My affection for Lexa increases every day, but that scene from the sneak peak hits another level of admiration. There was something at work in her soul that she was completely aware of and understood but had to ignore up until now. She wants to cry. So she cries. And it is so beautiful and sad, because there were so many moments before where she suffered and wanted to cry but couldn’t. We have so many scenes where it should have happened but it didn’t.
2x07. When she heard about Anya
2x09. When she told Clarke about Costia.
2x09. When she had to kill Gustus
2x15. When she had to betray Clarke
Her feelings fly quickly over her face but you see them in those short moments. She never cried because it would have made her look weak. That is what she thought, what she believed in - that it would make her look weak, and the Commander is not allowed to look, let alone be weak - head over heart. She had to repress her feelings all the time. She had to be ready to move on without even having the time to grieve. Swallow it down, look somewhere else, put yourself back into work. She is constantly sacrificing a part of her own happiness and has to ignore the pain that comes with it because that is what Commanders do.
And it is not just her family that she loses. Lexa has to worry about her own future as the Commander and her people as well. We also have scenes where Lexa wants to cry when it comes to them:
3x02 When Lexa looks upon Polis
3x05 When Lexa finds out what the Arkers have done to her people
Like, do I still need to go on? This is so fucking cruel.
But with Clarke it’s so different, because Clarke gives her the chance.
With Clarke she enters those unexplored regions in her heart and let’s those trembling sensations take over her. Clarke gives her the ‘something’, the future that she thought would be impossible to get in this life. And the way how Lexa treats Clarke for all the things Clarke gives her is so astonishing to me because when you look at Lexa you get this expression of wildness, someone you should never underestimate and be extremely careful with because she can and will end you the moment you do something that doesn’t sit well with her, but at the same time she is the person who performs this immense act of kindness, love, respect and softness towards Clarke that I have yet to see equalled by another character on the show. No one treats Clarke like Lexa does. No one.
And it’s so amazing because you can also see how Clarke puts a new spirit of life into Lexa’s frame and how Lexa falls in love with Clarke for that: Clarke gives her a new chance, a life that is about more than just surviving, a life where she will not die young like everyone else, a life where a ‘not yet’ - a ‘maybe some day’ - mean ‘I love you, too’ but we have to do our duties first. a life where they have to say goodbye for now but will have a future together. It’s a goddamn promise and Lexa takes it.
She let’s Clarke see what it does to her. She doesn’t try to press back her tears. She doesn’t try to hide the smile, she doesn’t look somewhere else but looks at Clarke and swallows and nods like she always does but this time is accepting her feelings in the process and she makes Clarke understand that she understands. She always understands. And this gesture is a yes to everything. She is melancholy and despair at once in this moment. She smiles because there is hope for them. And she cries because it hurts to let Clarke go - for now. Clarke is what she wants, who she is in love with, who showed her that love is not weakness but strength (which is funny in a sense because Lexa always claimed that love would be weakness but it has already such high value to her and is in the end what keeps her going). And if Clarke decides that it is better to take care of all the other things first, so that in the end they can be together without having to worry to be apart again, then so be it. Lexa will take it and wait. She will always wait for Clarke, because Clarke gives her a reason.
It’s challenging, and dangerous, and a long fight, but Lexa trusts Clarke so she fucking takes the promise with a smiling face and a heavy heart. Fuck.
Now that @hedaswarrior came up with the Griffin Theory, I highly believe that 1x08 was foreshadowing at its finest.
There is a lot going on in that episode, but there is one particular scene that changes everything. Remember the last time I talked about the scene where Clarke ingested the Jobi Nuts and started to hallucinate?
There are quite a few things happening:
The first thing that happens is that Clarke takes the Jobi Nuts and starts to hallucinate. She believes herself to be in her old room on the Ark (sees space when she looks out) and even sees her old
drawings on the wall:
Interestingly this scene focuses on 3 specific drawings:
Okay, I don’t want to sound crazy but:
Here is the thing: This is not actually the Tower in Polis, but the Empire State Building. In this scene though, due to the light, it does actually look similar to the Polis Tower and I think that was intentionally done. Why I will explain later.
The second thing that happens is that Clarke sees her father:
The third thing that happens is that they hug and then:
Clarke does not only have a vivid imagination of her father, but, and this is the very astonishing part that really stood out to me, is that she realizes that he is not real; they are talking about reality vs non-reality, something that ALIE often does as well - “define REAL”. This scene is so integral for future events. We know that Clarke needs to take the Jobi Nuts in order to have these hallucinations. The thing though is that even under the influence of the drugs/Jobi Nuts Clarke is able to distinguish a real event from a non-real one.
