#I mean come on. It's the one of the oldest romantic moment interruption tropes in the book

[captainhysunstuff]

I think about that phone call interruption a lot. The boys were having a moment, and Watari wasn't having any of it.

[head-and-heart]

Unnecessary Bellarke Moments - Season 4

Hey fam! So last hiatus (The Dark Times), I created a post to give our fandom a little bit of hope that basically pointed out every single Bellarke moment in the first three seasons of The 100 that served absolutely no plot purpose besides pushing the Bellarke Agenda™ (you can view it here). The idea of the post was basically just to point out the VAST number of Bellarke moments that simply would not exist if canon!Bellarke wasn’t actually in the cards for later seasons. 

The idea was brought to me a little while ago (I don’t remember by who, unfortunately) to recreate that post, except this time pointing out all the unnecessary Bellarke moments of Season 4. So that’s basically what this post is.

If you’re interested in seeing just how Extra these two lovesick idiots truly are when it comes to each other and how full of shit the cast/Jason are when they say it was “never planned”  feel free to continue under the cut.

1. 4x01

“Thank you, for keeping me alive.”

So I just rewatched this scene and boy is it SO not subtle … at all? Like the music starts swelling with the super romantic Bellarke theme and then THIS line happens and theres NO REASON FOR IT. I mean, objectively, Abby and Murphy kept Clarke alive more directly. And technically Bellamy wasn’t the only fighting to protect her either, so - reasonably, if this is really SO platonic - then why didn’t she thank anyone else like this?

We all know why.

“ECHO, LET HER GO!” Bellamy appearing out of nowhere and charging angrily to save Clarke the love of his life.

This scene cracks me up because like … why is Bellamy here? They literally had Bellamy walk off-screen earlier to do … nothing … just so he could charge dramatically in when he see’s that Clarke is in trouble. AND THERE’S NO POINT OF OF HIM EVEN BEING IN THIS SCENE EXCEPT TO GET WORRIED ABOUT CLARKE. That’s his SOLE purpose of existing in this moment. He isn’t even the one who talks Echo out of letting Clarke go. 

And then THIS happens:

And suddenly it makes sense what Bellamy’s purpose in the scene is because HOW ELSE WOULD BELLAMY DRAMATICALLY CATCH HER SO THAT CLARKE CAN CARESS HIS CHEST ????

AND WHAT OTHER EXCUSE WOULD THERE BE FOR THEIR FACES TO BE THIS. FUCKING. CLOSE??!!! LOOK HOW ZOOMED IN THE CAMERA IS. THAT IS NOT PLATONIC DISTANCE. THESE TWO DUMBASSES HAVE ZERO CONCEPT OF PERSONAL SPACE. AND YET, THEY’RE TOTALLY PLATONIC. 

Right. Got it.

jason you are so transparent but wHATEVER

I can’t find a gif of it but IMMEDIATELY after this it ! focuses ! on ! bellamy’s ! face ! as ! he ! hears ! this! and all i’m thinking is WHY WHAT IS THE POINT? WHY BELLAMY HUH? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR BELLAMY’S FACE TO BE FOCUSED ON HERE SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN ME ONE (1) PLATONIC REASON FOR THIS OH RIGHT IT DOESN’T FUCKING EXIST BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING PLATONIC ABOUT BELLARKE

okay and then GET THIS

there’s ANOTHER bellarke scene that has NO plot purpose AT. ALL!!1!!

and i can’t find a gif of it dammit

but Bellamy LOSES HIS SHIT when Clarke gets taken away again and honestly my question is WHY is he the only one freaking tf out? Like the focus is ALL on Bellamy’s reaction to Clarke being taken away and no one else’s, not even her mother’s. 

It’s All Very Suspicious.

and, of course, there’s no actual plot reason for this to happen. 

2. 4x03

Clarke: YES YOU WILL!!1!!!

Raven: So does that mean you made the list?”

Clarke: … no.

THIS MOMENT IS SO UNNECESSARY. Like, they easily could have just had Bellamy being like “i ain’t gonna be inside” without having Clarke freak tf out about that cause HOW IS SHE SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT BELLAMY BLAKE??? My favourite part about this moment is how Clarke admits that she hasn’t made the list yet but she KNOWS that Bellamy is going to be on it. Because it’s Bellamy. I mean, of course, she’d put him on the list. 

Is it a wonderful moment? Yes. But plot-necessary? nah. 

And again we have an AMAZING Bellarke moment that never, not once, serves the plot in any way besides stressing how Bellarke is the best, basically, and they need each other and love each other so much.

Just Platonic Things™

All right, I gotta take a long moment to talk about the many ways in which Bellamy’s presence in the List Scene is completely unnecessary and totally useless to the plot in every fucking way unless you admit that BELLARKE IS A PART OF THE PLOT. 

fIRsT of all, biNCh. 

Was it REALLY necessarily for Bellamy to be sleeping on the couch, and for Clarke to watch him while he’s sleeping and fucking smile??? Like, seriously, that is so intimate and that little detail was the most unnecessary thing I’ve ever seen. Why was he sleeping? Why couldn’t he just be awake and helping her with the list? Because they wanted to stress how intimate Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship is, that’s why. 

