The 100: The Stranger (7.12) Things of Note

This was a good one! Blythe Ann Johnson did a bang-up job writing her first episode of television. I have a ton of notes so let’s jump in!

Welcome to Sheidsanctum

Death is life. Sheidheda was calling groups in to kneel before him like he was running the DMV. Murphy and Emori were up first. Sheidguard had already taken the liberty of moving their stuff out of the palace. Sheidheda gets the palace and the farmhouse. I can’t imagine what he’s going to do with that farmhouse! Emori suggested she and Murphy take the machine shop. Sheidheda was cool with it once Murphy pointed out that they’d need Emori’s skills to run the reactor. The Eligius Prisoners and the Children of Gabriel were up next. Once Nikki confirmed what she already knew, she and the Eligius Prisoners kneeled. Now, how about Nelson and the COG? Nelson declared that his name was Sachin and that he wouldn’t kneel. In spite of the rejection from his dad, his mom still loved him. In a way, claiming Sachin as his name was a way to honor her. The rest of the COG agreed not to kneel and Sheidheda cut them down with a machine gun. He left Sachin alive and gave him one more chance to kneel. Sachin refused again, declaring “Death is Life”. Sheidheda killed him with a single shot to the head. RIP Sachin and the Children of Gabriel. Better to die free than to live under the rule of a tyrannical false god. The COG stood by their principles to the very end. I wonder how Gabriel is going to feel especially since he wasn’t exactly on good terms with them when he left.

Sole survivor. As Indra was helping clear bodies post-COG massacre, she noticed that Madi’s friend, Luca, was still alive. She told him to play dead, put him in a wheelbarrow, and wheeled him to the machine shop. Murphy agreed to protect him and took him to Emori inside the reactor. Madi was immediately worried when he saw him. Emori advised her not to force him to talk. Madi should just be there for him. Later, Luca was so traumatized that he couldn’t eat. In a show of solidarity, Madi declared that she and a couple of the Faithful kids wouldn’t eat either. She told them about her experiences during and after Praimafaya. The fire had jumped over Shallow Valley but the radiation did not. She lost her parents and her entire clan. Clarke helped her through the loss. In so many words, she offered to help Luca in the same way. That got him to eat. These kids have been through it! Most are orphans and have seen more violence in the past week or two than they have in their entire lives. Seriously, they’re going to need long term therapy with Dr. Jackson after this is over.

A cockroach we can believe in. I keep saying it but Murphy has come such a long way. Season 1 Murphy wouldn’t dream of putting himself on the line for anyone! He was not the kind of person people looked to for protection, reassurance, and leadership. No one would have had confidence in season 1 Murphy. Now, Jeremiah and the rest of the Faithful trust in Murphy. They believe in him even though he deceived them. Trey still seems skeptical but what other option does he have. Both Emori and Indra told Murphy they were proud of him. Murphy’s selflessness is a turnon for Emori. Also, he may have reached Nikki. He thought Hatch would have only pretended to work for Sheidheda. Murphy pointed out the pipe he and Hatch welded. Even though Hatch knew he was going to die, he still finished the job to save Nikki. Neither one of them wants to see his sacrifice be in vain so Nikki stopped screaming. Maybe she’ll work with Murphy now.

Stalemate. Sheidheda doesn’t trust Indra so he had Nikki follow her. Nikki told Murphy that Indra sent her but he saw right through it. She pulled a gun on Murphy and forced him to open the reactor door. Luckily, Emori was ready and she knocked Nikki out and tied her up. Knight had Nikki followed which he gleefully relayed to Sheidheda. It seemed like he wanted a prize for that. On that note, Sheidheda, Sheidguard, and Indra made their way to the machine shop. Murphy told them that Emori had gone for a walk but Sheidheda didn’t buy it. He told Murphy that he would let him and Emori live if he opened the reactor door. Emori threatened to blow the reactor if Sheidheda harmed Murphy or they try to come in. Although that put them at a stalemate, Sheidheda made the move to take Murphy hostage. He still likes Murphy too much to kill him so he took him as his chess partner. For now. A few of the Sheidguard were tasked with waiting out Emori and the Faithful.

Meanwhile, on Bardo…

Meeting with The Shepherd. Cadogan is mad! The Last War was nigh but now it’s back to entering codes at random. Cadogan was aware that Becca was able to hear the stone. I guess he wasn’t smart enough to figure out a way to listen to the stone with Bardoan technology. Anyway, Gabriel was in the doghouse because he let Cadogan think that Clarke still had The Flame in her head. Cadogan had invited Bellamy for broth in the Stone Room. No Hipster Millennial Dream Meal^TM for Bellamy! Maybe broth is what the Disciples usually eat. Anyway, Bellamy asked Cadogan if he and Anders were close. Close? That’s rich. Cadogan usually meets the First Disciple just once. The Key had landed (or so they thought) so he met Anders twice. Cadogan surmised that Bellamy was checking to see if he practices what he preaches. He went on to say that Clarke and co must pay for their crimes. So much for the Shepherd’s mercy! Bellamy suggested that they could use Bardoan technology to fix The Flame. Cadogan inferred that Bellamy would be willing to help if he didn’t hurt Clarke and co. He went on to say that Bellamy reminded him of Reese. I can see it! Reese was torn about doing his father’s bidding. Bellamy is torn about embracing this new path at the expense of his sister and friends. He had that same look in his eyes that Reese had when he executed Becca. Cadogan agreed to absolve Clarke and co if The Flame can be repaired and it contains the code for the Last War.

