S02.E12: Rubicon

[ottoDbusdriver]

Episode Description:

 

Tensions between Clarke and Abby come to a head after Clarke crosses the line. Raven helps Bellamy navigate Mount Weather. Jaha and Murphy encounter a stranger who may not be what she seems. Octavia is prepared to fight for someone she loves. Meanwhile, things reach a breaking point at Mount Weather.

 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Bunch of preview s from Spoilertv.com

 

2 Sneak Peek video clips

http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/02/the-100-episode-212-rubicon-sneak-peek.html

Bellamy has a chat with former President Wallace in his quarantine room/cell about assisting with the escape.
Dr. Tsing decides to pick out a few more victims to experiment on.

 

And a 3rd Sneak Peek video clip

http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/02/the-100-episode-212-rubicon-sneak-peek_10.html

Jaha, Murphy et al meet a grounder in the middle of the desert -- Murphy finds out that the woman they meet is 'grounder hot' and a possible love interest.

 

Bunch of promotional photos

http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/02/the-100-episode-212-rubicon-promotional.html

More photos of Jaha's quest and Murphy and his new girlfriend.

[Jordan27]

Oh my, another chance to watch the 100 stupid people..or is there more? 

 

Is there anyone to even root for in this show?

[Lila82]

Much as I was horribly embarrassed by the mutant gorilla a few episodes back, I'm so proud of our show tonight.  They weren't afraid to make their heroine do something unforgivable.  Because really?  Can Clarke come back from this?  She can excuse away the other difficult choices that she's made (the ring of fire, killing Finn, sending Bellamy to his potential death), but this?  She had options and she  still chose the path of most destruction.  I usually want to slap the smug condescension off Abby's face, but Paige Turco nailed the love/horror/guilt/grief/despair/disappointment/awe/terror that she was feeling.  She created this monster and there's no way of reeling her back in.

 

The cinematography on this show is always lovely, but the shot of Murphy and Co climbing the sand dune by moonlight was stunning.  As was Lexa's star-studded cowl.  I hope the show gets more technical Emmy noms this season.  They do wonderful work.  

 

I'm also impressed by their blocking for scenes involving male grounders.  They're all these huge, hulking creatures being bossed around by tiny women.  It's a cool visual, but also says so much about the workings of Grounder society.

 

Octavia remains awesome.  I don't care so much about her love story, but I love how she's finding the acceptance she's always craved.  She never doubted her family's love, but she was always a burden, an outsider, but she belongs now, and not because she met Lincoln but because she's found a place and proven her worth.  I love that she keeps referring to herself as a Grounder.  I love that she used their ideology to shake Lincoln out of his pity party...although it is disconcerting how he keeps eating his friends.  

 

Miley Cyrus, aka Emori, can stay, but only if she gets Murphy away from Jaha.  

[Lord Kira]

Can we please kill Abby now? What the heck was she even doing there in the first place? She's crashing a peace conference when she has no idea about anything on the ground.

 

I do love Clark's development, and everything in Mt. Weather.

[Jhem211]

As beautiful as that nighttime shot was, I wish Jaha would have fallen off the side of that mountain. I'm really over his righteousness and Moses imagery.

I really love the gender flip of Raven telling Bellamy Clarke kept information from him in order to "keep him safe."

Ditto for Raven momentarily setting aside her issues with Clarke in order to hug it out. I think when the truth eventually comes about about TonDC and Clarke has gone even further down this dark road, Raven will be one of the few who actually support her. She's good at seeing people from all sides or at least accepting people as they are.

And I am completely on board for exploring how dark Clarke can get as it relates to making tough calls as a leader. Of course Abby is appalled. So is Clarke. Abby has shown time and time again that these are the exact decisions she will not make whereas Clarke has shown an increasing ability to do what she deems necessary, even at great cost. Allow hundreds(?) to die and most likely lose the war? Sacrifice hundreds and have a better chance at winning the war? This isn't a new dilemma, but it's a new POV to show the juxtaposition of a mother and daughter as leaders.

[Carrie Ann]

Yeah, the ending of this one basically made me sick, but at least it was in a way that I understand from a character perspective. It was a huge mistake, on a human level, and possibly on a leadership level too. I mean, I saw Lexa's argument, but I'm not sure it was airtight. And it's a wash anyway, because Jasper, Monty, Miller and the others are already fighting back. Mt Weather knows there is a problem inside their walls now.

 

So I look forward to seeing what this does to Clarke, and I have to imagine it will further derail her relationship with Bellamy--did she think Octavia was down there? I know she saw her with Lincoln in the end but wasn't sure whether she knew O had gotten out beforehand.

