You get a betrayal! You get a betrayal! Everyone gets a betrayal!

This episode, written by Miranda Kwok and directed by Ian Samoil, was an all-you-can-back-stab betrayal buffet!

There are so many people betraying each other and conflicting loyalties that you need a white board with colored yarn to keep everything straight. And the kicker is there’s an argument to be made for everyone, however tenuous, that justifies their actions. Remember, The 100 is about shades of grey, not black/white or right/wrong. So this is an episode that kinda makes you argue with yourself over who you think was the least or most justified, and if it’s made you view some of these characters in a different light. I would call “Sic Temper Tryannis” (which is Latin for “angry dinosaur”) one of those heavy-debate-worthy installments in a series that doesn’t lack for discussion-starters.

Oh, and did I mention ALL THE BETRAYINGS?!

Let’s get into it!

Clarke and Bellamy Plumb the Depths of Their Friendship

Mumsy and Daddy are fighting, my babies.

Oh wait…it’s not just fighting, they are both taking separate trains to Treacheryville and stopping at Betraying Station.

Holy cow, did y’all see this situation coming down the pike (too soon?)? I mean, we knew that Clarke and Bellamy would not see eye-to-eye this season and it would cause conflict, but this was explosive (and delicious…there were chains involved, oh shut it, I’m not the only one). The decisions both of them made – and the people caught in the fallout – definitely reinforces the idea that there are no good guys or good decisions, just degrees of “not as bad.” Like the Likert scale here isn’t “rate it on 1 to 5 scale, 1 being poor and 5 being good” it’s “rate it on a 1 to 5 scale, 1 being sucks pretty bad and 5 being sucks HARDCORE and worms fly out of your butt.” 

This season all comes down to competing priorities and the realization that Bellamy and Clarke are no longer at the top of each other’s lists. Clarke now has Madi. Bellamy now has Spacekru. Both are driven to keep their families safe, and if that means they can also keep each other safe, then good. But as we’ve seen, choices were made this episode. Big choices. Dramatic, tectonic plate-shifting choices. I think it’s been fairly obvious throughout this season that what Clarke and Bellamy mean to each other is not clear at all. They have not had a truly substantial and forward-looking deep-dive conversation with each other to explore new dynamics. The conversations that they have had feel stunted and awkward, like two people who don’t quite know where they fit in each other’s world.

Bellamy betrayed Octavia last episode and betrayed Clarke this episode. Clarke, in turn, betrayed Bellamy. 

I am not going to say Bellamy was more wrong than Clarke or vice versa. That’s some contrived “he versus she” stuff that is currently being used to make one look right and the other look wrong on social media in order to prop the one up that people stan the most. I think they were both wrong to varying degrees, but I won’t pit them against each other. I mean, Bellamy pretty much emotionally coerced a child into making a decision, the implications of which Madi cannot begin to understand. But then Clarke left Bellamy to die at the hands of his sister.

Who really wants to weigh these transgressions out and declare a winner? Not me. Fuck no. Noping the fuck straight out of that. There is NOTHING to be gained in fandom by indulging such nonsense. We haven’t seen this level of personal conflict before, in which everyone and their mother, father, dog, and goldfish is betraying their friends and family in such rapid succession. It was like a string of shotgun weddings, but the weddings were betrayals, and the bouquets thrown to guests were slaps to the face or gun barrels in backs. I mean…fuck, that was A LOT. A LOT OF A LOT.

So, where does “Sic Temper Tyrannis” leave Bellamy and Clarke from a romantic angle?

It’s hard to see how Clarke and Bellamy reconcile as friends, let alone move towards romantic Bellarke, especially since, you know, they really don’t like one another right now, they are separated geographically, and uh, Becho is still a thing that exists in the world. Sorry to remind y’all, but yeah, another relationship built over six years exists, so there’s that to contend with narratively and emotionally. 

But you know what…it’s angst. I know you shippers love angst. I mean, it is “I’m going leave your ass to be executed by your sister” angst, but hey, at this point, that’s movement on the ol’ Bellarke scale.

I’m sure we’re all waiting for that knock-down fight between Clarke and Bellamy, where they hash all this stuff out, but if it’s treated with the same breviety as their latest chats, I don’t know I’ll find it anywhere near what it needs to be to get this friendship back heading in the general direction of “okay.” I mean, these betrayals were HARSH, yo. You don’t brush these off like yeah.

