The 100 Season 4 Episode 2
The 100 Season 4 continues to serve up reminders of season one, from that electric blue butterfly to the realization that the Ark will only save 100 of them. We also started to learn a few more details about the facts on the ground while Bellamy faced down an OG The 100 moral quandary, Raven pressed Clarke to tell the truth, and Octavia added “political assassin” to her resume. The most emotionally intense moment of this storyline revolved around Monty. Even the brief, casual conversation about who the kill belonged to was a reminder of how far these characters have come. Monty and Jasper were two of our sweetest cinnamon rolls, the purest who took the longest to be darkened by the violence and trauma, but it happened nonetheless. Still, I loved Monty’s refusal to conform to the two options offered to him. He is not a killer, and he doesn’t want to be. He is still responsible for that death, which was more brutal than if he had done it swiftly himself, and he knows it. It will eat him up inside, and the horror in his face as he walked away was clear. But at least he made his own choice rather than falling in line with what was offered to him. He chose the best bad option available at the time, which is the best anyone on this show can do. It was great to see Miller and Brian get more screen time, even if it’s heartbreaking to watch them fight after they managed to survive everything else. The realization that Brian turning against Pike was purely to save Miller, rather than due to a philosophical change of heart, was gutting. It’s interesting to see someone like Brian who stood by Pike, who murdered innocent people, but favored saving innocent people from Ice Nation in the present. On The 100 it’s about loyalty, not morality, and everything comes down to who you define as “your people.” Abby gets two well-earned developments in this episode. Kane’s reaction to Abby still wearing her deceased husband’s wedding ring on a chain around her neck was pitch-perfect. Abby and Kane have always been a strong presence on the show and in one another’s lives, and this seems to signal to each other and the viewers that their coupling will not diminish the power or screen time of either of them. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if Abby wore the ring to remind herself of her role in her husband’s untimely demise and Clarke’s imprisonment as much as their old life. In that way, taking off the necklace is more about forgiving herself for past since than making room for a new love. In either case, Abby setting off toward Arkadia and Clarke, her neck bare, felt right. She’s letting the past go and going to be with her daughter who needs her in the present, but Kane is still in her heart. It was brutal to see Abby and Clarke separated again in the premier, especially after their bittersweet moment together while Clarke mourned Lexa, so soon after Clarke watched Abby nearly kill herself while chipped during the finale. Now that the adults seem to accept the 100 as rightful peers and Abby and Clarke have resolved their prior tension, it will be interesting to see them move forward as equals. This episode brought together a lot of great elements that reminded me why I love this show, even if some of them were a little light on emotional intensity. It also tackled fewer storylines than the pilot, which made a huge difference. A few stray thoughts and great moments: – No one has forgiven Jaha yet, although Clarke seems the least mad. – Black rain sounds terrible. – It sounds like there’s 500 Skaikru, plus grounders. Yikes. – Word does not get around ice nation very fast – The 100 needs a pony express or something. – Raven misses Sinclair.
