The 100 7x08 Thoughts
Jul. 14th, 2020 06:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI don't usually like backdoor pilots and having one in the final season is annoying but I enjoyed this episode.
Bardo
+ I honestly loved Clarke’s reaction. She was frozen and you can see her beginning to break – and then Raven makes a grief noise and you can literally see her shove all her emotions down and her usual coping mechanism spring into action. She doesn’t have the time to breakdown, and so she doesn’t. She concentrates on the here and now as she always does. She sends Miller to guard the door. She goes to Raven. She gives Raven the support and motivation she needs to keep going. Clarke has a purpose and thus she takes one breath and another, and continues on. We have seen her do this over and over across the seasons. We saw her do this in 7x01 with her struggling to keep Sanctum together in place of dealing with her grief for her mother. That led to her losing her shit on Russell and burning the palace, and I can't wait for the emotional explosion that's going to be coming from this.
+ I had no issue with Clarke naming Bellamy as "my best friend". It's what he became, and what he remained even after six years apart. Is he more than that to her? Yes, I believe that absolutely. But she's not going to say 'the man I loved' or 'my soulmate', those are way too revealing. He's not her boyfriend or lover, he's someone elses. She could have said "someone I loved" and that would have been amazing but I'm fine with her claiming Bellamy as her best friend.
+ I loved Clarke and Raven reaching out to hold hands and the way they stared into each other's eyes. I liked how Raven's grief was played. I liked Clarke helping Raven to move past it, just as Clarke does, just as Raven questioned her about in the previous episodes, so that they could deal together with what was happening.
+ “We do this for him. Echo and Octavia are in trouble. We do this for our family.” I loved Clarke repeating Bellamy's words about her death "do it for her/him". On the one hand, I love Clarke accepting Echo/Octavia as her family and calling them that, but on the other hand I was kind of going 'really'? But then on a third hand, they are Bellamy's family and he was her family so okay, yeah it works.
+ I really loved that little Miller moment at the start where, in shock still, he shakily orders "Jordan, Niylah, hold the room". A+. It's Miller knowing that he, Clarke and Raven are too compromised right then; it's him acting as an excellent second and taking charge when Clarke can't to protect his people. It was a great Miller moment that summed up his character to a T. Also I loved that we got to see his grief for Bellamy.
+ I loved Miller's 'wtf' side look at Clarke when their people came out.
+ I liked Gabriel. He didn't do a lot but I liked what we saw. It didn't escape my notice that when Bill asked for his people to leave Gabriel stayed, siding himself with Clarke's people.
Meanwhile they all still think that Clarke has the Flame which means Gabriel didn't tell them she doesn't. I loved that little moment between Clarke and him over the Flame/Key. I really do enjoy how Clarke and Gabriel work together and I’m sad we haven’t seen more of them. I think they’d make a great team.
Plus it felt appropriate that he was the one to tell Clarke Bellamy was dead since he was there to witness Bellamy fight so hard to save her, watched him beg and plead and demand Clarke breathe. They were explicitly compared to Gabriel/Josephine and he knows the place Clarke is in.
+ So I guess Hope is being kept back as hostage to the others’ good behaviour?
Earth
I'll be giving the spin-off a try if it happens. I'm interested in seeing how things go from what we see here to the Grounder culture of season 1.
+ I honestly really love that Becca is the nexas point for literally everything on this show. She created nightblood, ALIE, the Flame, and solved the Anomaly stones. It delights me.
+ So what was the white light anomaly Becca disappeared into? I feel like of everything seen it's probably the one that ties back into The 100 season 7. What made the white light different than the green? Green is space travel, white is... time? Did she go into the future (does she show up later in the season? Cause that would be amazing) or to a place that lets her see possible futures? She was so shaken when she came back that it reminded me of Murphy post-death - did they see the same thing?
+ The other thing connected to this season that I'm very interested in is if Callie or Reese have any descendent among Wonkru. The most obvious possibility is Indra (and Gaia), what with the Callie/'Tree Crew' connection and just the fact that they are the most prominent Grounders left. Or, I suppose Madi could also be an interesting possibility. But I'm leaning Indra/Gaia especially with the increased screen time this season. I think it'd be a waste not to have Cadogan descendants among Wonkru.
+ I like Callie a lot. There was definitely a Clarke-feel to her - medical knowledge from her mother, caring about other people and wanting to do the right thing, making difficult choices, stepping up to be a leader - but she still feels very different and like her own character. I really love how passionate she was about saving the world pre-apocalypse, and saving people and re-creating the world post-apocalypse. I love that she created the Trigedasleng language.