I don’t think this is necessarily bad for romantic Bellarke, but there’s a lot of heavy-lifting to do, and it must be done with words, not hugs. Sorry writers. I have to be dragged over that finish line with forceful and blunt intent and direction. Hand-wavy shit won’t move this platonic Bellarker. I know y’all want this to go romantic, the obvious clues have been dropped, more than any other season, but there’s so much dirt that has to be moved out of the way at this point, I’m going to need to SEE THE EFFORT.

As an aside, I think we’re really seeing the reversal of head/heart between Clarke and Bellamy, both leaning too far into their respective sides, neither achieving the balance I think Clarke was talking about at the end of season 4. Not so easy for Clarke now that she’s got an emotional connection to Madi that probably takes even her back for a second or two. Her anger and frustration at Bellamy was shocking…and kinda awesome.

Bellamy was in the exact same position as her at the end of last season, when he begged her to save Octavia. And Bellamy is now the calm, cerebral one who moves with rationality and reason rather than passion. It’s not that he’s cold, per se, but you can see a marked difference in his reactions this season. He’s far more measured, more restrained, when in the past he was quick to tap an emotion and unleash it.

While neither Diyoza or Kane are perfect, do they represent the balance that both Clarke and Bellamy should be striving for to be more well-rounded leaders? I don’t know at this point. But I do trust Diyoza to make the best decisions out of them all at the moment. And she’s the supposed BAD GUY. I know, crazy. (Also I love her sooooo so much, so maybe I’m a wee bit biased, but she’s awesome, so shut your faces, I love Diyoza and will declare it to the gods)

The Flame Is Problematic…and So Are Our Responses to It

There seems to be a lot of heartburn around the Flame. There are people who don’t want to see it ever again. Then there are people who are into it’ mythology and love seeing it in Madi’s head.

I am, predictably, in the middle.

I see people calling for the Flame to be smashed. I cannot express how…ugly this sentiment feels to me. After the controversy around Lexa’s death in 3×07, calling for another “virtual” death of an LGBT character, even if just her consciousness feels really icky. That’s the best word I can come up with. Icky. There were so many people deeply hurt by the Bury Your Gays trope in 3×07 that “killing” Lexa off a second time feels like it would open those wounds back up again and consciously, maliciously, pour salt in them.

And this is the problem the show created for itself when it introduced the Flame while killing Lexa. I think the concept of the Flame is SO GREAT. Make no mistake about it, I think 3×07 would have been a stellar episode if not for…you know…that great big problem. That Becca created it and it passed from Commander to Commander…just great sci fi stuff. I love how it connects the Grounder mythology to the past, to Becca’s vision and technology. I think it’s one of the few truly unique bits of sci fi in the show. But the question is, given the issue of Lexa’s death and her existence in the Flame, what do you do with this chip?

There are issues this thing creates outside of the fiction that HAVE to be considered in the real world. At least, in my humble opinion. Unfortunately the story telling can’t just fucking destroy the thing without seeming to indicate that no lessons were learned after 3×07. Y’all know I love this show SO MUCH, but I’m also pragmatic here and trying to be a wee bit “woke,” as the kids say. 

(whenever I see a Key and Peele GIF, I just laugh and say “Hingle McCringleberry.” Those will probably be my dying words.)

Back to the episode, at first blush, I don’t like putting the Flame in Madi. That too, to me, is icky. And I think you know why. A person in that Flame had the sex with her mom.

Which is probably like .0005% of what’s actually in the Flame, so it’s kinda on me to get over that little detail that I’m stuck on. IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT SEX, PEOPLE. Plus, there’s love in that flame too, not just nood pics. It’s just…weird, okay? Can we all agree that it’s weird? It’s weird. 

I don’t like how Madi got the Flame (more on that later), nor do I think I like how the Flame is now being presented as working. I thought the past Commanders “communicated” with the current Commander via dreams and meditation, not by opening up an Excel file with to access a list of Grounders. Madi recognizing and addressing the Grounder who was going to kill them felt a little deus ex machina – LITERALLY – to me and not organic to our understanding of how the Flame works. Like, can Madi just open file folders and access those all-important Office documents as needed? 

Why there is a pic of my puppers laying in a baby pool in the Flame is beyond me. So weird.