 

Otherwise, damn, I hate those Mt Weather assholes. It was pretty satisfying to see Dr Cylon bite it. And I'm glad Lincoln is alive and semi-well. I was convinced he was a goner when he went off with Bellamy. Now I think he'll last all the way until the end of the season! ;)

Edited February 12, 2015 by Carrie Ann

[ottoDbusdriver]

Stress of leadership is really turning Clarke into a full-on beeyotch -- like when she went off on Raven about only constructing TWO tone generators. Of course it's all Raven's fault that she doesn't know how to turn off the acid fog, and hasn't built enough tone generators.  And then she gets all pissy at Bellamy to boot over the radio.  But for some reason, Raven feels the need to hug Clarke despite hating Clarke for killing Finn and that Clarke has been nothing but a bitch to her lately -- because they will always be BFFs.

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa -- Team Jaha has walked all the way back to the dead zone near the remains of New York City ? In 2 days ??  What is this -- Revolution ?  And why is the sun so much brighter in the desert ?  It looks like the planet in the movie 'Pitch Black'.

 

That mic on Bellamy's walkie must have a parabolic dish to catch that conversation loud and clear across a room.

 

Raven still shows no signs of being injured -- EVER.  No limp, no bandages, no pain when she moves, no nothing.

 

Murphy is a self-proclaimed bad boy -- and grounder girl likes her some bad boys.  And she's a bit of radiation mutant, with a gnarly six-ish fingered left hand (I think Murphy should pass if she offers him a handie).

 

Bellamy palms a pistol off to Jasper in holding -- I'm sure that will work out well.  Was that the pistol from Bellamy's holster because he suddenly had another pistol in his holster when he visited President Wallace.

 

Seriously -- no one else has flagged Bellamy as an intruder.  Like the guard commander (they had to go all suit up somewhere for the prisoner retrieval) or the kitchen staff (when he picked up the meal).  Anyone in Mt. Weather that sees a new face would be setting off alarms -- likewise, no one has apparently asked where Lovejoy went, but now there is this guy with no nametag on the security detail showing up for a security shift.  Put former President Wallace knows immediately that something is up with Bellamy when he delivers his dinner.

 

Clarke makes it from Camp Jaha to TonDC (man, that is a stupid name for Washington, D.C.) in about an hour (which means she was traveling at roughly 60 mph on horseback over rough terrain).  And somehow Kane beat her there in basically the same time frame, despite only leaving minutes earlier than her.   A few episodes ago, it was a two-day trip to walk there.

 

It appears Lexa finally found a washcloth and wiped her bad mascara off.

 

Cancel the meeting, start a fire, something -- oh Clarke, you are just the epitome of leadership.  By the way that Clarke keeps talking back to Lexa and grabbing her, I'm surprised Lexa hasn't either kissed her or killed her -- yet.

 

And a grounder shows up with a working RPG -- after a 100 years, they still have working RPGs in the Dead Zone.  How exactly ?  Where's Admiral Ackbar when you need him -- because it's a trap !!  Grounder girl Emori has the dullest knife in history of existence held to Murphy's throat, as she did not draw a single drop of blood from his neck.  I can't believe that they didn't call his bluff (because that RPG is likely a dud -- and there's no way to prove it without firing it) and gun him down with the dozen or so machine guns they had -- wow, Jaha is stupid.

 

Despite all that concrete and steel that Mt. Weather is constructed of, Bellamy's radio reception is just awesome.  Sure, why not ?  And Raven just "happens" to drop a mention to Bellamy that Octavia is in D.C. -- Oooops !!

 

Octavia is out prowling the woods with the other Number Twos -- where is a giant mutated gorilla when you need him ? Remember that the gorilla cage was within walking distance of the grounder camp.  How did Lincoln get from Mt. Weather to the grounder camp in D.C. ?  So quickly ?  Did the Mt. Weatherites wrangle the reapers on the way there ?  And why is Octavia quoting Chumbawumba lyrics to Lincoln in Grounder-speak (you get knocked down, you get up again) ?  Why is Lincoln such a lucid reaper ?

 

One little technical snafu -- after Murphy woke up, where was all the light from the east coming from if the EXTREMELY LARGE MOON was to the west of them.  And what was with that moon -- is this a Disney movie ?  The moon is the size of a quarter held at arms length -- so unless the nuclear war caused the moon to move more closer to the earth that scene was complete and utter bullshit.

