#but they did pack a lot into 3x13 for example

[flythesail]

Alright my nace people! I think we all just need to

[coinofstone]

3x12 The Coming of Arthur pt 1

The title is such low hanging fruit I feel bad cracking a joke about it.

It's a quest episode! I love a quest episode. Srsly feel free to send me any and all Merthur quest fics. I can't get enough 😂

This is the episode responsible for the lovely Leon fanon headcanon that he's immortal. Always handy in an Arthur Returns fic.

Uther: you must go on this mission alone

Arthur: *brings Merlin*

I do love Merlin being being a smart alec and nagging Arthur while packing. Excellent banter.

Arthur said

Arthur threatening a young boy like this is such an ugly and uncharacteristic action it makes me angry.

Merlin tending to Arthur while he's sick and injured 🥺

Also I'm sorry but Merlin shows fuckin Gilli his magic but he's hiding it from fuckin Gwaine while Arthur is suffering? Silly.

Cenred's massive army makes me wonder if it's a result of his tolerance of magic or lower standards than the knights of Camelot, or some combination of both.

Poor Leon, though. He's just got back from near death in that forest and Uther sends him right fuckin back in 😂

Looks like they snuck in to Camelot via the dragon's cave. I doubt that was the intention but I still approve 😂

Knowing he's on a suicide mission, Arthur gives Merlin an out, knowing he'll never take it, knowing he doesn't even want him to: he still presents him with the choice.

How come literally everyone else gets a crown that fits them but Arthur walks around looking like he's wearing hand-me-downs?

Morgana might be evil but she looks damn good on a throne.

3x13 The Coming of Arthur pt 2

There's a post going around Twitter about ppl who nitpick at TV shows... this comment falls into exactly that category 100% but I'm sorry, I cannot just ignore the fact that Morgana's got these massive banners and an entire army's worth of uniforms, I mean look:

Every guard with the sigil on his uniform and half a dozen banners in the council chambers alone. That's to say nothing of the ones outside. I mean look at the sheer fuckin size of these things:

Look how tiny the ppl are next to em! They've gotta be at least 15 feet long, at least. Where did they come from? Were they all magicked into existence? Who designed that sigil? What does it represent? Is it Gorlois' banner? I HAVE QUESTIONS.

Leon isn't someone I've ever been particularly attracted to, personally, but his defiant shout of "Long Live the King" in the face of Morgana's threats, is sexy as hell.

Depressed Arthur is such a mood.

So. Gwen. Originally in 3x12 when Morgana essentially invited Gwen into the fold (insofar as a Queen's servant can be), it seems to be a set up, because Morgana has been treating Gwen like shit for ages, why would she suddenly want her friend back? Especially since Morgana knows something is going on between Gwen and Arthur - there's no way she believes that they were actually under the spell of some random sorcerer, that just doesn't make any sense. So you kind of assume - or at least I did - that Morgana is keeping Gwen close knowing that she'll be useful as bait or a hostage, just essentially as a person of value to Arthur. She's known Gwen for too long to actually believe she'd cross Arthur, there's just no way someone as machiavellian as Morgana doesn't see Gwen's 'loyalty' as a simple survival tactic. All of this is to say, when Morgana and Morgause eavesdrop on Gwen's conversation with Sir Leon, Morgana is just like, 'welp, she's betrayed me. Guess I'll kill her in the morning.' as though she was actually expecting Gwen to do anything else?!?! Like, why? It would've made so much more sense to just cut that line entirely and go straight to something like

Morgana: it's as we suspected, she's betrayed me

Morgause: yes, now she can lead us straight to Arthur

And it would've made so much more sense than the weird sort of purgatory they've implied where Morgana changed her mind about Gwen very suddenly the night before she took the throne. It's not a super important detail in the overarching story but it's another example of how carelessly their story has been handled.

Me rn:

I do love that they made Freya the Lady of the Lake, and that she kept her promise by telling Merlin how to defeat the army of the dead.

How Merlin really sees Kilgharrah:

Gwen really is the smartest of all of them.

I do love that Merlin's first undead kill with excalibur is entirely an accident lol

The subtext between Morgana and Morgause is really gross. I haven't said anything before because I generally don't approve of ship shaming but the not so subtle subtext gives me the heebies.

This is such a great shot

Everything about it, his woman at his left and his man at his right, his romantic rival opposite him on his wife's side, as directly opposite her as possible at a round table with an uneven number of placements. It's a really beautiful shot, fitting for an equally beautiful scene. It's a very moving scene, the music really adds the exact emotion you'd expect for this moment we all recognize... and I feel like the knights' oaths are very well matched. The snarky part of me wanted to make a 'call me maybe' joke about Percival, but he's so sincere I just can't do it. The moment of levity added by Merlin's banter with Arthur is really, really well paced. Honestly I think it's probably the next perfect, iconic scene since Gwen and Arthur's first kiss. Hats off to this crew.

(Don't worry dear reader, I'm sure I'll get back to complaining shortly)

Santiago is so dreamy. I'd share his bedroll any day.

I like that despite all the talk of equality and doing the thing Uther wouldn't approve of, Gwen still worries about the company seeing her and Arthur kiss. Like, he's planning an insurrection with a bunch of commoners and two dudes who've been officially banished from Camelot, but she's internalized the classism and the rules of royalty so deeply that even amongst friends she instinctively keeps their relationship hidden. I'm not sure how intentional that was but it's brilliant.

The fight big fight scene with Merlin just barely missing the cup while the knights are cornered, and Gaius showing up like the brilliant deus ex machina that he is, honestly makes the previous budget-slashed episodes more bearable. Because this really is great, even knowing it's great at the expense of those others.

Morgana's screeching is eerily similar to Aithusa's.

I wonder if they knew they were getting renewed for a fourth season when they wrote this. Because you know, it really could've worked as a series finale as well. An open-ended series finale, but a series finale all the same.

As a Queens kid, I cannot explain to you the joy it gives me to watch Arthur and Merlin just chillin on the steps to the castle as tho it were a stoop, which I suppose, in a sense... it kind of is. Ahhh youthful days.

Commentary is Jeremy Webb and Julian Murphy.

And this kids, is why we're watching with commentary! They've just explained that Morgana's sigil is supposed to symbolize the Rowan tree that's supposed to be at the heart of the Isle of the Blessed. That suggests she designed it herself, so there's at least one of my earlier questions answered.

They talk a lot about how Emila Fox was very pregnant when they were filming her in this season, and they shot entirely around it - and I can't help but feel anger toward Joss Whedon and his 'handling' of Charisma Carpenter's pregnancy during S4 of Angel.