You know, we don’t exactly understand how the Flame works other than what we learned from Lexa, various Flamekeepers, and Raven, so MAYBE there’s a little leeway here to explore previously undisclosed capabilities? I guess? I’m torn here.

I like the idea of the Flame and still hold out this dumb tropey hope that it would go into Clarke’s neck, but that’s never going to happen. Also, that reminds me, is Clarke in the Flame as well? I assume the chip just downloads the imprint of its hosts whenever it successfully links up, so is Clarke going to be in Madi’s head as well, pre-grounding her whenever Madi considers a bad behavior?

I think the circumstances around the Flame and the pure nature of what it does is never going to not make it a weird tool to use in the story line. But it’s a device that has to be used intelligently and with purpose to move the story forward in a way that feels earned. Whipping out the Flame and putting it in Clarke’s adopted daughter’s neck cannot be just a plot device that creates drama; the intent behind it needs to have thoughtful impact, and I’m not there with it yet. Of course, we’ve only gotten a quick glimpse of Commander Madi, but I worry what the fallout will be.

And geez…as much as I want Clarke to say the magic words and get that thing out of Madi’s neck, that can’t be the answer either, because then all of this would just be a way to create a kerfluffle without following through on the lasting impact to Madi.

I don’t really know what else to say about my very conflicted feelings other than: OH NO MADI BABY WHAT IS YOU DOIN’?!

Permission Needed From Parent or Guardian

Usually, when I talk about Madi, I like to have a little fun with cute little poems or lament her making well-intentioned but obviously questionable decisions (see previous paragraph).

I would love to do that here, but that’s not what’s going on with her “decision” to take the Flame. This was a 12 year old kid in a room with two adults – one of whom she probably thinks is a bit of a hero – being emotionally manipulated by said adults to get the outcome they think they desperately need to get what they want. Yup.

Madi CANNOT make an informed decision about the Flame. This isn’t consent. Children are unable to consent for a reason. We protect our kids in these situations because they lack the experience, knowledge, and wisdom to make an informed choice. You’ll note that Bellamy doesn’t lay out all the variables in front of Madi either. That she will definitely be in Octavia’s cross-hairs is a KEY PIECE of information he leaves out. Instead, he paints the Flame as the only way to save Clarke and to prevent war and I’m telling you as a huge fan of Bellamy this season, this shit ain’t right.

Yet I GET IT. This is the position being a fan of this show puts us in…hating something but kinda understanding it. Bellamy thinks he doesn’t have any other choice. This is a familiar corner many of the characters get backed into over and over again throughout this series. So am I painting Bellamy the villain here? No…not by a long shot. I do believe he THOUGHT he could protect Madi, but we’re also dealing with a Bellamy who won’t give up the ghost on thinking his sister will see the light if they can just get to Shallow Valley. He KNOWS she’ll see reason.

The crime here is mixing love with hope with an inability to fully realize what Octavia has become. He’s myopic because he’s clinging onto what his sister used to be. He might be right, in the end, that she will see the light, but you have to wonder how much darkness he’ll endure…both from her and from himself, before the “oh shit, I might have been wrong” moment kicks in.

While I get Bellamy’s reasoning, I have an issue with this whole set up. I have a lot of trouble with stuff that involves lack of consent, even within entertainment, because I think, while situations like this are forcing us to really delve into our brains and pick apart how we react in the moment then mull them over later, it can just send a bad message. Or reinforce bad behavior. Or a number of problematic things if not fully explored and rectified.

I consume my media differently now…and this show…this very show…has made me so much more conscious of these issues. It has pushed my comfort zone in regards to my relationship with art. It’s sometimes hard to love something so much and at the same time explore the parts that make you feel squicky. But discomfort is meaningful. It represents examination and, at times, growth. If we just wanted happy fun times entering our eyeballs, we’d never be challenged to THINK.

Anyway, at some point, we’re gonna need a measure of recognition of what Madi was manipulated into doing – by all parties this season. COME CORRECT.

Octavia used Madi as leverage against Clarke. And Bellamy used Madi as leverage to protect Spacekru. But at some point, Madi needs to clap back on these folks – these HEROES – that Clarke told her about, regaling Madi with tales of their bravery, sacrifices, and triumphs. Madi being a well-rounded character means a character with agency, not just a being acted upon by others.

