The 100: The Gospel of Josephine (6.05) Things of Note

Last week’s episode had more action but this episode still packed a bit of a punch. Let’s get into it!

The first (successful) “Naming”. So Gabriel is essentially responsible for everything related to the consciousness transfer! It took him 25 years to figure out that the host needed to be 21 for the the transfer to be successful. Gabriel did some unethical stuff to get there (unwilling hosts for one) and his guilt and remorse appeared to be immediate. He may have been able to push those feelings aside for a while but they likely caught up with him. Russell seemed to have concern for Brooke’s suffering and promised to find a “better and easier way”. Using a paralytic and willing hosts make up that “better and easier way”. The notion of consent might be muddied here because it appears that they achieved it by brainwashing people into thinking that being a host is an honor. They likely created the faith-based ritual of “Naming Day” to pump up the feeling of honor. The common folk of Sanctum probably don’t know the truth about how this whole thing came to be. If they do know, they were probably brainwashed into believing that it was for the greater good of Sanctum.

Dissension in the ranks. It turns out Kaylee and her family were running away because she had killed Josephine six years earlier. Much more intriguing than simply getting caught outside the shield! Anyway, Josephine had killed someone Kaylee cared about (maybe loved) named Isaac. Kaylee claims she was protecting Sanctum by killing Josephine. This is interesting because it’s the first real evidence that the other Primes have issues with the Lightbournes. I’m sure there were other things that Josephine was doing that made Kaylee decide that killing her was the only way to protect Sanctum. Josephine returned the favor and stabbed Kaylee in the neck but maybe we’ll get some information in a flashback.

Josephine is ruthless! She is willing to do whatever it takes to avoid mortality. She has zero interest in faking pleasantries with our heroes. She couldn’t even fake being horrified by what happened to Brooke! Contrast this with Russell, who’s trying to be delicate…or as delicate as you can be about wanting to body snatch people. Russell seems to have some moral standards. He balked at Josephine’s idea of starting a breeding program to churn out hosts. He somewhat cares about the people of Sanctum and how the hosts are treated. Josephine simply doesn’t care about anyone. I don’t think she was always this callous. When her consciousness was transferred into Brooke, she seemed like she was good (edit: relatively speaking). I wonder what happened between then and now that caused her to become so evil.

Tripped up by Trig. I thought it would take 3-4 episodes before someone figured out Clarke was gone! Her blank stares when Gaia spoke Trigedasleng to her were extremely telling though. That was Josephine’s first indication that pretending to be Clarke was going to be much harder than playing Vladamir in Godot. Lack of Trig fluency aside, Josephine was still failing miserably at being Clarke! Aside from writing with the wrong hand, the nonchalant reaction to finding the lab and the lack of empathy for Brooke are not Clarke-like at all. It’s almost like she is the antithesis of Clarke. I think she knew this and she took the paralytic in preparation for being found out. Her plan really took shape when she found out Abby made Clarke a nightblood and that Murphy is interested in being immortal. Murphy will “teach” Josephine how to be Clarke and with Bellamy out of the way, the others will be none the wiser. I wonder what this means for Murphy’s journey this season. On the surface, he’s just looking out for himself but maybe he’s got a plan too.

Shattered innocence. Jordan was shattered on two fronts. He experienced his first loss at the hands of other humans and he saw some of the worst of humanity. All he has known is love and to see people harm others to get what they want is tough for him. We also saw Jordan really leaning into his emotions and allowing them to drive his actions. I think the heart dominates in general for Jordan which is why he connects better with pre-Praimfaya Bellamy. Now that he has experienced this grief and sadness, where will he go from here?

Octavia and Diyoza. Xavier traps them in fish egg quicksand and Diyoza delivers some home truths to Octavia. Yes, Octavia has been leaving a path of destruction in her wake but as long as she is alive, there is hope. This pairing is working so well because Diyoza really understands Octavia and the road she’s traveling. She knows what wanting to die feels like. She knows what being hated in the nation feels like. Octavia needed to know that there was someone who was not giving up on her. It is through the conversation with Diyoza that Octavia rediscovered her will to live. Also, Diyoza continues to be all around awesome with her tactical skills! It’s amazing how she knew Xavier was coming back as soon as she threw the gun away.

Meet The Anomaly. Xavier and Diyoza were able to escape before the temporal flare hit but Octavia was too deep in the fish egg quicksand to move. She went under the quicksand but the flare managed to hit her hand, aging it. I’m wondering if the flares are different every time. This one ages people but the next one could conceivably transport someone back or forward in time.

Still there? So…how did Priya know what Delilah wanted to say to Jordan? Maybe Delilah was able to write messages to her loved ones for Priya to deliver prior to being cleared. Maybe she made it up in a feeble attempt to make Jordan feel better. Or maybe, just maybe, a piece Delilah is still in there somewhere and is able to communicate via Priya. Also, when Murphy mentioned Abby making Clarke a nightblood, I thought I saw a bit of fear in Josephine/Clarke’s face. It could have been Josephine trying to hide her glee but the fear looked genuine. Maybe Clarke was trying to break through a bit?I’m probably reaching on this but we’ll see.

Murphy’s not mean, he’s right! Murphy has been throwing a lot of truth barbs this season. The latest one, directed at Gaia, insinuated that the Conclave is not much different than Naming Day. In a way, he’s right because young nightbloods were sent to fight to the death for the honor of being commander. Similarly, the black bloods of Sanctum give themselves up at 21 for the honor of hosting the consciousness of a Prime. Faith has been used as a justification for both. I’m not entirely sure Gaia can judge on this one although things have changed since Madi became commander by virtue of existing. Murphy’s comment certainly invites some examination of the “ethics” of the Conclave.

Abby and Jackson. The scene between these two was incredible! I had made the same observation as Jackson in that Abby had traded one addiction for another. However, Abby is determined to save Kane because he is good and was the only one who tried to stop Blodreina during the Dark Year. When Jackson said he was just doing his job, she essentially calls him (and herself) a war criminal. I still think Jackson has a point because the same self hatred that drove the pill addiction is also driving her obsession with saving Kane. Just like she looked for salvation in the pills, she is looking for it in saving Kane. She hasn’t forgiven herself yet and I think that’s going to be part of her journey this season. This is also the first glimpse of Jackson really being confronted with his complicity in the events of the Dark Year. Up until now, his focus has been getting Miller through his guilt. His eclipse-induced hallucination was even centered on helping Miller. It may have been driven by a combination of putting Miller’s wellbeing above his own and avoiding his own guilt. Hearing Abby call out his complicity brings him back to himself. I hope we’ll get to see him grapple more with this.

The acting. I have to say, the acting has been phenomenal so far this season! Eliza Taylor does a spectacular job playing Josephine pretending to be Clarke. Jason Rothenberg even started a campaign to get her nominated for an Emmy. It’s almost impossible for CW shows to get those nominations which is a real shame. Anyway, Shannon Kook is the perfect person to play Jordan in both looks and acting. He really makes you feel for Jordan whether he’s happy or sad. Ashleigh LaThrop flawlessly pulls off the demeanor switch from Delilah to Priya VII. Paige Turco portrays the spiral of addiction in a believable manner. I think she deserves an Emmy nod too. Really, the entire cast is knocking it out of the park and that makes this season even better.

Other things. No new episode next week which is a bummer because the story has some momentum. Anyway, something about Blythe Ann’s facial expressions just screams brainwashed cult follower. There was a bit of sadness when she said she misses Delilah but mostly she wears this grin that is almost forced. It’s funny how we all thought that Clarke was going to get to paint and dance around. Nope, that was Josephine!

And that’s my take! Until next time!