The 100 5x04 Review

[iaria]

Pandora's Box

I really enjoyed this episode. So many great moments.

• I love that Kane chose a shield as his first weapon in the fight cage. That is so him.

• The Bellarke reunion was beautiful and perfect. I love how just shocked and disbelieving they are that the other person is alive and there with them. The way Bellamy runs over to her and helps her up, the first hug and how Bellamy closes his eyes and Clarke's tearful "You're really here" and how overwhelmed she is by Bellamy's hug. The second hug! The expressions on their faces throughout the entire scene and them getting teary. Bellamy's hands on Clarke's back holding her to him. All perfect.

• "Murphy, Monty, Raven?" That's a really interesting order for her to name them in. Also Bellamy returns with 'Echo, Emori' but makes no mention of Harper which was weird.

• My favourite scene of the episode, and one of my favourite scenes of the show, was the reunion radio call between Bellamy/Clarke/Raven/Murphy. I loved literally everything about it. It made me so happy, and it was just nice to see my favourite four characters so happy, and together, if only for a moment. It was a really nice moment.

+ The fact that Bellamy didn't just tell them but let them learn she survived by hearing Clarke's voice, and his smile when he passed the radio over knowing what they're going to be feeling in a second and being so happy about it all.

+ Murphy's little smile when he hears her voice. He's just so genuinely immediately happy that she survived.

+ "Geez, and they call me the cockroach." - Murphy. So affectionate and relieved and his smile as he says it! Clarke and Bellamy's laughter in response - these guys all care for each other so much.

+ Raven's relief at knowing Clarke survived, at knowing that Clarke hadn't died to save them, and the overwhelming emotion on her face during this scene. That burden that has been weighing on her for the past six years suddenly and unexpectedly gone. Her friend didn't die, her friend didn't die to save them, she didn't leave her friend behind to die alone.

But I think Clarke's survival has had a serious emotional impact on Raven beyond just having her friend back. Six years ago Clarke sacrificed herself so they could get to the Ark and Raven made a promise then that she would get them back to Earth - to the point that she was willing to sacrifice herself to do it. Clarke sacrificed herself to save them, so how could Raven do less? But now Clarke is alive and I think that does change the situation.

I also feel like Raven's relief goes beyond both Clarke not having died for them and Raven having her friend back. Because now she also has the knowledge that Clarke - who saw them through the previous four years, who made the plans, who pulled the levers and who was such an important part in their previous chain-of-command and survival - is back in the game and on their side. Clarke's alive, Clarke and Bellamy are together and working to solve this latest horror show, and I feel like that's also a part of it.

+ This exchange:

"But first, thank you for saving our lives." - Raven, teary
"I miss you both." - Clarke, smiling ♥♥♥

So. Much. Love. I want the Raven/Clarke reunion hug now. I love that the one thing Raven had to make sure to say was 'thank you'. I love that Clarke said 'both' in her response. I love that her response to that was to tell them she missed them.

+ Bellamy touching Clarke's shoulder to get her attention.

• The Indra and Kane friendship lives and makes me so happy. She was so afraid for him in the arena during the first fight! She conspired with him to protect Abby and then took him to her to try and save him.

• Yeah, so the season 5 finale is 100% going to be about Eligius 3. A ship full of Nightbloods? Yes, please.

• "Saving my people is about more than keeping them alive." - Kane. Kane deciding to let himself die to try and help break the system. ): Indra's expression ): ): (But seriously she needs a hug. She was so upset! And it was sad!) Jackson is so defeated and sad. Miller is... idk. Not happy but... accepting? I think he might be fully cultified. It's worrisome. I am so interested to see which side these three come down on in the end. Then there's Octavia who doesn't want to kill Kane but you can see in her quick look at the crowd that she has no choice within the system she helped create, she knows it and she accepts it.

• Man, Bellamy and his entrances this season. Perfect timing, excellent lighting and a momentous reveal. He's such a drama queen.