+ I loved Callie just straight-up shooting Reese when she realised she wouldn't be able to beat him in a fair fight, and then her giving him nightblood because he's her brother who she loves.
+ I also love that Callie and Reese's almost one-on-one fight was taking place in what will be the fighting pits.
+ I liked Grace. I loved how accepting she was of Callie's choices. I liked the moment when she stated if Callie stayed, she was too. I loved her helping Callie escape the bunker and their moment on either side of the glass was really touching.
+ It's this big deal that Grace is sent to the surface - except it's literally minutes after Callie and her large group of people and their extra nightblood go up so it ends up not feeling that dire. I have a hard time understand how Grace couldn't easily catch up to her daughter.
+ I'm not sold on Reese yet. I did like the moments we get where his surety in what he's doing is affected - when Becca burns he was noticeably not alright with it and then he was understandably upset when his father kicked his mother out of the bunker - but overall he's not a very sympathetic character. His daddy issues leave me cold. Except this is The 100 and he's positioned in a very Murphy role and we know how that went.
Callie seems the obvious one to take the Flame but I'm betting that it's actually Reese who eventually becomes the second Commander and think that could be a very interesting journey to watch. Or maybe it's Grace. That could be good.
+ "I believe in you." Callie's hero-worshipping of Becca was adorable and super understandable. I really liked the bond they formed and wish we could have seen more of it.
+ Why didn't Becca suggest Callie take the Flame? She seems like the perfect person so it's weird it didn't even come up as a possibility.
+ I loved that for as much Reese was his father's Follower, Callie was Becca's Follower with each of them just as sure that they were right. I like how the apocalypse ended up divided by two fractions led by two different 'prophets' (and despite not starting that way Becca 'Pramheda' ended up in a very similar place to Bill). Becca and her nightblood to start over on Earth, Bill and his followers going to another world via the Anomaly stone. I also love that both of them found their own versions of immortality - Bill in cryostasis, Becca in the Flame.
+ I wonder if Lucy could still be alive? Because two best friends who always had each other's back, one leaves the other behind to die but instead she survives for two years in an irradiated hell-scape could be a really fascinating dynamic to play with and I am into the idea.
+ I'm interested in what happens to Earth's Anomaly stone. I'm assuming it's deactivated to prevent Bill and his people from returning through, likely by the next Commander with Becca fresh in their head. But then what do they do with it? Also I hope we get answers on where the heck they come from.
Bardo
+ I honestly loved Clarke’s reaction. She was frozen and you can see her beginning to break – and then Raven makes a grief noise and you can literally see her shove all her emotions down and her usual coping mechanism spring into action. She doesn’t have the time to breakdown, and so she doesn’t. She concentrates on the here and now as she always does. She sends Miller to guard the door. She goes to Raven. She gives Raven the support and motivation she needs to keep going. Clarke has a purpose and thus she takes one breath and another, and continues on. We have seen her do this over and over across the seasons. We saw her do this in 7x01 with her struggling to keep Sanctum together in place of dealing with her grief for her mother. That led to her losing her shit on Russell and burning the palace, and I can't wait for the emotional explosion that's going to be coming from this.
+ I had no issue with Clarke naming Bellamy as "my best friend". It's what he became, and what he remained even after six years apart. Is he more than that to her? Yes, I believe that absolutely. But she's not going to say 'the man I loved' or 'my soulmate', those are way too revealing. He's not her boyfriend or lover, he's someone elses. She could have said "someone I loved" and that would have been amazing but I'm fine with her claiming Bellamy as her best friend.
+ I loved Clarke and Raven reaching out to hold hands and the way they stared into each other's eyes. I liked how Raven's grief was played. I liked Clarke helping Raven to move past it, just as Clarke does, just as Raven questioned her about in the previous episodes, so that they could deal together with what was happening.
+ “We do this for him. Echo and Octavia are in trouble. We do this for our family.” I loved Clarke repeating Bellamy's words about her death "do it for her/him". On the one hand, I love Clarke accepting Echo/Octavia as her family and calling them that, but on the other hand I was kind of going 'really'? But then on a third hand, they are Bellamy's family and he was her family so okay, yeah it works.
+ I really loved that little Miller moment at the start where, in shock still, he shakily orders "Jordan, Niylah, hold the room". A+. It's Miller knowing that he, Clarke and Raven are too compromised right then; it's him acting as an excellent second and taking charge when Clarke can't to protect his people. It was a great Miller moment that summed up his character to a T. Also I loved that we got to see his grief for Bellamy.
+ I loved Miller's 'wtf' side look at Clarke when their people came out.