Maybe the Flame will be that thing that gives Madi the wisdom to call these people out…but I would like to think Madi is smart enough to call them out on their bullshit without any outside interference. I’m at the point where I need Madi to take back some power, to show some agency, after episode after episode of being a pawn in someone else’s game. I need Madi to be a stylin’, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing (sorry, too young), wheelin’ n’ dealin’ son daughter of a gun!

Yes, Madi gets a new Flair for a new generation, and a badass to boot. Charlotte Flair is the real deal. Wrestling GIF quota reached! Yay me!

I don’t know how the Flame will affect Madi, but I kinda want unadulterated Madi back…the kid who should be allowed to be a kid and not a Commander. I’ll wait to see how this all plays out, but the Flame chicanery was my least favorite part of the episode for a lot of reasons.

Clarke and Octavia Probably NEVER Going to Be Besties

Clarke making a deal with Octavia is just…sigh. Octavia points out how the old Clarke would never make such a dumb decision to try and kill Octavia, only to make (in hindsight) the dumb decision to trust Octavia.

Guys, I get this feeling that after Clarke went to Octavia with the expressed intention to kill her and then Octavia “made a deal” with Clarke to not kill Madi only to go back on that a hot two seconds later that these two are never going to be cool with one another.

It’s just a gut feeling I have, probably unfounded, right? OLOLOLOLOLOLOL.

I would LOVE for these two to have a drop-down, drag-out fight, both with words and with fists. There’s so much angst and tension between these two and they NEVER hash this shit out and I want a hashfest something fierce. I can’t be the only one. If these two are obviously positioned against one another, then give me the payoff. GIVE IT TO ME.

Let’s Get This Out of the Way Right Now

Everyone on this show is a flaming hypocrite. Period. Full stop. To infinity and beyond.

So yes, Clarke is a hypocrite with Bellamy. Bellamy is a hypocrite with Clarke. Now, extrapolate that and ripple it throughout all the characters, and you’ll likely find every goddamn character has done something awful and they’ll get pissy with someone later for doing something similarly awful. To keep screaming “yeah but Clarke is a hypocrite!” when someone brings up something negative about Bellamy (and vice versa) is belaboring beating a dead horse that is now just a wisp of bone dust.

MOREOVER, I DO NOT WISH TO PRACTICE WHATABOUTISM WITH MY MORALLY GRAY FICTIONAL CHARACTERS ON A MORALLY GRAY TV SHOW IN ORDER TO “SCORE POINTS” FOR WHATEVER CHARACTER I LIKE MORE THAN THE OTHERS IN SOME MEANINGLESS HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA WAR.

Ahem. I love all my characters. Not equally. But I love them. Except for you, Kara Cooper. Oh yes, I know you’re dead, but your body is barely cold and my hate burns for a long, long time. It will burn long after the stars grow dark and cold.

(sidebar: it is REALLY easy to type “morally gay” instead of “morally gray” and I find that hilarious of me)

Civil War, But With A Lot Less Cap and Bucky Deliciousness

Things are not looking good back in Shallow Valley as Team Diyoza (yay!) and Team McCreary (boo!) finally come to blows, thanks to a little pushing by our resident mischief maker, Murphy.

Everytime Richard Harmon is on screen this season, I just stare at his fucking awesome hair. I’m RAPT. I’m sorry, I will never get over how much I love his hair style this season. It is…

I find the situation in Eden just wonderfully delicious and frustrating at the same time. It’s delicious because everything is chaotically going to shit. It’s frustrating because I like when things work out and dammit, Diyoza was working towards a tenable peace. If it weren’t for those meddlesome kids. And let’s face it, that “achieving peace” thing over in Polis keeps falling on its face because Octavia exists and is just FUSSY. Won’t ANYONE just give peace a chance?

Diyoza v. McCreary has been boiling under the surface for awhile now, and it’s great that we finally get some action over in Eden that has some real future ramifications. It would have been nice if someone (hello Kane!) had an early conversation with Raven et al. to let them know the current status of Wonkru vs. Prisonkru. That oversight cost Kane and Diyoza a heck of a lot, with Abby now in McCreary’s possession.

Like. HAVE A FUCKING CHAT, FOLKS. It’s far better to do a little risk prevention than damage remediation. Just. Talk. Use your words.

Of course Diyoza is a step or two ahead of McCreary, realizing as soon as he showed his dangerously sexy face back at camp that he knew she didn’t try to get him back. Oopsie doopsie. What resulted was a showdown between factions, with Diyoza doing a fairly good job of explaining herself to de-escalate the situation. I mean, she was handling business, trying to calm things down.

