‘The 100’ 6×03 Review — The Children of Gabriel

Time to make peace has begun – and we aren’t off to a great start.

I loved every minute of this episode. Not only did it give us a lot of information, but it also left me craving for more. I don’t know about you, but I have no idea how this season is going to play out. Is it going to be more like Mount Weather? Or will Clarke and company make peace with these moon dwellers?

Whatever the outcome will be, this episode has set the tone for the rest of what is already shaping up to be one of the best seasons of The 100.

Welcome to Sanctum

This episode finally helped shed some light on the moon that everyone from space is so eager to settle on. Honestly, there is a lot of confusing mythology introduced in this episode including the significance of nightbloods.

It was discovered that being a nightblood is considered sacred on Sanctum and directly relates to the people in power. I guess being a nightblood isn’t exactly a great thing seeing as the second it was revealed that Clarke is a nightblood, she was instantly put in danger.

Just add that to the growing list of things that will cause violence and death on this moon.

We already know that an eclipse can cause everyone to go insane, but that’s not all it does. It also spreads a deadly poison – which nearly killed Murphy. Well, I guess it did kill Murphy, at least for a few seconds until a snake brought him back to life.

This near-death experience brought Murphy to hell, or so he says. With Madi also talking about seeing some ire images in her dreams, it begs the question of whether the moon is a cause of these weird and deadly occurrences.

Speaking of John Murphy, Richard Harmon continues to impress in his portrayal of Murphy and this episode was no exception. It looks like this season is going to be the most intriguing yet regarding Murphy as he will begin to battle his past demons after coming face-to-face with hell.

But don’t worry Murphy, there is plenty of room in the inferno and I’m sure you’ll be seeing some familiar faces when you go. I just hope it’s not anytime soon.

Peace Is Overrated

At long last, we get to meet JR Bourne’s (aka Papa Argent from Teen Wolf) Russell Lightbourne who happens to be the leader of the people of Sanctum.

We also get to meet other residents of Sanctum including a few that don’t appear to be big fans of their new guests. They have Jordan to thank for that as he spilled the beans on how exactly Clarke and company ended up on their moon. Knowing how Clarke treated the last civilization she encountered, they opted not to extend an invitation. Who can blame them?

It became borderline comical how many times Clarke mentioned starting over and finding peace throughout these past couple episodes. Raven seems to be the only one laughing at this (other than myself of course). You would think Clarke wouldn’t be so naive as to think that just by saying she wants peace that they’ll achieve it.

Knowing exactly what Clarke has done in the past, Russell rightfully calls her out on it. The mass murder saved my people is Clarke’s main defense. While I don’t think Clarke’s actions in Mount Weather were necessarily wrong, I do think Clarke needs to stop hiding from the fact that she is pretty much incapable of peace. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost either.

It’s been evident that even the most peaceful civilizations have their own dark corners. Mount Weather attacked, kidnapped, and killed grounders for decades while eating chocolate cake in their super safe bunker. Even Sanctum has its fair share of enemies outside of their shield.

The truth of the matter is peace is impossible in the world that they live in. The sooner everyone starts to admit it, the better.

Grounders 2.0

I’m assuming the writer’s intention was that these so-called ‘Children of Gabriel’ looked exactly like the grounders did back when we met them in season one. There is one big difference between the two, however, and that is the Children of Gabriel have a few new tricks up their sleeve.

A paralytic dart seems to be their weapon of choice when attacking the transport ship and Sanctum. It appears their mission is to bring death to the “primes” of Sanctum who also happen to be its leaders. They even go so far as to kidnap the daughters of the primes but are thwarted by Clarke.

We need a lot more information on these people before we can begin to figure their role in this world. One assumption can be that these people are the bad guys. That they are the ones that everyone should fear for the rest of the season. That could quite possibly be true, especially seeing them poison and plan to take Octavia to whoever this “old man” is.

But maybe not everything is as it seems. Perhaps, the focus should be on Sanctum. Something fishy must be going on beneath all the color-infused scenery. Why else would this near-perfect civilization have such fierce enemies?

Although, they do have golden retrievers so I guess they can’t be that bad.

Back To Basics

One of the reasons why I loved this episode is because it reminded me a lot of how The 100 used to be.

We get to see Clarke retake her position as the leader of the group after Bellamy declares her in charge. Not everyone agrees with that decision (Raven and Murphy couldn’t be more annoyed), but the decision was made nonetheless. And it’ll be interesting to see how that will change when – or if – everyone else wakes up.

It was great seeing Bellamy respect and reaffirm Clarke’s ability to lead once again. The relationship between these two leaders has had its ups and downs recently. To see some stability and trust in their relationship again has been like a breath of fresh air.

Of course, with characters acting out old habits, there were a few causalities along the way.

On their mission to reclaim the transport ship, Bellamy, Octavia, and Echo along with a few of Sanctum’s fighters stumble across the Children of Gabriel. While Bellamy is looking for a more harmless approach, Octavia goes in just like how Blodreina would – killing every single person.

In response, Bellamy leaves Octavia to fend for herself instead of allowing her to board the transport ship. I guess Bellamy isn’t looking to resolve his issues with Octavia anytime soon.

Long Day’s Work

Besides a few kidnappings and death, there were also a couple of happier moments.

Clarke and Madi finally reunited after being separated since they both woke up from cryosleep. As one of my favorite relationships on the show, I am excited to see how their relationship will continue to develop now that Madi has the flame. Clarke’s first instinct is to protect Madi and having the flame – and being a nightblood – could jeopardize that.

But you know who is actually enjoying his time on the moon at least a little bit? Jordan Green. He not only continues to be fascinated by this new world after spending 99% of his life on a spaceship, but is also enjoying the company of its residents. Well, that is until he is knocked unconscious.

It will be sad to watch the ever so innocent Jordan bear witness to the harsh realities of The 100. But let’s be real, it will make for a great season.

The 100 airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.