Clarke Griffin, at long last, is back!
Buried deep down in her subconscious, chock-full of all her memories and demons, is our favorite blonde leader. Never thought I would say this but, thank you Alie!
It seems as though we have been building up to this episode all season and it did not disappoint. I also feel like each episode I say is my new favorite of the season, only to be replaced with the next episode. Goes to show how great this season is becoming.
This episode had a lot of callbacks to the earlier seasons. Rooms were filled with drawings of past characters such as Finn, Lexa, and Wells. For a second it really did feel like we were back…bitches.
Papa Griffin Returns
Now, this is a guy I thought I would never see again.
For someone who obviously means so much to Clarke and influenced a lot of her decisions, it was a nice surprise to see Clarke’s father especially at her dire time of need. It makes sense that father would be the one who could help her understand what exactly is going on. Everyone – including Clarke – believes that she was dead.
Seeing a glimmer of relief in Clarke after realizing that her fight may be over broke my heart. Clarke is right, she has been fighting for so long. The sad part for her may not be her death itself, but her inability to say goodbye to the people she loves and have been fighting for.
Little did they know that she was still alive, just trapped in a mind space with Josephine. Every night, Josephine attempts to find a way for Clarke to actually die whereas Clarke fights every night to find her way out.
It is a battle between two very stubborn and strong women, where the winner gets the ultimate price of life.
Clarke v. Josephine
Remember in season three when Clarke took the chip in her attempt to put an end to the City of Light? Well, that chip is still there and is the only thing keeping Clarke from dying.
The only way for Clarke to continue to live is to prevent Josephine from getting the very specific memory of how to get rid of the chip – using an EMP like they did on Raven. Once Josephine gets her hands on the chip, it is game over for Clarke.
Of course, it’s not exactly easy hiding something in a place that seems like Clarke’s literal hell.
At every turn, there is another reminder of her past actions. From Josephine questioning Clarke’s parental choices to Octavia in the pit talking about Clarke’s decision to leave Bellamy to die.
But her most prominent demon is Mount Weather and all the people she killed there. Including Maya.
Covered in radiation burns, Maya goes face-to-face with Clarke and brought up the good old my people versus your people debate. A debate that which continues to be one of the biggest themes in the series. Clarke’s justification is that she did not mean for Maya to die but she had to do it for her people. Since Maya didn’t fall under that category, she ended up being collateral damage.
On one hand, Clarke was watching as all her family and friends were being tortured and to her, the only way out was to radiate the bunker. On the other hand, hundreds of innocent people – people who helped Clarke – died.
It is a constant question that The 100 asks, and one that I don’t believe has any right or wrong answer.
Peace At What Cost
Taking place where Clarke’s worst memories lie, Josephine and Clarke had their final showdown.
While the stubborn Clarke initially refused to never stop fighting, she finally gave up the chip to Josephine in an effort to preserve the peace in the outside world. After being told that Bellamy decided to take a deal with Russell, Clarke knew that her coming back would put everyone she loves at risk.
That’s the thing – Clarke never intentionally starts any wars or fights with anyone. When it does happen as a result of her actions, it is because she truly believes that the choices she makes will ultimately save her people. Even if that means sacrificing herself.
One of my favorite lines from the series is “I bear it so they don’t have to” and it spoke volumes in this episode. Clarke will always do what she needs to do to make sure that the people she loves continue to live a long life. If it comes at the cost of her own life, that’s okay.
It’s what makes Clarke a true hero and leader.
The Voice of Reason
Just when I thought all hope was lost, here comes Monty Green.
Another character I never thought I’d see again, Monty appears in Clarke’s mind space just in the nick of time. It’s Monty who makes Clarke understand that ends don’t justify the means. That making a deal with murders isn’t okay just because they are willing to let your people live.
The tables are finally turned when Monty convinces Clarke that she needs to keep fighting. That’s when they both decide to get into Josephine’s mind space. Filled with rows of books, each containing a memory of Josephine’s past lives, Clarke and Monty attempt to find the key to letting Clarke out. Those memories tell us what we kind of already suspected – Josephine is a psychopath that began to take advantage of being a Prime a long time ago and will do anything to stay alive.
At the end of her mini library, they also find a secret room which also happens to hold Josephine’s worst memory. When she was in her original body and around the time before the end of the world, Josephine witnessed a suicide right before her eyes. Perhaps that was the turning point of sweet and innocent Josephine because, from the point forward, she was no longer the girl trying to vie the affections of a boy.
Josephine, however, catches wind and pulls Clarke out of her mind space and wakes up. But not before Clarke is able to hatch her own plan. When Josephine meets with Russell, Bellamy, and Miller in the real world, Clarke is able to use the lights in Josephine’s mind space to send Bellamy a message: she is alive.
What Bellamy does next is vital because time is running out. Do you think Bellamy will be able to help Clarke escape before her mind is completely wiped? Let us know in the comments below!
The 100 airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.
READ ALL OF OUR SEASON SIX REVIEWS –
- ‘The 100’ 6×01 Review: “Sanctum
- ‘The 100 6×02 Review: “Red Sun Rising”
- ‘The 100’ 6×03 Review — The Children of Gabriel
- ‘The 100’ 6×04 Review — The Face Behind the Glass
- ‘The 100’ 6×05 Review: “The Gospel of Josephine”
- ‘The 100’ 6×06 Review: “Memento Mori”
- ‘The 100’ 6×07 Review: “Nevermind”
- ‘The 100’ 6×08 Review: “The Old Man and the Anomaly”
- ‘The 100’’ 6×09 Review: “What You Take With You”
- ‘The 100’ 6×10 Review: “Matryoshka”
- ‘The 100’ 6×11 Review: “Ashes to Ashes”
- ‘The 100’ 6×12 – “Adjustment Protocol”