And we all know Murphy wasn’t havin’ any of that.

The ensuing violent chaos got ugly, with Diyoza eventually trying to grab up Abby to retreat to the drop ship, but alas and alack, that wasn’t going to happen quite according to plan.

The fight scene between Diyoza and McCreary was so, so good. And I’ll tell you what, it can’t be easy to fight choreograph for a pregnant woman, knowing that safety is 1000% more important than anything else. But I knew, from watching Banshee, that Ivana Milicevic can more than handle fight choreography. That show was ass-kicking like 99% of the time.

Did pregnant Diyoza comport herself well in that fight? Simply put: she and her baby bump kicked so much ass that it’s impossible for anyone to not love Diyoza. If you don’t, I question everything about you.

I’m curious to know what McCreary thinks about Diyoza’s pregnancy. Obviously there’s something in him that cares just a little because he was taken aback. And while it’s no gender reveal cake, there’s a bit of swagger to shiving your baby daddy in the neck, saying “by the way, it’s a girl,” and kicking him in the face. Diyoza has fuckin’ panache.

With all the poops hitting the fans in Eden, as factions square off against one another, guns on one side, a doctor with a cure for the lung cooties on the other, and the little Spacekru band romping about the forest (not to mention the Wonkru defectors doing…something), it’s just a shit show in Shallow Valley. A perfect situation for Clarke and the newly minted Commander to walk into.

(I will overuse this GIF if I damn well please because I love it SO MUCH)

Season 5 Is the Season of Indra – All Hail Indra

If you’re a fan of Indra, portrayed by EMMY NOMINATED ACTRESS Adina Porter…

….season 5 has been a boon. I was really interested in how she would fit into season 5, knowing that Octavia respects Indra, and Indra feels the same way in return. But there’s also a deep love between the two, one of mother and daughter. So it breaks my heart to see Indra try, so earnestly, to help Octavia see what Indra knows through years of wisdom, from serving other Commanders like Lexa.

Indra knows that war is a last resort and no true warrior actually likes war. Indra sees there’s a greater responsibility to consider than just fighting over a piece of land Octavia believes belongs to them: survival. If there’s a chance at peace, at having a bit of land, at not risking Wonkru lives to a bloodthirsty desire to win, then you take that chance. Indra places her loyalty in Octavia, but her trust in Clarke and Bellamy as they broker peace. Because she’s a smart cookie. Always has been, always will be.

Indra blames herself for letting Octavia go too far and for not sharing whatever burden Octavia faced in the Dark Year. This is a big statement for anyone to make, but this is Indra – strong ass warrior Indra – admitting she failed Octavia. And this somehow elevated Indra even higher in my esteem because it takes a strong person to admit failure.

The magnitude of Indra’s betrayal is clearly portrayed in Octavia and Indra’s conversation right before the ascension call. EMMY NOMINATED Adina Porter plays stoic so well because it feels to me that there’s a much smaller window within which to emote and really sell a performance. But just the small act of Indra sitting down on the bed just struck me: she looked like she was finally showing the emotional weight of her decisions.

I think one bit of dialog spoken by Indra is so key to this whole exchange: “Our people will reach that valley without sacrificing any more lives, and you will see the wisdom in it.”

There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Indra understands this…it’s something age and experience bring. Octavia is too single-minded to consider the wise choice; she’s going after the choice that best fits into Wonkru’s black-and-white approach to survival. This new world and its new options – which includes Diyoza’s offer of peace in Shallow Valley – needs a wise leader who can move into the future, able to leave the ghosts of the past in the rear view.

Congrats to Adina Porter for her EMMY NOMINATION; I’m just so grateful that an actor with such grace and gravitas is working on this show.

Vinson the Lion! Roar, Baby, Roar

I’m fascinated by Vinson. He’s a big ol’ beast of a man, isn’t he? And he disarms you with his calm demeanor and his cute little readers. I’m just…oof. I can’t really explain it. It’s hard to put into words, but I will try.

I know, it’s not an exact science. Ask me if I like Amos “Murdersnuggles” Burton on The Expanse. BOY DO I? I have a type. And they’re cuddly sociopaths.

We have yet to see Vinson unleash like a snake on anyone yet. Yes, he’s a serial killer, and yes, he collects hands and feet. Hey, I collect comic books. We all have our thing.

