Keep Life Random

There was a lot of symbolism in this episode surrounding what Lexa was wearing. What she was wearing symbolized how vulnerable she was or position she was in. As we know, the Commander has to be very guarded and has to protect themselves from those that might want to destroy them – the Commander wardrobe embodies this. This wardrobe covers most of her body and it only exposes skin from her neck up; her arms, legs, torso, back, etc. are all covered so that she isn’t exposed physically. This ‘covering’ of the body symbolizes the emotional and mental guarding of Lexa while she is The Commander.  

The more ‘skin’ she is showing or layers she removes shows visually how vulnerable she is. You see this in the scene were she is teaching the Nightbloods she is isn’t wearing her full Commander get up. Lexa took off her Commander jacket and is wearing the shirt that is underneath it. This symbolically shows that the Nightbloods get to see a different ‘layer’ of the Commander than others do. They get to see the Commander in a more vulnerable personable state. But, she is still wearing the majority of her commander clothes and most of her skin is still covered. This is to show she is still in a Commander role. 

Now, we move onto Lexa in the last scene – the nightgown scene.  Lexa showing so much skin was important symbolically; she is letting Clarke see her…she is being extremely vulnerable. She is not wearing eyeliner, her forehead peice, her hair is down, her arms, back, and the upper part of her chest  are all exposed. All of this is symbolically showing how vulnerable she. Additionally, it is to show how this visit to Clarke’s room was personal. This isn’t the Commander coming to thank Clarke…it is Lexa. Lexa is thanking Clarke for going to the lengths she did to protect her. Clarke tried to vote against the ambassadors, and she tried to kill Nia; risking her life in the process. This is who Lexa is when you take away the Commander facade and the wardrobe…you can see how young she looks and how vulnerable she is. This vulnerability she rarely lets anyone see; she rarely lets anyone see her in her ‘non-commander’ state too. But, she let’s Clarke see her this vulnerable and ‘exposed’. 

Clarke’s wardrobe also has symbolic meaning. Clarke’s nightgown has more coverage and not much of her skin is exposed. This is to show how guarded Clarke is around Lexa emotionally. This guarding is symbolically shown through her wardrobe covering her skin. This is contrasted with Lexa who has a lot of skin showing, which shows that she is being vulnerable then Clarke. 

A big part of this scene was the line about Lexa forgiving her Ambassadors that betrayed her. Lexa realizes that it isn’t a personal betrayal, they were doing what they believed was right for their people. This was supposed to callback to Lexa betraying Clarke at Mount Weather, as well as to show how fair and just of a leader Lexa is to look past this betrayal. Lexa’s Ambassadors betraying her could have lead to her death, just like Lexa betraying Clarke at Mount Weather could have lead to Clarke’s death. We see Clarke first look at Lexa in awe that she is able to forgive her Ambassadors, but then it hits her that she should be able to do the same – forgive Lexa for betraying her politically, just like how Lexa forgave her Ambassadors for their political betrayal.  

Now, the setting of the scene itself was important. It was supposed to be an intimate moment. The candles and them both being alone could have lead to them having sex or them kissing. Clarke and Niylah were in a similar scene. There was an obscene amount of candles and wound tending, that led to Clakre initiating sex. But, Lexa isn’t just a trading post worker that Clarke could have a one night stand with and vanish in the middle of the night. For one, Lexa is more than that to Clarke; they have a history. Clarke even though she is mad at Lexa, still cares about her and is conflicted. 

Clarke is the one that quickly gets up and says, “Good night, Heda”. She did this to separate herself from Lexa and the ‘intimate’ setting they were in. This ‘Good Night’ was a ‘Not yet’. This moment was a callback to Clarke not being ready to start anything with Lexa in 2x14. Lexa responds in this scene with ‘Good night, Ambassador’, this is like Lexa nodding to Clarke in 2x14 after she says “Not yet”. Lexa understands that Clarke is not ready to open herself up and is still healing from the betrayal. Lexa won’t push Clarke so she leaves Clarke’s room and gives her the space she needs. It is also important to note that Clarke used Lexa’s native language to say “Goodnight”, and Lexa reciprocated by saying it in English. This is to show the respect these two woman have for each other.