+ I liked Gabriel. He didn't do a lot but I liked what we saw. It didn't escape my notice that when Bill asked for his people to leave Gabriel stayed, siding himself with Clarke's people.
Meanwhile they all still think that Clarke has the Flame which means Gabriel didn't tell them she doesn't. I loved that little moment between Clarke and him over the Flame/Key. I really do enjoy how Clarke and Gabriel work together and I’m sad we haven’t seen more of them. I think they’d make a great team.
Plus it felt appropriate that he was the one to tell Clarke Bellamy was dead since he was there to witness Bellamy fight so hard to save her, watched him beg and plead and demand Clarke breathe. They were explicitly compared to Gabriel/Josephine and he knows the place Clarke is in.
+ So I guess Hope is being kept back as hostage to the others’ good behaviour?
Earth
I'll be giving the spin-off a try if it happens. I'm interested in seeing how things go from what we see here to the Grounder culture of season 1.
+ I honestly really love that Becca is the nexas point for literally everything on this show. She created nightblood, ALIE, the Flame, and solved the Anomaly stones. It delights me.
+ So what was the white light anomaly Becca disappeared into? I feel like of everything seen it's probably the one that ties back into The 100 season 7. What made the white light different than the green? Green is space travel, white is... time? Did she go into the future (does she show up later in the season? Cause that would be amazing) or to a place that lets her see possible futures? She was so shaken when she came back that it reminded me of Murphy post-death - did they see the same thing?
+ The other thing connected to this season that I'm very interested in is if Callie or Reese have any descendent among Wonkru. The most obvious possibility is Indra (and Gaia), what with the Callie/'Tree Crew' connection and just the fact that they are the most prominent Grounders left. Or, I suppose Madi could also be an interesting possibility. But I'm leaning Indra/Gaia especially with the increased screen time this season. I think it'd be a waste not to have Cadogan descendants among Wonkru.
+ I like Callie a lot. There was definitely a Clarke-feel to her - medical knowledge from her mother, caring about other people and wanting to do the right thing, making difficult choices, stepping up to be a leader - but she still feels very different and like her own character. I really love how passionate she was about saving the world pre-apocalypse, and saving people and re-creating the world post-apocalypse. I love that she created the Trigedasleng language.
+ I loved Callie just straight-up shooting Reese when she realised she wouldn't be able to beat him in a fair fight, and then her giving him nightblood because he's her brother who she loves.
+ I also love that Callie and Reese's almost one-on-one fight was taking place in what will be the fighting pits.
+ I liked Grace. I loved how accepting she was of Callie's choices. I liked the moment when she stated if Callie stayed, she was too. I loved her helping Callie escape the bunker and their moment on either side of the glass was really touching.
+ It's this big deal that Grace is sent to the surface - except it's literally minutes after Callie and her large group of people and their extra nightblood go up so it ends up not feeling that dire. I have a hard time understand how Grace couldn't easily catch up to her daughter.
+ I'm not sold on Reese yet. I did like the moments we get where his surety in what he's doing is affected - when Becca burns he was noticeably not alright with it and then he was understandably upset when his father kicked his mother out of the bunker - but overall he's not a very sympathetic character. His daddy issues leave me cold. Except this is The 100 and he's positioned in a very Murphy role and we know how that went.
Callie seems the obvious one to take the Flame but I'm betting that it's actually Reese who eventually becomes the second Commander and think that could be a very interesting journey to watch. Or maybe it's Grace. That could be good.
+ "I believe in you." Callie's hero-worshipping of Becca was adorable and super understandable. I really liked the bond they formed and wish we could have seen more of it.
+ Why didn't Becca suggest Callie take the Flame? She seems like the perfect person so it's weird it didn't even come up as a possibility.
+ I loved that for as much Reese was his father's Follower, Callie was Becca's Follower with each of them just as sure that they were right. I like how the apocalypse ended up divided by two fractions led by two different 'prophets' (and despite not starting that way Becca 'Pramheda' ended up in a very similar place to Bill). Becca and her nightblood to start over on Earth, Bill and his followers going to another world via the Anomaly stone. I also love that both of them found their own versions of immortality - Bill in cryostasis, Becca in the Flame.
+ I wonder if Lucy could still be alive? Because two best friends who always had each other's back, one leaves the other behind to die but instead she survives for two years in an irradiated hell-scape could be a really fascinating dynamic to play with and I am into the idea.
+ I'm interested in what happens to Earth's Anomaly stone. I'm assuming it's deactivated to prevent Bill and his people from returning through, likely by the next Commander with Becca fresh in their head. But then what do they do with it? Also I hope we get answers on where the heck they come from.