One of them called the round table scene 'curiously moving' and I think that is really fitting. They'd had this in mind for about two years, which is probably why it's so extraordinary. That's a great gestation period for a scene as iconic as this.

One final tidbit: the sword in the stone was filmed in France, and made it back to Wales intact. I guess nobody wanted to take it out. That's kind of an interesting thought, like a little set superstition or something. It's kind of cute.

The DVD extras/special features will get a separate post if I feel I have comments worth sharing.

[ralfstrashcan]

3x13 Reaction / Commentary

Yeah I'm aware, stop judging X___X

I feel the need to point this out. Apparently it's common practice for the Praetor to just, kill off their more troublesome charges. Interesting. But Jordan has a different work ethic which is a) apparently not usual for praetors and b) something at least Nick attributes to his past and not, idk, common decency. Just how savage is the Praetor exactly?? (Also let me add this to the list of things why 3x15 makes no sense at all.)

Okay, so they found another mundane dead by Heidi's hand...... why exactly don't they call the Shadowhunters? Aren't they obliged to? I mean?

True, but it sure as hell is her responsibility how she handles them. But we established already that she has a serious perception problem and always sees herself as the victim.

I mean, prime example, if she could have made that smooth exit through the vent where the werewolves couldn't follow, why didn't she just do that from the start instead of attacking Nick? Because she wants to cause trouble and not just “live her life in peace” as she's pretending to.

More like, he didn't have the guts to face Alec like that. Also does that mean he draped Izzy on the couch like that in that cliché sleeping pose with one hand under the head? At least he took off her boots like a sane person.

“I'm just drained.”

Haha it seems Alec isn't the only Lightwood sibling with a shitty sense of humor.

“I don't have the same preexisting condition.” “You mean my addiction?”

No, Izzy, he obviously means your fashion sense, keep up. Seriously, who wrote that stupid ass line of dialogue.

I found it pretty hilarious that Simon, Clary's literally oldest and bestest friend since kindergarten, feels the need to apologize to Izzy for taking up so much time with his Clary-reunion and blocking the path for her. The Clizzy Energy is Strong.

“Hmmmm hot hot hot Clary, please show me more.”

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY HAHAHAHA PERFECT

Also, Morningstar.... didn't Val name his dumbass tanker ship in S1/S2 Morningstar? Guy really has it with name repetitions, first Jonathan 1 and 2, now Morningstar Ship and Morningstar Sword... I bet he named all his stuffed teddys Mr Snuffels 1, Mr Snuffels 2, Mr Snuffels 3.....

The way he delivers this line me might've as well said “Please cut out the emotional disgusting bullshit my skin is crawling already from this I can't take any more mushiness PLEASE GO AWAY.” Gotta love Alec.

MAGNUS RAGE PUNCHING THE KEYBOARD IS THE MOST RELATABLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN

Magnus opening up about missing his magic MY HEART OH MY GOD

(Sidenote though: No wonder he got frustrated with the pretentious Shadowhunter Technology, I mean, look at it. There are only runes. Runes may be called runes, but they don't actually make up an alphabet. Why the heck is there a flexibility rune on the screen? It makes no sense.)

This whole scene (and Izzy's lipstick lol) is absolutely perfect. I love everything about it, especially Magnus and especially Izzy. I'd be really surprised if Magnus didn't find a way to get her that weird root thingy anyway, because he surely doesn't buy the “feeling a lot better now” line.

(Edit: Now thinking about it I realized two things, a) she probably didn't take him up on his offer to go to another warlock because she felt like that was unnecessarily rubbing in that he can't do it himself anymore* and b) with that line she probably meant she feels lighter already for sharing what happened and just <3<3<3<3<3)

*The only think that would have made this scene more perfect is if Izzy hadn't skimmed over his magic comment without acknowledging it in any way. Though with this thought in mind, that she rejected his offer to spare his feelings, I find myself placated.

Also I love how Magnus pretends he's going to look for pen and paper when really he's running straight to Alec to tell him all about this (and to prevent a repetition of 2x09 form happening.... and now I made myself sad again).

#effortless (Also reminds me of that post about fire message mechanics that I still owe a certain someone. Where is the time.)

HAHAHAHA

???????????? How do they know that? More importantly, does Alec know? Will he hear through the Shadow World grapevine??? So many questions.

I mean, I have sympathy for her. But like, she's too smart for me to buy that she genuinely can't see any other course of action. She just does this because it's the least effort for her, not because she's truly clueless what alternatives are there for here (aka not running around, killing mundanes, starting a fight with everyone). She just thrives on chaos.

Also “Wolves don't just attack without cause. Not in New York” ? Seems like all Institute except the NY one do a shit job since supposedly keeping peace between the Downworld factions is part of their responsibility. Yes, I am still salty about 3x15. (Also, if anyone's confused by this weird foreshadowing, I wrote notes for this reaction post while watching 3x13 when it first aired, but only got to finish it now after 3x19 aired and I can't keep my chronology-screwing bitterness to myself while finishing up the post. But mostly these are my thoughts from then.)

Yeah something tells me she's not gonna be totally uninvolved in that.

This and the fact that Russel wants to stop Bat from even leaving the Jade Wolf are the final proofs that all the werewolves actually live at the Jade Wolf and pile up in a giant snuggle pile in the kitchen at night. This is further cemented by the fact that Luke and Maia claim to have flats of their own but we never actually see them. Clearly they're both dirty liars that just wanted to mislead.

*late Jocelyn's late friend Eliot #rude #whatever

.......why the hell would Elias code that shit in Circle short hand? So other Circle members, who Jocelyn was hiding from, could easily open that super important safe? So smart! Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Luke in the Circle as well? Shouldn't he be able to read that, too?

1) Eliot is such a loser and a showoff for ostentatiously writing that J in Jocelyn 2) His hint is seriously “Don't open with brute force.” Wtf kind of hint is that man are you even real.

I'm sorry, okay, but everytime I see / hear Bellicosi I think Maxi-Cosi XD

*glares at 3x15* Will I ever tire of raging about that episode? Unlikely.

Why.....? Since he didn't have any problem 100% blaming Raphael for everything Heidi did (not unjustified, but I'm just saying he's suddenly changed his mind). I mean, if he'd said she's dangerous to him and his family that would've been another matter.

These are all runes that I don't remember seeing on the Shadowhunters' Wiki Rune Page. Please tell me more.

Jace: “Clary, you've been going nonstop since you came back. You need to take a minute.”

lol if only Jace would implement the same advice himself.

“Wow I suddeny remember I had a life before I was 10.”