 

The missile the Mt. Weatherites previously used, according to Lexa's oral history, left a hole you could not see across.  WTF ?  Even modern nukes can't do that.  And when Octavia and Lincoln happen upon the crater, it's about a 100 feet wide.  Man, that's disappointing. If this apparently a missile from The Blacklist no one would be killed except extras, so of course there are survivors.

 

Clarke ditches Lexa in the woods in their attempts to escape or find the Mt. Weather spotter (who knows for sure at this point - but it won't matter since they already locked the coordinates into the firing computer), because Clarke's mommy is in the grounder camp. Oh, boohoo for little Clarkey and her mommy issues.  She has to go rescue her mommy.  Did Lexa get killed in the missile attack ?

 

I like that the missile only took 10 seconds away to get to the grounder camp -- because that actually sounds about right. And Boom !!!!!!   I'm glad they didn't drag it out so that it took 1/2 an episode to get there.

 

Do the 47 or 46 or 45 or 44 (or is it back to 45 since Bellamy is there now) or whatever are left that are locked in that dorm ignore the fact that the Mt. Weatherites can hear them since the room is bugged -- in fact they spent one episode with the radio cranked up whenever they talked because they knew that for a fact from Maya.  But now they are just blabbing in the open -- so the Mt. Weatherites should know all about Bellamy's intrusion by now.  Well done Monty and Jasper.  Of course Jasper is an idiot and shoots the guard in his body armor in an 8 to 1 ratio of guns -- you always go to for the head when someone is armored like that.

 

But it doesn't matter -- Bellamy is releasing radiation internally.  Don't the Mt. Weatherites have sensors or video cameras to catch people fucking with the sensitive areas.  And how did Bellamy get into that sensitive area exactly ?  And where did everyone go -- because the doors are all locked in order to get out.

 

And Dr. Tsing finally gets what she deserves for her Dr. Mengele-like experimentation -- because now she's dead, and no one tried to save her.

Edited February 12, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[placate]

Dear show, Abby is not interesting.  She betrayed her husband and only exists to antagonize her daughter who is trying to take the lead of the "sky people."  At least Murphy is interesting.  I was hoping that lobster girl would be his love interest.  Mt. Weather is boring and I'm kind a sure that radiation exposure doesn't work like that.

[Artsda]

I miss Murphy being with the others.

 

Am going to love how Clarke justifies herself to Bellamy considering Octavia could have been blown up.

[shrewd.buddha]

So Clarke decided the lives of hundreds (?) were worth less than 47-ish people, plus Bellamy? Not sure that moral math adds up. I don't think I'm a fan of hers anymore. Not that it matters for this show. 

 

I suppose Jaha needs to find the City of Light so that Clarke and the Sky People have someone new to fight and kill next season. Because, that's what really matters, right? 

[Riful]

Am going to love how Clarke justifies herself to Bellamy considering Octavia could have been blown up.

 

Well Lexa said the army was safe in the forest, and that was also where the Seconds were put on security detail. So as far as Clarke knew (if she had this knowledge, which is likely), Octavia was off with the other Seconds in safety.

 

So Clarke decided the lives of hundreds (?) were worth less than 47-ish people, plus Bellamy? Not sure that moral math adds up. I don't think I'm a fan of hers anymore. Not that it matters for this show.

 

I don't think quite agree with that math. First and foremost the Mountain Men been taking Grounders for many years to make them into Reavers/drain their blood/experiment on them. As a 'bonus' the Reavers also hunt and kill Grounders, and it wouldn't surprise me if some Reavers have killed family and friends in their drug bood rage. Then there is the use of Acid Fog on top. Thousands have probably died because of them. Now with the use of the Sky People they hold as prisoners, they will be able to froam reely outside unless they are stopped. With their technology and control of Reavers, the following war would result in huge loses. One side would probably have to be annihilated in order for the war to stop.

 

Now for the people lost at the Tondc(?). We know the army isn't there. So that means a fair share of the population wasn't there. Then add in the needed camp followers etc. for huge army camped in the wilderness with horses etc. The missile itself was also targeted after the meeting area of the 12 tribe leaders, which was at the outskirts of the town area. I think less than a 100 died, though there will be many injuried.  So imo from a big picture perspective, and with the time constraint they were under, I get why they did what they did. They simply cannot afford to risk losing the overall war with the Mountain Men.

I love the show for putting these difficult decisions on its characters. There was no last second hail mary save. I was watching with a friend and she kept trying to work out ideas of what they could do (she was really against Clarke's & Lexa's decision), but she couldn't work out any that wouldn't had revealed that there was an inside man somehow.