In too deep. Bellamy’s first stop was Raven and Echo’s cell. Raven was ticked that Bellamy sold them out. Echo was heartbroken. He told them they would be executed if they didn’t find the Flame. Bellamy begged Raven to tell him where it is. She truly doesn’t know but she wouldn’t give up the information anyway. Off to M-Cap then. Bellamy didn’t even refer to Raven by her name when he told the guards to take her! Once Raven was gone, Echo poured her heart out to Bellamy. She told him how she trained to pass as a Disciple and then became one to save and then avenge him. Echo asked him if “this thing” was more important than her, Octavia, Clarke, and the others. When he said yes, I felt the hurt and the angst! Echo was hurt because Bellamy had just told her that he valued transcendence more than her (and the others). Bellamy was feeling angst because while he truly believes in this thing, he doesn’t like hurting his family and friends. He was also hurt because they don’t share his belief. He wants them to take the journey with him. Anyway, Bellamy’s next stop was Clarke and Octavia. They were also ticked. Bellamy told them about his spiritual awakening in the cave, mentioning his mom for Octavia’s benefit. Winning the Last War means becoming the “light”. Octavia let him know that losing meant becoming crystal, like Medusa turning people into stone. I liked that nod to the myths they grew up reading. Bellamy brought up the City of Light and the Primes in an attempt to show them that it’s not as crazy as it sounds. Clarke remained adamant that fighting a war to become the “light” was as ridiculous as his outfit. Bellamy begged her to tell him where the Flame is but she refused to help Cadogan in any way. Bellamy can go float himself with that noise! He decided to try M-Cap as, in his mind, a last-ditch effort to save them.

Jordan comforts Hope. Hope was obviously destroyed by Diyoza’s death especially given the role she played in it. She was crying on her mattress when Jordan suggested that talking about her pain would help. Hope responded by pointing out that they aren’t friends. Jordan saw a connection point. Both of them grew up with just two other people around. They both aren’t really friends with the people they know through the stories they heard growing up. Hope did spend five years with Echo and Gabriel so she does have some sort of bond with them. Anyway, Hope told Jordan about Diyoza and Octavia getting taken when she was 10. She told him how Dev raised her and that he died because she was afraid to kill. She didn’t make that mistake again until her actions got Diyoza killed. Jordan told her that Diyoza died a hero but that wasn’t why she saved everyone. We can say what we want about Jordan and his social awkwardness but the dude is insightful! He knew Diyoza did what she did to save Hope’s soul. Once he said it, the floodgates opened for Hope! She broke down and Jordan held her while she cried. This scene was beautifully written and acted. It just hit all the right emotional notes! I also liked the moment between Clarke and Octavia. Octavia’s experience with Hope helped her to understand Clarke’s actions to protect Madi. I would love to see Hope and Jordan build a friendship. Their experiences may not be exactly the same but they would understand each other like no one else would. I’ve seen people start to ship them but I think that’s gonna be a hard “no” for me.

Enough of this. Clarke was fighting M-Cap hard which prevented Shoana from establishing the neural link. The power was turned up pretty high compared to what Levitt was using on Octavia. Clarke was dangerously close to a brain hemorrhage when Cadogan ended the session. He was done wasting time so he announced that the first of her friends would be sent to Penance. Upon hearing that, Clarke agreed to take him to The Flame if her friends were safe. Cadogan was counting on that. Why didn’t he make that threat right out the gate? Was he testing Bellamy? In the Stone Room, the others were restrained, apparently waiting to go to Penance. Cadogan emphasized his trust issues regarding Clarke but agreed to remove the restraints. Can’t blame him for that. He opened the bridge and the others were sent through one at a time. Well, everyone except Raven and Gabriel. When Cadogan closed the bridge, Raven figured out that he didn’t send the others to Sanctum. It’s true that he never said he’d send them back to Sanctum! Cadogan kept Raven and Gabriel because of their intelligence and their knowledge of the stone. Otherwise, they’d figure out how to get back before the Last War can begin. It seems like Cadogan’s goodwill will return once he gets the code. He offered Clarke, Raven, and Gabriel the option of fighting with the Disciples once the Last War starts. Even if they opt-out, Cadogan will still save them because he’s doing it “for all mankind”. I loved the looks Gabriel and Raven were exchanging as Cadogan was saying all of this! They both think the whole thing is absurd.

