‘The 100’ 3×12 Review: Demons

We deviate from all our A.L.I.E. & Grounder problems to dive into a faux horror story in The 100 episode “Demons.” The show managed to lose steam and veered off into a storyline that we didn’t need. On top of that, they presented a parental figure for Raven, before swiftly cutting him down. The return of Lincoln’s body also made it obvious that needless deaths are rampant in The 100. Is anyone going to survive when this show ends?

Let’s talk about it!

A wild filler episode appears!

This was a filler episode. There’s no use denying it or acting like it was relevant to the general storyline. It was a way to waste time and an opportunity for Clarke’s problems to rear their ugly heads again. In this case, the ugly head was Emerson. The return of the last Mountain Man played with our fears of the unknown, masked monsters, and creepy music (which you should never follow, thank you Monty.) But that was it. The Emerson problem was taken care of in Polis. There was no time or reason to bring him back when they’ve got bigger problems to deal with.

“Demons” felt like an amazing AU fan-fiction that you would read on the side while hanging out during a rainy day. It’s an amazing read, entertains you, and freaks you out for the hour you spend on it. But at the end of the day it’s an AU that you wouldn’t want on the show because it’s a waste of valuable time that they could be using for actual development. Here lies one of the biggest problems with this season, pacing.

Without proper development or explanation, they are taking characters we love and making them unrecognisable. Looking at you Bellamy Blake. As a writer, I sit down and mull over why Bellamy changed so much this season. I spend ages talking with friends and fans discussing what could have prompted this new man before us. But why should I have to do that? Why should I have to overanalyze everything a character does to understand him? Shouldn’t the storytelling explain all of this to me? It should, but it doesn’t. It just jumps from one point to another without giving us time to process or understand what is happening to them.

At the end of the day, all we’re left with is a disconnect where we don’t recognise the characters we loved before. When that happens, what’s the point of even watching anymore?

Our dearly departed, Sinclair. Why did he have to die?

This death caught me by surprise. I knew someone was going to die. I just assumed it would be Harper or Bryan. You know, the B-list characters kept on the side for moments like this. I should’ve known that The 100 really doesn’t follow any sort of rules or logic when it comes to death.

Sinclair’s last moments were spent worrying about someone else. It didn’t matter that he was bleeding and hurt. Raven was the important one. He wanted her to get back into the rover and be safe. And even when he was on the ground, he was comforting HER. He was selfless, brave, and devoted to making sure that she would be ok no matter what happened to him. (This is the moment where my heart was caught in my throat and the tears started.) Where was this connection before? Why was I just discovering it now? And why were Sinclair’s final seconds spent watching Raven being ripped away from him?! Why couldn’t he survive?

His death was an unnecessary measure added for shock value. We were just starting to see how much he cared for Raven and how they were family. He was an asset that was there from the beginning and has been hovering on the fringes of The 100 events for ages. I was looking forward to exploring his story and seeing his contribution to this A.L.I.E. problem. Unfortunately we’ll never have a chance of getting to know Sinclair. The chance to do so, was stolen from us to shake things up for the audience.

The 100 is following this dangerous and useless pattern where characters are killed off for no reason, with no backlash, or real consequences. Deaths are important for an episode or two before they fall to the wayside and are never thought of again. Remember Monroe? Remember the 300 that were just massacred? We do, but the characters on The 100 have seemingly glossed over them already. Sinclair’s death will have the same treatment. He’ll fade into the background and never be thought of again because he isn’t in the City of Light.

It’s ok to admit that ‘your favs’ aren’t ‘your favs’ anymore.

Clarke and Bellamy are shadows of their former selves. They’ve lost their spark, the thing that makes us cheer for them no matter what comes around. This season has seen them falter and fall to the pain that surrounds them. And I’ve been patient. I’ve waited to see them rise again from where they’ve fallen…but they haven’t appeared. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t enjoy seeing them on screen anymore. They’re not the people that I fell in love with so long ago. No longer is she the fierce, brave, and spirited warrior. And no longer is he the rebel leader who does things his way and no one else’s.

This episode, we saw a micro shift in both of these characters into the people they once were. But it was too sudden and with no build up at all. The gang got back together and BOOM, everything that they’ve been through suddenly didn’t matter? They were going to fight A.L.I.E. together that easily? This brings me back to the pacing problem that The 100 has. Instead of wasting time with a filler episode, where they killed someone off for no reason, they could’ve focused on something more to unite our delinquents. All they did was spin a tale where Clarke’s problem’s were center stage with a side of grief.

Closing

The 100 is no longer the ‘leads’ story. It’s an ensemble where everyone is getting a chance, if they don’t die, to explore their stories. For Season 3 to pull itself back from the slump it’s fallen into, they need to bring back what we love (Clarke and Bellamy BAMF’s) without sacrificing what works (Arcs about Octavia, Raven, Jasper and Monty.) They also need to back off on all the killing. How are we supposed to connect with anyone, if the chances of them dying are high? What’s the point of watching when we don’t care anymore about the story being told?

MVP of the Week: Octavia Blake

Our warrior was allowed to grieve and say her final goodbyes to Lincoln in Demons. Although this doesn’t fix the anger or pain she feels inside, it’ll help her eventually move on. Kudos to Marie Avgeropoulos for making fans cry with her. Lincoln will be missed by all.

What did you think about “Demons”? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below!

READ ALL OUR SEASON THREE  REVIEWS: 

• ‘The 100’ Season 03×01 Premiere Review: ‘Wanheda Part One’
• ‘The 100’ 3×02 Review: Wanheda Part Two
• ‘The 100’ 3×03 Review: Ye Who Enter Here
• ‘The 100’ 3×04 Review: Watch the Thrones
• ‘The 100’ 3×06 Review: “Bitter Harvest”
• ‘The 100’ 3×07 Review: “Thirteen”
• ‘The 100’ 3×08 Review: “Terms and Conditions”
• ‘The 100’ 3×09 Review: ‘Stealing Fire’
• ‘The 100’ 3×10 Review: “Fallen”
• ‘The 100’ 3×12 Review: Demons
• ‘The 100’ 3×13 Review: Join or Die
• ‘The 100’ 3×14: WTF Moments from “Red Sky at Morning”
• 6 Intense Moments from The 100: “Perverse Instantiation Part One”
• ‘The 100’ 3×16 Finale Review: Perverse Instantiation Part Two

READ ALL OUR SEASON THREE  ROUNDTABLES: 

• ‘The 100’ 3×02 Roundtable: Discussing ‘Wanheda Part Two’
• ‘The 100’ 3×03 Roundtable: Discussing ‘Ye Who Enter Here’
• ‘The 100’ 3×05 Roundtable: Discussing ‘Hakeldama’
• ‘The 100’ 3×06 Roundtable: Discussing ‘Bitter Harvest’
• ‘The 100’ 3×07 Roundtable: Discussing Thirteen’
• ‘The 100’ 3×09 Roundtable: Discussing Stealing Fire
• ‘The 100’ 3×11 Roundtable: Discussing ‘Nevermore’
• ‘The 100’ 3×12 Roundtable: Discussing ‘Demons’
• ‘The 100’ 3×13 Roundtable: Discussing Join or Die
• ‘The 100’ 3×14 Roundtable: Red Sky at Morning
• ‘The 100′ 3×15 Roundtable: Perverse Instantiation Part One
• ‘The 100’ 3×16 Roundtable: Perverse Instantiation Part Two

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