5.11 Damocles — Part One In recent seasons, however, The 100 has suffered from a constant leaning into these new, darker expectations. Now that everyone expects the show to go dark, it’s not so surprising when it does—and in age in which it’s far more unique and subversive to tell a story about community, unexpected kindness, or the power of empathy, dark just isn’t doing it anymore. This is the context the story of Damocles — Part One is told in. As a war story, it’s a solid one. As a season-ending arc of The 100, it’s all too familiar. It’s a complicated tale of loyalty and what we are all willing to do for the people we love. Basically, we’ve seen The 100 tell this story. I’m ready for a new one. What does it look like when these characters build something rather than tear it down? While it is not explicitly articulated in the show, I can understand why being a mother is so appealing to Clarke. So often, she has been split in many different directions, unable to save everyone she loves. By filling the role of mother in its most extreme defintion, she seems to think that any degree of betrayal or sin is okay as long as Madi is safe. Following a reminder of Lexa’s love, however, Clarke thankfully has a change of heart and helps a stubbornly ferocious Madi and the others escape McCreary’s clutches to go save Bloodraina and the rest of the missing Kru. Speaking of Bloodraina, Octavia has finally accepted that it Wonkru is broken. It only took a dying Gaia to whisper the words from her mother’s arms. After leading her army into the slaughter of McCreary’s merciless assault, Octavia sees Gaia’s words as a call to sacrificial arms. She causes a bullet-y diversion while Bellamy, Gaia, and Indra hobble to safety. It truly seems like Octavia will go out in a blaze of glory until Madi and co. show up for the last-minute rescue. (And I’m going to guess Echo loved the irony of this moment.)