After that Clarke sits down on her bed with her father and surprisingly the Tower is always in our line of sight:
This is where I’m going to make the connection between the Polis Tower and what happened here:
In 3x06 we find out that an escape pod of the 13th station (the station that ALIE didn’t know about and everyone else thought was lost) exists in the Polis Tower, it’s real name is Polaris. Another thing is that the 13th station is related to Rebecca, ALIE’s creatorm making her ALIE 2.0. Jaha is sure that the codes that ALIE is looking for are in Polaris > Polis (Polis Tower). Another thing is, in what form would these codes exist > black blood > Nightbloods.
My first idea was that Jake Griffin probably had some relation/connection to the 13th station and didn’t tell anyone about it. That’s why I thought that the scene in 1x08 was foreshadowing information about Clarke’s father and that he knew even more than he did back in season 1 before he got floated. There are also some Jake/ALIE parallels that you can find in the first
season and the third season, especially in 1x03 and 3x01-3x02. So, yeah. My first thought was Jake.
Thanks to @hedaswarriors ‘s Griffin Theory I can see how that scene is actually foreshadowing these things:
Clarke is truly special - as Lexa has stated in 3x03
Clarke has a very strong mind, much like her father and the will for peace
The Tower in 1x08 is indicating the Polis Tower and the ALIE 2.0 version also known as Rebecca
Rebecca created special blood > black blood that Nightbloods have. Probably a sort of virus that can be inhereted. It’s a safeguard and probably prevents ALIE to have control over them. It’s also why they are taken to Polis and train in the Tower.
Clarke can distinguish reality vs. non-reality even under the influence of a specific drug (or even a bluechip) > hence the Jobi Nuts are a parallel to the bluechip and are telling us that even if Clarke takes the chip ALIE will not have the ability to have full control over her mind (also explains why Clarke is in pain in the finale)
Clarke is the true peace-maker this season
ALIE marked Clarke as a danger. If you look at the opening sequence of season 3 you can see that there is an exclamation mark next to Eliza’s name (indicating Clarke) with the saying “New contact” and “Quarantene Alert” and in the background we can see the Polis Tower:
What I’m trying to say is that the hallucinations that Clarke had in 1x08 have more significance than we thought in my opinion. Not only that but another interesting thing is that just an episode after 1x08 we have episode 1x09 called “Unity Day” and there is one scene that mentions the 13th station:
This scene is not only indicating the later Arker/Grounder conflict that we have in season 3, but also that the 13th station truly might still exist somewhere. Finn believes in a consiparcy theory, he doesn’t know if it is true. And the fact that he talks to Clarke about it, someone who wants peace as well is just wow.
It’s a long way for Clarke to get there, to achieve peace, considering that she still needs to find her humanity again, but I have faith that she will make it.
Oh and just to leave a bit information here:
“the theme for the season is, what does it mean to be human? We play that
out in both Clarke’s story and A.L.I.E.’s story, and there’s a nice
parallel, in terms of whether Clarke will be able to rediscover her
humanity in time to save the day.“
“I think it’s become easier for her to compartmentalize. It’s funny,
she’s willing to do what she has to do, but I do think, at some point,
the question for her will be, can she realize that there’s a point at
which there’s too much fire, enough is enough, and it’s not worth doing
this? Last season, she went way over that line, and she hasn’t found it
yet. There’s somebody that they meet, way down the road, who helps
recalibrate her compass, a little bit. But for now, she’s willing to do
what she has to do.” - Jason Rothenberg Interview.
If Rebecca is still somewhere in the City of Light, it could be that Clarke will meet her by the end of this season.
Now it all makes sense. The reason why Lexa is always surrounded by candles.
We know that the Grounders highly believe in spirituality. Looking at
the Polis Tower and who is ruling over that City, you can make a very
cool connection to a Tarot card that I always thought was interesting.
The High Priestess Tarot Card:
The High Priestess that you can see on the card is a woman who
scrolls of wisdom in her arms - Lexa and the three pillars of being a
Commander - and holds the key to the mysteries - “Death is not the end”.
This card is about spiritual direction and sacred destiny - Lexa
has the sacred symbol tattooed on the back of her neck and is the
Commander of the 12th clans and Blood, she’s the peacemaker and defender
of mankind.
Then you have the name Polis - which comes from Polaris the 13th station that got lost during a conflict a long time ago.
The thing about Polaris is that it is the brightest star of the Ursa
Minor constellation. It is the main star that stays almost motionless in
the sky. It is currently less than one degree away from the north
celestial pole, so its position in the sky is largely unaffected by the
rotation of the Earth
In mythology there is a sacred and divine flame in Ursa Minor - hence
the fire on top of the Polis Tower. Another thing is that the Ursa
Minor is traditionally known for navigation in history and mythology.
So, the Polis Tower represents the Ursa Minor and Polaris is the star up in the sky - metaphorically meaning the 13th station.
The Ursa Major in this case would represent the Nightbloods that get
taken to Polis to train in the Polis Tower, the machine we have seen in
Titus room - one of those escape pods that Raven used as well to travel
to earth, is one that will take you into the City of Light and I believe
is connected to the Conclave.
