Now officially firing on all cylinders, The 100 is moving into one of its meatiest stories yet. I, for one, am very excited to see how this story continues to unfold.
This week on The 100, Bellamy and Lincoln’s mission hits a few speed bumps. Jaha and Murphy form an unlikely bond. Clarke and Lexa escape one of their greatest dangers yet, and Octavia is made an offer that she can’t refuse from an unlikely source.
One of The 100’s greatest strengths is that it never has only one thing going on. Sure, the budding alliance between the Grounders and the Sky People is a MAJOR story, and a gripping one at that, but the show does a really great job of keeping other things going. I found the subplot involving Jaha and Murphy to be one of the more compelling character pairings this show has put forth thus far. I never realized just how similar the characters were, but the two make for an interesting pair. Murphy was accused of (and hanged for) killing Wells, Jaha’s son, and Jaha seems to recognize the same moral gray areas that Murphy has represented for so long. Murphy is actually one of my favorite characters on the show, because he’s a jerk, but he obviously has a moral compass and is worthy of redemption (Former) Chancellor Jaha brings a nice complement to him. The way that Jaha deals with people and his optimistic world view are completely different from Murphy, but they have enough similarities to make for a compelling story. Richard Harmon and Isaiah Washington are both fantastic actors, and it really showed here.
Odd couple pairings ruled the evening, so let’s drop in next on Octavia, who agreed to become Indra’s apprentice. Yes. You read that right. The Grounders and Sky People were training for their impending war, and Octavia wanted a piece. I mean, she got her butt whooped, but she showed a lot of potential and heart. Of all people, INDRA is the one to see something special in her, and take her on as an apprentice. I’m not sure they are going to give her ulterior motives in doing this, but it’s possible. Otherwise, they could be humanizing Indra, which I think is a wise move. Adina Porter (The Newsroom) is a wonderful actress and brings a very gritty take on Indra, which I’ve loved so far. I’ve also not been silent about Marie Avgeropoulos’ increasingly excellent turn as Octavia Blake. Indra and Octavia don’t go together in many ways, but they have both shown exponential growth as characters from their first episodes to now.
Perhaps the most compelling odd couple of the night was that of Lincoln and Bellamy. This show has a way of turning your enemy into your partner. Lincoln and Bellamy were the original enemies. Bellamy tortured Lincoln in the drop ship in Season 1, and has continually been wary of him, given his relationship with Octavia. I originally shared Bellamy’s skepticism, but ultimately have grown to love Lincoln as a character. As a Grounder turned Sky Person, he brings an interesting element to bridge the gap between the two worlds. Lincoln ultimately took a pretty big dive to get Bellamy inside Mt. Weather, and I’m really interested to see how that all turns out. Octavia surely won’t be happy, but Lincoln knew (and I agree) that was the only way to get Bellamy inside. Really great work done here by Ricky Whittle and Bob Morley.
Finally, Clarke and Lexa’s pairing did a lot for the series as a whole. Not only did it strengthen the bond between the two leaders, but introduced some really interesting threats out there aside from Mt. Weather. Everyone in this episode raised the question,”What happens after Mt. Weather?”; however, the Sky People and Grounders may have to stay together to fight even bigger threats. Like…giant Gorillas! I was pretty sure there had to be bigger threats out there than other people who survived the nuclear holocaust, but I’m glad we finally caught a glimpse of that. Really excited to see where that takes us!
Ultimately, this is another strong episode in the books for The 100. I’m just as compelled as always after a new episode, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. What’s going on inside the mountain? Will Bellamy succeed or fail? Where will Jaha and Murphy’s journey lead? What becomes of Lincoln? I’m dying to know the answers to all of these questions!
What did you guys think? Are you enjoying this show as much as I am!? Let us know!
[Photo via The CW]
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