The 100 Made a Grave and Senseless Mistake With Bellamy Blake

I’ve seen my fair share of teen dramas, dating all the way back to the days of Dawson’s Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

With those typical teen genre-focused shows, inevitably comes the fair share of outrageous storylines, oddball writing decisions, and shocking character deaths.

Some — like Jen Lindley — are a moment of sacrifice, implemented to push other characters forward. Others — like Klaus Mikaelson — are moments of redemption. Then there are the heroic deaths, true moments of poignancy, where a character’s story comes to an end, much like Stefan Salvatore.

Regardless of how they die, or why they die, there’s always a common thread: every character death comes with an underlying reason; an intention that resonates deep within the moral of the story.

Major character deaths are typically showcased centrally, executed carefully, and given a type of dignity that serves as a love letter to fans. Their journey may be over, but their impactful presence remains respected in the series forever. 

When done with delicacy, a character may be gone but never forgotten, and in turn, neither is the audience’s beloved attachment to them. 

The 100‘s Bellamy Blake, however, is granted none of this.

In fact, Bellamy Blake was taken down in the same vein as an extra with no name — a meaningless being, a flash in the pot with no connection to the larger story at hand. 

He certainly was not given a goodbye deserving of the central male lead, and the steady beating heart of a seven-season show.

Major character deaths do happen, especially in the final season of a long-running series. But how those characters die, and the grace given to their final moments is crucial to how successful that death will go over with audiences.

Frankly, Bellamy was in the high-risk death category long before The 100’s final season began airing. Not only did actor Bob Morley ask for less screen time, but Bellamy is also a character who would sacrifice anything for his people — including his own life.

Going out in a sacrificial moment of glory would be a great way to say goodbye to a fan-favorite, and less screen time certainly doesn’t mean a great arc can’t be written for someone who in many cases, was the center of the show’s survival.

So where was Bellamy Blake’s heroic end?

There are a multitude of reasons why Bellamy’s death is problematic, but the heart of the issue lies in the senselessness of how he was taken out and the loneliness he was forced to endure in the episodes leading up to his murder. 

After mysteriously disappearing for the majority of the season, Bellamy is given three episodes to return. In those three short episodes, he declares his undying devotion to a cult leader, betrays every person he loves, and dies defending a faith The 100 has taken very little time to bother explaining.

It’s not that Bellamy has never followed the leader before — he was crucified by fans in The 100 Season 3 when he chose Pike over Clarke. That was four seasons ago, however, and his character has undeniably gone on a beautiful journey of growth since.

To rip that development away, allowing him to dissolve into a shell of the person audiences have come to know, only to serve as a catalyst for a looming potential spin-off, is a devastating gut punch.

Clarke pulling the trigger is another level of betrayal entirely. Disregarding any of the popular discourse over whether Bellamy and Clarke were in love, there’s no denying the bond they created; the two have fought tirelessly to save each other, no matter the cost.

In a world with constant looming threats, hidden dangers, and multiple apocalypses to overcome, Bellamy and Clarke have served as each other’s constant counterpart; a perfect balance of the head and the heart, coming together to save humanity on more than one occasion.

Yet somewhere along the way, Clarke decided Bellamy is no longer worth saving. There is no time to deprogram him, no faith in his word, and no effort to keep him safe. 

So Bellamy is sentenced to a senseless, half hazard, last-second death.

He dies alone, bleeding out for a hoax of a cause, created by a man named Bill, at the hand of his best friend. The person he never gave up on. 

The most brutal part of this shotty take at storytelling is the inevitable paradox it creates in any possible attempt to avenge Bellamy in the final three episodes.

If Bellamy is proven right in his faith, his death creates a ripple effect of character assassination across the board.

Bellamy’s family — Echo, Raven, Octavia — will have to deal with knowing they abandoned him without even hearing him out. Clarke will have to live with the devastating realization she killed her best friend for simply trying to save her. 

Avenging Bellamy through truth ultimately villainizes the rest of our beloved characters. Unveiling Bill as a fraud means Bellamy dies a traitor, willing to sacrifice his family on blind faith. 

Love him or hate him, Bellamy Blake warranted himself a heroic death. He deserved a last-minute moment of redemption, a light bulb realization, a last breath spent protecting the people he loved most; because that’s who Bellamy Blake was. 

If he couldn’t get his own happy ending, he at least earned a death that ensured everyone else got one. 

Instead, he was given three episodes dedicated to destroying the characterization built over seven seasons. He left the world he fought so hard to hold on to, without a goodbye from his sister, or the loyalty of his friends.

The end of a story is the moral of a story, and The 100 is mere episodes away from teaching its big final lesson. Unfortunately, there is little to nothing that can be said, or done, to redeem the gaping blunder — and glaring disrespect — of the legendary character that is Bellamy Blake.

May We Meet Again.

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