An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind. But I guess if you're already blinded by vengeance and hate, it doesn't really matter.
Lexa defended the actions of the ambassadors by saying that they were only doing what they thought was best for their people. Just like Clarke does. It's the common theme in The 100 and it was heavily displayed this week. Everyone is doing what they think is best, but it often conflicts with the actions of someone else and not everyone can be right.
Over in Polis:
Don't you love being surprised? When it was made clear that Queen Nia was aiming for war against Lexa, I figured it surely meant more of the same type of war tactics that we saw in season one. Nope. Her plan was much more complicated and nefarious. When Nia called for the challenge against Lexa, I figured it would be a trial of some kind. Nope, a fight to the death, naturally. Then it came time to pick fighters, and I thought Clarke, as the commander of death, was about to be thrown in the ring. Wrong, wrong, wrong. And that was all in the first five minutes of this episode. Brilliant.
The animosity between Roan and his mother was so understated that you may have missed it. Or not. Geez Louise, I half expected one of them to go for the other's throat right there. Not to mention her motherly advice while he was losing the fight to the death that she volunteered him for. With a mother like that, who needs enemies? There is a twisted part of me that is sad we won't get the see more of that relationship play out.
Sparks were flying when Lexa came to Clarke's room for the pajama party at the end. There is obviously still something between them, but Clarke never offered to take Lexa's place and I kept expecting that she would (not that I think Lexa would let her). She begged to take Finn's place when he was about to be killed and she swore to Roan she would stop fighting for her freedom in exchange for Bellamy's life.
Have you ever played light as a feather, stiff as a board? |
Meanwhile, at Arkadia:
Let's talk about Bellamy. I hate to see him hurting. I hate it even more watching him slide into such a Finn-like violence first, questions later haze. Stupidity like that hasn't proven to end well on this show. It isn't hard to follow the logic. Pike, his farm station newbies and Bellamy are angry. They've lost family and friends in bloody, horrible circumstances. Watched loved ones suffer. It's normal, rational even, to want someone to pay for those losses. I wonder how they'd feel if they'd known that Lexa killed the queen that ordered it. Would that thirst for vengeance be quenched? Can it ever be?
We finally got the democratic vote we were promised. Not only did it happen off camera, but Abby and Kane are both out. I can't see why they'd elect Pike, though. He lost more than half the people he landed with by doing things his way. I wonder what role Kane will have now. Abby will go back to being a doctor, but I doubt Pike is going to let Kane resume his place as second in command. In any event, the change in leadership styles is bound to throw a wrench in basically everything that the Arkadians have been working towards.
If you want more war and a reaffirmed target on your back, vote Pike. Pike is always right. |
And the dropship:
Leaving a hole in the wall seems like a bad move when the Ice Nation is hellbent on killing everyone in the camp, no? We've come to expect this kind of destructive behavior from Jasper this season, but come on Monty – you know better. At least patch it up behind you.
Jasper stole Finn's ashes to punish Clarke for Maya being dead. He spewed hateful words in Monty's face and even said that Monty's friend died the day everyone in the mountain died. I feel like my heart should've been breaking for Jasper. You could almost see the pain rolling off of him, but I mostly only felt bad for Monty. In the final bit, where Jasper fell down and Finn spilled out on the ground, I cringed. I think I cringed for all the parts of it, though. How disrespectful it is to steal someone's ashes and then the heartbreak of losing them forever, for the loss of the Jasper we came to love, the (hopefully not permanent) death of a friendship, Monty having to defend his decision to save his friend. Cringe worthy. All of it.
I liked going back to where it all started and seeing the home of the original 100. Even if it was for a very sad exchange between ex-besties.
Bits and pieces
People still refer to Clarke as Wanheda. As a commander.
Billie made a good point in the comments last week about hair being distracting on this show. I kept wondering where they get all the bobby pins/hair ties/hair spray they need to keep their braids in place. Someone must have had the foresight to hoard them before the apocalypse.
Good Christmas on a cracker!! Did Miller find his boyfriend?!?!?! He had lines and everything.
I laughed when I realized they managed to set up a bar situation inside Arkadia. Priorities, you know?
