The 100: Perverse Instantiation, Part 2

"Sorry I stabbed you."
"Sorry I shot you."

What an emotional roller coaster of an episode. I need a valium and a nap after this finale.

Right out of the gate, Clarke picks up almost right where last week left off in part 1. For some reason Abby torturing Clarke in the last episode didn't affect me way it was probably supposed to. Abby getting dechipped and seeing the horror of what she did wash over her more than made up for it, though. I can't even imagine what kind of mental space that would put a person in. Or for that matter, what kind of emotions Paige Turco had to tap into to pull off all that guilt and shame. Kudos, ma'am. I caught myself holding my breath watching Clarke offer her mother forgiveness and Abby fighting to accept it.

Did anyone else want to hug their moms after this?
That time she grounded you can't seem so horrible now, right?

And the hits kept coming all through the episode. When Octavia tried disabling Pike so that ALIE's chippies would take him out and then stayed to watch, AND when she finally did him in not twelve minutes after he saved her life. I'm not particularly sad to see Pike go, but I hope Octavia can move on now. It seems that someone is always falling into some shameful murderous spiral. I hope that isn't her arc next season. It didn't go so well for Finn, and Bellamy is still trying to cope with all the blood on his hands. That final look on her face before she left the building could not have been more unlike the girl in season 1 who wanted to chase butterflies and go swimming. Losing Lincoln is bound to change her, it wouldn't make sense for it not to, but I hope it changes her in a new and interesting way.

There is no one more skilled at throwing a Hail Mary than Clarke Griffin. Seriously. I want this girl in my corner at all times. Given how she so effortlessly continues battling grounder assassins, arrogant mountain dwellers and evil AIs, I can only imagine the kind of help she could give me navigating politics at my next office party. There was a little bit of suspense missing because I knew Clarke would pull it off. I had no doubt that she'd push through the pain, make the hard choices and come out on top. But honestly, if she started dropping the ball, she wouldn't be her so I can't even be mad about it.

Highlight reel:

There was something about cracking Ontari's chest open that made me a little queasy. Again, I'm not sad about it and it's not like it wasn't 100% necessary to keep Clarke alive so that she could save the human race, but still. I could've lived without it. Ick.

I somehow had no idea that Lexa would be in the episode. I audibly yelped when she jumped on the screen. I typically don't care about spoilers and therefore hear/see them all. The surprise made it even greater, and I think it was really lovely that she got to be there for Clarke. Plus, let's be honest, kicking ass and being awesome is a much, much more fitting way for Lexa to make her exit than the accidental bullshit way she died.

Come with me if you want to live. Plus I know where the best Sephora is.

ALIE eliminated 6.5 billion people because she thought the earth was overpopulated and the human race needed to be pared down for the good of mankind. Clarke and Bellamy killed a mountain full of people for the good of their own people. Pike murdered 300 grounder warriors and Lincoln in the name of keeping his people safe. Maybe ALIE was more human than Becca thought. She certainly had no problem killing like one.

Almost no one died. Weird for The 100 world. Plus, Harper and Monty, Kane and Abby, and Miller and Bryan all made it through with their relationships intact. I am shocked. I love it when TV finds a way to shock us with good news. It's almost always loss and pain that knocks audiences down. And, no one embarrassed themselves. So often, writers characters make very dumb decisions. Even when the choice makes sense, like Abby taking the key to save Raven, the only thing the audience can do is roll our collective eyes. Monty was able to subdue Jasper instead of blindly handing over Raven's machine. Raven, Lexa, Abby, Bellamy, Murphy... almost everyone had a hand in this win.

Maybe they're saving all the death for what is apparently going to be another nuclear catastrophe. Yikes. Coming right back around full circle, aren't we? First of all, can ALIE tell a lie? Is it at all a possibility? Becca did say she was stalling for time but never called her an outright liar. So if the problem is as ALIE said it was, it just isn't feasible that these people will be able to get to every nuclear power plant in the world and fix it. Hopefully whatever the fix is, it won't be too unbelievable. But, secondly, ALIE said that 96% of the earth would be uninhabitable. Where is the 4%? How many people are actually left? Enough to share 4% of the earth? Well, that 4% is probably in the middle of an ocean somewhere. And she did say something about black rain. So, never mind. And third, did Raven get to keep her supercomputer skills? Since Sinclair is dead she would have to be looking at a promotion, and hopefully all that talk about code and knowing how to hide doors in the City of Light will translate into a knowledge about stopping the spread of radiation.

4 out of 4 heart massages.

Bits and pieces

The key removal was much more high tech than last time.

Earlier in the season, Ontari was cut and her black blood fell on Clarke's face. Here Clarke literally took the nightblood into her own bloodstream. Coincidence? Foreshadowing?

I hope we see Erica Cerra in something very soon. She played Becca and ALIE beautifully all season and in the scene of them together she NAILED IT. It was hard to believe they were even the same actor.

In the City of Light, people get to decide on their appearance. Lexa was in full warrior garb, because that is who she was (is?). Being a strong leader and fighting for her people was her purpose and what inspired such fierce devotion from them and allowed her to take pride in herself. Jasper looked like a snazzy trust funder on his way to a yacht party. Seriously, where did that outfit come from? Maybe the mountain had old copies of GQ lying around or something. And I think Clarke was wearing what she had on in the series premiere. What she wore before she had to make decisions about who would live and who would die. She must long for the days when she had no idea what living on the ground would be like. I mean, the girl has been through it. But even when ALIE offers a way for her to get that back and more, she couldn't take choices away from everyone else. You go, girl. Clarke Griffin for president.

Lexa knew Becca's name and knew she was behind the infinity breadcrumb trail. Do all the previous commanders hang out in the flame? Like chatting and getting together for brunch and stuff?

If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times. How is that tower stable enough, after a nuclear apocalypse, years of missing inspections and having a bomb go off on the ground floor, for hundreds of tweaked out warriors to climb around on??

As I suspected, Murphy played a key role in taking down ALIE and he got his girlfriend back for his trouble.

Abby: "No. It's too dangerous. Too many variables."
Clarke: "But no options."

Clarke: "The flame will protect me. I don't know how I know. I just know."
Bellamy: "I believe you."

Pike: "It wasn't the wrong side. If the Grounder army was still there when Lexa died, they would have attacked. And you know it."
Bellamy: "I wanted to see things like you. I needed that. To believe that they were bad, and we were good. I don't know what I believe anymore. I just know I have to live with what I've done."

Clarke: "I never thought I'd see you again."
Lexa: "I told you my spirit would choose wisely."

Lexa: "You can't let them follow. Go. I'll hold them off."
Clarke: "No! Lexa. I love you."
Lexa: "I'll always be with you."

Monty: "Jasper, I know this world can suck, but at least it's real. We can get through this together."
Jasper: "You really believe that?"
Monty: "We will be happy again. I promise."
Jasper: "Sorry I stabbed you."
Monty: "Sorry I shot you."

Becca: "Define perverse instantiation."
ALIE: "Perverse instantiation- the implementation of a benign final goal through deleterious methods unforeseen by a human programmer."
Becca: "Like killing 6.5 billion people to solve the problem of overpopulation. The goal isn't everything, ALIE. How you reach the goal matters, too. I'm sorry I didn't teach you that."

Clarke: "You don't ease pain. You overcome it. And we will."

BFFL

That was season three, folks. All in all, not the best season so far, but this might have been my favorite finale. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. And only on this show can getting six months to live be considered a happy ending.

May we meet again... for the fourth season.

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