German Dubbing: Yeah, the ones Consul Penhallow categorically ignored. Honestly. Who dubbs this shit. Wtf.

Listen I love everything about this scene. (Fun Fact: In the German Dubbing she says vampire addiction, not venom addiction lol as if she was addicted to vampires XD)

Alec Lightwood, best brother of the year. Btw he's been holding that title since birth. I also don't think Alec would ever judge Izzy for her addiction / look at her as if she's weak, so the fact that she thinks that says a lot about how the addiction affected her self-image.

Too bad Alec forgets this for the next few episodes and acts like a total tool in that Clave Investigation Thing, smh.

Good to know.

Haha that was witty.

Oooooh why don't they ask another warlock then? For example one who's actually always the smartest person in the room?? Who's also willing to work on this??? Just a thought tho, don't let me interrupt the Maruke Bonding. No, you know what? I hate the shipname Maruke, it's shit, so I'm calling it Luryse as it should have been called. Then again, when am I even gonna talk about that pairing? We shall see.

“Outrageous, just because people around me keep turning up dead! It's ridiculous, really, that they'd think I could have something to do with that. It's as if they're not aware this is a TV show and supporting characters die because *Moriarty Voice* THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DO!”

“That what the kids call it these days when they get kicked out on their ass?” She literally says “From one exiled to another” so she clearly realized he's full of shit.

“And that's why in two episodes Imma get myself arrested by behaving like a dumbass and then chill in prison as if it's my greatest accomplishment.” Honestly Luke, so many No-s. I can't even.

“Wow I can't believe I have to see this Luryse bs up close.” Hah, now I used the right shipname and can move the f on from bashing that pairing. Sorry about that. I'm sleep deprived. That always makes me extra salty.

“When you're alpha you need to make the pack your first priority. Your personal life needs to take a back seat. And mine never did.” I applaud Luke for admitting he was a shit alpha because he didn't proritize the pack. Hindsight is 20/20.

Wow Luke so helpful <3<3<3 Just like I know and love you.

I also love how nobody questions that Heidi bit that mundane and then chilledly made a phone call at the scene of her Accords-violating crime. How frakking convenient.

But their runes aren't on the same side. Sloppy work. Also, if the illustrator obviouly takes artistic liberties, then the rune missing on the second pic doesn't have to mean anything. Maybe they just forgot to draw it. Then again this isn't even the most flimsy conclusion-making I've wittnessed on this show so I'll let it slide.

lol Jace and Jonathan are basically playing tug of war with Clary: Jonathan burning himself, Jace activating her healing rune XD

Ooooh brainless S1 Clary, how I have not missed you. Srsly now? Carve it out? That didn't work for Simon so why should it now? lol she should ask the seelie queen if she has some handy floor mosaic thingy in her courtyard to help with that.

In his defense, he moved.

It's not gonna work is what it is. Srsly how dumb are they? Why the hell does she think something so powerful can just be carved out?? Wtf.

Woooow they're using a rune removing device, color me impressed. I really thought they'd just put a scalpel to it. So, at least points for trying.

Uuuuh get some morphin, try again. I mean. But anyway.

*break up

......didn't she just break up with him because pack reasons? Where is that not a Shadow World Reason? Please explain. (Also choosing an unflattering screen cap of Simon because he annoys me? Absolutely. I am petty like that.) The easy way Simon accepts their break up really makes me wonder. If Maia hadn't said anything, would he have broken up with her? Since apparently things “changed” and they could “both” “feel” it. Honestly. He literally calls her his girlfriend at the start of the scene as if to draw attention to how ridiculous this is.

You know what, I don't even have the energy to rage about this. Their relationship was so great, they were so supportive of each other, they had great chemistry, great communication, they always stood by each other. And just because Sizzy has to be endgame there were suddenly weird-ass tension between them for no real reason – none that 3A Saia wouldn't have worked through like pros anyway – just so this break up wouldn't come out of absolutely nowhere. It's shit treatment of both their characters and their relationship and I'm just so exasperated with it all. (Also not the way to endear me to Sizzy. But at this point I feel like a broken record.)

Discount? It was free. Which I'm still finding super hard to believe by the way, that a werewolf establishment would just give out free food to vampires who don't even work there. But what do I know, right, I mean it's not like they just mentioned a few minutes ago how werewolves and vampires hate each other? Right?? Hahaha.

Wow. This actually takes the time to highlight that this break up wasn't as amicable as Simon thought. Maybe he thought that they were breaking up for human reasons, but Maia clearly feels she threw her relationship away for the pack and it's hard for her. And Simon's tirade wasn't really encouraging her to let him know that. I really appreciate that detail.

Other things I want to say: 1) I didn't like that Maia just flat out broke up with him. She should have informed him that she was going to step up for the pack and would have to prioritize that over their relationship and then leave it up to him if he wants to put up with that or not. By breaking up she made the choice for him. Her course of action is ic, I'm not critizising that, but from like, a personal stand point I don't like it. 2) Foreshadowing: Since her whole pack gets slaughtered, if that would have been the only reason to break up with Simon she coulda just gotten back together with him lol. Haha sorry I'm trash. I know.

Wow he's really dumb. He knows Heidi's brand of crazy and still he doesn't realize this was a trap. He said himself that Heidi must have done something for the Preator to be after her, and when the Praetor tells him she's been leaving copses left and right he...... takes this as his cue to ally himself with Heidi??? Wtf?????? Does he not believe what Jordan said? Again, he suspected something like that himself and since the Praetor are playing at being the Downworlder Police they wouldn't just make something like that up with no proof. The heck. I don't get you, Boss Vampire Guy.

Also, thumbs down for the Praetor, if they'd just told them their source was Heidi herself (on the phone) this could have been prevented. But, ugh. With how things are I can at least kinda buy that no working communication between vampire clan and Praetor exists.

Still, if the Praetor wants to be accepted as some kind of Shadow World Institution they should really work on their manners.

.................................................

I I don-- I can't. *sigh* I can't believe I just had to watch this with my own two eyes. Have they not been trained for a case like this? A fellow shadowhunter injured in the field? That activating the healing rune should be the first thing you do? Before lovingly prying information from the dying person?? I mean, if that's not Plot Convenience then I don't know what is. Sure, he needs to give them a snippet of info, but not too much. But please, please, couldn't writers have found a way for this that didn't make them look like the stupidest of idiots in the entire frikkin world?! Wtf. WTF. I can't believe it.

Uuuuuuh how did she know how to turn those things if all she had to work with was Don't use brute force?? Do I have to understand that?

“You brought coffee, after all.”