The potential fall out from this decision regarding both Clarke and Lexa are huge, and there are several interesting ways it can go. No way it will remain a secret indefinitely.

Couldn't muster any interest for Jaha, even with Murphy by his side. I feel like the character has run it's course already back when he was left on the Ark, so really hoping he won't suck up much screen time. Overall the city of light thing serves also a bit too much like a momentum breaker.

Edited February 12, 2015 by Riful

[Slider]

Can't stand Clarke - and it's not just from this episode.  It's been building for a while.  The crap she's been dishing off on Raven for not working hard enough? WTF has she been doing? Walking around with a grounder shadow? She's always portrayed as right, and the writers will justify her decision from this episode as "right" and it's really starting to bother me.  They can kill her off anytime - I'm so over Clarke.

[FurryFury]

? She's always portrayed as right, and the writers will justify her decision from this episode as "right" and it's really starting to bother me.

 

It's not portrayed as "right". It's portrayed as ambiguous and in all actuality, weak and caused by Lexa's influence. Abby being mad at Clarke demonstrates it well enough. Clarke has been broken by Finn's death and the continued plight of her people at Mount Weather. She's so focused on defeating her enemies and rescuing her friends that she doesn't even stop and think if the ends justify the means. 

 

I'm sure Bellamy and Raven will give her hell for this - I'm actually looking forward to it.

 

As for Jaha - well, this show is already BSG-light, so a spiritual leader was something I should have expected. Still, Jaha/Murphy is an inspired pairing - I never expected Murphy to survive that long in the first place, but I always kinda liked him (as a character, not a person). The girls (Emery? Whatever) mutation kinda reminded me of Evan Peters' character on latest season's American Horror Story.

[Carrie Ann]

Yeah, I don't see how you could watch that episode and really believe the show thought Clarke was "right" to do what she did. They presented it as an impossible decision, and she went along with Lexa's plan because she was convinced it was the best option, but she clearly felt remorse. And I wasn't super convinced that it was the only option. Sorry, but if you moved all those people out of there, and Mount Weather knows you have someone on the inside, then what? They look for him? You can talk to Bellamy and tell him that they know, and things have to get juggled, but I'm not convinced there was absolutely no way around it. They let ??? number of people die just to stay with their plan. I don't think it was a good call, from a human being perspective, and I don't think the show presented it as one.

 

They are clearly showing that Clarke is attempting to shut off some of her emotion, in reaction to killing Finn and to being thrust officially into a position of leadership for which she is underequipped. I don't think the show believes it's a great move for her to lose touch with her humanity, so this was portrayed to me as a step in the wrong direction, but hopefully one that will lead to her moving back the other way (either of her own volition or because everyone around her will push her that way like her mom is doing).

 

I would think people who hate Clarke and think she's a Mary Sue who's always right would be thrilled at this development, personally. It doesn't seem like the show can win when it comes to Clarke. If she refused to go along with it, then she's always an angel and never has to do anything wrong. But because she did do something wrong here, that doesn't fit the narrative that she's always right, therefore the thing that was wrong just becomes right? 

[FurryFury]

Personally, I'm thrilled with Clarke's development in season 2 (well, I'm thrilled with season 2 in general). All too often, TV shows, especially network TV shows, show the protagonist as somebody who's ultimately in the right and doesn't have serious flaws. It's boring and exhausting. In this case, it's obvious Clarke's decision wasn't clear-cut and was made in desperation, without any time to think and any real counsel except for Lexa. There will be consequences.

[Slider]

 

It's not portrayed as "right". It's portrayed as ambiguous

 

It didn't mean that it was portrayed as right last night, I meant that (in my opinion) it would be glossed over by characters in the future and justified in their minds.  I don't see it having serious repercussions for Clarke like Finn's actions at the grounder village had for Finn, and Murphy's actions for wanting Charlotte dead had for Murphy.

[FurryFury]

I meant that (in my opinion) it would be glossed over by characters in the future and justified in their minds.

 

I am sure Bellamy will have serious issues with Clarke essentially sacrificing Octavia. It wouldn't make any sense if he didn't. Hell, Abbie herself already made obvious she was shocked and appalled at Clarke's actions. Plus, I don't know if Kane and Indra will survive and remain uninjured, so there could be more consequences.

[Slider]

 

so there could be more consequences.

Yes, there could be consequences, I just don't see them as long lasting.  I see them as temporary.  I don't see them banishing Clarke to live on her own.  I don't see her being tied up to a tree and slashed with knives for all the Grounder deaths.  I don't see her being held responsible and tried by the Sky People.  I just don't see it being a factor past a couple of people being angry for a few episodes. 

