Well, that was an interesting turn of events…
“Coup de Grace” and “Rubicon” are both very solid episodes that existence mostly to deliver a slow build up to big showdown at Mt. Weather. We’re all to used to seeing stories of two foes banding together as allies and storming the castle, usually with a take no prisoners attitude and vengeance in their hearts. I’m very impressed that The 100 has chose to take a realistic approach, whether the motivation be for sound storytelling or time killing to get through to the end of the season.
Yes, you’ve got to be smart if you’re going to pull off an offensive, even if time is urgent. You need an inside man to assess the situation and provide much needed intel. When we last spoke, I was freaking out about Bellamy pretty fierce. Turns out, his “inside man” plan is going pretty well. Yes, I’m still very worried that his heroics and smart thinking will all turn on him big time, but he’s giving the good guys a fighting chance so far.
But I suppose there are plenty unsung heroes in this story too, which makes it so gripping. I was so tickled to see Maya play the hero, recognizing right off the bat that the blood healing one of Mountain Men so quickly had to come from a Sky Person, not a Grounder. All she had to do was mention Jasper to Bellamy and suddenly she chose to be an accomplice in giving the insider access.
I at first wondered why it was so strange that Maya took the death of the guard trying to stop Bellamy so hard, until she mentioned they all knew one another. Then it all made sense. She may not agree with the agenda, but she cares about those around her and doesn’t want to see anyone hurt either. I don’t know if she had a plan when she took Bellamy through the preschool, but it left the impression. This is a real community. These are real people. There are innocents that don’t want to drain the life force of these newcomers and deserve a chance at life. I’m glad Bellamy sent the warning that there are children there that couldn’t be harmed. I also loved his promise to the caged female Grounder who helped him escape that he would come back for her as well. I want to see that scene.
I also loved Bellamy going to newly incarcerated President Wallace for help. I’m stunned that Wallace showed him how to do a radiation breach. He had to know it would kill some of his people while not affecting Jasper and company at all. After draining Grounders for years so they could live, what made him cross that line now? Is it because he got to know Jasper and the others and realized they were people too? Did that trigger a sudden attack of conscience? Was it truly concern about their legacy or was there something else? Even though the plot twist was rather contrived, I love that President Wallace was injected with the bone marrow and will be released outside. That means he’ll live! That means he’ll get to carry on besides Kane, Abby, Jaha, and the others. Of course this can also mean he’ll die an ugly death. You never know with this show.
Speaking of that radiation breach, that did lead to the one single most awesome moment of both of these episodes. We so wanted to see Dr. Tsing go down in a positively awful way and dammit, we got it in spades. I so thought she would get away when she crawled into that elevator gasping for air as her skin melted away, but score the win for Jasper, stopping the door from closing. The four of them standing over her as she shriveled away, throwing her “you mean a lot to us” line back in her face — just precious! That’s how you do the demise of a very despised character. I hope they have something just as grand planned for Cage.
But I’m focusing too much on Mt. Weather. So much else happened outside. I think Clarke is being setup for a big fall and I’m perfectly okay with that. Her behavior in this most recent episode shows that she’s gone way too far in the wrong direction. She’s forgotten the quality that her mother, Kane, and Jaha all have followed in their times as Chancellor, the moral element. Sacrifice is only made when there is no other option, like sending those 300 to a merciful death last season to give the others more time. What Clarke did with Lexa, fleeing from the village and leaving others behind while they knew a bomb was coming, was not rooted in morality or necessity. It was a cruel and unjustified tactic. Clarke even had the nerve to pull Abby out first, putting her mother’s life above others, including Kane and Indra! I hope this backfires on her big time, because while Abby’s tirade against her when she found out the truth was appropriate, It just wasn’t enough.
I didn’t like the whole angle that Clarke being in charge has gone to her head. She was even forcefully reminding everyone that the Grounders were on her side, so they had no choice but to do it her way. She won’t take advice from Kane or Abby and is forcing their hands, even though Kane’s delivery was pretty smooth. I know Abby has issues since Clarke is her daughter and teenagers rarely listen to their mothers, but when Kane acts rationally, providing rational advice and Clarke doesn’t listen, you know she has a fall coming. I’m dying to see it. Heck, I’m not even sure if I want Bellamy to hook up with her anymore. I was digging his spark with that caged Grounder instead. She’s going to get a big lesson in leadership from this, that is if it doesn’t get her killed. I’m hoping she comes to her senses and leaves the leadership to her mother.
The issue I have is Clarke has been shown to be a sympathetic character up to this point, but lately they’ve been taking her into territory that destroys credibility and likability. I get the reason, they want to push the character into new lows, but I do wonder if they went too far in this latest episode. I’m willing to let the rest of the season to play out to see where this is going, but I know I didn’t like it this round. To shame Clarke. I also rolled my eyes at the contrived plotting of Indra and Kane realizing before the bombing that they should be out in the woods looking for Clarke and Lexa, but hey, they’re probably alive, so I’ll take that as a hopeful sign. I hope both of them go off on Clarke for what she did if they did make it. If Kane and/or Indra dies, I’m not sure I can ever forgive her. Or, I’ll never forgive the writers. 🙂 It was bad enough losing Finn. Kane would hurt too much because quite frankly, the Ark needs his awesomeness more than anything.
Heck, even Lincoln as a reaper was showing a far better moral compass than Clarke. He was stopped by Octavia from delivering a grounder to his doom, but Lincoln was definitely struggling with his feelings within. It didn’t take much for Octavia to swing him the right way. Plus, isn’t Octavia looking awesome in her new Grounder getup? I’m like this new role of second on her, and I’m hoping Lincoln will like it too. This is a big jump for her character, and to know that Clarke was willing to let her stay behind for the bombing as well, even though Bellamy is sticking his neck out to save everyone and would be very upset if his sister was hurt, just makes her actions more wrong.
Two people who won’t go off on Clark are Jaha and Murphy, who were shown on their holy quest in “Rubicon.” Come on, admit it, Murphy is a likable guy. When he shoves away the hurt psychopath act and shows his true self, he’s a decent person underneath. Jaha sees it, and apparently the scam artist in the desert that took the team’s belongings saw it as well, giving him info on where to find the City of Light. Despite the fact that not a lot happened, at least the whole Jaha pilgrimage is moving forward and I’m taking an interest. It’s a nice break from Clarke’s so called moral dilemmas.
So all in all, the plot bunnies bounced forward, but I’m ready for it all to come together in one explosive showdown. Just no more key character deaths and no dead children scattered about, okay? Anything else is fairly on the table. Until next episode!