Look she's so ashamed she even turned away from the screen haha. Also it's so refreshing to see grown ass people approach a relationship like idiotic teens. (Yeah, that was sarcastic.)

“And right now I wanna do you.” Hahahaha sorry, too good to pass up, you can bet your ass imma turn this into a dumb comic XD

“I love you, Clary. And I'll love you until I die. And if there's a life after this I'll love you then, too.”

Okay, I wanted to roll my eyes at their love confession, but what Jace said was actually really sweet <3

Alec: All our people were accounted for at the time of the murder. Izzy: We think it was a Clave hit.

Oh couldn't have been one of the millions of Shadowhunters from another Institute? No, I'm sure Alec checked that on their neat little Shadowhunter Intranet, that all other Shadowhunters all over the workd were accounted for as well. Honestly.

Also, Maryse says “By the angel,” but in the German Dubbing she says “What the angel” which makes it seem as if Shadowhunters curse by replacing dirty words with “angel” and just... what the angel XD

Why the hell are they all so obsessed with Latin? Ugh. Exhausting hobby.

Btw lol, please rewatch that scene, the background music is weirdly reminiscent of the Stranger Things Theme hahahaha. (Also omg I'm peeking into the German dubbing and it doesn't even make SENSE hahaha what the shit.)

LOL that's like the soulmate trope but in painful XD basically the creepy incest edition XD But honestly can we appreciate what a nice hand Jonathan has with a knife and with his left hand?? Prodigy.

This is it, the final proof that they actually all live at the Jade Wolf hahahha.

...................................? Why the f is she happy to see Jordan? Last time they saw each other she clearly stated she hated him?? Do I need to understand?? Oh right. In the books Maia and Jordan get back together. Right. Stupid, why am I even surprised by this??

Wtf isn't he the clan leader? Why the hell is he acting so submissively to Heidi all of a sudden? Literally half a day ago he threw her out of his clan, knowing his place. And now he's like a puppet on her strings. Wtf. But I guess that happens when you treat characters as plot devices. They get inconsistent even if they only have two scenes. *sigh*

Awwww would you look at that, werewolves and vampires fighting with fists like mundanes. (Okay some of them had like, daggers, but where are the fangs and the claws? Honestly.)

Okay I did her injustice in my trailer reaction since this is a vamp and a legitimate fight situation.

Wow that actually surprised me. But Jordan also dies in the books so, oops. Just didn't think they'd skip the getting together.

WOW that really surprised me. I thought Maia would challenge him and they'd have an epic fight to the death or something. (Also wtf Griffin guy, what's with that creeper face.)

To be honest I find it hard to believe that Maia acts like this. Scared out of her mind, yeah sure. But she acts helpless, and she's never been that. When she got that pipe thing I thought she'd use it as a stake. Using it to block the door is smart, too, but why didn't she get another to have a stake? Her whole posture, uselessly hangig over Jordan screams damsel in distress and I don't like it at all.

Edit: I had certain fears how this plotline would be developed in 3x14 which thankfully didn't come true, but my conflicted opinion on this ending scene remains.

Anyway let’s take a moment and appreciate Maia’s Killer Boots.

BTW watched the 3x14 trailer and just.... what. Why the f would Magnus ask Lorenzo of all people for help? He can't be trusted. As if he wouldn't use that opportunity to break Magnus even further! WTF! Where's Catarina? Oh, let me guess, another Drunk Doctor Conference *epic eyeroll*

[head-and-heart]

The Head And Heart Controversy - Parts 3 & 4

Thank you to everyone who has patiently awaited the second (and final) post in my “Head and Heart Controversy” analysis, I’m happy to be posting this.

If you have not already done so, I recommend reading the first post HERE prior to reading this post just because - since this was originally a one part post but it got split in two - it is written with the assumption that anyone reading would have read parts 1 and 2 already. I am going to be building off of the ideas I talked about in the first post, so I do recommend that you read it if you haven’t.

At the very least, if you plan to contradict what I’m saying, please read both parts so you have a full picture of my position. :)

To summarize, in this meta I am going to be discussing my personal interpretation of the head and heart analogy in regards to Bellamy and Clarke (as well as Bellarke) by exploring the way it translates itself into four different categories: intuition, leadership, personal relationships, and internal struggle. In my first post, I covered intuition and leadership, so in this post I will be covering personal relationships (so hard-core Bellarke shippers - this one is for you) and internal struggle.

If that catches your fancy at all, please feel free to keep reading!

Part Three: Personal Relationships

I said personal relationships - as in plural - but mostly this section is just going to be about an observation I have made about the nature of Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship to each other. One of my favourite things about Bellarke is that they are always there to comfort and support each other. It is something we have consistently seen demonstrated again and again every season only excluding (and sometimes not even) when they are at odds with each other.

But how do they comfort each other?

Well, they do it in different ways.

I noticed that when Clarke is offering Bellamy support, she is usually coming from a place of logic, and reassures him by acting as a voice of reason. This is consistent with Clarke’s role as “the head”. While she does physically comfort him - like with the hug in 3x13 - I can’t think of a time off the top of my head where those physical gestures were not accompanied by some sort of comment to remind him of what she believes to be true, and what she has observed.

The following are some examples:

a) “I saw you in the woods with Atom - I know you’re not a killer.” (1x04)

While this isn’t the typical example of comforting that we would see from Clarke nowadays with where the show developed, I still think that this is a good example of Clarke coming from a place of logic (her observation of Bellamy in the woods with Atom) to show him that she knows who he truly is, and that he doesn’t have to be the bad guy that he believes he is. By pointing out something she knows to be true (he couldn’t kill Atom), she is trying to remind him of who he is.

b) “You’re not a murderer. You always did what you had to do to protect your sister - that’s who you are. And you can do it again, by saving 300 of your people.” (1x05)

This example is similar to the first one in that it is once again Clarke using a fact she has observed about Bellamy to remind him of who he is at his core to alleviate his own self-hatred enough that he might be willing to help them. She lifts some of the guilt for the things he has done by pointing out that he has always done it for his sister, and that he is not a murderer - two facts that Bellamy can’t always see for himself. She also points out that it isn’t too late to fix his mistakes and save more of his people, if he helps them find the radio. It is a very logical approach to reasoning with Bellamy and offering him comfort at the same time.

c) “You saved my life today. And you may be a total ass half of the time, but I need you. We all need you. None of us would have survived this place if it wasn’t for you.” (1x08)

This is the first time we really see Clarke comforting Bellamy, in “Day Trip”. Bellamy insists that he is a monster, and that all he does is hurt people, but Clarke proves him wrong. She points out what she knows: he saved her life, they would all be dead without him. Because Bellamy is often so trapped in his own self-hatred, he can’t always see the truth about himself. Clarke is the voice of truth there to show him.

d) “We can’t do this without you, Bellamy. [...] Those kids out there, they listen to you. [...] Five minutes ago they were willing to fight and die for you. You inspire them.” (1x13)

In the Season 1 finale when Bellamy is feeling alone and like he has no voice because all the delinquents are packing up to leave the camp (and him) behind, Clarke reassures him that that is not the case through pointing out their loyalty to him that she has witnessed throughout their time on the Ground together. She shows him that he is valued through offering an example of their devotion to him and establishing that they all need him.