And this is the part where I’m going to discuss Lexa’s tattoo a little bit:
If my theory about Polaris is right, then it would mean that Lexa’s
tattoo represents the arrival of the 13th station on earth and the
connection Lexa has to it in the sense that she can enter it another
version of a City of Light.
Let’s look at it in parts:
Lexa’s tattoo starts with the infinity symbol but I’m going to skip that one because I will discuss it later in relation to the First Commander. So, the first part of her tattoo in this case would be this:
As you can see it is a circle that is empty. My theory is that it is
empty because it represents the City of Light aka the 13th station that
is hidden inside of the Polis Tower (you enter it via machines). I said
above that Polaris is an almost motionless star - if you connect this
information to the empty circle you get the idea that it represents the
City of Light, it is there but it seems far away. A place that you
shouldn’t be able to reach, but Lexa can. I also said that Polaris is
the brightest star, but in The 100, not everyone can actually see it, only those who are special enough. So, Polaris in this sense is the City of Light/13th station that is invisible.
Then we have this part of the tattoo:
On the picture above that show Polaris/Ursa Minor/Maor, you can see
the route from Polaris to the Ursa Minor is not a straight line. This
reminded me of where Polis/Polis Tower are located:
The lines on Lexa’s back are representing the line/ratio/route in
which the 13th station crashed the earth. Not only that, but it also
symbolizes the technology that Titus now has in his room for example and
the mental connection you have with the 13th station/City of Light. We
know how ALIE is able to control the minds of the people who swallow the
chip and enter the City of Light, so why shouldn’t Lexa be able to form
a neural connection with the City of Light and the Commander that lives
there. She has the own free will to do so, all she needs is the neural
connection. And if you think about it, it actually makes sense. You need
the technology and the neural connection to enter the CoL. That is how
Nightbloods most certainly do it.
Then there is this part of the tattoo:
This is the part that represents the Ursa Major aka the Nightbloods
that exist in the real reality, but also have a connection to the
virtuality (the white empty circle). I think for that circle to be full
black is a reference to their blood and a reference to the physical
realm. You can see it, unlike the empty circle.
Nightbloods are able to enter the City of Light via the Conclave. We
don’t know how the conduction of the Conclave works as of yet, but I
highly believe that all the technology in Titus room is involved.
Another interesting thing about the two circles is that they are both
kind of broken, indicating the connection that Nightbloods have with
the phyical realm and the virtual one. They can exist in both.
Also, the tatto does not finish with the black circle. There is
another part that is stilll covered. Let’s look at the infinity symbol
next.
Lexa’s infinity symbol is considered “sacred”:
I still don’t know what to make of the dots, is it a sign to break
the infinity symbol (it should stay like that), or to make it whole
again? (add parts when its fulfilled)
In 3x06 we see that the pod that Titus has in his room has the infinity symbol as well: see here. And it is not broken.
This makes me believe that Rebecca, ALIE’s creator, is the one who
created the other City of Light that allows Nightbloods to enter it and
get choosen to be the next Commander, in order to save the world from a
cruel fate.
On my old blog I had already theorized that Rebecca might be the
First Commander and also the one who is the reason why certain people
have black blood. My theory is that Rebecca was a nanoscientist who
tried to find a way to escape from ALIE since she couldn’t fight her.
She probably used DNA nanotechnology to change the nature of her blood,
working with nanomachines or let’s say mini nanorobots in the form of
enzymes (nuclear acid-based, makes sense considering what happened to
planet earth 97 years ago) that work in your blood to change its
structure and function - that way Rebecca is able to enter her own City
of Light. Not everyone is born with it but you have your exceptions -
Lexa, Aden, Ontari.
So, for the Grounders to call the infinity sign “sacred” makes sense.
It has a different meaning than it has to ALIE. If you look at ALIE and
how she got all her information you can coe to the conclusion that
while saving all kinds of data about historical events, mythologies etc.
she eventually came across the infinity sign and it’s meaning. Since
she is a replica of Rebecca I can imagine that she found it significant
for her philosophy as well. She uses the same symbol without even
knowing that Rebecca uses it as well, (she didn’t even know a 13th
station existed) and puts the same meaning on it but achieves her goal
in a different way - a different philosophy than Rebecca. And if Rebecca
actually still exists somewhere in her City of Light, I hope that
Clarke will find her.
So, in sum. Lexa’s tattoo represents the arrival of the 13th station
and the connection between reality and virtuality (Rebecca as the First
Commander), and Rebecca, ALIE’s original creator, might still be alive
in the other City of Light. I wonder, now that ALIE knows about the 13th
station and Jaha told her about the name “Polaris”, if she is going to
send someone in there in the next few episodes. In the opening sequence
we see ALIE’s drones mark a specific part of the Polis Tower indicating
that there is something that she might want to see and have because it
is significant for her ultimate plan:
I certainly see the arrival of the Arkers in Polis very very soon. Things are going to get very ugly my friends.