But there’s a quiet menace to his every movement. It’s that stillness, a calm slowness that belies what’s likely an unholy terror when let loose. I totally dig that portrayal of a dangerous individual. McCreary just oozes psychopathy from every pore, almost reveling in how much he’d love to kick your teeth in with each growling glance. He PREENS. It’s marvelous.

Not Vinson. Nope. He’s a smooth operator in his little glasses and his calm demeanor. And when he touched Abby’s arm to offer her a bit of comfort (???) to say there’s a difference between killing someone and letting them die?

I’m so waiting (dreading?) seeing the veil lift from Vinson and his true form emerge. Yes, I’ll probably dig it. I’m just so into this character right now and the acting choices Mike Dopud is making.

I’m just fuckin’ Team Prisonkru all day every day. I love them all.

Great Job Octavia…You Just Put Your Whole Family in the Pit

Do you know the ONLY good thing to ever come from a pit?

I cannot believe that Bellamy, Indra, and Gaia are in the pit, branded as traitors. Congrats Octavia, you just played yourself. The three people who care about you the most, that would offer you any measure of forgiveness if you just asked…you want them to fight to the death to prove how “strong” and “unshakeable” Blodreina is? Cute.

Marie Avgeropoulos has been doing a great job with the thankless task of trying to portray a character with very little weakness until the little moments where she cracks, like at the end of this episode. That tear. SO GOOD, Y’ALL. Octavia’s gotta be THIS CLOSE to cracking for realzies. Can she truly sustain this level of dedication to what she thinks she needs to be to lead Wonkru, or can she show any emotional vulnerability without it being construed as weakness?

I think it’s time Octavia learns, as Lexa did, that love is NOT weakness. It is the people who would have you believe that love is weakness who are filled with fear and frailty. And I wonder…does Octavia think back on Lincoln and their relationship at all? And what he would think of this version of her? I think Lincoln would be so deeply hurt and disappointed at what she allowed herself to become, but would also try to have some sympathy for the difficulties she’s faced. Because that’s the essence of Lincoln. That she’s fallen so far from what she was when with him…there’s a myriad of factors involved here, but at some point, it may be HIS voice she hears in her head that causes her to change course, rather than that of Bellamy or Indra.

Phew, deep stuff, but can I talk about something really serious here?

Is her truck-grill throne in a fucking janitor’s closet off the rotunda thingie?

I mean, it’s like this little alcove with a louvered door…which is NOT GREAT if you wanna have a little cry in private. Like…the mighty Octavia makes a proclamation, sits down on her throne, and then the doors close and you can kinda still see her? I SEE YOU OCTAVIA…BELLAMY SEES YOU. YOU’RE RIDICULOUS. What other little rooms are off the rotunda? Is there a unisex bathroom? A coat closet for visitors? This whole structure just confuses me.

Deathwatch 2018

From week to week, I’m ranking characters by likelihood two die in two buckets: gonna die and long shots. Dead characters of note are in the “May We Meet Again” category.

I write this with a heavy heart, but after this episode, I fear so much for Indra that I practically have IBS over it. I’ve written over and over again how Indra will somehow be the one to open Octavia’s eyes, and she didn’t get through to her with words, so I think her death is eminent as a “teaching moment” for O. But I HATE IT. This episode was a tour de force for Indra, and her impact on the show and her steadfast loyalty (even through betrayal) is amazing. Also, having a woman of color of a certain age on this show is IMPORTANT. Representation matters, and having one of the most amazing characters be represented by an adult black woman matters.

I don’t want to lose her so I hope I’m wrong. At the end of the season, I hope this GIF describes my current Deathwatch 2018:

Sure Bets, One of These Peeps Is Dyin’

1. Indra (+1 and I hate this)
2. McCreary (+2 he escaped death once, Diyoza won’t make that mistake again)
3. Abby (-2)
4. Kane (-1)
5. Diyoza

Loooooooooooooong Shots, Place Yer Bets!

1. Monty
2. Madi
3. Octavia
4. Murphy
5. Shaw (new to list)

May We Meet Again

1. Jaha – he was number 1 on my Sure Bet to die board, though I take no pleasure in being right…it was a sorta easy read based on social media. Jaha was an interesting, complex, often infuriating figure in this universe, so RIP.
2. Kara – I had a lot of fun hating on Kara. I will actually miss her…not her presence on the show, per se, because she was the WOOOOOORST. But she gave me review fodder each time she was on screen. RIP you magical cult princess.

