“The 100” characters literally walked into the belly of the beast in the latest episode all while wondering who they can trust now.
Season seven, episode six, “Nakara” aired on The CW June 24. It was a powerhouse of an episode that delivered some of the best performances thus far this season. Adina Porter (Indra), Ivana Milicevic (Diyoza), J.R. Bourne (Russell/Sheidheda), Shannon Kook (Jordan), Lee Majdoub (Nelson) and Lindsey Morgan (Raven) stood out to me as they poured their hearts on the screen.
I couldn’t take my eyes away from the action and the terrifying scenes that took place on Nakara. It played like a horror movie and reminded me of the flesh-eating bugs from season five, episode five, “Shifting Sands.” Remember those?? I still have the heebie jeebies from them.
“Nakara” also started out with a bang with Diyoza’s flashback montage. It felt like I was watching a punk rock music video as I saw her slowly lose her mind, fight back against the Disciples by ripping out their throats and throwing daggers at them. It had this pumped-up energy that couldn’t be contained by Milicevic’s performance. The way Diyoza went from her ferocious escape to melting down and being sentimental when she saw Hope was beautiful. I’m so excited to have Diyoza back on our screens.
I was enthralled by the mix of action and character moments where they either broke down and admitted to their guilt or stood up and took charge. It was inspiring. However, as the episode continued, I lost that inspiration. Disappointment took over me instead.
It was bogged down by three storylines happening at once. The main characters were also forced to take a backseat while secondary characters drove the episode. It hurts me to no end to see our main cast shoved to the side after they’ve carried this show for six years, and I’ll get more into that later in the review.
My star rating for the episode is below.
SPOILER ALERT WARNING
Into the belly of the beast
I can’t talk about “Nakara” without talking about that cave — which wasn’t really a cave! Those scenes were shot so well. I felt like I was there with the characters not knowing what was around the corner. When they got spooked, so did I, and I can’t explain how worried I was that we would lose Miller, Jordan or Niylah to those spider creatures.
The “cave” they had to enter in order to find the Anomaly stone wasn’t really a cave. The cave was really the belly of a living organism the Bardoans feed their dead to. And our kru entered it really without a second thought (Ew. Gross. Yuck. I don’t like that at all).
“Clarke, this isn’t a cave. It’s a living organism.” – Raven
However, there was a bonus to this terrifying sequence: getting a conversation that was long overdue between Clarke and Raven.
When the two were about to be eaten by the spider creature, Raven finally acknowledged Clarke’s pain, praised her for her strength and apologized for how she’s acted toward her in the past.
Raven: How do you do it?
Clarke: Do what?
Raven: Stay so damn strong. Whatever happens, Clarke Griffin doesn’t break.
Clarke: That’s not true.
Raven: Really? I killed four people in the nuclear reactor. Eight more later that night for good measure, and I feel like my soul’s cracked open. You just hum along like a finely tuned engine.
Raven used to be one of my favorite characters but that changed after season four. She started tearing Clarke down for having a difference in morality than her and placed herself on a pedestal, but that all came crashing down as she found herself on Clarke’s level this season. She finally understands what it’s like to be a scared, young leader with a group of people to protect. If anything, I’m happy to see this reconciliation between two, strong female characters. Heck yeah!
Clarke and her kru weren’t the only ones to walk into something bigger and scarier than they thought.
Our kru on Bardo don’t know who to trust and their plans have gone out the window. When they were standing outside the room with the Anomaly stone about to go in, Octavia looked down the hallway and saw Levitt casually standing there with a mop.
He urged her to not enter the Anomaly and to go outside on an inhabitable planet instead. Even though this plan seems wrong, Octavia seems to trust him almost on instinct (I’m with you there, girl). However, Gabriel doesn’t trust him and when push came to shove, Gabriel allowed him and the kru to be caught by the Disciples.
This leaves me asking, who is the unknown beast at Bardo? Is it the Disciples we should be wary of or is it the unlikely Levitt? Is Levitt the good person we think he is or is there something more to him?
I’ve been a fan of him since he entered my screen, but I’m starting to become wary of him. How is he always where Octavia is? How did he get her to trust him so fast? How is he so willing to go against his people for her? And, how has he not been punished by Anders for helping her so much? Surely there must be cameras in the hallways that allow Anders to see what his Disciples are up to?
Then we have the mostly unknown beast at Sanctum — Sheidheda. He’s a good villain, because he has some mighty fine persuasive skills (something tells me he would definitely take communication classes in college). Everyone besides our characters from Earth trust him so easily and fall onto his side, hanging onto his every word. Nelson, I believed in you.
