‘The 100’ season 3: Creator Jason Rothenberg puts out new statement on Lexa’s death
There is for the second straight week no new episode of “The 100” airing tonight on The CW, but there is certainly some further news coming out in relation to the show. Prior to his first appearance at WonderCon this weekend since the death of the Lexa character, creator Jason Rothenberg has released a lengthy statement on Medium where he details some of the reason for his decision-making as well as some of his regrets on the whole handling of the situation. He also reiterates that there was never any real attempt to hurt anyone with his or the show’s actions.
Here is just a small snippet of what he had to say:
“For many fans of The 100, the relationship between Clarke and Lexa was a positive step of inclusion. I take enormous pride in that, as I do in the fact that our show is heading into its 4th season with a bisexual lead and a very diverse cast. The honesty, integrity and vulnerability Eliza Taylor and Alycia Debnam-Carey brought to their characters served as an inspiration for many of our fans. Their relationship held greater importance than even I realized. And that very important representation was taken away by one stray bullet.
“The thinking behind having the ultimate tragedy follow the ultimate joy was to heighten the drama and underscore the universal fragility of life. But the end result became something else entirely — the perpetuation of the disturbing ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope. Our aggressive promotion of the episode, and of this relationship, only fueled a feeling of betrayal.
“While I now understand why this criticism came our way, it leaves me heartbroken. I promise you burying, baiting or hurting anyone was never our intention. It’s not who I am.”
Ultimately, we do feel for the fans of the show still who feel like something great was taken away from them. To them, the only thing to say is to remember the Clarke / Lexa couple and what they were in the time in which she was alive on the show.
As for what Rothenberg can do next, the reality is that even if he did pen the lengthiest apology in TV history, he probably wouldn’t win over some people he has hurt with his decisions. The best thing to do may just be to move on, and work on trying to please the fans who continue to stick with you.
Head over here if you do want to see some other recent comments from Rothenberg on the subject; also, sign up over here to secure some more TV news on everything we cover, sent right to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: The CW.)