We are only three episodes into The 100 Season 6, but it has already started a well-deserved conversation on forgiveness.

Bellamy and Octavia, siblings that have been involved in a pattern of abuse and destruction for quite a few seasons, are one of the most important elements to the conversation.

During The 100 Season 6 Episode 3, the way Bellamy currently views Octavia gets proven accurate to those around them.

Characters like Raven, Echo, and Diyoza witness Octavia killing merely for the bloodlust coursing through her. She kills people without guilt, and that is the final confirmation he needs to disengage from her.

Octavia finding pleasure in violence and death is their greatest threat; it puts everything they are working for at risk, and it continues to put the Blake siblings fauther at odds with one another.

But what if that was okay?

What if the season allowed itself the potential to explore various examples of forgiveness with some cases being successful others not expressing the forgiveness they think they deserve?

The truth is that not everyone gets offered or even deserves forgiveness; it is a layered process that is different for everyone.

The 100 allows for that discourse, and following through with it would not only be helpful for the characters but also for the fans.

Bellamy and Octavia's relationship has the opportunity to reflect on the dark side of abuse, the stories that don't gain forgiveness. Forgiveness isn't a right; it is offered if the person who got wronged chooses to do so.

There is no obligation. Still, there are various directions to go. 

Bellamy is allowed not to want his sister back in his life, and so far, the narrative allowing that option is refreshing.

It finally opens up the discussion, allowing survivors their chance to voice their trauma and to get the space to make their choice about whether forgiveness is even possible.

With Monty's words ringing clearly in Bellamy's mind, could The 100 Season 6 be the one that proves forgiveness isn't the only option? 

Doing better could be words of inspiration for the new moon, but it could also be a blueprint for which individual characters to find a way to break free of their cycles.

Bellamy's most significant trauma came his co-dependent relationship with Octavia and his refusal to call her on the pain she inflicted on him and those around her.

Getting to a place where he was no longer making excuses for her actions was a major step in the right direction for Bellamy, and Season 6 should only pick up from there. 

Based on the content we got so far, it feels like that is the direction the story could go, and there's a case to be made that any separation needs to be a more permanent thing between Bellamy and Octavia.

Exploring a future where Bellamy and Octavia aren't pushed into each other's lives after years of trauma is the definition of allowing the past to shape the future in a positive way.

There is room for their story continue in the way it was during The 100 Season 3, and yet the narrative is a point where separation is the next logical step. 

It is a long time coming, but it is really all about where their separate stories allow them to go from here. 

The 100 Season 6 Episode 3 Review: The Children of Gabriel

Bellamy's Movement Forward

Bellamy is a character that has been through a lot, but his biggest achievement so far this season is choosing himself. 

He spent almost five full seasons making excuses for his sister,with their relationship always too co-dependent to be healthy.

But it was all about that infamous scene during The 100 Season 3 Episode 10 solidifying that something had to change, for better or for worse.

As usual on The 100, it all got worse before there is a chance that it could get better,

Bellamy was first beaten almost half to death very graphically before allowing two more seasons to drag on when none of the abuse that he was receiving got addressed.

Bellamy and Octavia continued to have a very unhealthy relationship, from her willingness to kill him in the pits to retain the power to Bellamy not having any option but to poison her.

Octavia became a danger not only to Bellamy, which he usually handled regardless of the way it must have messed with his mental health, but to the same people for whom she claimed she was trying to achieve peace.

Getting Bellamy to that breaking point and then allowing him to consciously give himself permission to stop the abuse was a breath of fresh air.

It not only allowed the character to grow for the first time in what felt like ages, but it also left a mark on the viewers who identified with the endless cycle they saw submerging Bellamy.

The case for supporting Bellamy's choice no longer to excuse Octavia until the next big brutal murder spree traces back to forgiveness.

It breaks the mold of what forgiveness looks like because he offered Octavia countless chances before. It took six years of separation from Octavia for Bellamy's expectations of their relationship to change.