Nelson: Who are you?
Sheidheda: Someone who knows how to give you what you want.
Nelson: And what is that?
Sheidheda: What everyone wants — power.
Nelson: I don’t want power. I want justice.
Sheidheda: You can’t get justice without power. … You make allies of the murderers and the thieves. Then you take out the enemy’s queen.
Just like how Nakarakru didn’t know what cave they were walking into, people at Sanctum don’t really know who the antagonist is. They’ve been placing the blame on our leaders from Earth for their injustices, but the real villain at play is hidden by the mask of a false god with good communication skills.
The audience knows this, but they don’t know who the villain is on the other planets. Who can we trust? I guess we get to play the waiting game just like the characters, which is actually pretty fun.
It’s interesting to see how “The 100” is playing around with the idea of false gods and justice this season. We should question our traditions while keeping our eyes open for the real monster pitting us against ourselves.
Out with the old, in with the new
Hello, disappointment. Welcome back. It looks like we have new main characters.
We’ve entered an opposite day where the people who were the main characters for six years are (almost) nowhere to be found while our secondary characters are at the forefront.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s great seeing Jordan involved in the action, Indra taking charge, Murphy being Murphy, Diyoza kicking ass as always, Gabriel yearning for knowledge and Madi wanting to play soccer with her pals. Their stories are finally being explored, which was a small criticism I had with past seasons — seasons five and six especially even though season six is tied with season two as my favorite seasons. But at what cost?
The actors and actresses who have played the main characters for years are getting sidelined this final season. And for what? For the secondary characters to finally tell their stories the writers forgot to include until now?
I went into this season wanting closure for Clarke and Bellamy. Whether you’re a Bellarke shipper or not, they’re still the female and male lead of “The 100”, the head and the heart.
Yes, I’m happy we get to see this ensemble cast shine in their screen time, but I would be lying if I didn’t say it felt like a slap in the face every once in a while.
Echo is getting the most interesting storyline this season. She’s been involved in the action since the first episode. She fought off the Disciples before we even knew who they were, went into the Anomaly where she stayed on Sky Ring/Planet Beta/Penance for five years, jumped to Bardo, learned about Bellamy’s second disappearance and got captured. All throughout this time, her character hasn’t developed at all.
Like I said in my last review, Echo is still the same spy she was when we met her in season two. She’s throwing all caution and morality to the wind by being reckless after hearing about Bellamy’s alleged death. Even Octavia isn’t acting like that, and he was her brother she yearned to get to for six years.
Now, let’s compare what has Clarke done this season. She had a picnic, tried leading Sanctum, went into the Anomaly to Nakara and fought off a big spider.
Bellamy only had about ten minutes worth of screen time. Doesn’t Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley deserve better? They’ve carried this show on their backs for six years, and now it’s like they’re forced to sit back while all the other characters quickly try to build their resumes before the final season’s up.
We really only go to Clarke when another character has a dilemma and needs to ask for advice. When did she go from the action-driven, always-throwing-herself-into-danger female lead to the wise, old woman who sits back and only talks and answers questions when she’s needed?
I apologize for the rant, but I needed to get that off my chest. Yes, this season’s been action-packed with characters coming to internal realizations, but it’s also been rushed. The main characters aren’t really being thrown in action anymore. They’ve become plot devices to further the stories of other people.
Scenes that were a big #mood
Let’s take a break from disappointment and take a look at some of the episode’s best scenes. This is a list of scenes that resonated with me and made me shout “mood” from the comfort of my couch June 24.
- When Clarke called Bellamy’s name first on Nakara. Same, girl. A storyline without Bellamy is just one I don’t care to see.
- When Madi was just done with the stress of leadership being placed on her shoulders. Come on, Indra, let her play soccer with the cute boy she was obviously flirting with on the playground. I was blushing for her. #LetMadiPlaySoccer
- When Murphy nicknamed Jeremiah as Jerry. I physically laughed out loud at this scene. Jeremiah was so nervous and just wanted to be Murphy’s best friend and after Murphy offered him a drink and the nickname, he was clearly giddy with excitement. Also, like Jerry, I too want to be pals with Murphy.
- When Gabriel was so done with Echo.
- When Levitt gushed over Octavia. It’s really the dream to flirt with my crush from my favorite series, especially to have them stroke my face like Octavia did to him. He was blushing real hard, and I don’t blame him. We have a fanboy on our hands whose dreams are coming true.
- When Indra stood up for herself and announced her leadership role. Yes! Take charge, queen.
“There may be no commander, but make no mistake, I am in command.” – Indra
“The 100” airs every Wednesday on The CW at 8/7c.
