When I think of Bellarke not being together after season 5 of a 13 episode/season show, I say, to quote Leo McGarry “I’ve been here before, I know the way out”
Josh and Donna, last half of season 7. 22 episodes/season
Mulder and Scully, Again last half of season 7 was the first sign of a real ship, but then things went wild (I wasn’t an XFiles fan, so someone else can wax about this)
Harm and Mac, oh God, sometimes I can’t believe this ship. First, you guys think JRoth is bad, TPTB of JAG invented shitting on the ship. Stringing fans along. Mac almost marries someone else. Catherine Bell gets pregnant, and instead of doing what was right in front of their faces, which is writing it in to say that Mac and Harm had sex the night they spent in the desert at the end of season 7, they have her do a fake pregnancy with Webb as the father. Then there was Harm’s relationship with Renee, who I don’t even know why the writers thought that was a good idea. All the while, the writers threw in these relationshippy things, the kiss in season 3 because Mac was a dead ringer for Harm’s ex-girlfriend. The baby pact in season 4 (and the cut hug!), the kiss during her engagement party! “If you need me at your wedding to make it work, maybe you should reconsider who you’re marrying!” The kiss under the mistletoe in season 7(?) --it’s been too many years. And still, it was the last episode of season 10, of mostly 24 episode seasons, before they got together. Even considering that Mac wasn’t even in season 1, and season 2 was 13 episodes, that was over 150 episodes.
So yeah, I still have hope for Bellarke. Ignore what the showrunners say, they aren’t going to give away the story. And maybe Bellarke never becomes canon, but we all know they both love each other.
Maybe my patience is better because I lived these ships in real time, but I’m willing to wait for it.