There may have been excuses that Bellamy would make for them during The 100 Season 4, but coming down after trying to find peace and seeing his sister exhibiting the opposite of that started the end.

But it was all about making sure Bellamy couldn't just excuse her behavior anymore, parallel with the audience. Now he is at a point where he is allowed his space and to make his decision not to involve Octavia in any version of peace.

Since she was tagged in again, all that Octavia has done is create more havoc and stir up more death in the process.

That brings it all back to the forgiveness that Bellamy is circling back to only three episodes into the season.

This is no longer a show that crowds Bellamy until he has a sense of selflessness that ends in him covering up the trauma and the pain that goes into his relationship with his sister.

There is room for Bellamy's growth to be his own; it doesn't rely on where he might be with Octavia because he is his own person now.

A healthy approach like this one only comes from allowing there to be time for character specific arcs, including those like Bellamy sticking by his decision not to trust Octavia and opening the eyes of those around him when it happens again.

Finding time to make that happen and to not just consider where they need Bellamy to end up throughout the season for plot specific purposes is where The 100 peaks.

Prioritizing Bellamy and his journey regarding their toxic relationship means valuing the male lead. He gets time to explore his uncertainty and to find a way to go with his instincts.

That scene in the woods was the turning point, not because Bellamy realized who his sister was, but because he gave himself permission not to pretend it still existed.

Bellamy will struggle with the choice he made but not out of doubt. Bellamy doing what was right to him (and to the story) will take time to process.

Creating boundaries doesn't mean everything is perfect right away; the slight adjustments over time mean a healthier future for those involved.

This change in Bellamy is signifcant for the character and for the fans who relate to him, and it is encouraging to know that the story is finally in Bellamy's corner.

Bellamy's journey could only improve from here, but it has to come from him not going back to how things were. A separation might not be permanent, but it might have to be to benefit Bellamy's state of mind.

Bellamy's point of view is first again. 

The 100 Season 6 Episode 2 Review: Red Sun Rising

Octavia's Standstill Motions 

The current sesoan makes it very clear that Octavia's journey is far from innocent, even if during The 100 Season 5 it seemed she was gearing for a redemption.

Her side of the story continues to rely on no accountability, always looking to lay blame on those around her instead of admitting that she had a huge role to play with how the Earth got destroyed.

But for the first two episodes, it still was unclear if Octavia's newfound violence against herself was pushing her closer to change.

The way that she wanted to die speaks to her struggling, yet she doesn't acknowledge her prior abuse and mistakes, which makes it hard to judge how she expects to find any forgiveness.

That leads us to The 100 Season 6 Episode 3, specifically the scene that solidified Octavia's role of being Bellamy's siser wouldn't just get handed back to her.

That was a turning point because it made a clear decision on Octavia's arc.

Moving from a season where she was the villain positioned as the reason why humanity couldn't continue to survive on Earth, we got an 11th-hour tease of redemption.

Octavia wanted to sacrifice herself for Gaia and Indra, proving that she realized the consequences of her actions. There was even a scene with Diyoza during which they bonded over their love of power, while at the same time in a position where they didn't have any.

But Octavia still had plenty of trust to earn again, starting with Bellamy who wasn't going to just hand it over after her willingness to let him die just to reatain control of Wonkru.

When she was reawakened though, it was obvious that the one person who wasn't looking to change was Octavia.

She went right back to hashing out past drama and specifically refusing to let there be any room to do better this time around. Instead, she clung to her reasoning and to violence.

But this time she turned the violence on herself instead of harming those around her.

What Octavia has to learn with characters like Kane and Abby doesn't connect back to Bellamy, their sibling relationship still relies on Octavia becoming better.

She mentions often that her focus is her brother and doing better when it comes to him, yet she continues to be a danger to everyone including Bellamy.

And as the script tease for the recent episode mentioned, that is what Octavia can't seem to grasp.

