The 100, Season 2, Episode 16, “Blood Must Have Blood, Part Two”
Written by Jason Rothenberg
Directed by Dean White
Airs Wednesdays at 9pm (ET) on The CW
On this week’s The 100, Clarke makes a hard decision, Bellamy and Monty assist Clarke, Octavia and Jasper hunt down Cage, and Jaha and Murphy make a startling discovery.
Toward the end of “Blood Must Have Blood, Part Two,” the extremely brave Maya utters the phrase: “none of us is innocent.” This phrase essentially sums up the theme at the heart of the episode, and the series, thus far. The 100 has always been fascinated by the cost of survival and how far its characters are willing to go to survive; last week’s Lexa betrayal has nothing on the second part of the finale and was only the introduction to the possibilities for crossing moral lines that The 100 is willing to explore–by episode’s end, Clarke’s ultimate decision not only forces the audience to consider how far is too far when it comes to survival, but also what exactly makes someone a hero or a villain (terms that may not even fit into The 100‘s bleak and unapologetic world).
For the entire second season, Clarke’s had one goal: to rescue her people trapped in Mount Weather. Even without an army at her back, Clarke’s a powerful creature, and she’s learned some excellent (and some terrible) leadership skills in the Ark and on the ground, so it’s no surprise that she’s capable of reaching her goal almost single-handedly. Her character’s currently a far cry from the hopeful prisoner she was in the beginning; on a show full of various types of leaders, she’s become a uniquely original one who is capable of being vulnerable and afraid but still resilient and intelligent. Her transformation is one of the best aspects of season two, and, as evidenced by episode’s end, she’s only on the beginning of her journey. It helps that Clarke’s characterization is in the capable hands of Eliza Taylor, who never fails to show just how much Clarke’s decisions and choices are affecting her; one of the most heartbreaking moments of the episode is when Clarke decides to pull the lever on Mount Weather. Her pain, and horror, are all over her face, both in the control room and when she’s reunited with her mother. (Another killer line in the episode, courtesy of Abby, that pairs well with Maya’s statement: “Maybe there are no good guys.”)
Equal to Clarke’s season two transformation is Octavia’s. There are several Octavia highlights in the episode, including her well-shot takedown of a handful of Mount Weather soldiers (she’s been trained very, very well by Indra) and her conversation with Clarke. These two haven’t had much of a chance to develop a relationship, but it’s still fascinating to watch Octavia disapprove of Clarke’s decisions, yet follow Clarke into Mount Weather anyway. Octavia accuses Clarke of not doing her best, so it’ll be interesting to see if she approves of how Clarke freed the remaining Sky People. And, just as Octavia’s no longer welcome among the Grounders, Lincoln makes the decision to leave his people, as well–given his character’s history, his decision to return for the Sky People is unsurprising but definitely not disappointing. So rarely do good things (in this world, revenge feels like a good thing) happen to characters on this show that, when they finally do, it feels like a pretty big victory; Lincoln’s had it rough this season, so if anyone deserves a win over the Mountain Men, and Cage in particular, it’s Lincoln.
Two more thrilling developments of the episode involve Bellamy’s rise to heroism (which has been developing for the latter half of the season, but, with Clarke gone, he’s going to really need the skills he’s learned) and the rift between Jasper and Monty because of the loss of Maya. The latter is terribly sad, especially given how hard the duo have worked to save their people from the inside and how innocent and charming their friendship has always been (not to mention how impressive Devon Bostick’s performance is–he doesn’t get to truly show his talents often, but, when he does, he proves himself a worthy member of the cast). Plus, Maya had such a good arc this season–it’s a shame for her to be gone. Her death, more than anyone else’s in the episode, made the tragedy of Clarke’s decision fully resonate. Bellamy, meanwhile, is just as unrecognizable from his pilot counterpart as his sister and Clarke. He’s become a very honorable and impressive leader in his own right, and his (platonic) relationship with Clarke is one of the best on the show; his and Clarke’s goodbye is perhaps more emotional and profound than their condemning the Mount Weather inhabitants to death because it nails home how little Clarke’s achieving her season-long goal feels like a victory. And, given what Clarke’s done to save her people, her decision to leave feels like a natural, and even appropriate, move to make (but hopefully she isn’t gone for too long).
Lastly, Clarke might feel like a monster, but at least she’s a decent enough person to feel grief and remorse for her actions; Jaha is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Jaha does atrocious things in the name of (his own) survival, but he doesn’t seem particularly affected by his harsh decisions. Even Murphy, an occasionally-monstrous character, is horrified by Jaha throwing kids to their death to save himself. At least he and Murphy’s quest wasn’t for naught; the “city of light” is even more intriguing and mysterious than previously imaginable.
“Blood Must Have Blood, Part Two” is undoubtedly a series highlight, if not the show’s best episode ever. No one is unscathed by the trauma of Mount Weather and life on the ground, and everyone’s in a constant state of development–the character work on The 100 is astounding, as is the story, and season three looks to be the most promising season of the series yet.
Ashley Laggan