better skin Rothman alive, right?
Ok, so if you don’t view a lesbian dying on TV does that mean it never happened?
I’m not up to date on The 100 and maybe I’m better to leave it at Lexa just won the big fight, visits Clarke’s bedroom in the evening. THE END.
I was so glad to see Eve back in Annalise’s orbit…not just because I love them as a pairing, but because Viola Davis acting opposite a veteran actor seems to add a different dimension to her performance. You could see that when she played opposite Marcia Gay Harden last season and that’s certainly the case opposite Famke Janssen.
And, God…that fight…I loved everything about it.
Yes, they said mean things to each other…and Eve is so clearly hurt in that moment…but what struck me about that argument is that, ten years later, Annalise remembers it. When Eve comes over after Nate’s hearing and admits that she attacked Annalise on the stand because she’s still in love with her, it’s not that proclamation that Annalise responds to…it’s the one that happened 10 years ago. All we’ve seen, thus far, is Eve pining over Annalise, but now we know that she wasn’t alone in that.
At any rate, I think Wes is creepy white dude’s son…I think he raped Rose and Annalise had Christoph’s name changed to try and hide him in the system. I think that creepy white dude didn’t go all “eye for an eye” and take Annalise’s son because she took his…but I’m hoping that’s not true because the thought freaks me out.
I’ve never even watched the 100, and I’m furious about this. The reason that I haven’t watched the 100 is because I now hang on for a while before watching a show when I become aware of a new female queer relationship, because 9 times out of 10 the relationship is queer baiting and ends in death or heterosexuality. The 100 had just hit that point where I thought ‘great! It’s a real relationship! Let’s go watch ‘ when I saw the headline about getting Tara Maclay’d, and we all know what that means. And it happens all the time. I think that’s one reason I have such a soft spot for Carmilla… low production values, amazing queer characters.
Thank you, Heather, for that articulation of my heartbreak over the 100. I haven’t seen the episode, but tumblr spoiled it for me. And what’s happening on tumblr in the Clexa fandom is both heartbreaking and encouraging. The demand for equal respect and treatment of queer characters is growing. We are angry and sad, and our voices will be heard.
I’m sure some people have said this already but my main problem is not the fact that she died, but the way it was done – the fact that they had sex and then she died immediately afterwards – a horrible, pointless, accidental death. That felt very manipulative. I also agree the showrunners did all they could to raise people’s expectations about Clarke and Lexa’s relationship – including releasing images of them both in the finale. It all seems very cynical and done to create maximum drama, and was not at all considerate of the fandom. Mostly, though, I’m just sad that she’s gone because she was such a layered, complex, interesting character, and I really thought she made the show better.
Totally agree with your last comment. I can’t remember the last time we’ve seen a character such as Lexa, on any show. It’s irritating because it feels like a waste of potential.
Don’t really know how I’m going to cope with Ilana working for Clinton.
https://harpers.org/archive/2014/10/stop-hillary-2/
http://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-does-not-deserve-black-peoples-votes/
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/10/what_hillary_clinton_wants_you_to_forget_her_disastrous_record_as_a_war_hawk/
To me, Ilana represents joy, freedom and pleasure, not war, poverty and venality :'(
Re: The 100
“and then the screen fades to black…and thousands of lesbians around the world try to turn up the brightness on their laptops”
Although I was always conscious of the dead lesbian trope, I’ve only felt that 2 times in my life in deeply personal way: Xena (this could be a matter of debate) and Tara (this one totally broke my heart and the result was that it took me a long time to be capable of watching Buffy again). And yes, I’m still in denial about Delphine, but I guess that would be another slap in my face.
So for me to watched Tara’s death all over again was heartbreaking. And because I’m using the alternative way of watching The 100, Lexa’s death was seconds after having sex, so yes, it did looked and felt like punishment, it doesn’t matter how Jason Rothenberg wants to spin this around.
To have a character of the level of Lexa dying by a fucking stray bullet was unthinkable. You don’t kill a warrior that way, without any honor. I mean if you chose that, what were the other choices: slipping in the shower or falling of the bed?
It’s pathetic that I’m 35 years old and living in 2016 and still I have limited choices so see a freaking happy ending, crappy 10/12 minutes episodes of webseries or fanfiction. This kind of thing even makes the L-Word feels like an amazing show and in reality it was a piece of shit of monumental proportions.
I’m tired of this, how much longer do I have to wait?
Watch Call the Midwife!!!! See my post below for more :)
Heather, just wanted to say thank you for your honest and nonpandering reaction to The 100. And yeah, totally agree with you.
I think the part of this article that talks about the 100 was written by Karly, not Heather.
This has prompted me to post my first ever comment on here, though I have been a long time lurker, having followed Heather over from After Ellen due to my love of her PLL recaps.