In case you missed it, the writers' room for The 100 picks out certain scenes weekly to share with fans after an episode airs. This week they posted the scene where it all happened, the sequence of Octavia attacking the Children of Gabriel, confirming that she learned nothing after everything that happened. 

This script was the best confirmation that Octavia is at a place where her joy is connected to bloodlust.

Her decision to attack those people ended in everyone dead, and Octavia again thinking that violence was an answer that could be forgiven if the people she deemed important weren't harmed.

But here is the thing, the lives of other people still need to be factored in to the equation; they aren't disposable. And the scene did a great job of highlighting just Octavia's misunderstanding of the concept.

She may not have heard Bellamy tell her that the others were withdrawing, but in a way, it didn't matter.

The descriptions of the joy and the bloodlust that Octavia exhibited said all of it for the writers; this was a character who was happy creating destruction.

As much pain that Octavia might have been trying to inflict on herself, there was plenty that she still was fine with inflicting on others.

But when does the greater good just shift to the actions of a possible psychopath?

When is there no more room to excuse that Octavia is violent because she enjoys it and not because she is put in tough situations where she has no choice?

Because in this new world, she has nothing but choices, and she continues to stray to a place where people die. 

And that is the difference between her and Diyoza.

Both of them killed people, but the script acknowledges that Octavia's eyes shine with bloodlust while Charmaine's couldn't be farther from that.

They were both villains in their own stories during The 100 Season 5, yet the distinction has never felt more real.

After yet another massacre, however small, Octavia burned her last chance to prove to her brother that there is a future where they can go back to the way things were.

And in a way, it is a huge commentary on the way real life people that inflict pain confront those decisions.

Octavia never once made the decision this season to show that she is taking Bellamy's concerns to heart.

There were no attempts to do better because Octavia always believed things were fine the way they were.

To do better, Octavia first would have to admit that she was in the wrong and will take steps to fix it.

Instead, she leaned back into being a villain, and frankly that could serve her better. She is clearly finding pleasure in that role, while the show is trying to position her for a longer stay.

This isn't to say that Octavia is evil, but there are people in the world that aren't the best. Inflicting pain onto themselves and other is what they know, in large part because they refuse the adknowledge the harm they're doing.

So what if a character who wasn't actually looking for redemption never changed course?

Because if almost killing her brother wasn't a permanent wake up call, then what reasoning could there be for their separation to remain temporary?

Octavia doesn't offer anything healthy to Bellamy or to the people around her, and the show would be better off continuing to explore the potential in that.

Forgiveness is at the root of all these conversations about what Octavia is actually suffering with the easy answer being that she doesn't think she needs forgiveness.

That becomes a unique perspective that doesn't force those closest to her, like Bellamy, to offer it to her at the expense of their own mental health and safety.

The 100 Season 6 Episode 1 Review: Sanctum

Isolating Octavia might serve as an introduction to a new subset of Sanctum, but it also opens the door for Octabia no longer to circle around an arc that might not be suited for her.

Doing better has never felt so possible yet so divisive between the Blake siblings.

This opportunity might be what finally reflects on all the issues between the two that were swept under the carpet, allowing Octavia to explore what she clearly is returning to time and time again.

The Resounding Echo

Touching on a worrisome trend that hopefully won't make its way into the season moving forward is the Echo of it all.

When talking about Bellamy and Octavia's relationship, Echo doesn't need to be added to the mix. It is between the Blake siblings because their interactions with others shouldn't play a part in how their story gets explored.

But during The 100 Season 6 Episode 1, Echo tried to convince Bellamy that he should forgive Octavia because she is his family. It was an uneasy scene, which when deconstructed just comes down to the way forgiveness is viewed between two different people.

There was a personal fear that Bellamy would be pressured into forgiving Octavia after that, which is what makes his decision to stand his ground and not fall into the same pattern that much more amazing.

He created boundaries for the first time in his life and presented a positive message about how putting your own mental health first isn't a selfish or wrong decision. In fact, it is the healthiest one, and it is okay to make it. 

