#it’s v romantic actually and i pray that if there’s another season we get more of this

[the-woman-upstairs]

Feeling soooo normal about how Reagan and Brett are willing to give up their own personal wants so the other can have a shot at happiness.

[clarkgriffon]

(wrong opinion anon 😁) Don't worry I'm not offended, I would've responded in the same way if I felt the way you do. I guess the hug was just too short for me idk. I'm used to the clinging hugs from Bellarke lol

You’re definitely not the only person feeling that way, there were some replies on the ask you sent agreeing with you. And I don’t know that I can convince you or anyone else otherwise, because I know once people have an opinion, they tend to be firmly set in it, but I can still at least share with y’all why I am loving Bellarke this season.

It could get lengthy, so I’m going to throw it under a cut.

I figure this is a good place to start. “They’ll come around.” This was the first thing that hooked me with Bellarke this season. Because not even ten minutes into the first episode, we get confirmation that Bellamy himself has already come around. And there are clearly still hurt feelings there (on both ends), but he’s the one person who doesn’t need convincing to forgive Clarke. He does it like it’s second nature. Forgiveness is their thing. (Which is implied further by the BE scene later in 6x01.)

This next. We’ve never gotten to see Bellarke smile at each other like this. E V E R. And don’t get me wrong, I love Bellarke smiles, but they’re usually muted, understated things that make light of a dark situation. Like, “Some medicine would be nice.” or “You distract him, I’ll shoot him.” or “Mama bears don’t think.” They know they’re fucked, so they joke about it. The closest one to how big and wide these smiles are is We Will Rise, when Clarke and Bellamy almost crash the rover, but that’s a smile of pure relief. They aren’t smiling just for the heck of it.

These smiles are special because they don’t need an instigator from an outside source. It’s not relief, or fear that’s causing them to smile at each other. It’s just the two of them. And just to paint the broader picture, they talk about the radio calls here. You know, what we were waiting for all of Season 5 and didn’t get a semblance of anything close to it until 5x13? Yeah, that was addressed in the first episode. And we know that after four episodes, it’s still not done being talked about. It keeps coming up because it’s imperative to Bellarke’s relationship.

This is a little more subtle, but the keys were a detail I loved. Clarke kept Bellamy’s key. Clarke. Why not Echo, arguably the person he should trust the most on the planetary exploring mission? She’s his girlfriend and he lived with her six years. Same goes for Emori, minus the girlfriend part, but he should explicitly trust her. Okay, but they weren’t in the same room and we’re going to ignore the implications entirely of why Bellamy and Clarke had to be stuck in the same room even though that’s even more proof of the writers feeding us. But what about Murphy? Again, six years in space. Bellamy is the one to continually tell him he isn’t useless, to have faith in Murphy. But when it boils down to it, he gives Clarke his key. Clarke, who left him in the pits. He still, after everything, trusts her more than anyone.

Now, I’ve gone over this more in depth before, but Red Sun Rising including the line “I don’t need you anymore” from Bellamy to Clarke was extremely telling. I don’t want to rehash the whole thing here, but you can read that meta if you want at this link. The synopsis is that the eclipse-induced psychosis prays on fears, like Clarke’s fear of losing Madi or Emori’s fear of being heartbroken by Murphy. Bellamy says he doesn’t need Clarke because he’s afraid that he does, and she left him in the pits. If he needs her again, he’s afraid she’ll break his heart again. And just look at her face, she’s terrified, even before the toxin hits her, that he’ll break her heart. She wants to be able to be there for him.

“We’ll bring Madi back. I promise.” Now, we’ve gotten a lot of focus on Clarke leaving Bellamy in the pits, but weirdly none on Bellamy chipping Clarke’s daughter. This was the rectification for that. They threw in an exact parallel to 5x08/9, except this time, Bellamy keeps his promise. And it means the world to Clarke. She can finally trust him fully again.

The separated Bellarke for just one episode. Not a longer separation like it usually is when one of them leaves. Suspiciously, Clarke gets a big dress reveal while Bellamy is not there to react. ‘Nuff said.

Now, before we even get into the hug, let’s dissect this conversation. Bellamy has - from episode 1 of S6 - already made it clear he’s willing to move past Clarke’s S5 mistakes. But Clarke still feels the need to atone because she’s that distraught about leaving Bellamy behind. She wrote it on her lantern. Yes, a girl who has committed/helped commit multiple mass murders to protect her people regrets nothing more than leaving behind a boy who didn’t even die. And Bellamy, bless his soul, wants to avoid this conversation like the plague. This whole episode has a focus on Bellamy being confused about how he feels and it starts with this conversation. We haven’t seen Bellamy express any confusion about his feelings this season until after Clarke tries to apologize and hugs him. A catalyst for Bellamy to have deeper thoughts? Maybe.