I am from the UK, so have only seen the first 3 episodes of this season. Normally I would be trying to avoid spoilers, but I am so glad to be prepared for this. Tara’s death upset me so so much, as I always loved her(my teen self was not out as bisexual so I hadn’t quite figured out why I loved her so much) I may do what I do with “Seeing Red” in Buffy, and pretend it’s not canon in my head. I will probably still watch the show, as I began it before Lexa arrived, and having a bisexual lead is so important.
The main reason I wanted to post is to let you know that SOME WRITERS ARE LISTENING TO US!! *Call the Midwife Spoilers Ahead*
After ending last season with Deliah getting hit by a car and forgetting Patsy – she remembered her, and has moved into the house!! And they are now having a – albeit in clandestine – relationship. In today’s episode, we even got a shot of Patsy creeping out of Deliah’s room in that queer staple, the flannel shirt(and nothing else!) From what I have read, this is in response to the outrage at the how the storyline ended at the end of the last season. It’s also a very exciting time in the show (1961) as we’re seeing thalidomide babies and the invention of the pill. I think it is very quietly one of the most feminist shows on tv at the moment, cleverly masked as something about babies and nuns! Anyway, I just wanted to offer up some hope :)
Well, that’s good news! I hated how the previous season (or series) of Call the Midwife ended! I wasn’t even sure if I was going to watch any more of it when the episodes were put on Netflix, but I will now.
Oh, and welcome to commenting!
I adore Call the Midwife! Have from the beginning, so this has just been a bonus. Though I spent that whole 9 month break before the Christmas special stressing about Delia & hunting for spoilers, especially because of what had just happened on Last Tango in Halifax. I wanted to trust CtM because no one on that show has an easy path to happiness, but you never know. Now I just wish we had *more* of them.
Ok, while we’ve been processing the death and stuff, I forgot to update my Clexa fanfiction tropes check list:
Clarke tracing Lexa’s tattoos after sexy times:Check.
Bonus points for Lexa having tattoos in memory of deceased people close to her.
After the long and drawn out and very sweet dynamic and courtship of these two, I have come to the conclusion, that someone who didn’t really get them (and us) had a heavy hand in this episode.
Yes, the sex and the death were awkwardly timed, yes, Tara Maclay was a no go.
Yes, it was too soon, too sudden, too meaningless.
However, what really gave it away was the one hour thing.
Seriously, they said their goodbyes, and over again, in.one.hour?
Like really?
Most surefire indicator of a man writing this:”Let’s go for round two and still be on time.”
Also, I would have really appreciated a minute more of making out, or whatever.
Actually, this would have been the one instance I really wouldn’t have minded watching one girl comb and braid another girl’s hair.
I might have even cheered if Clarke had washed hers first.
Yeah the (at least) two rounds of sex plus hellos and goodbyes in the span of one hour should be a dead giveaway that a straight man wrote that shit.
One hour! haaaaa yes. This may well be, against all odds, the least believable part of this entire series.
Cried over Lexa’s death for hours. Few character deaths have hit me this hard, and it’s for the reasons Heather and other commenters have already put into words. I’d finally gotten to a place where I let myself really have hope for Clarke and Lexa’s relationship and for some positive representation. I saw myself in them. To have it come crashing down like that just hurt so. much. I’m so tired of being told that women like me can’t be happy and can’t have happy relationships.
The only positive is that my friend and I are dealing with our lesbian wrath by teaming up to write our own positive gay stories, because straight people clearly aren’t going to.
I’ve accepted Lexa’s death. I’m not all that mad about it. But there’s one thing I’m mad about. I will never forget how the show used and strung the community along. Giving them hope and assurances. Only to crush them so quickly. Watch me hold a grudge for years. I will never forget this.
And now they’re all “we never expected such a strong reaction”.
The f*ck they didn’t, they laid the groundwork for it.
What saddens me deeply.. is that.. I didn’t expect (Or I hoped it wouldn’t come to that) a strong reaction to the point someone who would want to start cutting herself again (the girl deactivated her twitter after that), and someone was sent to the hospital and is recovering. Someone (publicly) wrote on a petition website that her friend had just.. I hope it’s not true. Dear God, I really hope it’s not true.
I am speechless. Defeated. Resigned. My heart aches for them and for everyone who felt deeply betrayed.
And… I’m still sad.
Clearly I need to work on feeling more for real-life people than I do for fictional people.
I was over on reddit to see how people over there were reacting. There were some people, as expected, who didn’t get it. But then I saw this thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/The100/comments/49265c/spoilers_love_and_support_from_a_bellarker/
There is so much support out there. I hope this can help some. I just wish writers were this aware!
Thank you for the recaps!