Raven Reyes Nookie Watch 2018

Welcome back to Raven Reyes Nookie Watch 2018! This is a weekly recurring feature of upmost importance. It’s all about the nookie!

Hooookay, so we had some flirting with Shaw, and in typical Raven fashion, her form of flirtation is kinda no-nonsense. She basically told Shaw that he has to come with them on their escape romp through the forests of Endor or her friends will kill him.

 *

*(or we’ll totes kill you)

So, you know, HOT FLIRTY ACTION. Shaw takes it in stride because he’s cooler than the other side of the pillow.

RAVEN REYES NOOKIE ALERT LEVEL: Raven cracked a smile, so they’re practically engaged. And after that Raven smile, I’m pretty sure Shaw is pregnant. 

There’s not a lot left to this season to get the nookie on, but I’m expecting some hot cave action sometime soon. Hopefully a relationship will follow once they get to know one another and get some goddamn screen time (side eye).

Parting Thoughts

• Slarke is my ride or die ship – that’s Clarke + soap. My ship is wavering here. I’m not happy with her hair (she needs some surf spray SO BAD) and those chains aren’t doing her any favors staying clean. My ship is on the rocks, much like Bellarke. In related news, one of my Cancer Gets LOST charity auction hauls, an Aaron Ginsberg Writer’s Room doodle signed by him and Eliza Frickin’ Taylor:
  
• The X-Files‘ Peacock clan is probably less dysfunctional than the Octavia, Bellamy, Indra and Gaia family.
• First Raven didn’t want Echo to kill Shaw. The she did. Then she didn’t. As my mom used to say: shit or get off the pot, girl.
• If there weren’t so goddamn much going on, I’d really start to complain and dock points for still being split between Polis and Shallow Valley…the lack of any actual movement to bring these two story lines together is bugging me.
• Uh, are the worm eggs still in the back of the Rover?
• Murphy’s “whoops” after Kane spills the beans about them working on a peace was PERFECT MURPHY.
• Oh, fuck off Miller.
• Question…will Wonkru fracture now that a new Heda exists, or will Wonkru stay strong and really cast off the old beliefs?
• But I have to say, I’m over Commanders and Red Queens…I’m ready for a new vision of leadership for the future…………….aka Diyoza.
• Raven is criminally underused so far this season; I feel this is a familiar refrain.
• Just as Atlanta calls its season 2 “Robbin’ Season,” I think it would be apt to dub season 5 of The 100 as “Betrayin’ Season.”
• Murphy HAS GOT to be related to McCreary. I refuse to believe otherwise. They’re both chaos babies and I LOVE THEM.
• When Emori was all like “you bet your damn ass that something that Raven built works,” my little heart squee-ed.
• (I have a trash bin reserved for those of you who would like to join me…all you need is to want Clarke and Echo to kiss)
• My dog Tater would have been nine today (July 13). I started this blog because of him…when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, I literally didn’t know what to do with myself, so I started writing as a distraction. And here we are. Miss you, buddy.
• TWEET/RETWEET: If you enjoyed this review, please share, retweet, or like it on twitter.
• SPOTIFY PLAYLIST OF THE 100 MUSIC!: Hey people who like sounds entering your ear holes! I have a Spotify playlist, which is music from and inspired by The 100. You can find it right here and marvel at my musical tastes. I keep it up to date with anything featured on the show or in promos.

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FINAL VERDICT!

“Sic Semper Tyrannis”: 8.5 out of 10 times I thought to quote “E tu, Brute?” but didn’t…you’re welcome, dear reader

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There are some The 100 reviewers/recaps/writers you should absolutely be reading, and I offer them up for your enjoyment; I have no affiliation with any of them, save for being a fan:

• Selina Wilken – a mix of passionate fandom and truly professional journalism.
• Erin Brown – unfairly beautiful writing. Like seriously, stop being so good.
• McKenzie Morrell – recapping her damn face off and great interviews with the cast!
• Toni_watches – piss your goddamn pants hilarious photo recaps and owes me all her Raisinets.
• Jo Garfein – great fandom charity auctions.

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Disclosure: this is my own indie site. This is on my time, my dime. Becho is endgame.

You are Wonkru or you are the enemy of Wonkru. Choose.