The 100: From the Ashes (7.01) Things of Note

New world, same problems is right! Let’s jump in!

Where is Bellamy? The episode picks up right where season 6 left off with Bellamy crying for Octavia. An invisible force knocked him down and dragged him towards the Anomaly. I think he might be used as a bargaining chip to get Octavia to do something. The invisible soldiers could also be taking him for general questioning. Either way, it looks like we won’t be seeing Bellamy for quite a while. Bob Morley wanted some time off which necessitated this plot point. He’s been very public about his battle with depression so I wouldn’t be surprised if that had something to do with it. Whatever the reason, Bellamy is sorely missed by fans.

Trust Bellamy. Hope lost all her memories when the Anomaly receded. After punching Gabriel in the throat and running off, something started poking her arm from within. She pulled out a scroll with a note that says “Trust Bellamy”. Hope wouldn’t need that note unless she knew she would lose her memory. She may have seen Octavia come back with memory loss after attempting to get back to Bellamy. It’s also possible that she and Octavia are working with someone with knowledge of the Anomaly. It looks like we’ll find out more next episode.

Playing house. The scenes at the farmhouse felt so odd to me! The picnic on the lawn was somber yet a bit peaceful. There was a bit of calm in the air. Jackson thought it was odd too in that Murphy was there. The way he sees it, Murphy contributed to Abby’s death and he couldn’t just sit and pretend like everything was fine. Contrast that with Clarke who is pretending that everything is fine. In a way, the farmhouse is an escape for her. It gives the illusion of a somewhat normal life for her and Madi. She even wanted to establish a routine for them all. Clarke coming home late was actually reminded me of a normal (pre-Coronavirus) scenario for working families.

Indra and Gaia. This episode gave us a little more insight into Indra and Gaia’s estrangement. When Gaia’s father died, she wasn’t allowed to grieve. Crying was forbidden because Indra saw it as a sign of weakness and they were at war at the time. I think this event left a deep impression on Gaia. It’s not clear how young she was but she may have decided that she didn’t want to be a warrior after that. In becoming a flamekeeper, she would be a listening ear and maybe a shoulder to cry on. She never got those things so maybe she was called to be those things to others. Even without the flame, she is taking on that role with Madi. Indra is a more logical and tactical person and she expected her daughter to be the same. It’s hard for some parents to accept that their kids are not going to follow in their footsteps. I think Indra’s still struggling with that even though it’s been 125+ years (chronologically).

Ghosts of the past. Gabriel was in no mood to see Josephine (or Eduardo, or Xavier?) so he inhaled his antitoxin. Before Echo and Hope could get their doses, the invisible soldiers showed up. Echo saw Roan and the real Echo. Roan’s statements about Echo being a good spy and having no one to follow were a continuation of her hallucinations from the last red sun. Echo still struggles with her past deeds, particularly those that were against Bellamy. I think she does love him but is afraid that telling him who she really is will drive him away. He’ll think that it’s all been a lie. Hope’s hallucination was more of a memory. Octavia was telling her to be quiet and to not come out until it’s safe. I’m guessing that the invisible soldiers were coming to kill her. They probably wanted her dead from the day she was born. The reason why remains to be seen. Madi was also seeing ghosts…sort of. She spent her school day drawing the other commander’s memories. I think those memories were imprinted in her mind when Raven removed The Flame. In a way, the Flame lives on through Madi.

Rendition to Bardo? The invisible soldiers had scanners in their helmets with their orders loaded. Hope was to be killed on sight. Gabriel and Echo, however, were to be kept alive and “renditioned” to Bardo. They probably think Echo and Gabriel have information that they need for this “last war”. I have so many questions! Is Bardo where they’re taking Bellamy? Is Octavia there? Did they learn about Bellamy, Echo, and Gabriel through Octavia? Apparently, Bardo is a planet with unbreathable air. Why would they send people to a planet with no breathable atmosphere if they want them for questioning? I’m thinking that they found a way to create an atmosphere and built a base of operations there. They probably control the Anomaly (!) from there too. The suits from the soldiers might block the memory loss that Hope and Octavia experienced.

All together now. When Echo made a mad dash for the Anomaly, Gabriel stopped her, stating that they’d be separated by months if they didn’t go in at the same moment. That likely happened with Octavia and Diyoza because they went in seconds apart. How could Gabriel have known that though? He may have figured that out while he was studying it from his camp. I doubt it as the Anomaly seems to defy conventional rules. Octavia had no memory of what happened when she went in so she didn’t tell him. Therefore, I think Gabriel has been in the Anomaly before. Earlier in the episode, Russell indirectly told Jordan that Sanctum was built around the Anomaly. It’s possible that Russell and Gabriel were studying the Anomaly, went in together, then got “separated by months”. Being near the Anomaly and intending to go in may have triggered that memory for Gabriel. A similar thing happened with Octavia. When the Anomaly ramped up and Hope showed up, she seemed to remember everything. Just a thought.

Hold it in until you can’t anymore. Clarke spent most of the episode downplaying her grief. She threw herself into trying to rebuilding Sanctum. Indra approves. There’s no time for tears. She seemed to be holding it together, diffusing tension and resisting the urge to kill Russell. She brushes off Madi’s attempt to relate to her. The floodgates opened when Russell gave her Abby’s clothes and wedding ring. Clarke took all that anger and grief she was holding in and unleashed it on Russell in a torrent of punches. In the process, the palace catches fire. She was very close to shooting Russell in the head but opted to hit him with the gun instead. As the palace burned, Clarke stood on the balcony and proclaimed that Russell would die the next day. Music to the Children of Gabriel’s ears! The Adjusters wanted nothing to do with Jordan after that. So much for him being a bridge between them and Earthkru.

You want Russell gone? Russell’s gone! Sheidheda took over Russell as I predicted. Last season, Sheidheda and Russell looked to be starting an alliance. Russell may have explained how his mind drive works. Armed with that information, Sheidheda must have found a way to upload onto Russell’s mind drive as Raven was attempting to delete the code. The pistol whoppin’ from Clarke likely prompted the Sheidheda code to be executed, overwriting Russell’s mind space. Sheidheda kills Russell’s consciousness and assumes his identity. It was funny how Sheidheda admired Russell’s current body like Josephine admired Clarke’s. Is this the last we’ve seen of Russell? All signs point to yes. Under other circumstances (read: Josephine in Clarke’s mind when they first met), Russell’s consciousness would be backed up on the mind drive and rebooted. Sheidheda’s code probably prevents that back up from happening so Russell’s death in the mind space is likely permanent. We never know though. There may be a way to recover Russell’s code. Or, Sheidheda might be able to access other mind drives. That could get interesting.

Other things. Blythe Ann and Jae survived! Based on the trailer and Russell being gone, it looks like the believers are going to end it all by fire. The problem James told Raven about is going to be the center of the hard choice she’ll have to make. She’ll have a new appreciation of the difficult choices Clarke has had to make over the years. It might bring them closer together. Indra had some great lines in this episode, especially “One of us needs to represent the commander. And I’m hungry”. Jordan has one foot in with Earthkru and one foot in with the Sanctum folks. The guy wants to connect with someone so badly, he even tries a bit with Russell. It’s the beginning of the end and this ride will not be smooth!

Until next time!