Written by Jakob Andreasen
Narrowly escaping the deadly blast of a missile, Wonkru found sanctuary in the middle of a sandstorm—not the most ideal hiding place, but it did the job. Charmaine, a true soldier at heart, knows the fight is not over and prepares herself for an oncoming war. Last week’s episode left us gasping for air, will this one have the same lasting effect?
It’s been two weeks since the last episode, a torturous amount of time, especially after ‘Shifting Sands‘ ending with an old-fashioned stare down between Octavia and Echo, and with Indra on the brink of death. Is there closure? Not for Indra.
Bunker
The unsuccessful siege of Shallow Valley forced Wonkru back to square one and the Bunker is still Wonkru’s home—they need the farm for food.
Octavia is being mended by her old pal Clarke, and Maddie in the background is idolising her favourite ‘girl under the floor’. Octavia knows better, curious as to how Maddie was able to survive six years of radiation. Clarke has obviously prepared for this exact situation and tells Octavia that she made Maddie into a Nightblood the same way she was.
The group is interrupted by Cooper. Octavia needs to show her people that she’s fine, that she’s a fighter, and that she is the leader that they need her to be. Maddie can’t help but look at Octavia as a hero and the two share a moment by grabbing each other’s arms saying, “From the ashes we will rise.” And, Clarke’s motherly instincts are tingling. #sheprotect
Octavia goes to the surface, but the grounders are avoiding eye contact with their Commander. Cooper explains that Charmaine has crippled the moral, the soil surrounding the complex is unusable, and the Hydro-farm can barely keep up. Octavia is stern in her beliefs that Wonkru will prevail, but Cooper has other ideas. She tells her leader that Wonkru isn’t united, but on the brink of a rebellion unless Octavia takes control.
Bellamy and Echo approach Octavia, after Echo wasn’t permitted to talk to her in the Bunker. But Octavia is not pleased to talk with the banished. Echo tries to thank Octavia for saving her people and is promptly shut down by the Commander—there is no Azgeda, only Wonkru and there is no place for Echo in Wonkru. Bellamy ‘Heart Eyes’ Blake defends his lover’s honour, recalling the dozens of times that Echo proved herself on the Ring. Octavia announces to the grounders of Echo’s banishment and tells Echo that she has 24 hours to leave the city or she must fight in the arena.
‘Team Diyoza’ shows up. Alarms are blaring. Grounders are running in the Bunker. But, it’s not what it seems, Charmaine has brought gifts—food and supplies—and offers sanctuary for anyone who wants to leave the camp for Shallow Valley. The only condition is to meet at her drop ship with no weapons. Will anyone betray Octavia and go to ‘Team Diyoza’?
Shallow Valley
Kane and Charmaine have sparked a new-found friendship—given that the friendship is based on their alliance. They are questioning Octavia’s control over the grounders, but Charmaine is a realist and knows that it’ll take time before anything interesting happens.
We shift to the prisoners. Graveyard and co. are keen on capturing Murphy after last week’s escape since he’s all they can think about. However, he’s hiding within the caves in the valley, which prevents his signal from showing up. When beds are brought in to the room, Graveyard is pissed that Wonkru is eventually going to overtake some of Shallow Valley and wants to end it now, by just one press on a button—using a missile to kill them all. Charmaine, honestly what would these prisoners do without her, calls to reason that none of the prisoners are farmers or engineers. Graveyard decides to compromise and wants to kill Kane, from supposedly diving the prisoners, but Charmaine stands in front of the gun to protect Kane.
In the Bunker, Octavia is discussing the possibilities of defectors with her inner circle, she knows that even though Charmaine is talking, they’re Kane’s words. Clarke, Bellamy, Monty, and Harper (who by the way has had ZERO screen time), crash the meeting and bring Octavia an idea that’ll help them get to Shallow Valley undetected. She accepts and Miller helps Monty, but Cooper is told to shoot any defectors.
Gaia and Maddie are talking with one another with Clarke’s motherly instinct tingling one again, and Maddie explains that she wasn’t born a Nightblood, but was made into one by Clarke. Gaia suspects otherwise.
And, now to the peak scene of the episode.
Blake-off
Bellamy and Octavia are having a Zuko and Azula moment. A good old-fashioned Agni Kai, except in this one there is more of a conversation going on between the two siblings, and it mostly involves Bellamy arguing Echo’s case to stay in the camp. But Octavia’s injury, both mental and physical, works against her and she loses. It’s a very intense moment between the siblings.