(Also, I like this particular conversation because it clearly lays out Bellamy’s role as the heart that I talked about in the previous two parts.)

e) “You did good here, Bellamy.” (Bellamy: “18 dead.”) “82 alive. You did good.” (1x13)

I hate sounding repetitive but in this example here Clarke, again, comforts Bellamy by pointing out an indisputable fact: he helped keep 82 kids alive, a number more than four times the size of the casualties at that point.

f) “You couldn’t have known it was the Mountain Men. No one could have.” (2x05)

Bellamy implies he feels responsible for whatever might happen to the Grounder village that he sent Finn to because he failed to recognize that it was not them who took their friends. Clarke, using her role as the head, comforts him by pointing out that it was impossible for him to have been aware that the Grounders weren’t the only people out there.

f) “I’m sorry for leaving. I knew I could, because they had you.” (3x05)

This example is different from the ones prior to it because it is the first time that she is comforting Bellamy due to something that Clarke - herself - has done to hurt him versus something else that is on his mind. While different, Clarke still comes from a place of reason in explaining to him that she left their people behind knowing that they would be okay with him there to protect them. She apologizes, not realizing that her actions would hurt him, and offers her explanation and her train of thought when she decided to leave in 2x16 in order to comfort him and show him that it wasn’t because he wasn’t important to her.

g) “Maybe there are no good guys.” (3x11)

This is really the first example of Clarke comforting Bellamy with touch that I can think of (unless you count 2x16, which was more about saying goodbye to him) when she wraps his hand. Prior to this, she did it all with words of reason. This time she still uses what she knows to offer him the comfort that she can. It isn’t Clarke’s place to forgive Bellamy for what he did to the Grounders; what she can do is tell him what she knows to be true: through pointing out that there may not be any good guys, she acknowledges that everyone has done questionable things and made mistakes, not just Bellamy.

h) “Give her time, Bellamy. There may be blood on your hands but it’s not Lincoln’s. [...] You didn’t want that to happen. You tried to stop it. [...] Octavia will forgive you, eventually.” (3x13)

This is a prime example of Clarke comforting Bellamy in her role as “the head” in their relationship. She is extremely logical and calm and tries to alleviate his concerns by pointing out facts of her own. It is a fact that Bellamy did not kill Lincoln. It is a fact that he tried to stop Lincoln’s death. And Clarke truly believes that Octavia will recognize that eventually, but she encourages him to give her time. Because he is so swamped in guilt and because so much of Bellamy’s life has rested on his need to protect Octavia and he feels like he has failed in that duty, Bellamy is unable to see that what Clarke says is true on his own. That’s why having Clarke as the head to be the voice of reason when he is emotional is the best thing that she can do for him in this moment (plus showing that she is there for him when she hugs him).

i) “[Octavia’s] your sister. She’s blood. She’ll come around and see how special you are.” (4x06)

This is, in a way, a leaping point from the conversation that they had in 3x13, in which Clarke assured Bellamy that Octavia would forgive him because he’s her family and he didn’t really kill Lincoln. She reestablishes that because they are blood, they will always come back to each other. Clarke does not comfort Bellamy with touch in this moment, it is all with words and what she believes to be true based on what she knows (god, I feel like such a fucking broken record).

j) “You’re [Octavia’s] brother. You not being there is worse than saying the wrong thing.” (4x10)

When Bellamy is worried that he won’t say the right thing to Octavia and that she won’t to see him before her battle in the conclave, Clarke reassures him that because he is her family, it doesn’t matter. Once more, she uses her words and rational thinking to offer him encouragement.

k) “I didn’t like you at first and that’s no secret, but even then ... every stupid thing you did - it was to protect your sister. She didn’t always see that, but I did. You’ve got such a big heart, Bellamy. [...] People follow you, you inspire them, because of [your heart]. But the only way to make sure we survive is if you use [your head] too.” (4x13)

This conversation (my favourite ever) works to establish lots of things. And, I mean, it’s pretty damn fitting in this meta considering it is literally about the head and the heart analogy, but the point I want to focus on for now is that this is, once again, Clarke comforting Bellamy. Yes, it is for a thing that has not happened yet (leaving her behind on Earth/Clarke “dying”) but it is something that Clarke feels is inevitable. She believes this could be her last chance to talk, to tell Bellamy not only everything that he is to her, but to remind him that she knows who he is as a person. To remind him that he has a big heart, that all the poor choices he has made in the past have all been because of his need to protect other people, to remind him that one of his greatest traits is that he inspires people and they will follow him. She needs to tell him, not only for the survival of them all, but because she knows that he’ll blame himself for when she’s gone, and that he’ll blame himself for a lot of things that have happened and are yet to happen. If these are her last words to him, she needs him to know just how much he means to her, and so she does it by pointing out the things that she knows in her head to be true.

I feel like I have gone in-depth enough for talking about Clarke’s role as the head in her relationship to Bellamy and in comforting/supporting him, so now it is time to talk about the reverse of that: how Bellamy supports Clarke.

When Bellamy supports Clarke, he generally (though not always) does it by establishing through his touch (and occasionally words) that he is present and there to support her. Where Clarke acts as a voice of reason, Bellamy is a place of stability for Clarke to lean on when she is struggling and inspires her to move forward by showing her/telling her what she needs to hear in that moment.

The role of “the heart” is all about connection, as seen in the first two parts. It was all about Bellamy’s connection to the people that he interacts with, and inspiring them to move forward. His relationship to Clarke is no different, only more personal. He establishes that connection through his touch (especially in later seasons) and through words that reassure her that she is not alone and inspire her to keep fighting.

Some of these I won’t expand on in the way I did for Clarke because they feel pretty self-explanatory to me, but others I will provide an explanation for. Here are some examples:

a) “Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.” Touching her hand to take away the spike they put through Lincoln’s. “It’s not easy being in charge, is it?” (1x07)

This is one of my favourite early Bellarke moments, because it is really the first time we see Bellamy comforting Clarke, and he does it through his touch, connecting them physically, and his words (which also connect them). He establishes them as a “we”, showing that they are in this together, and points out that “it’s not easy being in charge”, implying that he knows what it is like because he is a leader, too, and now they’re leading together.