Oh! And about Lexa’s dream/vision. Here is the thing:
I get why Lexa would think that her dreams are visions. She is highly
spiritual and has a connection to the Commanders before her. Of course
she will take this as a warning. Another interesting thing about this
though is this:
Lexa is the one who united the 12 clans. The number twelve is a very
present number in the show as you know. The interesting thing about it
is that there is another Tarot card that goes along with the “Blood must
have blood” mentality.
The Hanged Man Tarot Card:
First things first, the number of this card is “12″. Here are a few
central meanings about what he is wearing and what position he is
taking:
He is wearing red pants representing human passion and the physical
body (heart and strength), a blue coat for knowledge, and yellow shoes
representing his high
ideals (wisdom). - Sound familiar? Yeah, three pillars of being a
Commander. Around the Hanged Man’s head is a bright yellow halo showing
spiritual attainment, with the grey background suggesting invisibility
(a good reminder to not flaunt your spirituality) - In the case of Lexa
we don’t have a halo but a tattoo - the infinity sign - which is
invisible since it is on the back of her neck. She’s hiding it for a
reason. This could also be why Murphy got taken to Polis. The infinity
sign on the chip is something sacred to the Grounders in the sense of
“it has to stay invisible, hidden”. When they see it on Murphy they are
irritated and take him to Titus instantly, which makes sense since Titus
is in association with the sign - he has it tattoed on his head. He
asks Murphy about the chip:
The sacred symbol is found outside of Polis, indicating that it’s
secret is not safe anymore. Titus asking Murphy about it shows that he
knows as little about ALIE as ALIE knows about Polis and Lexa. They know
there is a threat, but they don’t know who it is - “A war, at the hands of an assassin.”
Back to the Tarot Card though. Then we have his position which shows
“suspension” between physical and mystical worlds - reality vs.
virtuality.
Lexa dreams about the Commander before her and sees her deaths, she
takes this as a sign that she betrays them and their ways - “Blood must
have blood” - The Hanged Man Tarot Card represents sacrifice - to give,
you must gain - very fitting with the belief of reincarnation and Jus
Drein Just Daun.
Now that we have Clarke though, and the idea to change their ways to
achieve peace by taking the more “difficult way to achieve the better
goal”, I have the feeling that Lexa will truly stay alive, because she
doesn’t have to sacrifice herself in that sense anymore. This could be
another indicator that it is her reign as a Commander that will come to
an end, and not her death.
I have 2 other things in my mind that I would like to discuss as well
but I decided that I want to see the other two episodes first and then
sum it all up.
Fuck your theory about Lexa's death was so good. could you get more into the similarities between Jaha/ALIE and Clarke/Lexa as possible chess pieces? That shit was so good. Also can you talk a bit more about the difference between ALIE's philosophy and Lexa's? You talked so little about it but it was so interesting. I hope I don't ask for too much!
ALIE/Jaha: Biblical narrative and Chess Analogy (connection to Clarke/Lexa).
Like I’ve mentioned before in my last analysis, ALIE and Jaha’s characters have a lot of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland references, but both of them show a specific biblical narrative as well. Moses – Prophet and deliverer of Israel > Jaha – Prophet and deliverer of the City of Light. God > ALIE.
If you ever read the Book of Exodus which tells the biblical narrative of Moses then you know that Moses was born in secret and his mother placed him in an ark to save him from a royal death sentence (because he was too beautiful, those children were not accepted). Much like Moses Jaha lives on an ark, too. Difference though, he is not a secret, but he is about to die.
As you know, Jaha is the only one left on the Ark after helping Kane, Abby and everyone else get down to earth via the Ark/Exodus ship. He loses contact to them very quickly and he takes this as a sign that this is the end for him, he gives up. Suddenly though, he hears a baby crying. Jaha finds a baby that probably resembles Wells when he was a baby himself along with a black Knight chess piece (why Knight I’ll explain later)
Due to Jaha’s heavy connection to religious believes he takes this as a
sign to not give up and die on the Ark but follow his fate, get down to
earth and find the City of Light.
This could just be me reaching, but I think that ALIE did that. She does have control over the technical systems all over the world and probably even in space, so there is a possibility that she projected the baby onto the ark, and since Jaha couldn’t make a distinction between what’s real or not, as he was delusional due to sleep deprivation etc. he actually starts to believe that the baby is really there and is therefore even more determined to get down to earth. Remember when I said that ALIE can emotionally manipulate people? Jaha just lost his son. So, why not try to get down to earth with a baby that resembles your son that you couldn’t save? Fuck you, ALIE. And it’s crazy because the baby even disappears when Jaha makes it to the missle that brings him down to earth. He got played so hard.