[bluebonnet]

I really like the questions the show makes us ask.  I think Clarke and Abby play well off one another.  How different are they really?  Abby's face expressed such horror but we also have to recall that Abby was willing to sacrifice 100 children for the sake of everyone else.  Some of those children died due to that decision, some are imprisoned, some have been tortured, some have become monsters.  Abby's decision created a Clarke who now has to think about sacrificing for the good of the many.  Clarke isn't just trying to save 47 of their people.  They also need to neutralize this major threat - the mountain men - or else they won't be able to live without being terrorized for generations to come.  So are Clarke and Abby really different?  Does Clarke deserve Abby's condemnation?

 

It's hard to give the Mt. Weatherites the same considerations since they are the instigators in all of this.  They aren't even considering other options and it makes no sense that they are willing to blow up the very people that are meant to save them from living underground.  

[FurryFury]

Yes, there could be consequences, I just don't see them as long lasting.  I see them as temporary.  I don't see them banishing Clarke to live on her own.  I don't see her being tied up to a tree and slashed with knives for all the Grounder deaths.  I don't see her being held responsible and tried by the Sky People.

 

None of these options make sense. It was Lexa's decision, not Clarke's. Clarke just went along with it. So Grounders' justice is not applicable in this case. Now, the Ark people, it's different. I can easily imagine she'll lose her power and respect if the word gets out. In fact, I kinda suspect it could happen eventually.

 

It's hard to give the Mt. Weatherites the same considerations since they are the instigators in all of this.  They aren't even considering other options and it makes no sense that they are willing to blow up the very people that are meant to save them from living underground.

 

You know, I used to think the same, but AVClub discussions, which I'm following (terrific reviews of the show, BTW - it pains me how underrated it is) have pointed me to the idea that the people in Mount Weather don't know how long their equipment will last. It's already old enough. Their life support systems (especially air and water purifiers) can fail any minute, really - and even if they can't, they certainly have a finite life span. I do think it should have been stated on the show outright - it would definitely help to characterize the Mt. Weather inhabitants and flesh out their motivation without making them clear-cut villains.

Edited February 12, 2015 by FurryFury

[bluebonnet]

None of these options make sense. It was Lexa's decision, not Clarke's. Clarke just went along with it. So Grounders' justice is not applicable in this case. Now, the Ark people, it's different. I can easily imagine she'll lose her power and respect if the word gets out. In fact, I kinda suspect it could happen eventually.

 

You know, I used to think the same, but AVClub discussions, which I'm following (terrific reviews of the show, BTW - it pains me how underrated it is) have pointed me to the idea that the people in Mount Weather don't know how long their equipment will last. It's already old enough. Their life support systems (especially air and water purifiers) can fail any minute, really - and even if they can't, they certainly have a finite life span. I do think it should have been stated on the show outright - it would definitely help to characterize the Mt. Weather inhabitants and flesh out their motivation without making them clear-cut villains.

I actually thought they'd already mentioned that.  In any case, their environment failing is a likely possibility.  But it still doesn't negate the fact that they are blowing up the people who are supposed to save them and that they aren't looking at other options.  One option is to ask for consent.  They got consent from Jasper at one point.  They aren't even attempting to arrange face-to-face with the sky people or grounders.  It's all just straight to kidnap.  They could have been doing breeding programs for the last decade or so.  It's still very problematic, especially if it's all done without consent, but there are ways to gather consent.  One being arranging trade treaties with other clans.  The Sky people would be all over it.  They have a super small gene pool right now and need ways to expand it.  I'm sure they would have come to an agreement with mt. weather to intermarry so that the mountain men have an option to look forward to in the coming generations.  It also opens up the necessary dialogue for consenting adults to donate their marrow to the weatherites in the meantime as part of this ongoing experimental procedure.  

 

In short, I think their motivations matter less at this point simply because they aren't trying other viable routes.  

[thuganomics85]

Aww, Murphy.  I thought that little psycho finally found his soulmate!  At least he still has Jaha!  I still have no idea where they are going with this "City of Light" stuff, but maybe they'll surprise me.

