The 100: Sanctum

"Does anyone have anything better than we're back bitches?"
"Let's do better."

How upset do you think Clarke and Murphy will be if I can't come up with a better opening line?

I'm pretty sure this comes up every season, but there were so many parallels and call backs to season one. It's interesting to see an even more back to basics Bellamy. In the beginning he was the head delinquent in charge and Clarke more or less did her leading from a little to the left. For a while she was front and center calling the shots. If she minds her minor demotion she seems to be handling it in a pretty understanding way. Letting everyone's digs roll off her back and still keeping it moving.

The return to season one form isn't a carbon copy, though. Bellamy is smarter now. Willing to think things through. An unwillingness to go in guns blazing and hope that the consequences are manageable is a trait he has learned. This is the same guy that tortured Lincoln and let the mob string Murphy up. I wonder how different things would have been if he'd taken this approach in the first place? Was peace with the Grounders ever possible? Would the original 100 have been better or worse off? Or is free will a joke and it all would've wound down exactly the same? Is this too philosophical for the premiere of a show on The CW network? Sorry about that.

While I'm on the subject of everyone's favorite power couple. I realized recently that I need Clarke and Bellamy to stay at each other's backs. I can't have anymore of them pulling guns on each other or turning each other over to fighting pits. To stay on board with the show, I need my dream team back. Not that I don't think they have issues to work through, because they do and I understand that they will continue to challenge each other and disagree. But no more backstabbing. This isn't The Real Housewives of Alpha Moon.

This time Murphy was the first to strip down for a swim mid-mission. In season one it was Octavia. Luckily for him he didn't get attacked by a giant worm or whatever. Unluckily for him, he didn't think to take his boots off. Who swims in boots? Now he's gotta drudge around in wet socks. I thought you are supposed to be a survivor, Murphy? You're going to catch a cold. Or athlete's foot. Also... ick.

I forgot what Abby did to Raven last year until Raven reminded us. It makes me really not like Abby. Again. Ugh. And Raven's grudge against her surrogate mom is pretty reminiscent of the grudge Clarke was holding against her mom when she first went to the ground. Abby seriously did herself a favor by becoming such a skilled surgeon. Because as a mom and girlfriend and leader, she makes some seriously intense errors. Interestingly, I am still pissed at Abby for torturing Raven but not at Clarke for sacrificing Bellamy to the fighting pits. Does this mean I love Raven more than Bellamy? Poor guy. Maybe I'll be able to forgive Abby when Raven does. If she does.

And in other very confusing plot points, we all agree that Octavia lost her mind, right? Girl's been way off the reservation since she started shoving people down their friends' and families' throats. But Kane did side with the enemy and walk Wonkru into a slaughter. So what do we do? Who do we root for? Clarke and Bellamy probably.

Just when I was thinking how neatly Shaw was carving out a place for himself in the group dynamic, he went and got himself radiated. Poor Shaw. Poor, poor Raven. Shaw's death and Kane's not death both took me completely by surprise. Why bring back Henry Ian Cusick just have him spit blood on Octavia and get thrown back in the deep freeze? I don't get it. Is he too expensive to sign on for too many episodes? And did they use Shaw only to remind us that Raven's happiness is as elusive as a Utopian society?

I've been somewhat worried about where The 100 was going. There are only so many us vs. them plot cycles before we get bored, I think. Sure, the us and the them gets shaken up every once in a while but the song has been the same. Here we were dealing with all the characters we already know. I really enjoyed staying with them and dealing with their interpersonal baggage. It made the hour. Even though there was tension and it ended with an ominous fit of rage, it was almost a vacation watching them walk through the overly bright colors of the landscape and fantastical backdrops. Like they were all playing in real life Candyland, outer space edition.

3.5 out of 4 episodes of Real Housewives of Alpha Moon

Bits and pieces

You guys, I forgot about the freaking premiere. Yikes. Bad reviewer!! Season seven got greenlit before season six even premiered. That's gotta mean good things are in store for us. Right?

Clarke was third wheeling so hard. Or seventh wheeling as it were. Plus so many people were picking on her poor decision-making skills last season. Maybe her and Niylah will get something going again? She deserves someone to kiss away her mistakes too.

Who stole the drop ship? Should Abby and Octavia be setting up tea and automatic weapons for visitors?

I used to really hate John Murphy. Now he is one of my favorite characters.

I couldn't remember Echo's name for 3/4 of the hour. Whoops.

What side is Niylah on? Why did she wake Octavia up? Did she sabotage Kane's surgery?

Shaw: "She was like you."
Raven: "Are you just trying to get me to have sex with you again?"
Shaw: "When they offered me the Eligius 3 mission, everyone thought I was crazy. 24 earth years. If they offered it to me today, I wouldn't take it."
Raven: "Yeah. That'll do it."

Bellamy: "This time we won't shoot first."
Murphy: "In that case, Clarke should stay here."

Abby: "Here we go again. God, I hate sending you to the ground."

Jackson: "Check it out. Alien life."
Miller: "At least something is alive down here. WE are the aliens, by the way."
Jackson: "Oh my God, we're aliens!!"
They are real freaking cute.

Should we stop being so cute so we don't end up like Shaw?

Jackson: "We both did things in the bunker."
Miller: "No. I did things. You didn't stop things. There's a difference."

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