I'm not keen on Lexa dying. I like her, sometimes. But I would like to see what it looks like when her soul chooses the next commander.
Clarke spent most of this episode trying, unsuccessfully, to keep Lexa from fighting. She even attempted to take Nia's life after Roan urged her to. Bellamy got manipulated into arming Pike's band of merry murderers to kill peacekeeping grounders. I wonder how far he will go down this hole before he realizes the mistake he made. Our two former co-leaders aren't doing as much leading as they used to. In fact, they're being led around by almost everyone around them. It's not my favorite look for either of them.
I hope someone is able to get out and warn Indra about Pike's plan. I really don't want to see Indra killed. My money's on Octavia.
Lexa: "What are the three pillars of being commander?"
Kid 1: "Wisdom."
Kid 2: "Compassion."
Kid 3: "And strength."
Clarke: "I'm sorry if I'm worried if the fate of my people lies in the hands of a child."
Clarke and her friends were considered incapable children, too, when they were first sent to earth.
Nia: "If you won't fight for your mother, or your queen, fight for your clan. I want her head."
Roan: "Is that death I hear stalking me or just the commander of death?"
Love that the show continues to surprise me. I don't really enjoy the Jasper and Monty storyline. But I do feel it's necessary. Else we'd be downplaying everything that happened in Mount Weather. And Jasper actually has the most human reaction of all. He's broken.
ReplyDeleteI totally get why Clarke didn't volunteer to take Lexa's place. She may have toughened up since the landing but Roan has been fighting his entire life. He'd have made mincemeat out of her.
ReplyDeleteAs for why Pike won? Emotion is stronger than reason.
Pike is clearly the Donald Trump of Arkadia. He won, but it makes no sense why anyone would vote him. How could Kane lose everyone that quickly?
ReplyDeleteOh, Jasper. Please get over it! And Bellamy, how you disappointed me, when I usually love you so.
It was an odd episode - the Polis storyline was amazing and filled in some backstory (Nia has a Nightblood of her own? And there are literally special potential commander heir children being born with black blood? That's not exactly a radiation side effect surely?)
ReplyDeleteBut the Arkadia plot just made me want to fast forward until they stopped being idiots - Bellamy is possibly the worst of the lot, as he was actually there last time someone decided to go shoot up some Grounders with automatic weapons (Finn? Remember Finn, guys? Did not end well, and you had guns that time too). At least Pike doesn't have the background information all the previous characters have lived through,but that should be more reason for Abby and Kane to be smarter in damage limitation (and Bellamy. Seriously Bellamy is about to betray Octavia's trust over this again?). And either something odd is going on or they have a good reason for skipping a key election scene and just showing the aftermath? I can't for a second believe they're not going to warn Indra and her troops (especially as everyone involved in the failed raid was locked up overnight and out of the loop while they had a snap election..?)
What they're doing with Bellamy is bloody despicable. Jason Racistberg is basically demonizing yet another POC character to prop up his fave (Lexa), and continue to fan service the hungry clexa fans. The discrimination the Grounders are facing are a hell of a lot reminiscent of the way the Muslims were and still are being treated after 9/11 and the fact that Jason thought this was a theme worth showcasing in a sci-fi show is ridiculous. Bellamy deserves better than this, he is not naive like Pike, and the fact that he would suddenly raise up against the grounders especially when his sister identifies as one ???
ReplyDeleteNot to mention Raven's disability is slowly killing her, she just got blown up and instead all her screentime is being sucked up by Lexa who in my opinion just isn't as fleshed out as I would like her to be.
Jason Racistberg has all the representation on this show, but he doesn't know how to represent the right way and it pisses me off.
Chill..While i agree the Bellamy storyline was Lazy and out of character to a point, you are coming across as a bit of a crazy Bellarke fan or something. Im sure like everyone the 100 just whipped your emotions into a frenzy but to call out the writer and accuse him of RACISM (when he fired the actor who plays wick during production for Racism) coincidentally which also could be may be why Raven hasn't had that much scenes yet..ITS ONLY 4 EPISODES IN.