Echo's past is riddled with violence and how she got forgiveness in spite of that. Her relationship with forgiveness is another take on the concept, with Echo linking abuse and gaining forgiveness as a general act that is extended to everyone.

It isn't.

There is also the way that Tasya Teles weighed in on that, commenting that Echo was focused on the forgiveness she earned along the way. It wasn't necessarily Echo thinking that Bellamy should forgive Octavia after everything that happened, it was her needing him to do it for her own validation.

If Bellamy doesn't forgive Octavia, then maybe Echo would have to reexamine her redemption. She needed to see that Bellamy could forgive Octavia because she worries that he if he doesn't, then maybe he won't able to forgive Echo in the future either.

But hopefully, the groundwork has gotten laid allowing both outlooks on forgiveness to work without risking the progress that the male lead made after five seasons. 

Bellamy is allowed not to want Octavia in his life, especially after she confirmed that she wasn't in the place to receive it.

There is still room for Echo to slowly gear up to explore her understanding of forgiveness and what she got afforded after her past without cutting away from Bellamy's improvement. 

In fact, this might even work better for them because, after a six-year time jump that told the audience about forgiveness, it was about time we saw it.

All versions of it. 

Reflecting on where Bellamy and Octavia's separate journeys are taking them means realizing that they need distance.

Chances are, they won't return to the place that they were before, and that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Their relationship was once something joyful, but it's toxic turn is the contributing factor to suggesting the best thing for them is not to go back to that place.

Forgiveness is beautiful when it is deserved and helps those people involved.

The old Bellamy and Octavia are gone, with years of trauma and pain creating a bridge from what was to what is now.

In a way, it is like Bellamy said, his sister died a long time ago and with that died the relationship we knew and loved. What they have between them now might very well be something that can't (or shouldn't) be saved. 

The "innocence" that came with their initial scenes was  about a caring sibling relationship, not full of resentment, anger, and an inability to find peace between each other.

Why force a future for Bellamy and Octavia together again when they are better off functioning apart?

Call it bias, but Octavia clearly can't let go of the bloodlust that consumes her. She is a danger to those around her who don't agree with her methods and she isn't willing to budge on that.

Meanwhile, Bellamy is trying to do better as Monty said, and a portion of that includes not allowing himself to pretend that the sister he knows is still alive in the same way.

Much like the audience has to accept that Octavia is no longer the version that we grew to know (and maybe love), Bellamy has made that journey on the screen, and he is allowed to do it.

Now there is hope at least for him as long as he continues to try to find peace for himself without putting his mental health on the backburner. And beyond that, fans who watch the show should be able to take away the idea that forgiveness is very much a choice. 

A variety of characters means getting different versions of a similar experience with the audience being allowed to relate to it as they see fit.

So just like with Bellamy, the idea that abusive relationships need to be fixed so they can move on isn't true. A survivor gets to set the limits and expectations that they want moving forward. Nothing is owed to the abuser and forgiveness isn't guaranteed.

Bellamy and Octavia have a long way to go following The 100 Season 6 Episode 3, but the case for a real seperation has never felt so imperative. 

The 100 Season 6: Jason Rothenberg on Upcoming Pair-Ups, The Bellarke Partnership, and Characters Facing Their Demons

Do you think Bellamy and Octavia should reconcile? Do you think Bellamy's decision was best?

Where do you see the story of forgiveness going forward in respect to other characters on the show? Did the script for the third episode of the season change your interpretations of how Octavia gets structured?

Were you shocked by any revelations?

How proud are you for Bellamy on a scale from very proud to extremely proud?

What is next for Bellamy and Octavia individually and as a family?

Let us know what you think below!

The 100 airs on Tuesdays, at 9/8c on The CW.

Stick around TV Fanatic for more features, slideshows, episode previews, and reviews of the upcoming season, and watch The 100 online if you need to catch up on the adventure.

Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.