And Clarke says “You’re too important to me.” She admits it. She calls him family, something he actively excluded her from last season. This triggers something in Bellamy, because he’s gotten used to keeping Clarke at a distance and protecting himself because he thought she didn’t care. And, of course, the radio calls proved that she did, but that was before he came back. It doesn’t have to mean anything. But now, she’s admitted he means something to her in the present, the current moment. And he’s confused as fuck about it.

Now, let’s actually analyze that hug shall we? You’re on the money, it’s shorter than usual, but I don’t think that’s necessarily bad in context. Because this hug, as beautiful as it is, is unnecessary. They’re hugging just because they can. Think about it. Other Bellarke hugs have a catalyst. A reunion: 2x05 - the running hug, 5x04 - the “And now you’re home hug.” A comfort: 4x13 - Clarke doesn’t get the chance to say goodbye to Abby. A forgiveness: 3x13 - Bellamy agrees to move on, to grant himself and Clarke forgiveness. 

But isn’t this a forgiveness hug, too? No! As I’ve mentioned, Bellamy already forgave Clarke. This entire conversation is initiated on Clarke’s end to give her peace of mind about what she did, it just so happens to stir up confusing emotions in Bellamy. But it’s not the monumental forgiveness of 3x13 because Bellamy hasn’t been angry with her since they got to Sanctum. He forgave her in 5x13.

And just the body language- Clarke does her signature smile of relief while hugging Bellamy. Bellamy looks confused then relaxes into it, relieved, furthering the narrative he doesn’t quite know how to feel when it comes to Clarke. 

Now, this is the one I’m going to give a point to you for not being sure it’s romantic. I can see how this one, more than the others, is confusing. This isn’t seething-with-rage jealousy. I’ve discussed with with some other and it’s miserable jealousy. I think it’s mixed with Bellamy’s confusion, he doesn’t want to see Clarke dancing with another man and he doesn’t know why, he just knows it makes him sad. 

Right after this, we get the B/E fight and Bellamy snapping at E/cho. His reasons are Monty, Harper, and Octavia. But none of those situations are immediately relevant. What is relevant? What is the ONLY other thing we’ve seen in this scene? Clarke dancing. Bellamy admits that he has no clue how he feels and he says it’s about Monty, Harper and Octavia, but why now? Why in the club only after he’s seen Clarke dancing with someone else?

And I’d be wary about this too, because when I first watched, I wasn’t even sure his line of vision matched up with her. How could we know he was watching her? Upon rewatching multiple times and the flashing between Clarke dancing and Bellamy watching, plus the way the camera pans, it’s clear he’s watching her dance.

All of this and more is why I’m loving Bellarke this season. And I understand frustration that it’s not like the early days because it isn’t. It can’t be. Season 5 wrecked them to a point I thought it could even be beyond repair, but Season 6 is showing that it can still be repaired. They’re not going to immediately fall back into pre-Praimfaya patterns because they’re not those people anymore. But the feelings, the care is still there and THAT is what Season 6 is showing.

Yes, there’s an emphasis on reconciliation and forgiveness, and addressing feelings because it’s necessary. Without it, they’re back where they were in Season 5, not understanding who the other person is after such a long time. They’re falling back into sync this season, not just with their feelings, but also as coleaders, which we see in Clarke being a representative for their people and in the way they lead in 6x02, giving each other their keys.

And what am I most excited about now? Bellamy’s gonna lose her again. I know that sounds bleak. But Bellamy’s focus on confused feelings in 6x04 are setting this up. He’s gonna know exactly how he feels when he loses Clarke again. He doesn’t want to accept the feelings he has for her (proven in 6x02), he wants to be in denial (6x04). But when he loses her again, he’ll know. Josephine!Clarke is going to bring out that Season 1 Bellamy, where a switch will flip and he’ll do whatever it takes to get Clarke back, consequences be damned, the same as he’d do it for Octavia in Season 1. I’m thrilled about the direction this season is going.

To anyone who’s not: that’s okay! You don’t have to be. I hope you can enjoy the show for what it is. I think this - all of it - is relationship setup and romantic setup, but hey, that’s just me.