Bellamy knows how Clarke is feeling and tells her what she needs to hear in the moment to keep pushing forward. He understands her guilt (empathy = heart) and attempts to alleviate it by showing that he understands how she feels.

b) “Your mom would be proud.” (2x07)

As I mentioned, Bellamy’s role as the heart in their relationship means that when he is comforting her, it is all about emotions and connection. When Clarke is frustrated about her inability to save Lincoln in 2x07, Bellamy points out that her mother would be proud of her. He gives her something to keep going, reminds her that he - and her mother - believe in her. 

c) When Finn carries Clarke to the dropship after being injured, Bellamy tends to her and caresses her face, saying, “It’s going to be all right, you just need to rest.” (2x08)

No lengthy explanation for this one. Bellamy establishes that connection I talked about through his touch (the face caress), reassuring her that she’s going to be all right and is not alone. Pure heart.

d) “Hey, you doing all right?” [...] “You did the right thing.” (2x09)

In this moment, Bellamy checks in on Clarke and reminds her that she did the right thing. He tells her what she needs to hear, in order to keep going, in order to live with herself. Whether it worked how he intended for it to, that’s up for discussion, but the intent remains the same regardless.

e) “Together.” Bellamy places his hand over Clarke’s to pull the lever in Mount Weather. (2x16)

If Bellamy were a “head” type, he would have been the one encouraging Clarke by reiterating why it is necessary to pull that lever. If Bellamy were a “head” type, he would have comforted Clarke after the lever was pulled by reassuring her about how if she didn’t pull the lever, all their people would have died. He would have been the voice of reason.

But Bellamy isn’t a “head” type. He is a heart. And so instead of reassuring Clarke on all the reasons why her choice was necessary, he placed his hand over top of hers (reassuring in his touch) and accepted the burden with her. He offered her the strength to pull that lever in his reassurance that she wouldn’t have to do it alone.

f) “If you need forgiveness, I’ll give that to you.” [...] “What WE did. You don’t have to do this alone.” (2x16)

I love this one because I think it is a prime example of how Bellamy is the heart when it comes to comforting Clarke in their relationship. He doesn’t try to use logic to comfort her (as Clarke does with him). Instead, he tells her what he thinks she needs to hear. He tells her that she is forgiven, trying desperately to appeal to Clarke’s state of mind, only it’s not his forgiveness that she needs. 

Another thing he does is remind her that she isn’t alone, that he pulled that lever with her, and that he’ll be there for her as an emotional crutch if she needs it. Bellamy tries to hard to reach Clarke’s heart in his comforting her, and establish his emotional connection to her ... but, this time, the damage is too deep for it to work. 

g) Caressing her face when he reunites with her in the cave. “I’ll get you out of here.” (3x02)

Pretty self-explanatory. Again, the whole touch + gentle reassurance combo in order to establish both a physical and emotional connection.

h) Holding her hand after their fight in Hakeldama. (3x05)

See point “g”.

i) Wrapping arm after Chipped!Raven bites her. “I’ll let her beat me up for awhile.” (3x11)

Again, establishing the physical connection (I don’t know you guys, are you sensing a trend here?). And then Bellamy goes to take Clarke’s place, attempting to bear the emotional weight for her. It’s almost like he’s trying to spare Clarke’s heart from the emotional beating ALIE is offering, it’s almost like he’s trying to protect her heart by becoming her heart. 

j) Literally fucking holding her up when she dramatically collapses in his arms after running from Emerson. (3x12)

Now there’s a visual metaphor for their relationship if I’ve ever seen one.

k) “You are out of your mind if you think I’m letting you do this on your own.” (3x12)

Another example of Bellamy refusing to let Clarke struggle on her own, wanting to be there to share the burden along with her. 

l) “I believe you.” Literally feeding her the fucking chip, I mean what kind of extra ... (3x16)

This example is similar to the “your mom would be proud” because he is telling her what she needs to hear: that he has faith in her. He believes her. He believes in her. He doesn’t need to tell her “you taking the chip will give us a way to shut ALIE down” (”head” logic). He only has to express his belief, he only has to show her that he supports her, that he’s right there beside her through it all. And him feeding her the chip himself, instead of just giving it to her, further connects them.

m) Holding her hand. (3x16)

pHySIcAL COnNecTiOn

‘nuff said.

n) Helping her off the Commander’s throne, continuing to hold her even once she’s steady. (3x16)

See point “m”. 

I would like to add that him physically helping her up, and holding her when she is weak, is kind of a metaphor for his whole role as the “heart” and how he supports her and inspires her and offers her the strength to keep going. It’s the same thing that makes him a leader people will follow: because he inspires them.

o) Placing his hand on her shoulder in 4x03, putting her name below his on the list. (“You still have hope?”) “Are we still breathing?” (4x03)

This is an excellent example of Bellamy supporting Clarke as the “heart” because it demonstrates three things: the first is the physical comfort piece I talked about. The second is him supporting her by establishing his presence and showing that they’re in this together, which is what he does by putting her name down below his on the list. And the last is the piece about Bellamy inspiring Clarke, because this scene is largely about hope, and Bellamy offers Clarke just that in this scene. And maybe there’s no real, logical reason why Clarke should have hope (after all, everything’s gone to shit), and maybe that’s why she’s struggling so much in this moment (as the head) but Bellamy doesn’t need that. He offers her strength by inspiring hope in her. And we know that this was an impactful moment for Clarke, because she remembered it six years later, when she smiled over the radio and told him:

“I still have hope.” 

Because of him.

p) Hugging her. (4x13)

Physical connection, reassurance that he’s there to emotionally support her - “together” - blah blah blah. Can you tell that I’m getting annoyed at my own repetition? 

Anyway.

There’s another aspect to Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship regarding the head and heart analogy that I wanted to talk about as well. It’s not just that Clarke uses her head when supporting/comforting Bellamy or that Bellamy uses his heart; it’s also that when Clarke gets too wrapped up in logic and “the ends justify the means”, Bellamy reminds her of her heart and - likewise - when Bellamy gets too wrapped up in his emotions, Clarke reminds him of his head. 

It is not a coincidence that Bellamy and Clarke have both embarked on the start of their downward spirals when they have been working apart from each other. 

It is no coincidence that Bellamy’s emotions often get the best of him when Clarke isn’t around, or that Clarke pushes Bellamy away (her heart) when she starts to use logic too much.

