Previously, Ontari made herself Commander, Clarke took the A.I. "Flame," and Lincoln got shot in the head by Pike. (RIP)
I'll be honest, my faith in The 100 had begun to waver this season. The show seemed to have lost its way, diminished its spirit, muddied up its storylines. Maybe, I wondered, we just need to accept that this kind of momentum can't be maintained. We'll always have those first two seasons, and we should be grateful for that.
And then this episode happened, and we are BACK IN THE GAME. HOLY WANHEDA, YOU GUYS. The intensity! The stakes! The action! The twists! THIS is The 100 I know and love.
THIS WEEK ON THE 100
Having escaped from Arkadia, Kane, Octavia and crew hide out in a cave, where everyone gives Bellamy the cold shoulder and Octavia gives him the cold fists. Monty's mom warns him that he has to leave the camp right away, so he makes contact with Kane, who agrees to meet him at the dropship. Suspecting (and hoping) that it's a trap, Octavia and Kane take Bellamy as their hostage and encounter Monty... being held at gunpoint by Pike. Bellamy wrestles out of Octavia's grip and tells Pike that he'll lead him to the cave where the rest of the insurgents are hiding, but PRAISE BE, he actually takes him past the blockade line, where the Grounders are patrolling. Though Octavia doesn't get the satisfaction (yet) of killing Pike, he still gets shot with an arrow and dragged off by the Grounders to be taken to Ontari, the new Commander. Kane tags along in the hopes of reestablishing Skaikru as the 13th Clan.
Speaking of Heda, Ontari and Malfoy form an unlikely partnership to secure her place as the Commander in spite of her lack of the Flame. He's basically her spin doctor, advisor and campaign manager, all rolled into one, and because he's Malfoy, it totally works. Her authority asserted to the ambassadors, Ontari chains Malfoy up in her room, but this time, the bondage is more of an S&M variety.
Back at Arkadia, Raven figures out a way to use the old wristbands (nice callback) to get ALL-E out of her head, but before she can actually get to a wristband, ALL-E inflicts a world of pain on her through horrible flashbacks, which really serve as a reminder that damn, this show is brutal. Not that we need a reminder, because next up is Raven, now possessed by ALL-E, slitting her wrists in order to force Abby to take the blue pill (or watch Raven bleed to death). Abby takes it, of course, and soon everyone is lining up for their ticket to the City of Light. Everyone, that is, except for Jasper, who tranquilizes Raven, throws her in the back of the Rover and speeds out of Arkadia by driving through the barrier, where Clarke is standing. She jumps in as Arkadians come flooding out, guns a-blazing, and manages to keep Raven in the vehicle as Jasper drives them away.
Aaaaaand then I took my first breath in, like, 15 minutes.
MOMENTS
- Kane asking Bellamy whether he betrayed Pike for his sister or because it was the right thing to do. "It matters," he says. "Until you see that, you'll still be lost." KANE HOW DID YOU BECOME THE ACTUAL BEST WHEN I USED TO HATE YOU SO? And Bellamy's face! I mean, it was both physically and emotionally to' up, and dude really needs a Clarke hug right about now.
- Pike getting arrow-ed and then handed off to the Grounders. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE APPLAUSE.
- Ontari chaining up Malfoy then taking off her clothes and using threats as foreplay. Remember when Malfoy never caught a break? Looks like he's catching something now!
- Jasper being a mothercussing HERO and getting Raven and himself out of Arkadia.
HOLY SH*T X 100
- Man, when Octavia beat the ever-loving CRAP out of Bellamy, and he let her? That was... really hard to watch. (And I mean that as a compliment to the show's power.)
- That time that ALL-E Raven SLIT HER WRISTS LIKE DAMN SHOW, CAN YOU WRITE ME A PRESCRIPTION FOR HEART MEDICINE FIRST?
- Ontari gouging that ambassador's eyes out, Game of Thrones-style.
- CLARKE!!!!!!
ARKADIAN OF THE WEEK
I can't tell you how happy I am to give Jasper this award, because the dude has come SO FAR in the last few episodes. Remember when he was a drunk, bitter asshole? Yeah, let's not. Instead, we welcome back the brave, slightly goofy guy who stole our hearts in Season One. He's older, wiser and more cynical now, to be sure, but when he blasted through that barrier wall and yelled at Clarke to get in the Rover, he had me like:
SAY WHAT
"You're dead to me." - Octavia to Bellamy. Welp, he deserves that.
"She's so much stronger than the rest of you." - The only true thing ALL-E has ever said.
"He's the enemy." - Kane's opinion of Bellamy. Welp, he deserves that too.
"My sister, my responsibility." - Bellamy, repeating his mantra to Pike and giving us all a hint that he's not actually the enemy. (THANK GOD.)
"You told me not to kill him." - Ontari.
"Next time, I'll be more specific." - Malfoy, learning the ropes of being a Flame Keeper.
"Blood must have blood." - Octavia to Bellamy after she stabs one of Pike's men like a STONE COLD BADASS.
"Oh, the things I do to survive." - Malfoy, as he's pulled into bed by Ontari.
BURNING QUESTIONS
- So, Monty's mom: the worst or THE WORST?
- I didn't think it was possible, but the City of Light (CoL) cult just got creepier, didn't it?
- Did anyone else spend the entire episode wondering WHERE IS CLARKE and then being like DANG WRITERS, YOU GOT ME when she showed up at the end? Well played, you script geniuses.
- I feel like being a "Titus" is totally Malfoy's calling. What do you think will happen between him and Ontari? And when is his girlfriend gonna show up?
- What's the appropriate length of time for Bellamy to feel guilty before Clarke can forgive him and we can get on with our shipping?
- As CoL Abby watches Clarke ride away (did that shot give anyone else chills?), she says, "Now that Arkadia has fallen, we'll move on to Stage 2." WHAT THE HELL DOES STAGE 2 MEAN? Besides NOTHING GOOD?
- And ** spoiler for the teaser for next week, so stop reading if you didn't watch the teaser **, it looks like the writers have heard our prayers and the old gang is FINALLY GETTING BACK TOGETHER. Sure, this is less of a warm and fuzzy type reunion and more of a desperate attempt to save Raven affair but I'LL TAKE WHAT I CAN GET.
What did y'all think? Were you as impressed by this episode as I was? Do you think the show is back on track? Sound off in the comments!
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