I feel like part of what made Lexa’s death so painful for so many fans was the parallel between the message conveyed within the show and the message conveyed by the writers’/producers’/showrunners’ actions.
Within the show, as we’ve seen so many times before, when a guarded lesbian or queer lady lets herself open up to a moment of happiness and love, that happiness and love gets violently taken away from her moments later.
With the fans of the show, many were hesitant to get invested in these characters, but allowed ourselves to trust the writers/showrunners/producers who said this show would be different. When we get to the scenes where Lexa and Clarke embrace their feelings for each other, a lot of guarded fans allowed ourselves to celebrate this as confirmation that we were finally getting some really good, respectful queer lady representation on television – only to see that representation abruptly revert to damaging tropes moments later.
So both in what we’re seeing on screen and what we’re experiencing as viewers, we’re being taught to expect that a lesbian’s/queer woman’s happiness will be swiftly followed by pain, that if we let our guard down for a moment, we’ll pay for it. How’s a queer lady supposed to trust?
Days later, I’m still just so mad about The 100. I feel used and baited. And writers, etc keep saying: “it’s art, it drove the story forward” blah blah. But that can (and is) always be said when killing off gay characters. Why does that end always justify the means? Every time we get representation on network TV, we die. It’s bullshit. I would rather them not write us in at all, than to kill us every. single. time.
I haven’t watched any of these shows, but I sure recognize the kill-the-lesbian pattern. The terrific lesbian critic and essayist Terry Castle studied just how old this trope is in her 1993 book “The Apparitional Lesbian: Female Homosexuality and Modern Culture” (Columbia University Press). She argues that, as soon as lesbians started appearing in late 18th-century literature, they were so threatening to the hetero order they had to be disappeared, hence her term “apparitional.”
I watched the episode again,today.
This time with a friend who is a huge 100 and Clexa Fan,who hadn’t dared seen it yet.
Spoiled and with some time to process,I really have to admit what a great episode this was.
Even Clarke’s prayer for the departed came full circle and was so spot on.
The entire thing was super heartrending.
Next to me, my friend cried so hard, though..
I’m afraid that Jason and the production folks simply didn’t realize that we didn’t just admire Lexa or identify with her or thought she was hot or kickass.
Lexa wasn’t just another Loveinterest or foil for Clarke,either.
We loved her.
We genuienly loved her.
And we put so much hope into that love,too.
I don’t wish evil on anyone, I just wish Jason Rothberg would sit in front of a computerscreen with a girl who is crying her heart out over the death of one of his most beloved characters.
The rituals around death in The 100 are very moving to me as well. Unhappy though I was with how it turned out, I’m glad Clarke was there with Lexa and was able to say the “prayer.” While I (oh so very thankfully) do not confront death with the regularity that these characters do, having words to say when facing death, especially the words they do have, seems beautiful to me, and something that feels like it is missing in my (mainline Protestant) life – so much so that I started reading about Last Rites and the Viddui after this episode.
I still haven’t quite brought myself to watch it yet, so so glad your friend had you for moral support. <3
One of the things that made me so mad was that it was a great death scene! They both knocked it out of the park with their performances. But that’s the thing, it would have been a great death scene like 10 episodes from now, not right when we get the first taste of what they had been slowly building up to since the season started.
Ugh I still get so angry thinking about it!
I like this version.
https://twitter.com/abigailsgriffin/status/706529755244437504
Guys guys guys. I love the recaps and the analysis I really do, but when I go on Facebook and see “your favorite The 100 character gets Tara MacLay-ed” it doesn’t exactly obscure the events of the episode. I’m UK based, legally I shouldn’t watch the episode for another 4 or 5 weeks! I did end up watching it a few days later because otherwise I can’t go on tumblr but for the love of lesbian god can you not put GIANT spoilers in the article description?!
Seriously! It took all the mystery out of the episode. Sure there was the whole thing with the soul of the commander and what not but in the back of my mind the whole episode was taken up with that one piece of knowledge.
Rant over.
Finally watched THE episode. For me it was a … great one. I really wanna know where it goes from here. Might be that I myself feel so different from when I watched Tara McLay dying on my tiny little TV screen years ago that I fail to feel and think in context or that I started watching The 100 oblivious of Clexa and fell for the show for other reasons. Or that I set a Google alert for DoctorMechanic a week ago and have found my own City of Light :)
Uggggggghhh whyyyy. I can’t believe I devoted so much time to this garbage pile of a show. I looked past all the terrible dialogue and teen angst and boring Jaha time and Clarke’s hair nest for THIS mess. What a lame way to kill such a good character in such a bad show.
And thus, legions of Clexa fans immediately race out and get infinity symbols tattooed on their hearts.
*sobs quietly in the corner*