In Season 1, Bellamy played the “bad guy” for a few episodes before eventually starting to trust, respect, and work with Clarke. In Season 2, Clarke took on the mantra “love is weakness” and made some her most traumatizing decisions (eg. Tondc) while Bellamy was away in Mount Weather. In Season 3, when Bellamy started following Pike’s command, Clarke was away in Polis. Likewise, when Clarke isolated herself from her friends and decided to make choices for her people without having seen them in three months, Bellamy was not at her side. In Season 4, Clarke took on her “God Complex” while she was on Becca’s island, while Bellamy was back in Arkadia.

When they are apart, they struggle, because they are stronger together.

All the examples I gave before are pretty good examples of Clarke reminding Bellamy of his head, but the main one that I believe demonstrates this is her talk with him in 4x13. Particularly because she literally touches her hand to his head and tells him that “if we’re gonna survive, you need to use this too”. In this moment she both physically and verbally reminds him of his head, acknowledging that he has a big heart and that’s a good thing, but also reminding him that it isn’t all he has. 

It is because of this talk with Clarke about making choices with his head, that he is able to pull the lever that will close the door of the rocket on her at the end of this episode. It is because of this talk with Clarke that Bellamy finds the strength to lead with both his head and his heart up on the ark after he believes that she is gone.

The example I picked for Bellamy is pretty simplistic, to be honest, but Clarke’s is a little more complicated, as it is mostly demonstrated through subtext.

There have been multiple occasions on this show where Bellamy has been almost a human representation of Clarke’s heart. Let me explain.

In 2x09 - “Remember Me” - L.exa tells Clarke that she has taken on the ideology “love is weakness”. Clarke, who is heart-broken after killing Finn, decides to take on this mantra, and shut her heart down. 

But how does she do that?

By pushing away her loved ones. Bellamy first.

In the moment where Clarke marches up to Bellamy and tells him to go to Mount Weather, that his death is “worth the risk”, he is performing the metaphorical role of Clarke’s heart. Clarke doesn’t want to acknowledge her heart anymore, doesn’t want the painful emotions, so she tries to send her heart and everything that comes with it away - she tries to send Bellamy away.

Why? Because he is her heart. Because she loves him.

It’s not really that Bellamy’s life is “worth the risk”, it’s that Clarke can’t deal with her emotions in this moment, she doesn’t want to. If she really wants to become cold and emotionless, she can’t have Bellamy around, because he makes it impossible for her to act indifferent. He reminds her too much of the heart beating in her chest.

We see this idea come up again in 3x05 - “Hakeldama” - when Clarke returns to Arkadia to talk to Bellamy. Throughout the entire season, Clarke has been pushing people away, trying to isolate herself. Even though “love is weakness” never really worked out for her and she isn’t quite the cold and ruthless girl we saw in 2x09 anymore, she still embodies that idea through pushing away the people she loves and trying to remain as detached as she possibly can.

When we find her at the start of Season 3, Clarke is a shell of herself, fighting panthers in the woods and hiding her heart underneath the layers of scars fabric she wears on her back. It is this girl that Roan finds, the girl who says “I’m no one” and pretends that she has no clan to be loyal to, no people that she loves.

We see this again when Abby visits her in 3x03 and tries to hug her, only for Clarke to weakly reciprocate, push her away, and then move straight on to business despite the fact that she hasn’t actually seen her mother in three months. Before, in Season 2, Clarke was the cold leader of Skaikru to the Grounders, but now she is Wanheda, and Clarke - despite despising the title - has taken on the untouched and powerful image that the Grounders have given her.

She further plays into this cold image of herself when she dons the Grounder apparel and swears fealty to L.exa, distancing herself from Skaikru once more and offering nothing more than a simple “I’m sorry” when Bellamy asks her to come home.

But Bellamy has always been her weakness, he has always held her heart in his hand, and when it comes the time for Clarke to talk to him - really talk to him - Clarke can no longer hold up the cold, heartless facade she has trained her features to mimic for so long.

While she was cold with her mother, detached from her people, and distant from Roan, Clarke couldn’t stop the emotions that Bellamy brought out of her in 3x05. It is in this scene, their argument, that Clarke breaks. He makes her feel, he pulls up all the pain she’s felt over the past few months, he reminds her of her heart.

Again, this happens in 4x11 - “The Other Side” - when Clarke is faced with a choice: shoot Bellamy, or let him open the bunker door. Bellamy, in this position, makes Clarke acutely aware of her own heart; he reminds her of all the people that she loves, all the people she will have to sacrifice if the bunker door remains closed.

So she doesn’t shoot him, because to do so would be to put a bullet through her own heart.

This is why Bellamy and Clarke’s personal relationship fits well into the head and heart analogy: because Bellamy uses his heart to support Clarke and she uses her head to support him - but, on top of that, they remind each other of their respective body parts when the other starts to lose their path.

Part Four: Internal Struggle

When I see people talking about the head and heart analogy, Bellamy and Clarke’s internal struggle and respective character arc’s is usually what I see them referring to. The main reason that I made this post was because I thought that if you only looked at that one section of the analogy (one of four that I explored) that’s when people run into problems with it, and I just didn’t feel that it was an accurate representation or study of who Bellamy and Clarke are in regards to this metaphor.

In my experience, there are two kinds of people who hate the head and heart analogy: people who think it oversimplifies Bellamy and Clarke and people who want them to be perfect.

The reason I wrote this analysis was because of the former, because I don’t think it simplifies Bellamy and Clarke at all (rather, some people who refer to it use the analogy to simplify Bellamy and Clarke). In fact, I think it makes them very complex and interesting. As for the latter ... well, there’s nothing anyone can do about those people.

Anyway.

It is my belief that Bellamy and Clarke’s individual character journey’s have always revolved around their struggle to balance both their head and their heart, and that the first four seasons of the show have largely been wrapped around this analogy that I have spent so much time talking about. It has been such a large and impactful part of their character’s and the story as a whole that I have even gone so far as to consider whether this story ends when they have finally learned how to do that. 

When you look at their past character arcs, and where Bellamy and Clarke have gone wrong, for Bellamy it has almost always been associated with matters of the heart, whereas with Clarke it has almost always been associated with matters of the brain. 

In Season 1, the reason Bellamy made so many poor decisions was because of his love for his sister and his incessant need to protect her at whatever the cost. In Season 2, Clarke’s questionable decisions arose from her shutting her emotions down and attempting to use only her head when leading. In Season 3, Bellamy let paranoia and his own anger and emotional trauma guide him in joining Pike’s cause. Clarke, in Season 4, again used “the ends justify the means” logic to push her God complex, as Murphy might call it, while sacrificing people she loves in the process.

