Last week’s episode really got the wheels turning! I’ve already posed a couple of these on Twitter but I’m expanding upon them here.
Ryker is also a mole…or at least a low-key dissenter. He’s not that interested in being a Prime and he was in no rush to get to the Naming even though it was his mom’s return. Ryker probably goes along with all of this because of his mom. I think he has reservations about the whole thing and would be willing to help out Raven if she asks him to help get Clarke back. He might even try to get his mother on board. I went back and watched the first part of 6.02 on a whim and it appears that Ryker was the kid Gabriel was telling to run when original Russell was on his eclipse-induced rampage. Gabriel might have protected Ryker and developed a bond with him during that first eclipse. Because of this, Ryker might feel some loyalty to Gabriel. Original Russell also killed his mom so he likely has feelings about that. He might be the perfect mole because he’s in the inner circle and he has the consciousness of a preteen. No one would suspect him! If he is a mole, then he was probably essential to getting Cillian established as Sanctum’s doctor if he came from the outside.
Gabriel leaving Sanctum was relatively recent. I think Sanctum was well established by the time Gabriel defected. I didn’t comment on this in the recap but Russell VII said that Gabriel perfected the clearing serum they used on Clarke. One of my theories last week was that Gabriel helped make this consciousness transfer possible. Win for me! Anyway, Gabriel probably participated in more than a few Naming Days before realizing that it was wrong. My thinking is that he left within the last 100 years or so.
The old man is Gabriel. Russell mentioned to Simone that they didn’t know whether Gabriel was still alive or not. This may be a hint that he actually is. One of the scripts the writers posted mentioned that Gabriel was missing among the photos of the Primes. This makes me think Gabriel was a Prime before he became the “demon who thinks he can walk on water”. Gabriel might have had a host or two before deciding that immortality isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Then there’s The Anomaly. In a sneak peak for the upcoming episode, Bellamy and Murphy are looking at a map with an area labeled “Temporal Anomaly”. Gabriel may have been trapped in this area for a period of time during which he did not age. Only after finding his way out did he start to age. Or he could have left Sanctum even more recently than 100 years ago and the Anomaly actually accelerated his aging.
Clarke’s consciousness wasn’t totally erased. I think the clearing was imperfect. Clarke’s body may have reacted differently to the serum so she might be in small corner of her mind while Josephine is in control. In the very first trailer for this season, we see Bellamy choking Russell while Murphy and Clarke (/Josephine?) standing by. I’m not sure Josephine would just stand by and let someone choke her dad. I’m thinking that Clarke will occasionally regain control which could explain why she’s just standing there while Bellamy chokes Russell. It’s also possible that this scene happens after they save Clarke but I doubt it. It would actually be cool to see Clarke and Josephine in a mind battle for control!
And that’s my take! This upcoming episode is sure to be a doozy!