ReplyDeleteThe writer has made it clear he took inspiration from 9/11 and how certain people turned on ALL not just the guilty Muslims...He also has interesting words to say on Bellamy..Makes it sound like Bellamy is actually his favourite character.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/100-boss-talks-latest-death-863880?utm_source=twitter
Finally all the Lexa scenes have been relevant to the plot both personally with Clarke and the wider story. This is not fanservice for no reason, the actresses have good chemistry and the characters they play are well acted and exceptional by themselves but pure gold together and extremely important to the story. As is Bellamy..Why people cant like Clarke and Lexa and Clarke and Bellamy is beyond me. Those are two of the best relationships in the show..Im sure the coming episodes will see Clarke and Bellamy reunited properly.
''Lexa who in my opinion just isn't as fleshed out as I would like her to be''
Lexa is one of most fleshed out characters on this show despite being on it for less time than most. Your complaining that she isn't fleshed out but your upset she is getting to much screentime (even over other characters) because she is being fleshed out...I respect your opinion i just find your reasoning's strange.
Wow. Okay. First of all, yes, I ship Bellarke but that has NOTHING to do with my disdain for Lexa as a character. I don't hate her because I am a homophobe or because I'm a crazy obsessed bellarke fan, I hate her for what she has done. I hate her for torturing Raven for a crime she didn't commit. I hate her for letting Raven literally explode in 2x15 and put her life at risk for an alliance she was forced into. Don't tell me it's for her people because with that alliance, her people WERE the sky people and she let them get tortured and killed for her own damn good. If Lexa was a guy, everyone would want him dead. People find her badass and attractive, but if she was male he'd be labeled as a murderer and selfish but gender discrimination in this fandom wins again. Lexa manipulated Clarke into thinking 'love is weakness' and then immediately after came onto Clarke. What? And which is why I've said it before and I'll say it again: a lot of the decisions Lexa has made and the way she's gone about making them, had she been a male character, there would be a good chunk of the fandom with pitchforks, calling for his immediate disposal. But somehow because it's Lexa, it's alright.
ReplyDeleteThe real question will forever be would you ship clexa is lexa was a guy? or would you think of it as abusive or unhealthy? of Lexa as a lying, cruel, manipulative person? also, they aren't good for each other, even if the actors have chemistry which I agree. Lexa turned Clarke into something she isn't, made her abandon most of her morals.
As for Jason being racist, I still think he treats most of his poc characters like shit, Raven has always been awful representation since he made her character suddenly become defined by her disability, and Bellamy's entire Finn-like-self-destruction arc is absolutely out of character for him after all of the development in the past 2 seasons, ESPECIALLY after he pressed that button with Clarke and killed a bunch of people in Mount Weather. Also, Jason used to say he would never favorite a certain ship or promote a certain ship because that is not what the show is about, but he goes ahead and fanservices the hell out of clexa because it's 'cutting edge' and he's in love with the actress and it's making his show stand out because he dares to have a bisexual lead and the crazy fans eat it up.
You 'Ship' Bellarke but that has nothing to with your ''disdain for Lexa''
ReplyDeleteI really hope so because i care nothing for either ship as i like all 3 characters and their dynamics together. Even the animosity that exists between Lexa and Bellamy is influenced by real events between the peoples rather than the stupid triangle with Clarke. You sound like you have been in crazy arguments with rabid Clexa fans on twitter/tumblr etc ( i sympathize) but the bellarke fans (crazy ones) are just as bad...So i really hope your not.
I can understand not liking Lexa but to say she is a poor character or that the writer is playing faves is silly..If that was the case if your up to date with the new episode than things would have played out alot differently.
'I hate her for what she has done' and ''Would you like Lexa if she was a guy arguments make no sense''....Then you would have to hate everyone on the show. I don't buy this one bit, nobody on this show is innocent, no ones hands are clean..Every single character (male and female) has killed or done something that has seen them judged or hated by the audience at one particular time.
.Murphy and Kane are two male characters off the top of my head who were hated but are now universally loved.. As a guy did everyone not forgive Bellamy for killing 300 people on the Ark to save his sister..