AND THEN. (and then) it focuses on Clarke writing BELLAMY’S name on the list. Bellamy’s. Not anyone else’s.

Bellamy’s. 

What makes BELLAMY so special that he is the ONLY one whose name is focused on when it is written down? Huh, Jason? Explain it to me. 

oH WAIT. IT’S CAUSE CLARKE IS IN LOVE WITH HIM THAT’S WHY

anyway.

There’s no plot-based reason for Bellamy’s name to be focused on when it’s written down. And there’s no plot-based reason for them to have that crazy intimate moment. And there’s no plot-based reason for Bellamy to comfort her or for Clarke to fucking nuzzle into his hand with her face.

NO REASON.

other than the reason that the writers have to push the Blorke Agenda

AND YOU KNOW WHAT ABSOLUTELY KILLS ME ABOUT THIS WHOLE LIST SCENE????

THEY PUT SO MUCH BLOODY EMPHASIS ON THE FACT THAT BELLAMY AND CLARKE’S NAMES ARE ON THE LIST, SO, MUCH, EMPHASIS. AND THEN IT DIDN’T EVEN MATTER. WHEN THEY END UP USING THE LIST, IT DOESN’T MATTER THAT BELLAMY AND CLARKE’S NAMES ARE ON IT BECAUSE THEY DON’T EVEN END UP IN THE BUNKER. 

So basically, what I’m getting at, was this moment between Bellamy and Clarke where they write their names down has absolutely nothing to do with Bellamy and Clarke having a spot in the Ark/bunker and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that they don’t want to live in a world without each other.

That’s it, folks. That’s why this scene exists. lmao

3. 4x04

“BELLAMY should be back by now." 

Not much to say on this moment, but even in an episode where Bellamy and Clarke don’t interact at all they managed to squeeze in Clarke getting worried about Bellamy (and not all the other people who haven’t returned to Arkadia, BELLAMY. Singular). 

And that’s all.

4. 4x05

This is basically the same as the previous scene, where it only exists to show Clarke’s worry over Bellamy. And I also love Monty’s snark because it suggests that Clarke has been asking them about Bellamy repeatedly and that its getting annoying lmao.

THIS. This is the most dramatic/romantic shit I’ve ever seen. 

lmao. Kane who? Doesn’t matter. Clarke only has eyes for Bellamy. The way this scene was shot was so fucking unnecessary. The dramatic way Bellamy’s hood is pulled off, how they make eye contact and it zooms in and focuses on their expressions, focuses on Clarke’s distress when she sees him. 

Honestly what was the point of Bellamy being taken hostage anyway? Kane makes sense: he’s the chancellor, but Bellamy? His only purpose to be taken hostage was to set up a situation where Clarke has to make a choice whether to sacrifice him … this guy she cares about, and ultimately ends up caving, cause she can’t lose him. SHE SACRIFICED HALF OF THE ARK TO SAVE HIM EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD A HUGE ADVANTAGE IN THE FIGHT AND IT DIDNT EVEN MATTER BECAUSE THE ARK BURNS DOWN ANYWAY SO ! WHAT ! WAS ! THE ! POINT?!

THERE WAS NO POINT EXCEPT TO MAKE CLARKE CAVE CAUSE SHE CAN’T LOSE BELLAMY THAT’S LITERALLY IT FAM.

5. 4x06

Was it really necessary to focus on Bellamy’s shaky hands when opening up the body bag in 4x06 or to show his relieved face when it wasn’t Clarke?

Plot-wise, definitely not. In terms of Bellarke … 

Well. You get the idea.

Was that last part about him being special necessary? No. And, quite honestly, that’s a really fucking weird word choice to talk about someone’s sibling. She’ll see how special you are. Special. 

Nah. This moment had nothing to do with Octavia thinking Bellamy was “special” (like, I said, odd word choice for siblings) and EVERYTHING to do with how special CLARKE thinks Bellamy is … how special he is to her. 

Also need I mention the wandering eyes? It was excessive my dudes. 

THE ONLY PURPOSE OF THIS LINE IS TO MAKE US THINK HE WAS GOING TO SAY I LOVE YOU (whether or not he was). THE INTERRUPTED LOVE CONFESSION IS THE OLDEST TROPE IN THE BOOK. WE NEVER GOT TO HEAR THE END OF HIS SENTENCE SO ITS LITERALLY THE MOST POINTLESS PIECE OF DIALOGUE UNLESS WE WERE INTENDED TO FILL IN THE BLANK. Duh. 

6. 4x09

I know a lot of people were disappointed in the anti-climactic lack of Bellarke reunion in 4x09 but there just was too much going on in the episode for it to be included and honestly the fact that we got a scene with them talking at all when not even Kabby got that (who were literally separated all season) - or anyone else for that matter - is pretty indicative of the fact that the relationship between Bellamy and Clarke is important to the writers. Honestly, this conversation could have been with any character(s) but they wanted it to be Bellamy and Clarke. For … reasons.

