The 100 S5E6 Review

The 100 returns for a week before taking another week off. War continues, as the battle between Octavia and Diyoza intensifies and people question their allegiance to Wonkru.


S5E6 "Exit Wounds"

Despite the time that has passed, Octavia is still unhappy with Echo for the people that she killed, demanding that Echo leaves the camp within the next 24 hours. When shipments of food arrive with a message, allowing members of Wonkru to defect to live in the valley. Octavia gives Echo a chance to avoid banishment by asking her to turn in people who plan on defecting. This creates an interesting dilemma for Echo, and it's definitely the most interesting thing she has dealt with so far this season.

Echo ultimately decides not to tell Octavia who plans to defect, but Bellamy makes a deal with Octavia to let Echo defect. However, he learns that this did not apply to the others who defected, who are shot at as they run. Once aboard the ship, we get to see yet again how complicated of a person Diyoza is. She doesn't completely treat the defectors as prisoners, but she takes precautions, putting shock collars on all of them.

Clarke and Madi's story also deals with Octavia, in Clarke's uncertainty of how she will react to the fact that Madi is an authentic nightblood if she finds out. Clarke tells Madi to lie to everyone about how she survived, which she doesn't like to do, considering how she idolizes Octavia because of the stories Clarke told her. However, Niylah and Gaia make Clarke realize that this isn't going to work. Clarke tries to get Madi to return to the valley, but Madi has a different plan.

Madi believes that Octavia will be receptive to the truth, so she sneaks off to tell her, under the motive of protecting Clarke. I really enjoyed this interesting dynamic here, how Octavia relates to Madi even though Clarke and Octavia continue not to see eye-to-eye, and how Clarke feels like she should be protecting Madi, not the other way around. These characters are complex, which makes their interactions and dynamics interesting.


This was a very enjoyable episode of The 100, because it dealt with the kinds of things the show does best. Specifically in this episode, it dealt with dilemmas, wondering who can be trusted, and interesting dynamics between complex characters, especially everything revolving around Octavia.

Score: 9/10

What did you think of "Exit Wounds"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The 100 S5E5 Review

It's war now on The 100, as the remaining survivors on Earth fight for the valley. With the groups that we started the season with now getting mixed up, new dynamics between some people that haven't seen each other in years are in play.


S5E5 "Shifting Sands"

Clarke doesn't get to be in her usual leadership role now that the people from the bunker are out. Even with the knowledge she has, she has to fight to be heard, as everyone just wants to listen to Octavia. Octavia is unhappy with Bellamy, and there is a great conversation between her and Indra about love. Octavia doesn't want to love anyone, believing that makes you weak. Indra tells her that she loves her, and asks if that makes her weak. It is a great Indra moment.

This group faces challenging decisions, as every potential path for them seems to be impossible. A disgusting burrowing creature causes trouble, but it at least allows Clarke to be taken seriously, as she handles the situation, especially when she has to save Octavia's life. The group somehow manages to survive the sandstorm. I believe that the show created an issue for itself here, hyping up the dangers around them so much that surviving the sandstorm seems unrealistic.

In the end, Octavia is grateful that Clarke saved her, but tells Bellamy that if he isn't part of Wonkru, he is her enemy. The very ending here has a reunion, as their people from the valley arrive. Maddie and Clarke reunite, as well as Monty and Harper with the others. I'm glad that most of this group is together now.

Abby is put up to the task of diagnosing one of the people from the prison ship. This the sort of thing that the show has done before, so it feels like we're just retreading old paths. Kane keeps trying to negotiate with the leader of the group, and ends up sharing a moment with her where they drink tequila. I found this very odd, and I don't think I like where this is going.

Raven and Murphy are the most compelling characters in this episode. They have been captured, and are being tortured for information. Raven ends up getting Murphy free, but he ends up discovering that the shock collar he has doesn't let him go too far away from where they were. There's also a very entertaining moment here when Maddie talks about what she heard about these people from Clarke.