.How can you judge Lexa's actions to save part of her army and people when Bellamy made the same decision to save himself and his sister. Do you hate Bellamy now for what he just did under the great leadership of Donald Pike..Killing 300 people in there sleep. Should i hate Bellamy forever for this action..Or should i wait and see where everything takes us and judge at the end.
.Infact so far this season Bellamy's choices haven't had any consequences. Clarke's choices have made her untrustworthy to her people and now to Bellamy. Furthermore Bellamy is not a leader...a 2nd voice yes, a great general and warrior yes, he is the first pick for 2nd in command but never 100% in charge..But i think that is the arc he will go on this season as i said before you have plenty of time over the next 11 episodes to see it play out. I did find Bellamy's turn rushed and fast just as everyone else did, but i remained patient..After the latest episode i can understand his position if i still don't agree and while it has some parallels to Finn, Bellamy's situation is far different.
If you didn't notice Lexa had extreme consequences to what she did at the mountain, she had to stop a coup, and had to basically fight for her own life while betraying Clarke The women she loves..Clarke still hasn't fully forgiven her.
You are missing vital points of the show choosing to focus too much on the relationship side (Manipulation, well duh they all have tried it) rather than the actual dynamic and platonic relationship the characters have...
Lexa and Bellamy are at there best when they are around Clarke...Lexa was all 'Love is weakness', pragmatic and ruthless...Bellamy was selfish, arrogant and quick to react in violence. Clarke makes both of them see better options but also is a positive influence on their personalities and character which is why i like all 3 of them...GROUNDER girl.
ReplyDeleteIn reverse Lexa and Bellamy force Clarke to understand that sometimes strength and violence is the key..They bring out aspects of Clarke that nobody else does. Which in turn balances her own character and personality out.
Also all three have them have called the other out for trying to manipulate them..They are all pretty clever in their own ways. Bellamy in the latest episode just called Clarke on it.
.As for fanservice...LOOOL there is hardly any on this show, if that was the case: Kane would have been in charge, Lincoln and Octavia would be happy, Jasper wouldn't be in meltdown, Pike wouldn't exist, Clarke and Lexa would have returned triumphantly to Arkadia with the Ice Queens head, Clarke and Bellamy would not be on the outs and we would be at the beginnings of some silly teen triangle.
Instead that all got shot to shit within the first 5mins...and to be honest both ships were sank (romantically) for the foreseeable future. If this show was about fanservice there would have been far more than 2 kisses and a couple of hugs shared between both ships after 2 and a half seasons. On this show sex and isn't really looked on like it is on other shows or in real life..It is just part of the environment there in now...For example No one within the shows world would care that Clarke likes Lexa because she is a girl, they would care because she is a
Wow Is anyone checking what war of rants has erupted above? Feels out of character for this site.
ReplyDeleteAnyways the episode can definately be very polarizing, especially after Bellamy acted like a moron and regressed in development back to the beginning of season 1. It would be believable if we knew his girlfriend for more then 3-4 scenes, but sadly we didn't. Jasper's reaction is believable and necessary, but not this.
Nice Game of Thrones nod with the trial by combat. I expected the same result of lingering too much before a kill blow, but we got a different but welcome twist. Let's welcome our first ever male Grounder leader.
Patryk wrote: Wow Is anyone checking what war of rants has erupted above? Feels out of character for this site.
ReplyDeleteYes, we saw it when it went up, and decided to leave it up. You're right, it's a bit out of character for this site, but it was an interesting conversation.
My problem with Bellamy's agreeing to Pike's plan was mostly that it would be incredibly stupid. I can totally understand Bellamy not wanting to trust all Grounders not only the Ice Nation woman but Lexa and Lincoln have betrayed him. But if the Grounders were really planning an attack, there'd be a lot more than 300 of them. They came in larger numbers than that after 100 teenagers. All killing the nearby grounders would get them into a perpetual war with a force that outnumbers you by many times and is skilled in guerrilla tactics is a really horrible proposition. A wary, armed truce is sensible. A declaration of war is idiotic.
ReplyDeleteWhile it's true that the Grounders respect strength, the Clarkadians have shown their strength by defending their original encampment, and by defeating Mount Weather. The Grounders may not trust them, they may not accept them as the 13th tribe, but I really don't think their thought to be weak anymore.