Anyway. So Jaha makes it down to earth with the help of an inactive nuclear missle and interestingly his first station is a desert. And the thing is that I don’t just see this as a reference to Moses who’s journey starts in Egypt, crosses the river (much like Jaha) to get to his destination (City of Light) or that this is Jaha’s version of chasing the white rabbit down the hole (Alice’s adventures in Wonderland > white rabbit = ALIE plus her white Light house) but also to the chess game.
If you look at the opening you will find this particular scene:
Alright, so this is the desert where Jaha crashes, his first station. his Egypt. What’s really interesting to me are the lines on the ground. They kind of resemble a board of a chess game. Which brings me back to Jaha’s chess piece.
The second time we see the piece is in this scene:
Okay, two things:
Why a black chess Knight?
In my last analysis I said that Jaha is the black Knight and ALIE the black King. And the reason for my thoughts are actually quite simple.
As I’ve mentioned in my analysis, in chess the King is only able to make one move in any direction per round. Why is ALIE the King? Because ALIE is unable to move since she is only a projection and doesn’t act in the physical realm, she can’t touch things, oversees a lot of things, so she can’t really reach her goal without someone else’s help (like in the past). Here’s the special thing about the King. The King can make a special move called “castling” which allows it to move another chess figure, usually a rook. Jaha is her rook just in the form of the Knight, and she casts that special move on him when he is alone on the Ark. And it’s so interesting and logical because in chess the Knight is the only figure that can leap over other figures and that is exactly what ALIE needs. Someone who is able to move to the places that she cannot reach. Jaha carries her in the form of the computer (see 3x02) so ALIE does make one move per round. Her first move is when she enters the boat herself in 3x02.
Would a Knight be enough though? No. And this is where the outcast Grounders come in. The outcast Grounders live in the Dead Zone (see the picture above from the opening, that is the Dead Zone.) and they are technology scavengers. Why do they collect technology? Because of ALIE. And how do the outcast Grounders connect to the Chess Analogy? They are the pawns in ALIE’s game.
The very interesting thing about pawns is that they are not just able to make one move either forward or advance two squares along the same file, but that they can capture an opponent’s piece as well. My guess is that the opponent’s piece is a reference to the technology that the outcast Grounders collect “capture” in the Dead Zone for ALIE. And it’s weird because it seems that the outcast Grounders don’t even know what they are collecting it for because they don’t know where the City of Light IS, and probably don’t even know WHO ALIE IS.
My guess is that they are doing it for religious reasons. It’s like an “offering”. Offer technology to the unknown God that you can’t see (ALIE) and you might save yourself from a cruel fate and get a ticket to the City of Light. Sienne, the woman on the picture above, for example wants to save her son Zoran from the cruel fate to get killed since he is born with a deformation on his face, most certainly due to radioactivity, which is seen as something bad in her clan because it “stains” their bloodline. This also connects to the biblical narrative of Moses mother who was afraid her son would get killed because he was too beautiful (as I mentioned in the beginning) so she hides him. Sienne fears for her son’s live because he is deformed, she hides him as well. Nice parallel.
How does this all connect to Clarke and Lexa?
We actually see Clarke play chess once in season one (1x03) together with Wells.
Okay, I really tried to see which figure Clarke moves in this scene and I think it is the Queen. Ignore the fact that Clarke plays with the black figures.
Remember when I said in my last theory that I think that Clarke might be the white Knight and Lexa the white King? I thought this through again and I think that Clarke actually represents the white Queen and Lexa the white Knight!
We have already figured out how the Knight works in the game. But what about the Queen? In chess the Queen is the most powerful figure in the game. She can move any numbers of squares vertically, horizontally or diagonally. Another thing is that the Gueen can team up with a either a bishop or a rook so they can guard each other while threatening the opponent pieces. And this is so fucking mind-blowing because I said that ALIE (the black chess King) can make a special move where she is able to move another figure, usually a rook. The rook exists in the form of a Knight in the universe of The 100 (Jaha AND Lexa)
Do you see what I see?!
If Clarke is the white chess Queen and Lexa the white chess rook just in the form of the Knight you get the connection to the spoilers from Vancouver where Clarke and Lexa are in the City of Light. They team up and guard each other! Lexa probably follows Clarke into the City of Light because Clarke will probably be forced to take the blue microchip that takes you to the there, and since Lexa is Clarke’s Knight (bow/vowing scene!) she can’t do anything else but follow Clarke and save her Queen! This is their special connection, and it is so damn interesting because of how these characters started out and where they are now!
Fucking hell, honeslty, when I figured this out I lost my shit. And I really hope that this is true because this would be such a crazy reference to the chess game!
And what is even more amazing is this parallel: 1x03 vs. 2x04
This brings me to two things:
The Rise and Reign of Clarke as the white chess Queen.
ALIE’s philosophy of ‘Enlightment’ vs. Lexa’s philosophy of ‘free-will’ and parts of ‘human nature’.
