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'The 100' Season 7 Episode 14: Gabriel and Bellamy's back-to-back deaths have fans calling show 'racist as hell'

The allegations go back to deaths from the show's earlier seasons, including Wells and Lincoln, whose deaths served to propel the arcs of White characters

Spoilers for 'The 100' Season 7 Episode 14 'A Sort of Homecoming'

Deaths on 'The 100' are not a new thing but over the last couple of episodes, the deaths of two major characters have left fans reeling and wondering whether there is something more behind them. The allegations of racism behind character deaths are not new and it does seem like characters of color are being killed off to fuel the arcs of White characters.

In the previous episode of 'The 100', Bellamy Blake (Bob Morley) was killed off in the final moments by the last person we thought would pull the trigger, his best friend (though many would warrant she was more than that), Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor). Bellamy's death seemed pointless because Clarke claimed she tried "everything" but had to kill him anyway so she could protect her daughter, Madi (Lola Flannery). Bellamy's sister Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) and his girlfriend (Echo) were quick to forgive Clarke and understand her actions because they felt they lost him a long time ago, which, understandably, fans found confounding.

This week's episode only made Bellamy's death more pointless after it was revealed that Bill Cadogan (John Pyper-Ferguson) could just transport himself back to Bardo using nanotechnology and got Sheidheda (JR Bourne) to spill the beans on Madi. Madi decided that enough people had died for the sake of her protection and voluntarily sent herself to Bardo after Gabriel Santiago (Chuku Modu) was killed by Sheidheda as he tried to protect her.

When one fan tweeted, "So bc they 'lost bellamy a long time ago' he gets shot in cold blood by his best friend but when octavia 'died a long time ago' she gets a whole a** redemption arc ?? ok," another responded with, "I smell racism." When put like that, it certainly seemed that this is the case.

Another fan pointed out, "The only person who mourned & was deeply affected by Lincoln's death was Octavia & her only meanwhile characters like Bellamy were killed off in a gruesome way & no one was impacted by his death & his body was left behind like he is an expendable background extra." It is true that Bellamy's death did not get nearly enough weight as it deserved. After all, the character had been with us since the very first episode. 

A fan had tweeted, "#the100 now I'm mad I can't believe Gabriel was killed off. This show is racist as hell. I'm so tired of all the Poc characters being killed off. Gabriel deserved better. At least he sacrificed himself for Madi but I'm sad and angry he's gone." Another wrote, "So... Gabriel is gone. How long does it take to convince y’all that the writer is racist as f**k since freaking season one? #The100."

These allegations can be pushed away as musings of heartbroken fans. But things are not as easy for 'The 100'. As another fan pointed out, this has been going on since Season 1 when Wells Jaha (Eli Goree) was killed only a few episodes into the start of the show. In the books that 'The 100' is loosely based on, Wells is a main character whose end is not so abrupt.

Another character who was killed in Season 3 was Lincoln (Ricky Whittle), whose exit sparked a lot of controversy for the show when the actor brought out allegations against Jason Rothenberg, the showrunner. The fan had tweeted, "Lincoln, Bellamy, Nelson, Wells, Gabriel. All men of color who were graphically killed in a show that has clearly proved it uses their people of color as nothing more than a prop for shock value and to further the story of their white counterparts. #the100."

It all stands to reason that there is something wrong going on. Certainly, the characters that have benefitted the most from these deaths are Clarke and Octavia, both played by White women. While we understand that Clarke is the star of the show, there must have been a better way to propel her character forward.

With just two episodes left in Season 7 and the whole series of 'The 100', we just have to wait and see whether Bellamy's death will have some meaning. At the moment, it seems unlikely, but surely, fans deserve closure.

'The 100' airs on The CW on Wednesday nights at 8/7c.