Where are Octavia and co? I think it’s safe to eliminate Penance. It’s going to take more than a few seconds to get the Flame on Sanctum. I doubt Octavia and co are going to be 10+ years older when they return. I’d take Nakara and Etherea out of the running too. Both of those places are fairly dangerous because of where the stone is located. So, unless there’s a code for limbo, they are most likely on the last planet on the map. Gaia is probably there too. Chances are, that planet is Earth. It seems like the show is heading back that way. I have a hole to poke in that though. How does Cadogan know if it’s survivable? Unless the Disciples have been keeping tabs on it, there’s no way he would know. Also, he seemed all set to abandon it when he led Second Dawn through the bridge. At the same, it’s a little late in the game to introduce a whole new planet. I don’t know. Maybe they are on Nakara or Etherea after all.

Is there a way back for Bellamy? This episode has raised some questions about where Bellamy’s story will end. He’s all in with this transcendence stuff. He even betrayed his friends for it! The hurt and the heartbreak were palpable! Bellamy has been on the “wrong” side before but this time feels different. He believes in transcendence on a deep spiritual level which is harder to untangle. His betrayal cut deep so his relationships may be beyond repair. It would be an interesting twist if he sticks with Cadogan. If he does break with Cadogan, the trust with Clarke, Octavia, Echo, and the others isn’t going to be there. Murphy, of all people, could be the one to bridge that gap. For some reason, a small part of me thinks Bellamy isn’t gonna make it. If that’s the case, I see one of two scenarios. Either he sacrifices himself to save Clarke, Octavia, and/or Echo or one of them takes him out to stop him. Maybe neither of these will play out if I’m right about the groups coming together for the Last War. They may have to get Cadogan and Sheidheda out of the way first.

Finally, Sanctum Meets Bardo!

The moment I have been waiting for has arrived. The Sanctum and Bardo storylines have converged! It started when Knight showed Sheidheda Madi’s drawing of the Anomaly Stone. Indra’s search party had seen it when they went looking for Clarke and co. Sheidheda said that he saw it when he had the Flame. Later, Knight arranged for the Anomaly Stone to be brought to the palace. Sheidheda is suddenly interested in the Anomaly Stone. Then, while Sheidheda and Sheidguard were partying it up, Cadogan, Doucette, Bellamy, Gabriel, Raven, and Clarke came through the bridge. Sheidheda looked kind of excited to see Clarke. This is about to get really interesting! I can’t wait to see Cadogan and Sheidheda interact. Will they work together? It would be a crazy plot twist if they can’t fix the Flame and Sheidheda is the one who knows the code.

Random Things

The tyrant slouch. I find it funny that Sheidheda slouches when he sits on his bone throne. I guess he’s relaxed because he thinks he has everything under control. I would think sitting up straight would look more intimidating. Those skulls can’t be comfortable though.

Levitt out, Doucette in. It appears that Cadogan has cut Levitt out of the project for good. Doucette managed to turn Bellamy so he’s in the inner circle now. My thought is that Levitt is going to help Octavia and co get back from wherever they are. I wonder if Hope’s code could come into play here. Levitt could conceivably go back to the machine he used to generate the code, look it up, and pull her back to Bardo. The conductor is able to see what the outbound planet is so he could figure out where they are from there. He also might have slipped Octavia some information about how the stone works. Or…I have a crazy theory that he’s already where Octavia and co are!

No love for Reese. When Cadogan theorized that Callie ended up killing Reese, he was very nonchalant about it. No emotion whatsoever. However, when talking about Callie, he was more wistful. There was love there. As if it wasn’t clear enough that Cadogan favored Callie over Reese! Poor Reese was never going to win his father’s approval. We probably won’t know exactly what happened unless the prequel gets picked up. I’m willing to bet that it wasn’t as simple as Cadogan thinks.

Is there a baby in Emori and Murphy’s future? I’ve seen this theory kicked around a bit and I’m starting to get behind it. Despite all the chaos, they have been doing the deed quite a bit. We’ve seen them act as parental figures to Madi and the Sanctum kids. Murphy also made a comment about seeing Emori as a kid. Could these things be clues to what’s to come for these two once it’s all said and done? Maybe. If it’s going to happen for anyone, they would make the most sense. I think they’d make great parents.

Blood Giant (7.13). Red Sun! I called it off the title! Prize for me! No wonder Cadogan is in such a hurry to get The Flame and bounce. I’m interested to see what happens if Murphy is exposed because he was immune last time. Indra is swinging a sword in the promo. Is that her under the influence of the toxin or is she killing Sheidheda?

About that no-break thing…

Jason Rothenberg: No more breaks. Ever.

Fans:

The CW:

We have another three-week break! This always happens when things are about to take off! I guess the last four episodes have to get The CW through the end of September.

That’s it! Until next time!