Talking about intense moments, let’s skip the part where directors are forcing Becho onto the viewers and after Octavia talks to the pair, telling Echo to spy for her and root out the traitors before they defect, we finally get to Murphy. He and Emori and hiding in a cave, planning their next move, which is to lure the prisoners to them and set a trap.
Shifting back to Wonkru central, Echo is approached by two grounders who want to defect as well and is told of other possible defectors. They speak of a new future and a possible chance to start a new life in Shallow Valley and Echo is clearly shocked by this since she starts to question whether or not she should out the defectors. Monty is working on his plan be undetected by ‘Team Diyoza’ when he discovers that the Firewall is too difficult to get past, not without a backdoor entrance to get it. And once again, Becho. Echo doesn’t want to turn in the defectors, she would rather be banished, and that sparks an idea in Bellamy’s head…
Nightblood
Niylah, who also has had little screen time, goes to see Clarke. The two have a heart to heart and know that they are different people after the six years as they have both found new families, Clarke with Maddie and Niylah with Wonkru. She tells Clarke of the rumours that she turned Maddie into a Nightblood, and Niylah knows that Clarke is lying. They both hear a noise and go to investigate, and it turns out to be Gaia. She knocks Niylah out, in order to protect that last true Nightblood. Gaia doesn’t let this go lightly, as all Clarke wants to do is protect Maddie from the onslaught that is Octavia, but she views Maddie now as a coincidence. #Clarkeprotect
Murphy and Emori have made their way to Rebecca’s ship, in order to remove the collar off Murphy’s neck. Honestly, these two are THE OTP, and it’s sad to see them like this. They are confessing their feelings to each other and why they broke up, when Murphy has an idea that involves the electric collar.
Bellamy’s idea is now taking form. Echo is to infiltrate ‘Team Diyoza’ under the guise that she is a defector and is to use a program that Monty created to create the back door he needs to get into ‘Team Diyoza’s’ space shuttle system. Cooper doesn’t like the idea as it’ll promote others to defect. It’s a political sacrifice, but a necessary one. Monty hides the USB that holds the program in a bracelet for easy transport. Becho has a last goodbye moment and a very awkward one at that—if you can’t tell, Becho is not my favourite ship.
Meanwhile, Clarke and Maddie discuss the possibilities of defecting or telling Octavia the truth. Clarke doesn’t want to risk her precious Maddie and wants to go to Shallow Valley except Charmaine will kill Clarke if she does. It’s a dire situation, stay and Maddie gets killed or go and Clarke gets killed, except the decision is easy for Clarke.
Found
Graveyard and co. finally find Murphy in the cave. They decide to go in together to ambush Murphy, and as Graveyard sets off the electric collar, one of the other prisoners finds it wrapped around a container filled with hydrogen. It explodes, killing them all. Emori and Murphy, in the heat of the moment, share a passionate kiss until they’re interrupted by an injured Graveyard, who is now their hostage.
It’s time. The dropship has arrived and some of Wonkru are escaping camp to make their way to it. Clarke is curious as to why Echo is defecting, and Bellamy explains the plan to Clarke. In this moment of distraction Maddie runs away from Clarke. Echo meets with the two grounders that approached her earlier and they make their way to ship, but not before one of them is shot and killed. Someone is shooting the defectors. It’s Cooper. One by one, the unlucky grounders are shot dead. Cooper is under orders to shoot them.
Maddie meets up with Octavia in the Bunker and tells her everything. Maddie swears into Wonkru with their blood becoming one. The Nightblood is under the protection of the Commander, who knows what it’s like to be the girl under the floor, and Maddie’s training begins tomorrow. All of this was to keep Clarke safe.
Bellamy confronts Octavia. No one was supposed to get killed. But she knew better. She made it look like a real defection, while still getting Echo onto the ship. All to make ‘Team Diyoza’ believe that Echo is a real defector.
The final scene. We shift to the defectors on the ship. The prisoners are taking anything of value, including necklaces and bracelets. Echo’s is taken and with it, the program. Charmaine, as a preventative measure, decides that electric collars are necessary for all the defectors.
And as all of ‘Team Diyoza’ walks away, Echo reaches into the bullet wound of a shot grounder and pulls out a USB, which has the program on it.
Until next time, which will be the June 19th. A whole two weeks without The 100, what are we going to do without it?
The next episode is called Acceptable Losses‘, which sees Clarke and Bellamy make a startling discovery about Wonkru’s battle plans as Echo risks her friendship with Raven to complete her mission.
One Comment