In that situation, of course, there’s the temptation to act on mutual attraction, and it’s obviously there in each and every one of their all-too-rare, emotionally-charged hugs. But adding sex into the mix would make their already shaky connection implode. They’ve had a hard enough time forgiving each other without the extra pressure of maintaining a romantic relationship—and neither of them has a stellar track record in that department.
Again and again, poor Clarke has had her love life tied up in death: Having to kill Finn to appease the Grounders. Watching Lexa get killed in a random and brutal way mere minutes after they finally had sex. The last time the poor girl let her guard down at Sanctum and hooked up with a rando, she got drugged and almost mind-wiped! At this point, I would not blame her if she wanted to keep any potential partners away, for fear that they would either die for her sake or betray her when she’s at her most vulnerable.
Clarke calling Bellamy every day for six years even though he didn’t answer? Putting each other’s names on the list of who gets to survive the death wave? Negotiating, compromising, sacrificing to save each other’s lives over and over? That’s what best friends do.
We don’t see enough platonic friendships, especially friendships between a man and a woman, held up in television as an ultimate form of human relationship; after a certain number of seasons, it inevitably dips toward the romantic, just to “freshen” things up. This close to the end, throwing Bellarke together would feel like a hail mary, more like narrative desperation than justification. Anyway, with Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley married in real life, fans can still get their Bellarke fix via Instagram.
Now, I will settle for a compromise: a Clarke/Bellamy/Raven throuple. I’m still thinking about Bellamy and Raven’s hookup back in season 1 when he was lording over the camp and she wanted to work out some frustrations; for as much UST as Bellarke might have, he and Raven got to resolve that sexual tension. What’s more, Raven and Clarke’s dynamic has always matched Bellarke for tempestuous emotional effect, from spending years as rivals for the affection of a boy (RIP Finn) and then a mother (RIP Abby, damn this show) to finally reaching some sort of mutual understanding. Though Bellarke feels like it would burn out long before the world actually ends, I could see Raven doing what she does best: finding the perfect solution.
– Natalie Zutter