The truth of the matter is this: in the first three parts that I talked about, Bellamy’s heart and Clarke’s head have been two of their most valuable characteristics that have allowed them to interact with other people, lead, and protect each other as well as the people they care about season after season. But it is also the thing that has enabled their worst mistakes, formed the base of their deepest regrets, and caused them the largest amount of pain.

It is their greatest asset, but also their fatal flaw.

This is why we love Bellamy and Clarke. The idea that their greatest strength is also their greatest flaw is what makes them compelling.

His heart makes Bellamy an inspiring and empathetic leader and person, but it also makes him reckless and careless about his personal safety and needs. It means that he tends to get very wrapped up in his own guilt and need to protect others - always - which can lead to some of the poorer and most self-destructive decisions he has made.

The first three seasons of Bellamy’s character arc were about him learning that allowing his emotions to lead his actions not only have negative impacts on himself, but serve real consequences for the people around him as well. In Season 4, Bellamy’s character arc was more focused on his martyr-like tendencies and him coming to realize that he can’t save everyone, and that his own life matters too. 

The best example I can think of for this is in 4x07 - “Gimme Shelter” - when he is embarks into the black rain to save Mark and Peter. It’s an impossible task, and somewhere in his head Bellamy knows it, but he can’t stop trying. He would offer his own life just so he could have at least tried to save them. He cares too deeply about everyone else and too little about himself to stop himself from taking on what can only be a suicide mission. Bellamy was about to walk right out into that rain to get the rover out of the mud if Kane wasn’t on the radio to talk him down, to tell him that there was no point, and that his life wasn’t worth it. 

Never once has Bellamy made a decision for himself without having some sort of motive to help another person. And that’s why it is so damn crushing to him in this moment that he has failed at what he thought was his sole purpose: protect everyone else, no matter the cost to yourself. 

Bellamy’s journey this past season was all about letting go of his most self-destructive heart-based tendencies, in which he would offer up all of himself in order to better the life of just one other person. It was about learning when he is capable of saving someone, and when he is not.

The climax of his arc was the end of 4x13, when he had to make the choice to sacrifice one of the people he loves most - Clarke - in order to save the rest of his people. It was the ultimate decision for him - will you follow your head or your heart - and, this time, he chose his head.

Every single season, episode, character moment on this show ... they have all led him to this point. This is what the purpose of every single obstacle and roadblock that Bellamy has faced has come to: Bellamy learning to lean more on his head. Whether you like the head and heart analogy or not, it is impossible to deny that it exists in the show, and is extremely crucial to understanding Bellamy’s character.

Likewise, it is also crucial to understanding Clarke as a character.

Clarke’s head makes her a savvy strategist and an apt diplomat, but her need to always make the best choice for her people often means that she puts her own heart at stake in the process, which is not only is destructive to her own emotional well-being, but is also damaging to the people that she loves.

For the past four seasons, Clarke’s character arc has been about coming to this realization (although it definitely picked up in Season 2): love is not weakness, love is strength, and the ends do not justify the means. She didn’t come to the realization until her argument with Bellamy in 3x05, that by shutting her heart she had wounded Bellamy’s (and other people that she loves) and that making decisions with the absence of heart was traumatic for far more people than just herself. She had to learn to rely more on her friends and the people she loves in order to save the world, as demonstrated by her line in the Season 4 finale, “survival is a teamsport”.

In the flash-forward, we seem to find a more heart-driven Clarke than we’ve seen in the past. She is a girl who holds onto hope instead of logic, a girl who is now a woman with a child she feels responsible for, and would do anything for (which is very similar to Bellamy’s attitude toward Octavia in the past). Like Bellamy’s arc led him the final decision to use his head in the decision to leave Clarke behind, Clarke’s arc has led her to this moment where she has become a more emotionally-driven character six years into the future.

What’s been interesting for me to consider now that Bellamy has learned to rely on his head more and Clarke seems to be relying on her heart more, is how their internal struggle will shift in the seasons to come. The first four seasons was about them arriving at this moment, but in Season 5, will Clarke and Bellamy travel opposite journey’s to each other? According to Jason Rothenberg, it sounds like Clarke will do anything for Madi now, and that Bellamy will have to tell her that they can’t do things like that anymore, which seems to suggest that Clarke may be letting her emotional attachment to this surrogate daughter of hers drive her actions, a very heart-based character struggle. 

I am not convinced that Bellamy is a perfectly balanced head and heart leader, because that would be boring. I wonder if, in those six years we missed of him leading, he has started to lean towards the opposite side, where he will struggle with an arc where he has to learn how not to rely so much on his head as he has come to do in an attempt to honour Clarke’s last piece of advice to him. 

It really depends on this: does this story end when Bellamy and Clarke have become fully balanced head and heart characters, or was that only the purpose of the first four seasons? And - in that case - is the six year time jump an attempt to completely reboot the show, therefore giving Bellamy and Clarke new character arcs that have nothing to do with the head and heart analogy?

I don’t know. And, to be honest, it could very well go either way. 

Regardless of which is true, I firmly believe that Clarke and Bellamy’s roles as the head and the heart will always remain the same for the first three categories I discussed, in terms of their intuition, the way they lead, and their personal relationship to each other. Why? Because those are the core characteristics that make up who they are. Those will never change.

Their head vs heart intuition, leadership skills, and the way they support each other are static - those decide who they are, what they can’t change. Their internal struggle, however, is dynamic. It shifts and evolves season after season. I don’t know how their roles as the head and the heart will continue to develop in this particular dimension. I don’t even know if Bellamy will continue to struggle most with his heart tendencies and if Clarke will continue to struggle with her head tendencies, or if they will completely switch places in Season 5 where suddenly Bellamy uses relies too heavily on logic and Clarke follows her emotions too much. Or if it will be either of those things.

It’s possible. It’s possible for that internal struggle to shift while all the other elements of their personality and relationship remain the same.

It’s going to be interesting to see how their character arc’s develop in Season 5 and beyond, and assess how it differs from their character arc’s in the first four seasons. I’m excited to find out.

This, in any case, concludes everything I wanted to cover in this meta. As I have reaffirmed over and over again, the head and heart analogy is complicated and multifaceted. How it applies itself to Bellamy and Clarke’s intuition, leadership, personal relationships, and internal struggle are all key components in understanding their characters and why they do the things that they do. It’s a fascinating topic to me, and that is - in large part - why head-and-heart is my URL.

Thanks so much for your time, I hope you enjoyed reading this!