 

Interestingly, I thought Clarke eventually got to the best option way too late: as soon as they knew about the missile, they should have automatically tried to find the spotter.  There still would have been problems; who knows how much time there was, if they should tell anyone or do it themselves; but, if they got to him, maybe they could have change things.  It's just too bad it didn't work out.  Now, Clarke has to live with her decision.  We'll see where it goes, but I don't see this being handwaved away.  Yes, she won't be kicked out or killed, but I have to think some are going to be pissed at her, and relationships will be tarnished.  Abby is clearly disturbed by her; I know she isn't popular, but I still think it will hurt Clarke to have her mother treat her like a monster.  And, I have to think Bellamy is going to be furious that she lied about Octavia.  So, I don't see this ending well.

 

We didn't see what happened to Kane or Indra, did we?  Are they burnt corpses, or did they somehow get out?  At least Octavia was lucky enough to stumble on Linc, and be away from the explosion.

 

Glad Jasper, Monty, and the rest are finally beginning to throw down against Mt. Weather.  I don't care how brutal it was; I loved them making sure doctor lady didn't make it out there.  A fitting in to that character.  Hope President Junior follows suite.  What was up with him injecting his dad?  Was that the cure?  If so, why?  To make him feel guilt?

 

Still loving Lexa, but now I'm really worried.  If the Grounders and rest of the tribes find out what she did, they certainly would kill her.  And, if Indra somehow survived and found out...

[Slider]

 

It was Lexa's decision, not Clarke's. Clarke just went along with it.

 

She was willingly complicit.  She knew exactly what could happen if she did nothing to stop it.  Yes, Lexa made the decision first, but Clarke complied with it; yes she might have argued at first, but she left!  History shows us that people like Hitler made decisions and people might not have agreed with them, but they let his plans happen, and they are just as responsible. If/when it comes out that Clarke knew, she better be held responsible in some way or they are making her a Mary Sue where she can do no wrong and all will be forgiven because she's so amazingly wonderful.  I'm afraid they will go the Mary Sue direction, and that's just not fun anymore.  The best part of this show was Bellamy and Clarke fighting for power over the 100, and sometimes Bellamy would be right, and other times Clarke was right.  They balanced each other out, and played off each other well, even though they didn't like each other very much.  Now, everyone just automatically bows down to Clarke - no one is challenging her, no one is asking for justification for any of her decisions, and she gets to have free reign - why?   Because she cares about her people?  So does everyone else.  Because she escaped Mt. Weather? Who cares.  Because she wants to broker peace with the Grounders?  They already tried that and it ended with biological warfare and bombing a bridge last time.  Sorry, I know it's not a popular opinion, but I'm over Clarke.  It's not entertaining anymore.

[shrewd.buddha]

 We know the Mountain People are trapped in one place. But have they explained why the Grounders didn't move farther away, making it more difficult for the Mountain People to catch them and kill them for their blood? Are the Grounders supposed to be sort of dumb savages? 

[Lila82]

She was willingly complicit.  She knew exactly what could happen if she did nothing to stop it.  Yes, Lexa made the decision first, but Clarke complied with it; yes she might have argued at first, but she left!

 

 

This is the larger issue: not that she knew, but that she abandoned her people rather than standing with them.  That's the unforgivable betrayal.  Although, this is all a moot point considering Lexa's headquarters are in subway tunnels.  If the British could survive the Blitz via tube stations, the alliance had just as good a shot underground.

 

Plus, Clarke lied to Bellamy.  Through all their arguments in season one, she always told him the truth; her major flaw was often that she was too truthful.  Now, she lied to him and that will be difficult for him to forgive.  I like the idea of a rift between them and it would be a good extension of season one, especially now that they've become so close.  Clarke makes sense as the leader, as she built a relationship with Anya that translated to support from Lexa, and she has the backing of the current chancellor.  Why Bellamy hasn't challenged her...we haven't had much time in his head this season.  And I agree - why isn't he challenging her more?  My major complaint remains the same - slow down and focus on characterization.  We need a POV other than Clarke's.

 

Finally: Raven's going to spill the beans about the missile, right?  After Abby, she's the only person who knows, and she already proved that she can't keep a secret by leaking Octavia's location to Bellamy.  

[bluebonnet]

 We know the Mountain People are trapped in one place. But have they explained why the Grounders didn't move farther away, making it more difficult for the Mountain People to catch them and kill them for their blood? Are the Grounders supposed to be sort of dumb savages? 

Not moving doesn't make the grounders dumb savages.  The grounders didn't know that Mt. Weather was using them for their blood.  What the grounders did know was that they needed to stay away from the mountain.  They even had people monitoring the mountain in order to keep people from crossing (recall what happened to Jasper at the start of the series).  The grounders look to live in an area that is biologically diverse, a place that can adequately support their populations.  This doesn't seem as possible in other areas we've seen.  Recall all that desert Jaha has been traversing.  If the choice is between forest and inhabitable desert, the choice will probably be forest even if that means occasionally skirmishing with the mountain men.  