It feels like the show has too much going on right now, and it seems like everything is constantly changing. I think that they need to refocus and decide what stories they are telling.

Score: 6/10

What did you think of "Shifting Sands"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The 100 S5E4 Review

This week's episode catches up with the action in the bunker while also continuing the story on the ground.


S5E4 "Pandora's Box"

The episode begins in the bunker, showing us what we saw at the end of the second episode: Kane entering the arena to fight. In another room, a locked up Abby shouts that she committed the crime. Kane wins in an exciting fight scene. However, he will have to fight again. It is revealed that the crime was stealing medication, and that Kane had Indra lock Abby up because he knew she would confess. I find it surprising that Indra would keep information from Octavia like this, but it makes it more interesting, as more people are doubting Octavia's leadership direction.

In Kane's second fight, he and the other remaining person refuse to continue fighting, which causes Octavia to come down to the arena and recite her motto "You are Wonkru, or you are the enemy of Wonkru." Octavia obviously doesn't want to kill Kane, or at least the show doesn't, as she hesitates, unlike last week when people decided that they were against Wonkru. As she is about to strike, however, the ceiling starts to crumble.

Bellamy descends into the bunker, and his reunion with Octavia is a great moment. Clarke follows him, and she gets to reunite with her mother. Indra plans to get Abby and Kane out of the bunker without conflict with Octavia. She is able to do this when Bellamy and Octavia get a chance to speak. It's a strong scene, and I wish we got more like it. This show has leaders that take different approaches, and Bellamy is obviously not a fan of Octavia's approach.

Meanwhile, there is a battle of the computer geniuses. The person in the prison group is no match for Raven, obviously. However, he does find another way around, trying to remove the oxygen from the ship, which would kill Raven and Murphy but not the sleeping prisoners. Raven then unfreezes the prisoners, forcing him to stop. It's a battle of intelligent problem solvers. As a result of this, Bellamy and crew lose their leverage. Now, they aren't working together. This is war.


This episode had its moments, particularly in the bunker and at the end. I felt that the scenes with Raven and Murphy were generally quite boring, and the ground scenes before the bunker rescue weren't very interesting either. But, overall, the episode was still pretty good.

Score: 7/10

What did you think of "Pandora's Box"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The 100 S5E3 Review

This week's episode returns to the ground and to the sky, as Bellamy tries to figure out how to get back to the ground, and Clarke tries to figure out what to do about the new people on the ground.


S5E3 "Sleeping Giants"

On the ground, Clarke attempts to keep the valley to herself, but ends up getting captured. She plans to remain quiet to try to get the group to think that she doesn't speak English and let information slip. There is an interesting role reversal of sorts here, as Clarke in this situation is like the grounders early on in the series. I also find the leader of this group to be interesting, and I would like to see more of her.

Bellamy, Monty, Raven, Murphy, Harper, Echo, and Emori board a prison ship that has a ton of murderers cryogenically frozen. The group is able to listen in on the radio communication between those who landed on the ground, where they discover that Clarke is in trouble. They also discover a video showing prisoners taking over the ship. When one prisoner wakes up, it leads the group to wonder how, and to contemplate if they should take action and kill the remaining ones.

They come up with a plan of how to get to the ground, but someone must stay on the ship. This is similar to the end of season one, where Jaha had to stay on the Ark. As much as I hate to say it with Raven staying on board, I hope that the show doesn't again back out of what is necessary here, and lets the characters in the sky die. Murphy decides to join her, thinking that there is an escape pod that there isn't.

The group of Bellamy, Monty, Harper, Echo, and Emori land on the ground. They are immediately found by the group there, but the kid comes to their rescue. The joy that Bellamy has when he finds out that Clarke is alive is really great. However, things aren't so good for Clarke at that time, as when her people are discovered on the ground, it is believed that she has been lying. Finally, Bellamy and the group comes in to save Clarke, and it's a great moment when Bellamy says how much he cares about Clarke.