Honestly, Clarke has one of the best character developments in the show. What is clear to me is that Clarke is literally born to be a leader, everyone knows that. She is made for this. And it is so fascinating to me because she is only 18 years old but has got so much fire already. She is fucking intelligent, calculated, doesn’t hesitate when making decisions, doesn’t fear anything but takes action, offers so much love, makes mistakes and learns, holds grudges and forgives and she is so fierce, wild, and loyal and dedicated to her people that she even puts them before/above her own life. Clarke starts out strong and gets weaker over the course of the show because she gets attacked, especially emotionally. She experiences so much in so little time, she loses focus on everything for a moment in her life (end of season two - Lexa broke her; beginning of season three - Lexa will heal her), and it’s such a hard process because Clarke matures so quickly, but she stays so true to herself. She is, much like Lexa, so human and perfect and flawed and she aches really fucking aches to save her people and to bring them freedom and justice (JUST LIKE LEXA) And this is so amazing because you can’t ignore the master-mind that she is and how she is able to understand, fully grasp what Lexa has been trying to teach her since day fucking one! They fit so well together, like a goddamn puzzle. It is so awesome because Lexa teaches her (and this is why I put in the Wells/Jaha parallel) how long time-strategy works AND how that will save her people.
“To lead well, you must make hard choices.” - Lexa
“Victory stands on the back of sacrifice.”- Lexa
“Sometimes, you have to concede a battle to win a war.” - Lexa
“Plans don’t last very long in battle.” - Lexa
“This is war. People die.” - Lexa
“Don’t let emotions stop you now.” - Lexa
“We do what we must to survive. The enemy does the same. It’s not personal.” - Lexa
“I do care, Clarke, but I made this choice with my head and not my heart.” - Lexa
Do you see how important Lexa’s character is for Clarke’s growth?! Do you see how deep their bond goes when it comes to trust and love?! This is the indication that Lexa is not only vital for the overall understanding of the show and it’s philosophy, but also so fucking vital for Clarke, that Clarke would not be who she is today/who she will be in the future! This is all so important. Lexa’s betrayal was cruel. IT WAS. But it is also a lesson for Clarke. Things are not always easy, not everyone can be saved, but if you can stop a lot of bloodshed you will make choices that might hurt others as well. Clarke has the capability to process and heal. She is that strong. And it all connects so well if you think about that Lexa’s philosophy fights against ALIE’s, because ALIE completely dismisses Lexa’s state of mind.
ALIE is the embodiment of Enlightment while Lexa is the embodiment of free-will/human nature.
Like I said in my analysis, ALIE is able to understand the human mind > Enlightment: almightiness of human knowledge; reject tradition, institutions, thoughts; search for a practical (scientific!) useful knowledge as the power to control nature.
Lexa is able to understand human life in general > free-will: capacity of rational thought; choose a course of
action from among various alternatives; condition of guidance/accomplishments; valueing love and friendship; distinction between freedom of action and freedom of will.
This is why I don’t believe that Lexa will die. Lexa has the ability to choose. She either decides with her head or her heart. She is a damn visionary, and she will not fall. Clarke and Lexa’s very special bond is what will save everyone.
I think the biggest misconception about Lexa’s character
is that people think that the Commander (Lexa as the leader) and Lexa
(as the individual) are the same person.
They are not the same.
There is a huge difference between these two personas. Lexa is a
composition of two selves and there are enough scenes that show and
create the split between Lexa as the Commander who chooses with her head, and Lexa as Lexa who chooses with her heart.
Thanks to Titus we have found out that Lexa has been the best Commander that has existed so far.
“You’re special, Heda. I’ve been the fleimkepa for four Commanders. No one has done what you have.”
The thing about Lexa as the Commander is that she carries an impressive dose of strength, power, control, and fierce loyalty, especially to her people. She can be cold, calculating and very pragmatic. She is beautiful, rich and extremely complex. As the Commander it is safe to say that Lexa is absolute. She is always one step ahead of everyone, so everthing she does IS calculated.
And it is very interesting to me because the thing about Lexa as the Commander is that we hear from her before she is even introduced into the show. Her role is already vital even without an appearance. People talk about her, and people fear her. She is an enigma that is always present even when she isn’t.
When people tell me that they think what Lexa did at Mount Weather was “cruel” I have to agree. It was. BUT, that is her job. As the Commander it is Lexa’s duty to keep her people save.
You have to realize that Lexa stays true to her position as the Commander. The “I lead with my head, not my heart” mantra is something that Lexa repeats throughout the show, making sure that people understand what she, as the Commander, is really about.
So yes, Lexa as the Commander is ruthless, she embodies a particular philosophy, which is very essential to the show and for Clarke’s growth as a character. As the Commander Lexa refuses vulnerability, rejects memory, always looking forward. AND YET…
Here
is the paradoxical aspect about Lexa’s character when she is with Clarke or alone:
she is vulnerable. Extremely vulnerable. The kind of vulnerable that
tickles that spot in her mind and heart where she hides all of her
fears, that claws at her body and jerks at her features until she can no
longer control her emotions and they spill out like blood from a wound
and change and cover her entire appearance. Delving into her mind is very hard, because 1.) we don’t experience the story from her perspective and 2.) we don’t get too many scenes, but still enough to realize what Lexa as an individual is about.
