#slaaaaaaaaay

this you?

hell fucking yes let's kill

Speaking of disingenuous and insincere, self forgiveness! It’s what Bellamy needed all along this season. It’s what redemption means now, not remorse and changing for the better. It’s also something he and Clarke both need and only once they understand this are they truly healed after Mt. Weather.

Wait…what? The narrative would like us to believe that a remorseless, self-justifying murderer is the same as someone actively pursuing peace and mercy. Yes, they both participated in the genocide at Mt. Weather last season. Since then, Clarke and Bellamy have been on as divergent of paths as is possible for any two characters to have. You expect us to think they’re the same? That Bellamy, Jasper, Octavia, and the rest of the Delinquents are justified in blaming Clarke more than Bellamy? In accepting Bellamy back with little to no backlash (except for Octavia), but questioning Clarke at every turn?

Self-forgiveness is a message that sounds nice on the face of it, but lacks substance when not paired with genuine sorrow. Bellamy doesn’t have to admit he was wrong, just has to forgive himself. Who cares about the families he destroyed, the close friends he betrayed and alienated. No, these people don’t need to hear that he acknowledges the wrongness of his actions. They don’t need to see him want and try to make amends. Bellamy’s self esteem is more important than reparation. And let’s not mistake Bellamy’s participation in taking down ALIE for amends. Bellamy being a part of the team that saves the world does not absolve him of murdering hundreds of Grounders.

In short, self-forgiveness without apology or amends to the one harmed is bullshit.

What’s worse is the discourse surrounding his (Ricky Whittle) abrupt exit from the show. Given how closely his character’s death occurred to Alycia Debnam Carey’s character Lexa, and the fact that they both have jobs on other shows, Ricky Whittle’s death is lumped in with hers. Almost every single review of “Stealing Fire” laments his exit, but immediately mentions that he will be playing the lead in American Gods. His death is just one more example of what happens when an actor leaves a show for another job.

Except that it isn’t. When Lincoln was killed off, Ricky Whittle didn’t have another job lined up. He had auditioned for American Gods, but hadn’t landed the part yet. In fact, it was his audition that got him killed off.