The 100: Bellamy and Octavia deserved a better ending

When Bellamy Blake’s life came to a devastating and abrupt end on The 100 a few episodes before the series finale, fans could hardly believe it. What made it even harder to contemplate was that Bellamy’s life had been taken from him by his long-time best friend, Clarke Griffin.

But for as important as Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship had been, and thus how shocking and angry fans had been at the end of “Blood Giant,” theirs was not the only dynamic central to Bellamy’s storyline.

Bellamy’s relationship with Octavia was his initial motivation for going to Earth and part of the backbone of The 100. “My sister, my responsibility” became a mantra for Bellamy as he strove to protect his younger sister from anything and everything.

But, Octavia’s desire for personal growth and finding her own identity became a point of argument for the siblings as they grew in drastically different directions.

For as much as they argued, Octavia and Bellamy always cared about each other, even when they nearly caused death to the other. It was one of the most emotionally significant dynamics as they tried to handle what being on Earth had done to their originally close relationship.

Toward the finale of season 6, things are looking better for Bellamy and Octavia after their massive season 5 fallout. Octavia’s personal development toward peace aligns with Bellamy’s wishes to do better, and with them finally on the same side and Bellamy renouncing Octavia as his responsibility, it appears they have a chance at a more grown-up and healthier relationship. But then, Bellamy gets captured, and it’s all downhill from there.

Bellamy’s time on Etherea changes his perspective and has his interests align with Cadogan and his belief in Transcendence, something Octavia is against. So Bellamy becomes a sheep, following in the Shepherd’s beliefs.

When Bellamy dies, he is not the same person he was when he got sucked through the Anomaly. Likewise, Octavia and Bellamy are not on the same side when he takes his last breath, and they both know it.

Clarke has the tragic job of revealing to her friends that she pulled the trigger on the person she was closest to. Octavia and Echo forgive her quickly, declaring that they had lost Bellamy a long time ago, and they understand Clarke’s need to protect Madi.

As tough as Bellamy and Octavia’s relationship had been over the years, they never got a chance to reconcile. As a result, they never got the chance to truly heal in their relationship or figure out a way to come out the other side.

Instead, Octavia must figure out a way to grieve her brother. Her declaration that Bellamy was right about Transcendence is a nice reference to his wishes to save them all, but it is not an ending that gives them a chance to work things out.

The 100 was never a series about happy endings, set in a world where the biggest questions surrounded how far one would go to survive. But for two main characters and the only sibling dynamic in the series, the duo deserved a better ending than what they received.