 

Probably should also ignore the fact that Mt. Weather appears to have significantly better technology.  They'd still need the blood and would still have the tech to acquire it.  

[Riful]

Interestingly, I thought Clarke eventually got to the best option way too late: as soon as they knew about the missile, they should have automatically tried to find the spotter.  There still would have been problems; who knows how much time there was, if they should tell anyone or do it themselves; but, if they got to him, maybe they could have change things.  It's just too bad it didn't work out.  

 

I actually found the suggestion odd, because not only would they have to find the spotter, but also without the spotter noticing. So that means gathering enough people to cover a lot of ground fast, and somehow not have the spotter that is placed strategically for optimal view notice people looking for him. Like there is no way. If I remember right he was super camoed in some tree and had a radio right in hand. I interpreted it as a desperate suggestion, not an actual valid one when Clarke came with it. YMMV.

 

This is the larger issue: not that she knew, but that she abandoned her people rather than standing with them.

I thought of it more as in she chose to sacrifice them. Not that it would make any of the surviving Sky People happy to have been laid down on the sacrificial alter.

 

Regarding consequence for Clarke I think overall it will mostly be Grounders, Octavia and Bellamy that will be upset. I think the other Ark people care very little for the lives of the Grounders, particularly as they died in order to improve the odds of them all winning (I am guessing Kane and Indra got out in time to "go search the woods" as they wanted. They will probably be pissed but I doubt it will amount to much. I can even picture Indra agreeing with the decision). I think the greatest amount of consequence will come from Clarke herself and her friends/mother that will be appalled over the line Clarke crossed.

Upon re-watch I finally noticed the dubious amount of time between Clarke arriving at Tondc and the missile being fired. When Abby arrived, Lexa and Clarke were still close enough that you could hear the chatter of camp in the background of their conversation. Trying to think of a time frame is hard, because the building Clarke and Lexa talked in was at the outskirts of the town. So it shouldn't had taken them more than a few minutes to sneak out to that point. And Clarke then went back in and came out with her mother managed to just about get out of range of the missile impact. Yet it had somehow changed from day to night at some point as well. So it seems like the whole thing went down in less than 15 minutes or so, but the day/night change screws it all. Or maybe this is like travelling in the 100. Illogical and malleable according to the plot or desires of the writers. E.g. in this case they wanted it to be dark for dramatic effect?

[ParadoxLost]

I feel like the show is going from shocking action to shocking action.  I think I give up.  I can not connect with any of the characters.  It feels like nothing that happens in an episode matters two episodes later.

 

And I find that weird to say because Finn killed a village, Finn handed himself over to the Grounders, and Clarke killed him.  That sentence sounded like there were consequences and things happened.  But it all seemed very surface to me and I'm very detached watching the show.  I feel like Clarke sacrificing everyone is going to be the same way.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Upon re-watch I finally noticed the dubious amount of time

 

Don't poke the Timeline!  It's cranky!!!!

 

I liked this week's episode too.  Go Jasper and Bellamy!

 

Everyone seems to make such dire decisions on this show, Clark and Lexa running off without telling anyone doesn't seem very shocking to me.

I hope that the young usurper presidents gets what is coming to him.

[Jordan27]

I feel like the show is going from shocking action to shocking action.  I think I give up.  I can not connect with any of the characters.  It feels like nothing that happens in an episode matters two episodes later.

 

And I find that weird to say because Finn killed a village, Finn handed himself over to the Grounders, and Clarke killed him.  That sentence sounded like there were consequences and things happened.  But it all seemed very surface to me and I'm very detached watching the show.  I feel like Clarke sacrificing everyone is going to be the same way.

Yeah, there's no point in dissecting any plot or character on this show.  The characters are all dumb and dumber, the plots are silly and anything from earlier eps just fades in importance.  

 

All the characters and groups have done bad things and there is simply no one to root for.  Well, maybe the gorilla. 

 

I'll probably watch for the rest of the season, maybe, but I don't know if I will tune it next year....

 

...and could some of these characters wash their faces...please.

[Agent Dark]

From a strategic point of view, Mt Weather just wasted a massively valuable strategic asset to only kill 100 odd people.  In any military terms, that's a huge success for the Alliance.  That cruise missile could have wiped out their entire army.  It could have completely destroyed Camp Jaha.  But now both Clarke and Lexa are still alive and can lead their army, which remains completely intact, and Mt Weather are down one cruise missile.  I'm not sure how many missiles Mt Weather have, but I think it was implied that they are extremely rare.  Not only that, but Mt Weather now thinks they've won a huge victory when in reality it will only be a minor setback to the Alliance.