Scene number one where we see Lexa entirely alone, emotional:
*inhales*
*exhales*
*represses feelings*
Scene number two where we see Lexa entirely alone, emotional:
What’s really interesting about this scene is that Lexa is dressed in
light armor, but her face is absent of any face paint. It’s like they
tried to combine her two personas into one person. And the very sad
thing is that it is very contradictory. Because, yes, the Commander is
on top of the world, ruling over a city, powerful and fearless, but Lexa
is also so very lonely. Yes, she achieved what no Commander before her
could, but she has a lot to pay for it. She has loved and lost many
important people in her life. Sometimes through the hands of others
(Costia), and other times through her own hands (Gustus). I just want
everyone to take a few minutes and think about how heavy these losses
must be. And I want people to see that Lexa is not allowed to cry after
any of them. She needs to maintain the persona of the Commander. She
simply can’t afford to break apart. But that doesn’t mean that she fights her emotions 24/7. She has her moments too, and we got exactly two of them.
It is also worth noting that
in this scene Lexa genuinely worries about the future. The way she looks
upon the city, Polis, and then the way she shifts her head to the right
and you can see the slight shimmer in her eyes… This is not just about Clarke, but about EVERYTHING. This woman cares more
than anyone would ever dare to hope. And it is so sad.
Now onto Lexa’s connection with Clarke.
What is clear is that Lexa loves Clarke.
And she is starving for that connection.
Lexa
is impressed by Clarke from the beginning. When Clarke walks into her
tend all composed and Lexa says “You’re the one who killed 300 of my
warriors alive” Clarke dares and challenges her by saying “You’re the
one who sent them there to kill us”. And Lexa is… blown. She is ANGRY
but she is also CURIOUS.
Here you can see her looking at Clarke and then
… she kind of slams the point of her knife onto her throne.
And asks Clarke if she has an answer for her.
The thing is that
Lexa could have killed Clarke right then and there. Merciless as the Commander is. She is actually kind of angry. But she doesn’t,
because she is also very interested. Clarke’s entrance has left an
immediate mark on Lexa. Lexa’s first impression of Clarke literally is
“you are fierce, and I want to know more about you.” ( e.g. trusts her, fights along her side, invites her to Polis etc.)
And after that they form a relationship that is not only build on respect and trust, but also on love. The kiss scene proves that.
Everytime, and I mean EVERYTIME when someone comes to me and says “Lexa kissed Clarke because she wanted to manipulate her” I literally fall onto the floor and roll myself into my carpet to try to hide myself from these people who actually BELIEVE that Lexa could manipulate the master mind that is CLARKE FUCKING GRIFFIN (BUT THAT’S ANOTHER STORY).
That kiss was real.
That
kiss was so so fucking real. From both Lexa’s perspective and Clarke’s. It took them
both by surprise, but they didn’t back away from it. Rather, they
explored that unfamiliar and rare feeling of intimacy for a few seconds.
They both experienced it before and lost it and now they somehow found it again, in each other.
And it is wonderful, because it is yet again very contradictory. Lexa’s face is covered in war paint, she wears war clothing. She needs to because she is in the open, she cannot allow herself to be anything else other than the Commander. And yet, she ends up kissing Clarke, in the open (if you think about it) because anyone could have come in. She risked it and followed her feelings, heart.
And she is so gentle. Hopeless romantic.
They don’t just want to share their fears and conflicts but also the
love they have for each other.
Which makes the events at Mount Weather even more dramatic.
Because what Lexa did to Clarke at
Mount Weather was cruel, BUT it did not just break Clarke. It also broke Lexa. She
literally sacrificed her own happiness for her people. Everything that happened between Clarke and Lexa before the event at Mount Weather was genuine.
You can tell by the way Lexa says “May we meet again” in 2x15 that she
is actually giving Clarke up. Let me remind you that she actually
whispers these four words and it looks like that she is saying these words
more to herself than to Clarke because she knows that Clarke will never
see her the same way again. She failed Clarke in that moment
and she KNOWS it. And yet she can’t undo what she has done because this
is how things have to BE. Head over heart.
There is self-hatred, too. While Lexa seems very composed when making decisions while being Heda, you can see her break under the pressure of the past/present when she is Lexa.