[agron-rps]

just finished you and w o  w what a wild ride that was.

if you haven’t watched any of you, please don’t read below the cut. i’m not going to post play by play spoilers, but if you’ve seen any of the show leading up to the final two episodes, you might be able to guess the ending based on the tone of my rambings.

i am horrified. i am disturbed. i am sickened. i am at a loss.

i knew everything that was going to happen in the finale and yet i still sat there shaking my head and holding my breath hoping and praying for a different ending that never came. i was on edge the whole last eight or so minutes of “candace” and even now having finally finished “bluebeard’s castle” i still am. because this was a lifetime series led by the same people that created riverdale, i had low expectations but i was hooked by episode 2. the writing, the plot as a whole at the end and holes in the plot (like why did no one question where benji was the whole time, did anyone look into what happened to the other you know who in the finale, or why beck didn’t do what we all would have done in that situation if given the chance -- if you watched, you’ll know what i mean) /questions that the final minute of the finale raised wasn’t the best (like seriously... how??? would??? he??? not??? know??? or??? be??? surprised??? the way the line was phrased didn’t make sense to me unless it’s just joe being joe and the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred again), were annoying for all their various reasons but FUCK did penn and elizabeth actually blow me away in those 47 minutes. her entire performance in the finale was captivating for me, as was his (i got used to him and his creep factor throughout the show so wasn’t really expecting more but he brought it, fam. especially the last couple minutes that were a direct callback to the first minutes of the pilot - fucking CHILLS and it made my stomach turn.) because besides episode 4 we never really got a real taste of beck and who she really was of a person. we were only seeing what joe wanted to see in her up until the bitter end of season 1. we only saw his rose colored glasses with green and red tints version of her. the one that just showed and voiced his obsession with her beauty, body, and the “perfect” nature he imagined. it showed her having no real humanity or any real substantial emotion other than love towards him. i wish we could have seen more of her personality, not sexuality, throughout the series. learned more about her past. heard more of her stories and poems and explored her creativity. instead she ended up being this bland archetype and i think that’s why a bunch of people didn’t really connect with her. and with that being said, it’s funny how out of their way the writers went to make joe relatable.

i understand he’s the main character and that the story is ultimately about him. i understand they want you to see the persona he puts on v. the REAL joe that is kept behind closed doors or in the woods or dark alleys. i understand they want to emphasize that this could have been anyone. even the seemingly nice and introverted guy that works at a bookstore. and that’s fucking terrifying. but still. they gave us so many moments for us to laugh during his internal monologues/voice overs (they need to give dexter major props for that idea) or for us to try and fawn over him and root for him in moments where he’s being “sweet” or “romantic” towards beck and claims everything he does is out of pure love. they gave us moments where we could say he was a giant fucking MOOD when he was around benji or peach or had to run. they even gave us moments where they tried to make us sympathize with him and show that he’s human and went through some shit. 

but beck really didn’t get any of that, did she? funny how that happens, isn’t it? women characters being overlooked for their male counterparts and only being used for a plot device. also that HARDCORE VICTIM BLAMING FROM PEOPLE WHO’VE WATCHED THO. it’s honesty amazing that someone would blame beck for being stalked and manipulated because she was confident in her sexuality/”used” joe and then say she’s unlikabe and they don’t really care about what happened because she seems “shallow” and “self centered” it’s mind boggling.

 i’m not even going to say anything about her annika, lynn or especially peach because... the first two were literally irrelevant, poorly written (though i imagine because of joe’s warped and unreliable perception of them) and served basically next to nothing for the story except annika once for 2 seconds and i just don’t have anything to say about peach fucking salinger. a rant comparing her to joe and how she was made out to be just as manipulative and predatory is for another day because was that really what peach was like? or was joe so threatened by her that it was mostly if not all a facade that made us turn against her to make him look better? is that what happened with benji too? we honestly don’t know because joe can’t be trusted as a narrator due to his behavior and obvious bias (which is why he claims both were a problem in beck’s life so things must have been done about that) so you have to question everything. i now question everything.

also, my most spoiler-y moment for last because I’M UPSET: 

PACO WHY DID YOU DO THAT. I TRUSTED YOU. I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU. WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU. that was SUCH a fucking betrayal and i took it personally. as if the rest of the episode wasn’t already hard to watch (and maybe that’s because i watch a lot of true life crime documentaries/series and like i said before, joe could literally be anyone and so could his/her victims) that moment with him just left me speechless and I felt helpless. i need paco to fucking explain himself and apologize to me and women everywhere.

that’s it. goodnight.