IGN: Obviously Lexa’s choice was the big thing here, but we don’t see her make the decision. It’s a surprise reveal, so how difficult do you think this was for her to make that choice?
Rothenberg: First of all, I think Alycia [Debnam-Carey] crushed the episode. I think she did great for us all season but this past week, in particular, I just thought she was outstanding in every scene she was in. That scene in particular, she definitely showed, in her eyes, how hard that choice was for her. I ultimately don’t think it was a surprise. She’s been saying, really since we met her, that basically love is weakness and so that’s really what she upheld in that moment. She put her people first, always – [including] letting the missile fall on Tondc. I just had a long Twitter back and forth with another critic online. She didn’t understand how someone who could let the missile fall on Tondc would then do what she did in the last episode. For me, those two moments are 100% consistent. She let the missile fall on Tondc in this sort of Churchillian, very difficult moment, which was designed to allow them to win the war. Essentially, that decision [in the last episode] was also about winning the war. She won, in that moment. It wasn’t just a retreat. I think maybe she just interpreted it as a retreat as opposed to, essentially, she struck a deal with Cage. Cage offered her a chance to end the reaping forever, because they no longer need Grounder blood because they have the 44’s bone marrow, and that’ll be enough to cure them all. So the reaping is over and they’re going to have a truce. I wouldn’t say peace because peace is hard to have with someone like Cage, but certainly a truce with their greatest enemy. All it cost her was the sky people. I don’t think ultimately it was a hard choice for her to make. It was an easy decision to make. But I think emotionally, obviously, it costs her because she does care for Clarke.
IGN: Do we see Lexa in the finale or is this it for her for now?
Rothenberg: We do not see Lexa in the finale. I’m not sure that that’s a tremendous spoiler. Her story, essentially, is over. She made her choice and she’s not turning her back on that choice. She’s not going to have some sort of second thoughts and come racing back into the fray. That’s just not the way we do things. But she’s alive and she’s out there and you better believe I am already working on AMC to allow us to keep working with her because I love the character and I really do think that Alycia has been everything I wanted in that character. Negotiations are ongoing.
IGN: Negotiations are ongoing! Her story’s over this season, but there is hope for future storylines is what you’re saying?
Rothenberg: Yeah, Lexa is still in command on the ground. There will definitely be, I think as a result of what happened, huge, huge storyline ramifications going forward. Had we killed her, that would have been way less interesting. There’s so much more we can play with with her now. There are secrets out there. How is Clarke going to respond?