When she says “It helps no one to dwell on the past.” in the newest
episode of season three, it’s not just a change of subject to get to the
actual point (talk about the Skaikru becoming the 13th Clan), but also
that Lexa is affected by the events of Mount Weather, too. She is
haunted as well. The fact that Lexa never wanted/planned to betray
Clarke, but the betrayal came with the
offer which was made not before, or after the war, but WITHIN it, DURING it, makes
it even more devastating. She wasn’t ready for that herself, and yet
she had to do it. What’s also really astounding is that Lexa actually
offers herself as a punching ball or something - “It’s easier to
hate me than to hate yourself.” - Clarke comes at her more than once. She spits on her, calls her names, attacks her with a knife. I mean, do I still need to say how
important this sentence is? How deep it actually goes? She is not only
trying to free Clarke from the self-hatred that she feels towards
herself, she is also ready to take the weight off of Clarke’s shoulders
and put it on her own. And she will TAKE IT. Like she always does.
What is also worth mentioning (and this is just speculation) is that I think that Lexa has added new parts to her arm tattoo to imprint her failure (Clarke) onto her body aka. her soul. Tattoos are very important in the Trikru culture just as scars are important in the Azgeda culture. They are not just for design, but they all hold deep meaning, stories that are not allowed to be forgotten.
Another great and very sad scene was the knife scene.
I find it rather funny when people say “Clarke wants to kill Lexa but she can’t because she has killed enough already” - You wish that was the case but it is not, I assure you.
The only reason why Clarke doesn’t kill Lexa is because she never wanted to kill her in the first place. Just as Indra said in season two “Those who are about to die will say anything” you can also apply this to when people are angry. “I’ll kill you!” - Clarke said something she never really meant. Neither subconscisouly and nor consciously. She may have tried to convince herself that killing Lexa would be good. People try to constantly convince her that Lexa being dead would solve everything, but she NEVER believed in that, not even for a second.
BUT, Clarke is hurting. And Lexa knows that.
After Lexa says “I’m sorry.” She adds, “I never meant to turn you into this.”
Please pay close attention how Lexa gulps in this scene and then says,
“I never meant to turn you into this” while furrowing her eyebrows.
This scene is so emotional for me.
The amount of strain between them is so heavy in this scene. You can feel their desperation and it is so intense and electric it HURTS to watch them. This is THE scene where Lexa actually realizes just WHAT exactly she has done to Clarke, how deep the wounds go, and how much it changed Clarke (for the worse). It is an uncomfortable situation for both of them because they both never wanted things to end up like this. This scene is so cruel, because it shows that Lexa finally accepts that she is the catalyst for Clarke’s fall.
And what can Lexa do? Yup, you guessed it.
We know Lexa would never kill Clarke, despite what people tell her.
So she does what she does best. Let Clarke go. In every sense of the word.
She is prepared, she makes her way to the door, ready to let Clarke leave, go back to her people, almost out and then “Wait -”
Lexa stops, not quite sure if she heard right.
“I have a better idea.”
I have honestly never seen her so sad. And I mean she has different faces when she is sad but she looks so defeated here. Because for a moment it was over. For a moment she actually thought “this is it, no matter what happens she will never forgive me and I have to let her go even if I love her”. It is so sad, because Lexa seems to constantly wear a mask. In a metaphorical sense, masks always indicate something that a character tries to hide, but in this scene it falls off of her face. She gives up being composed all the fucking time, let’s the sadness wash over her face and show Clarke just how much it hurts her to see Clarke hurting like THIS.
And again, she offers Clarke something and would pay for another loss in return. Ugh. If that isn’t love then I don’t know what is. And if you still suspect Lexa’s love for Clarke to be genuine let the next scene prove that she TRULY does.
Hello to the oh so famous bow scene.
There is NOTHING political about this scene. From the setting to the music and the things Lexa says, there is literally NOTHING political about it.
Lexa surrenders to Clarke in this scene. Not like people surrender in war, but rather like someone who is willing to risk everything just to make sure that the person you love is okay and knows that no matter what happens, from now on they will make sure that they (Clarke) WILL have their (Lexa’s) back. And it’s also worth mentioning that this is not just an act to represent that Clarke and Lexa are equals, but that Lexa will take the consequence for loving Clarke, because there will be consequences for her. She knows this. “I hope you know what you’re doing”. Recovery is not easy, but Lexa has faith in Clarke to make progress with her, to re-build this relationship again and she will fight everything that will try to hurt Clarke again because she won’t anymore.
And this is the Lexa as the Lexa we know as an individual. She could never pull this gesture if she was acting as the Commander. But this is Lexa that is hidden between all the layers that you can find beneath that tattooed skin.
Lexa is complex, sometimes hard to understand, other times too simple to read. She isn’t perfect, flawed, extremely big and very tiny and so so so in love. And it is interesting because Lexa recognizes these different facets of her personality as distinct halves; the one who wields power, and the one who is weak. Which part of her personality is real? All of it. Everything about her is real. It’s a lesson she has learned long ago. She reserves the personal aspects of her character for the people she cares about, and the rest is presented to the world. And this is the difference. The Commander is the head, and Lexa is the heart and she is good and bad at both things. And if you still hate Lexa after all of this, then we literally don’t watch the same show.