‘The 100’ 3×04 Review: Watch the Thrones

Tides are changing on The CW’s The 100. With the Ice Queen dead and Pike in power no one is safe and war is inevitable in ‘Watch the Thrones.’ Bellamy has also fallen under the spell of grief and Pike’s smooth talking. It’s the start of an arc that will define who Bellamy is when he has no one to protect and is left alone with his pain.

Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of ‘Watch the Thrones.’

The Good: Lexa Killing the Ice Queen

A coup was inevitable. The people around Lexa doubted her ability to rule and were easily swayed by the Ice Nation because they wanted to hold to the traditions of their people. Skaikru was an interloper who didn’t belong. They crashed onto Earth, killed Grounders, and claimed a piece of land that didn’t belong to them without permission. Lexa accepted the challenge because there was nothing else she could do. If she declined there would have been no way to hold onto the throne and Clarke & Co. would have been killed.

The showdown between Lexa and Roan was amazing! The crew on The CW took great care in making sure that everything came off as a high budget feature comparable to something you’d see on Game of Thrones (Jason Rothenberg has a mad love for that show. *cough* The title.) Even the stunts were well executed, every move looking like they spent hours practicing. While we’re still on the fight let’s talk about how Lexa grabbed Roan’s blade to stop its descent. Who does that? And how did she keep on fighting afterwards? Wounds on your hands are no joke!

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After all we’d been teased about the Ice Queen I wasn’t expecting for her to die so quickly. I was holding onto the hope that we would get to see this fierce warrior keep Lexa on her toes for many episodes to come. It was the right move eliminating her and setting Roan as King in Lexa’s eyes. The only move really. But it has the high probability of backfiring against her since Lexa was the one who banished Roan and kind of messed up his life. Just saying. Might not be the best decision.

The Bad: Bellamy Giving Into Pike

Bellamy, my sweet sweet Bellamy. I know he’s hurt. He’s grieving the death of Gina and all the other people that died at Mount Weather. It’s human. He blames himself for believing Echo and leaving his people unguarded. In his mind, maybe if he was there and wasn’t so weak they’d be alive. This made him an easy target for Pike. The Farm Station leader buttered him up with the consequences of not acting against the Grounders immediately. He fed into Bellamy’s anguish and practically said that the same thing that happened to Mount Weather would happen to the people of Arkadia if he didn’t help Pike. Since Bellamy is an angst riddled ball (refer to the ‘may we meet again’ that broke our hearts as he remembered Gina) he agreed and got the guns for Pike. He stood against his own people, his own friends, because he didn’t want to fail them again.

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It’s interesting to think about the lengths that Bellamy would go for Arkadia. Remember in the beginning when they first landed on Earth? How Bellamy said that the teenagers around him were his people? How the adults left on the Ark were nothing because they condemned them to the planet to die? Time on Earth has allowed Bellamy to grow and see that the people on the Ark weren’t his enemies. They are people who should and will be sheltered from the horrors he’s seen out there beyond the walls of Arkadia. He’s responsible for them.

Bellamy joining Pike and buying into this ‘we vs every Grounder no matter if they were sent to help us’ is going to be the reason his sister turns her back on him. Octavia has been lost for so long and has finally found a place to belong with the Grounders. She’s a warrior in control of her own destiny with the power to change anything by her own hands. Her brother’s actions in this episode and the next will shatter them. And he won’t understand until it’s too late that he’s destroyed a part of her family beyond repair. That’s what will snap him out of the train wreck he’s heading for. Guarantee it.

The Ugly: Pike Gaining Control of Arkadia

In Taylor Swift’s words, “I knew you were trouble when you walked in.”

As soon as Pike stepped on screen I knew bad things were coming. He’s a smart man who’s been hardened by the death of the children of his station and adopting the Grounder life to survive. He hasn’t had any opportunity to see the Grounders in a positive light. Well except Lincoln. Our beautiful Grounder, was hit with a rock and didn’t retaliate. He stood his ground and showed Pike that he was more than a wild Grounder. (I think he holds the smallest bit of respect for him but is afraid to open himself to the possibility that he’s wrong.) As soon as Pike found out about the Grounder army outside Arkadia he acted like a scared animal who lashes out at the mere possibility of something bad happening. Lincoln stood up to Pike and Farm Station, not to hurt them, but to stop them from doing something truly regrettable.

Perspective changes everything. In Pike’s eyes what he’s doing is right, just, and essential for the survival of Arkadia residents. Kane going to the coalition and letting them brand him made him an outsider and unfit to rule. He had to take on the responsibility because no one was doing anything about the threat outside their door. After losing over half his people at Mount Weather he can’t sleep, eat, or work without thinking about them. He won’t fail them again. One time was enough and failure is no longer acceptable.

Other Observations:

Clarke stood up to the Council and tried to kill the Ice Queen for her people, not for Lexa. She hasn’t forgiven the Commander for the past three months and the week being held prisoner. I do think she’s mellowed out a bit when it comes to Lexa. Clarke’s time in Polis has shown her that things are far more complicated when you have 12 clans to keep under your control. If Lexa would have forsaken her people in Mount Weather, the coalition would have lost faith in her, collapsed, and broke out into war. In a twisted way Clarke understands that Lexa betrayed her for something bigger than both of them.
Jasper and Monty’s little side mission was a blast from the past and a wake up call. Monty is not taking any of Jasper’s crap anymore. He has suffered as much as his friend without collapsing into himself in a fit of depression and drinking. Walking away from Jasper was the hardest thing he’s ever had to do but the most necessary. It’s time for his best friend to chose to get better because he wants to and not because someone is forcing him to.
The most dangerous person at Arkadia (well besides Pike’s misguided notions) is Octavia. Earth is her home. She’ll fight to protect it even from the people in Arkadia.
I love the more we learn about Grounder culture. To be eligible to become the next commander you must have ‘night blood’ or dark blood. Once they discover that, you’re put through intense training to narrow down the search. Lexa inherited her position because she was the strongest of her group. Personally I would love a flashback of this.
Bellamy is lashing out because he’s scared and confused for the first time in years. His body language and actions speak of defeat that Kane won’t accept. He sees a bit of himself in Bellamy and will not let him go down a path where he self destructs.

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Which side would you pick? Would you follow Pike or back Kane? Also what will Clarke’s reaction be when she returns to Arkadia? Leave us your thoughts and comments in the section below!

The 100 airs Thursdays on The CW @ 9/8c.

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