Alycia Debnam-Carey's Lexa from "The 100" season 3 (Photo : Facebook/The 100)
"The 100" showrunner Jason Rothenberg has officially apologized to fans of The CW series for killing a beloved lesbian character in season 3. The executive producer has been under fire after Lexa's (Alycia Debnam-Carey) controversial death.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Rothenberg has lost thousands of Twitter followers after the episode of Lexa's death aired. In his official statement, "The 100" season 3 showrunner explained that Lexa's death was meant to symbolize the 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."
In the episode titled "Thirteen," fans were extremely disappointed that the writers decided to kill Debnam-Carey's character following one of the happiest moments of her life, consummating her relationship with Clarke (Eliza Taylor).
While Rothenberg insisted that he knew where "The 100" season 3 fans were coming from, he explained that it was never their intention to offend the LGBT community. He further pointed out that they did not kill Lexa just because of her sexual orientation.
Rothenberg said that Lexa's death was merely a product of several reasons, including Debnam-Carey's decision to leave "The 100" season 3 for her role in "Fear the Walking Dead," as well as to push the central theme of the show, which is survival.
Nevertheless, given the opportunity, Rothenberg said that he would have handled Debnam-Carey's departure differently had he known that Lexa's death will create this huge impact to "The 100" fans.
As he talked about what is to come in the next episodes of "The 100" season 3, Rothenberg revealed that it will mainly focus on Clarke, and how she will cope with the loss of a loved one. Rothenberg explained that Clarke will not get over Lexa's death that easily. In spite of their short-lived romance, Rothenberg hoped that fans will not forget Clexa.
"My sincerest hope is that any of our fans who saw a part of themselves in the relationship between Clarke and Lexa can take some small comfort in knowing that their love was beautiful and real."
"The 100" season 3 airs Thursdays on The CW.