I felt that the episode started out fairly slow and somewhat boring. It got more exciting as it went on though, and the final act of the episode was very interesting. I feel that the bunker parts of this season are stronger than the other parts, so the episodes with out that (so far this one and the premiere) lack, but this one was still pretty good.

Score: 7/10

What did you think of "Sleeping Giants"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The 100 S5E2 Review

While I was not impressed by last week's season premiere, there were two things I was interested in that were introduced. This week's episode expands on one of those: what has happened in the bunker?


S5E2 "Red Queen"

The episode begins 46 days after Praimfaya. There is debate over how things should be run here. The people from the Ark have that experience, and it's something that Kane doesn't want to return to. Octavia agrees, opposing death sentences for minor crimes. However, these disagreements seem small compared with what's to come. The characters here run into a problem when they learn they are trapped, and are limited on resources. It's just like the Ark all over again. I found the politics on the Ark very entertaining back in season one, so as long as this isn't a rehash, it should be compelling.

A major conflict here is rooted in a woman named Kara, who insists that the bunker should belong to those from the Ark. When she takes action, it is huge. She locks the grounders out of where all of the resources are, leaving them to die. The grounders aren't the only people out there; Octavia and Jaha are also on the wrong side of the door. Abby tries to convince Kara to reverse her action, by explaining in detail how starvation will affect those on the other side of the door. The picture she paints is bleak, but doesn't convince Kara. I found this conflict very compelling, and it makes sense given the circumstances.

Outside the door, the group realizes that the only way to escape starvation is using the one thing that the people on the inside want: Jaha. Octavia reluctantly works with Jaha, but he refuses to get the door opened until Octavia assures him that she will stop the grounders from killing innocent people on the inside. Jaha explains how, on the Ark, they had to kill anyone who put the group in any danger of death. His purpose anymore seems to primarily be to talk to the leaders, as he has the experience being leader on the Ark. He had a similar discussion with Clarke last season, and I really enjoyed it. This one was good as well.

Octavia takes a firm leadership stance, telling the grounders exactly how it will be: "You are Wonkru, or you are the enemy of Wonkru." Anyone who objects to letting the innocent people on the inside of the doors live fights Octavia, and of course, she wins. Octavia fight scenes are always strong, and this is no exception. Now, the remaining grounders respect Octavia as their leader. Octavia has continually had to fight for the respect of grounders, and the show continues to make it believable.

On the inside, the most interesting thing that happens is Abby and Kane discussing his decision to bring her into the bunker. That's how uninteresting everything is in there. Luckily, little time is spent there. Jaha opens the doors, and Octavia demands that the guilty be taken alive. Kara puts a gun to her own head, but she is stopped from killing herself. She won't escape so easily. After this has happened, Abby and Kane discover Jaha's injury, which seems to be fatal. Jaha has come to terms with dying, and in his final moments, he shares his excitement to be reunited with his wife and son. The show has realized that Jaha's purpose in this show is over, and gave him a nice death scene. I am very happy about this decision.

At the end of the episode, Octavia tells everyone how things will work here. She makes this different than life on the ground or life on the Ark, she decides to use what she knows about ancient Rome. She gives the criminals an opportunity to live, by having them fight each other to the death, with one winner. This differs from the utilitarian philosophy of the Ark, and the idea among the grounders that "blood must have blood." The final moments of the episode flash forward six years and provide us with a startling reveal, it seems Kane has gotten himself into trouble. I am very intrigued here, the episode leaving us with another question of "how did this happen?"


This was a strong episode of politics, leadership, conflict, and fighting for survival. The 100 leaned into its strengths for the most part this week, and as a result provided a compelling story. Octavia is a very interesting character, and it was wonderful to see her gain respect as a leader in this episode.

Score: 9/10

What do you think of "Red Queen"? Leave your thoughts in the comments!