7. 4x11

Bellamy: *screaming*

Murphy: "Do you wanna talk to him?" 

Clarke: "Yeah." 

Clarke: *can’t talk to him cause listening to Bellamy in pain gives HER pain so she runs away*

THIS WAS ENTIRELY UNNECESSARY CAUSE CLARKE DIDN’T EVEN END UP TALKING TO BELLAMY. SHE COULD HAVE JUST HANDED MURPHY THE RADIO AND LEFT. but nooooooooo we had to see her in pain at listening to Bellamy screaming.

This is honestly such an underrated Bellarke moment. Why are y’all sleeping on this? 

(Gifs taken from this gifset here by @bellarkegifsdaily - I couldn’t find gifs anywhere for this scene unfortunately, if you want me to take them down I will!)

Honestly this line is one of those lines that doesn’t really HAVE to exist but the writers saw an opportunity to throw some Bellarke in the script and they took it.

8. 4x12

Bellamy smiling/staring at Clarke for so long he crashes the fucking vehicle. 

… writers wyd

The car needed to crash but they easily (EASILY !!) could have managed that by just having the dude throw himself in front of the vehicle. Did we really need the intense heart eyes? Yes … but only for Bellarke reasons. There are unlimited ways they could have had the crash take place that didn’t involve any special Bellarke moments whatsoever but i think we know by now that the Bellarke scenes we get can’t just be shrugged off as “platonic moments necessary to move the plot” anymore. We’re past this. 

9. 4x13

They literally set up a situation where Clarke had to cry JUST so Bell could comfort her. They could have sold it as Clarke having talked to Abby off-screen, or show Bellamy handing off the radio and then ending the scene. But noooope. They just needed an excuse for Bellarke to hug. Like, god, this moment would NOT exist if Bellarke was actually platonic. It’s not even just the hug itself, but the camerawork. Like, focusing and zooming in on her hands slowly tightening around his waist is so NOT SUBTLE.

The entire oxymoron conversation AND face caress are soooo extra its crazy. WHY WAS THIS NECESSARY??? 

Hint: they were not. They served the plot in ZERO way, except to give Bellarke a cute/flirty + soft moment. Especially the face caress. Like, was it really absolutely critical that Bellamy had to reach out to stroke Clarke’s face just to point out that she’s suffering from radiation sickness?

The head and heart conversation needed to happen for Bellamy’s character development (and Clarke’s to some extent, too) but there was no plot reason (besides pushing the Blorke agenda) that it needed to be THAT intimate, with her touching his heart and shit. Zero. Holy shit. This scene would have read WAY different if they were actually platonic. 

I mean let's just consider the delivery of the following lines:

"We’ve been through a lot together you and I”

“NOTHING IS HAPPENING TO YOU.”

“You have such a big heart, Bellamy.”

“I got you for that.”

IT WAS SO INTIMATE. If they were just bros this conversation would be a whole lot more casual and a lot less emotional.

(Credit goes to @bellarkegifsdaily again - link here - apparently gifs of this scene are extremely hard to track down which is honestly surprising to me.)

THIS WAS SO POINTLESS. It’s the exact same thing as the interrupted love confession in 4x06. The only reason it exists is for us to fill in the blanks on our own (which certainly is not “hurry”). They easily could have just nodded and gone on their ways like they usually do on their respective missions but noooo it HAD to be angsty and romantic.

Bellamy waiting outside the rocket for Clarke and Raven coming to get him. (“I KNOW Raven) + Bellamy asking Raven about Clarke TWICE. 

Honestly, there’s no reason for Bellamy to be set apart from all the others in this scene unless the writers admit that Bellamy’s feelings for Clarke are just that much stronger (in a romantic sense). He could be waiting inside the rocket, OR Raven and the others could be waiting outside with him … But the writers wanted to stress how much it’s killing Bellamy to leave Clarke behind, not the others. 

"I left her behind and we all die anyway." 

There’s no real reason this line needs to exist. It’s literally just there to serve us some good ol’ wholesome Bellarke angst. 

LISTEN ! ! This scene was SO extra it could have been taken straight out of fic. If the writers were actually concerned with Bellarke being interpreted as romantic, they would have just had Clarke say something like "calling all Ark survivors” or “Raven” or “Monty” or LITERALLY anyone but Bellamy, and just Bellamy. The fact that she’s been calling him and JUST HIM for six years is INSANE you guys. And there is NO plot purpose why it had to be that way.

Also, the  "I still have hope" line is a clear callback to their conversation in 4x03 (”the list scene”). It’s so unnecessary. All of it. These writers are so transparent i swear.

SO THAT’S IT FAM! I’m sure you could create an argument for why more scenes from Season 4 should be included in this list because I did end up narrowing it down a bit from my original list, but I believe that I hit the main scenes that are pretty much completely unnecessary towards the plot, lol. 

Hopefully you enjoyed this sort of ridiculous little (long?) post of mine and it maybe even gave you some hope in Bellarke. Thanks for reading!