 

Also if they had of evacuated the camp, the spotter would have called off the missile strike and Mt Weather would still have the missile to launch at some other juicy target.  A target that may have far greater impact on the Alliance than the relatively light casualties they took. 

 

Obviously it was a tough decision but one I think was critical to Clarke's development as a leader.  She's leading an army that is mainly made up of poorly equipped tribal warriors against an enemy that has a huge advantage in terms of defensive positions and technology.  There's going to be losses, and lots of them and I think Clarke is beginning to accept that. 

[susan vance]

I'm still living the show and the complexity and moral ambiguity the show allows its characters. Clarke's journey has been fascinating to watch - I never thought that after killing Finn, the show would present her with another, even more difficult choice.

I think it's also impressive how they've rendered the Mountain inhabitants. Their actions are monstrous, a will to survive twisted to the most horrifying conclusion (essentially vampirism). I like how the show acknowledged that by having the show's purest moral voice state what they should have done instead (die). Because "our" people are the 40-something members of the 100 trapped inside, the actions of the young president seem more awful, but within the universe of the show, are they really? I would argue that the older president's inability, or deliberate refusal, to see the grounders as people, is as or more horrifying. The young president seems willing to carry out this terrible plan, which will render the groinders' blood unnecessary. Why is this one-time horrible act worse than what they've been doing for generations? Because we know the kids, of course. But I like that the show has presented the situation with enough complexity that we can see both men are rotten at the vote

[allthatglitters]

just dropped in

I'll never quite believe the power that Clarke is just acquiescenced out of everyone. Not that I'd enjoy the adults being in charge, but its already a stretch to think the adults, Abby and Kane, knowing they control most of the ones with automatic weapons,  would just smile and nod with glassy eyes.

 

Are the writers of this show actually psycho killers too? And this whole thing is a big joke on us? Because before this latest character assassination, with Clarke being the next mass murderer.....for good though.......First the out-of-character homicidal flip out by Finn was followed by the adult leaders hardly batting an eye, and being excused by his peers and friends. Then Murphy, the genuine psychopath in the group, who remorselessly murdered and enjoyed tormenting when he could, now we are supposed to find a repentance arch for him too? And so its not a surprise that Clarke herself will no doubt get through this distracting annoyance unscathed.

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

I'll never quite believe the power that Clarke is just acquiescenced out of everyone.

 

Yes, I find that rather annoying, too.

 

I also had a major problem buying the idea that if Clarke and Lexa had warned everyone else, the Mt. Weather folks would have immediately assumed there was a spy in their midst and not "who knows why these savages do the things that they do". I love plots that involve characters having to make tough decisions but this one was rather disappointing, IMO.

[Lady Calypso]

Although I agree that Clarke and Lexa could have tried to find another way (for example, Clarke could have hunted for the spotter herself before mentioning it in passing two minutes before the missile was launched), I do love that Clarke is being presented as the wrong one. I think we've been seeing Clarke all season struggling to be the right type of leader, or at least a leader people can count on to make the hard choices. I think what she's seeing is that it's not so easy to make decisions, especially in a short period of time. I agree that she needs to have consequences for these actions from her people, though. We already have Abby looking at her differently, and this is the first time I was agreeing with her. Bellamy also will be mad at Clarke for not telling him about Octavia, and he'll be even more upset when he finds out that Clarke didn't even warn Octavia to leave. Kane and Indra are out in the woods, but they're not going to be happy that their lives were almost lost, had not for Clarke and Lexa's disappearance noticed.

And Clarke is going to have to live with this mass murder, because the blood is on her hands. After preaching to Finn that he killed innocents but he can be saved, will Clarke believe the same thing? I mean, Finn was different because he murdered people because he thought Clarke was captured. Clarke let Lexa convince her that letting so many dozens die would be for the greater good, to contribute to a bigger cause. I think there could have been another solution, but I guess without knowing when the missile was going to hit, she could only do so much. But Mt. Weather is down one less missile, so it is helpful in that sense. Plus, Mt. Weather think that the leaders are all dead, so it does buy them (and the 47+ Bellamy) some time. 

I guess Murphy's kind of growing on me, but the City of Light plot is boring me to tears. I really don't care about Jaha's Enlightenment arc, or about the City Of Light in general.