This episode was everything I was hoping for and more! Kim Shumway did a great job with the writing and the work of all of the actors was A+. I see why it’s Eliza Taylor’s favorite and it’s my favorite so far. I even watched it 3 times! Let’s get into it!
Mind space. I really liked this concept and thought it was well executed. I loved how the spaces reflected Clarke and Josephine. Josephine’s memories are books in a large library organized using the Dewey Decimal System. Clarke’s are drawings on the wall of her Ark prison cell. Shoutout to the art department for putting that together! I liked how they started off the episode with Clarke’s dad which made it feel like she was walking into a gateway to the afterlife. It’s interesting that this space was a place she loved sharing with Madi. I’m wondering if that could actually be where Madi could seek refuge from Sheidheda and get guidance and encouragement from the other commanders to defeat him. Just a thought.
Thanks A.L.I.E. Clarke is still alive as a result of the neural mesh leftover from when she took the Flame to stop A.L.I.E. Unfortunately, that means there’s no hope for Delilah. I was hoping there would end up being a way to save her too. Sorry Jordan. Anyway, the memory of freeing Raven from A.L.I.E. using an EMP is the key to Clarke’s destruction. Can’t let Josephine have that! I can see this coming up later as a way to defeat the Primes though. An EMP would destroy the chips completely which would end the idea of immortality in that form.
Clarke’s demons. This episode backed up what we saw in Red Sun Rising in that Clarke feels like she’s the problem. She feels the weight of the decisions she made to save her people. I think she has also internalized all of barbs Raven and Murphy (and maybe Shaw to an extent) have been throwing at her. Josephine threw one at her too when she referred to Clarke shocking Madi as “child abuse dressed up as protection”. That feeds into Clarke feeling like Madi is better off without her. Irradiating Mount Weather and leaving Bellamy in the fighting pits are two of her biggest regrets. The projections from those two events (Maya and Octavia/Blodreina) had some harsh words for her. Maya pinned Jasper’s death on Clarke and Octavia/Blodreina questions whether she actually cares about Bellamy. On some level, Clarke doesn’t believe that Bellamy really forgives her and doesn’t want to face that possibility. Octavia/Blodreina is easier to face because there’s more of a distance between them. Clarke cares deeply about Bellamy and the idea that he hates her deep down is a tough pill to swallow. Other memories Clarke can’t face are kept in a lockbox at the place where she mercy killed Finn. Jasper’s googles were in that box so she hasn’t been able to come to terms with her role in his downward spiral. Her dad’s video is there too. I wonder if there’s some kind of hierarchy to this primal wound thing. The stuff that cuts the deepest is contained in the lockbox. The stuff on the outside (Lexa’s throne, the knife she used to kill Finn) is not buried as deep so she probably goes on the periphery of those things but never faces them head on. It was clever to hide the EMP memory in the lockbox but unfortunately for her, Josephine is also clever. Having to actually go to that place weakened Clarke’s resolve enough for Josephine to manipulate her into giving up the EMP memory.
Monty to the rescue. The highlight of the episode was seeing Monty again! He was not here for Clarke giving up at all! Monty represents hope and a belief in fighting for what’s right. Clarke said it herself. She doesn’t go down easy and Monty was there to remind her of that. Also, the emphasis lately has been on “do better” which has been interpreted as avoiding violence at all costs. Allowing the body snatching to go on to avoid war isn’t being the good guys (you hear that, Murphy?). Being the good guys means fighting for what’s right and this idea will probably be driving our heroes for the remainder of the season.
Timeline clue. Some time ago, I had a theory that Gabriel left Sanctum within the last 100 years. Six years ago, Josephine VII told Isaac that Gabriel’s latest host was around 95 years old. Gabriel most likely defected within the prior 74 years which would prove my theory correct. 6.o8 will probably show us the exact moment Gabriel left. I’m thinking that’s when Josephine really started pushing for oblation.
Big bad. Is Josephine the most evil antagonist The 100 has ever had? I think so. She used a baby as bait to catch Isaac funneling the people she condemned to Gabriel. A baby! Josephine will do absolutely anything to maintain her immortality and status. Kaylee killed Josephine VII because she was starting to see how problematic she was. Spending time with Isaac may have even changed her mind about the whole Prime thing. Or at least she wanted the null folks to be seen as equal to carriers and hosts. Anyway, Josephine feels like a traditional villain in that she really only cares about herself. I think she’d even kill her parents if it was the only way for her to maintain her immortality and status. Also, she did the villain thing of giving up vital information (primal wounds can induce a physical response) thinking that the hero wouldn’t care because they “gave up”. I really can’t wait to see what her downfall is like. My expectations for this are very high!
Josephine’s demon. In 250+ years of memories, there’s bound to be something Josephine can’t face. Flashback to Earth before the bombs. It’s the holiday season. Josephine had spurned a guy named Dave one too many times so he killed himself in front of her. Talk about traumatic! I don’t know if she blames herself on some level or not. She was clearly frightened and revisiting the event makes her feel vulnerable. I get the sense that Josephine views emotions as an inconvenience and anything that makes her feel them is disconcerting. She hardened herself a bit after that but I don’t think it’s solely responsible for the callous person she is right now. I wonder if it’s like Clarke’s mind space where the memories that she can’t face at all are locked away somewhere. I’m curious to see what the blanks are in her story.
From despair to hope. Clarke used morse code to inform Bellamy that she was still alive. Until he translated the code, he looked hopeless. Once he figured it out, it was a like a switch was turned on. The brief grin and then the hopeful determination was fantastic to watch! Bob Morley did a really great job with that. I’m interested to see what Bellamy’s plan will be.
Cutting room floor. Kim Shumway tweeted that the Octavia/Clarke conversation about Clarke not being able to face Bellamy in her mind space was longer. There were a few other gems that were cut for time as well. Deleted scenes would be great but what I would really love is an extended version of the episode. That would be a fantastic DVD extra! It would be a great thing to screen at a con as well. Also, they had planned for Wells to return but the scheduling didn’t work out. That’s really too bad because Wells was important to Clarke.
Other Things. Nice to see you again, Miller! I loved the glare he gave Josephine/Clarke as he and Bellamy were walking out. Miller is ready to fight somebody! Josephine saying “We’re back bitches” made me chuckle. I thought it was interesting when Josephine brought in a projection of Russell VII to try to chase down Clarke. I thought it would have been OG Russell but Clarke has never seen him so I guess it makes sense. Having 102 (The 100 + Bellamy and Raven) be the combination to the lockbox was a nice touch too.
That’s all folks! Until next time!