• The Bellamy/Octavia reunion was so good. The hug and the fact that it was Octavia who ran into Bellamy's arms, for a moment back to being just Octavia Blake and not Blodreina. "I knew you'd come." The joy on their faces. Him gently kissing her head.

• I liked the Clarke and Octavia reunion too. Them grasping each other's forearms, as equal leaders, instead of a hug felt appropriate. I would have liked a hug but that's not their relationship and it was still clear that Octavia was happy to see her.

• I love Clarke and Bellamy's shared look of 'wtf' about what they'd just dropped into. Then again at the end of the episode they share a look full of unspoken words. I love how they're on the same page as always and so easily fell back into being a team.

• All the 'wtf' looks re: the bunker this episode were amazing and hilarious. There was also Bellamy and Diyoza's 'wtf' looks when everyone only left at Octavia's nod, and the ones between McCreary/Diyoza/Bellamy when Wonkru started chanting as Octavia was taken out.

• Octavia vs Diyoza was amazing. Just... wow. Their meeting was so tense. I love it. I thought that Clarke vs Diyoza was going to be the big versus relationship, because Diyoza is very much in the Clarke Season 1 role, but now I'm pretty sure it's going to be these two and I actually can't wait.

• I loved Murphy's little rueful/regretful smile and self-headsmack at letting his snarkiness get the best of him.

• "I know. That's why I'm going to do it. ... Why do you always have to be the one to sacrifice? If it comes down to it I've got this." Such a lovely moment between them. Murphy being sincere and him looking after Raven, and she so deserves that, and you can see how much it means to her for him to hold the burden with her. I'd really be up for it if the show decided to go in a romantic direction with them but either way I want so many more scenes of their friendship and love for each other.

• Indra's little look when she sees Abby hiding the pills came off very sympathetic to me. She's more sad for Abby and what she's going through than angry (even though it almost got Kane killed) or derisive.

• The Clarke/Abby reunion was way more low-key than I was expecting which was initially a little disappointing. However it's soon clear that Indra filled Clarke in on what has been happening with Abby - in the way Clarke enters and approaches her mom slowly; her "Hi mom" being soft and tender (not joyous and frantic like expected); the way she lets her mom pull her into a hug when Abby's ready; how she's so gentle with her - and that's why it ended up working for me. It was also very different from all their other reunions which I liked.

• I liked Bellamy checking Octavia's rig before she went up and them holding hands as she's being lifted out of the bunker.

• Glad we got a Bellamy/Miller reunion hug. I loved Bellamy's grin.

• I love Indra sneaking Kane out of the bunker and into freedom/survival. Was Bellamy in on Indra and Clarke's plan to sneak Kane out of the bunker or did they just take advantage of him getting Octavia out of the way.

• I loved Clarke and Kane's smiling hug reunion. So sweet.

• I loved Raven and Murphy playing ball, having fun.

• I like how much Shaw already likes Raven. He's super impressed with her skills and he clearly liked her solution to to the air venting.

• Couldn't they have sealed the prisoners into that room? I feel like there was more than enough time after the outer doors closed for them to step outside that room and seal it.

• I liked Abby taking control at the end and using Diyoza to get Kane out of danger. She was so weak and passive for the entire episode that it was nice to see.

• I really love how much like an older version of Clarke Diyoza is. Her coming up with the venting the air plan so quickly is absolutely something Clarke would have come up with and her choice to fire on everyone at the end is also a very Clarke move. They really are two peas in a pod. Except unfortunately unlike Clarke she doesn't have trusted allies who have her back and she can trust. Shaw definitely seems like a good match for Raven's awesomeness but he isn't willing to follow Diyoza no matter what. And McCreary is certainly no Bellamy. It actually makes me feel a little sad for her.

• I loved Shaw in his last scene. I liked him pointing out how few humans were left (because right?!) and then him walking into McCreary's gun and staring him down. I also 100% believe it was Shaw who jammed the ships guns.

• "I trusted you. This is your fault." SIGH. You'd think after six years as Blodreina Octavia would've started to take responsibility instead of blaming Bellamy/others. I'm hoping this is a very short instance of falling back into old habits.