S03.E10: Fallen

[AudienceofOne]

It dovetails nicely (albeit disturbingly) with ALIE's discussion of "free will". That you can override "free will" with violence. So Abby being forced to consent to the AI pill and Raven being forced to submit to ALIE are both in the same episode as Murphy being forced to consent to the sex. And they're all in there for the same reason. Because they're all rape. Which was one of the main points of the episode.

[Samb0w]

We will see how Murphy plays that game as the season goes on. The game of flame keeper whilst keeping the plan of finding Luna a secret. Again. My personal perception of that particular scene is just that. My own. I apologize for offending anyone with my personal opinion.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Samb0w

[Lion]

That's a really good observation, AudienceofOne.  Didn't even notice that until you brought it up, and I'm wondering if the director noticed it since Murphy's scene is filmed in such contradiction to what's actually happening.  

 

 

We will see how Murphy plays that game as the season goes on. The game of flame keeper whilst keeping the plan of finding Luna a secret. Again. My personal perception of that particular scene is just that. My own. I apologize for offending anyone with my personal opinion.

Saying this is your personal opinion is a bit like me saying "it's my personal opinion that the word dance means to lie down on a surface commonly called a bed and to shut one's eyes and fall into a state that is the opposite of awake.  I apologize for offending anyone with my personal opinion."  You're just making up a random definition of a word and calling that an opinion, and you're choosing to do this with a word and action where being flippant is incredibly insensitive. 

 

Based on Murphy's history, we have a pretty good idea of how he will play things.  Hint: it's the way that keeps him alive.  

Edited April 11, 2016 by Lion

[AudienceofOne]

We will see how Murphy plays that game as the season goes on. The game of flame keeper whilst keeping the plan of finding Luna a secret. Again. My personal perception of that particular scene is just that. My own. I apologize for offending anyone with my personal opinion.

 

It's fine, Sanb0w. This is just a TV show. However, I think it's important to point out that the arguments you used for why it wasn't rape - he was attracted to her, he was there at all, he said yes eventually -  are the same arguments used against raped women all the time. And that's why it's going to be a sensitive issue. Rapists in the real world use tactics like this to stop a rape complaint being successful. And if you ask young men in the street if coercion, violence and physical strength are acceptable "seduction" techniques a disturbing amount say yes.

 

You may look at this scene and continue to believe it wasn't rape. And that's completely fine. But you might want to pay attention to what other people are trying to tell you about the nature of consent. Murphy ends that scene by stating outright that the only reason he's agreeing is to keep himself alive. It doesn't matter how the actor delivered the line. That is what he said. And, as someone pointed out to me, he had the exact same mocking tone while he was being tortured. But nobody is suggesting he consented to that.

[Samb0w]

That's a really good observation, AudienceofOne. Didn't even notice that until you brought it up, and I'm wondering if the director noticed it since Murphy's scene is filmed in such contradiction to what's actually happening.

Saying this is your personal opinion is a bit like me saying "it's my personal opinion that the word dance means to lie down on a surface commonly called a bed and to shut one's eyes and fall into a state that is the opposite of awake. I apologize for offending anyone with my personal opinion." You're just making up a random definition of a word and calling that an opinion, and you're choosing to do this with a word and action where being flippant is incredibly insensitive.

Based on Murphy's history, we have a pretty good idea of how he will play things. Hint: it's the way that keeps him alive.

The very definition, for the record; of consent:

: to agree to do or allow something : to give permission for something to happen or be done

It's fine, Sanb0w. This is just a TV show. However, I think it's important to point out that the arguments you used for why it wasn't rape - he was attracted to her, he was there at all, he said yes eventually - are the same arguments used against raped women all the time. And that's why it's going to be a sensitive issue. Rapists in the real world use tactics like this to stop a rape complaint being successful. And if you ask young men in the street if coercion, violence and physical strength are acceptable "seduction" techniques a disturbing amount say yes.

You may look at this scene and continue to believe it wasn't rape. And that's completely fine. But you might want to pay attention to what other people are trying to tell you about the nature of consent. Murphy ends that scene by stating outright that the only reason he's agreeing is to keep himself alive. It doesn't matter how the actor delivered the line. That is what he said. And, as someone pointed out to me, he had the exact same mocking tone while he was being tortured. But nobody is suggesting he consented to that.

I agree thank you for clarifying maybe I misread the actors tone, also forgetting the torture scene. But still considering his overall sarcastic character throughout seasons. I placed my opinion.

I also in no way intend to EVER come across downplaying rape in any form or situation. It's an epidemic that needs to be dealt with harshly. Please forgive me all who've taken offense to previous comments.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Samb0w

[Lion]

The very definition, for the record; of consent:

: to agree to do or allow something : to give permission for something to happen or be done

Well I'm glad you're starting to understand things.  Hopefully you'll look a little bit further and think even a little critically about this. I mean, based on a previous deleted comment of yours, you already seem to sort of understand that threat of violence causes lots of issues with consent though the fact that you think rape only occurs when a knife is involved is almost medieval.  Did Murphy consent to torture just because he sat down on a chair?  Did Abby truly consent to being zombiefied just because the knife was slid across Raven's wrists rather than her own?  

 

Things like threats of life, violence, shaming, etc remove the capacity to consent.  In Murphy's case, he needs to have sex with Ontari in order to survive.  He even explicitly stated this.  The threat to his life has effectively removed any freedom to consent.  

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

I'd assume she likes that BDSM crap... She killed the other nightbloods in their sleep like the freak she is...

 

Are you implying that there is a correlation between liking BDSM and being a freak?  Unless there was a previous scene that we didn't see where they both agreed to roleplay this encounter to spice up the sex, this wasn't consensual BDSM in any way, shape or form. It was rape where the raped person happened to be chained. Even if Murphy is into consensual BDSM and thinks Ontari is the hottest woman ever, he said no and was then threatened by someone who is quite capable of murder and is currently keeping him prisoner. Him giving "consent" at that point is basically the equivalent of someone "voluntarily" giving up his wallet to an armed robber.

 

 

He enjoyed it.

 

How do you know that considering we saw nothing of the actual sex? And in any event, it is entirely possible to enjoy something you were forced to do. Doesn't mean people have the right to make these decisions for yourself.

[Save Yourself]

I've found it really disturbing reading the entertainment forums over the past few days since this episode has aired and have seen the amount of people who claim this is not rape. Are we still that far behind in our culture that we don't even know what lack of consent is? How is this is not terrifying, how is this not generating the same level of action on social media as Lexa and Lincoln's deaths?

 

When I watched that scene I thought holy shit, Murphy is about to be raped but they are playing this bam-chicka-wa-wa music over the top as if it's a sexy seduction scene, why the hell are they trying to confuse things? I have no problem with a rape being included in a storyline - particularly in this instance as it fits in with what we know so far about Ontari, she solves everything with violence and craves power. It's also very worthwhile showing a male rape since it is not portrayed often and there is obviously still a very strong prejudice out there that 'men can't be raped', 'they'll like it if the girl is hot', 'if they orgasm it's not rape', 'if they don't put up a fight it's not rape', etc. But with The 100 putting that music over it and filming it in a 'kinky' way has given some of the audience leeway to dismiss this rape scene as a fun sex game. 

 

TL;DR - If you proposition someone with a chain around their neck and you are holding the end of that chain and you tell your prisoner how easily you could kill them if they make you unhappy and then they acquiesce, you are a rapist

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

The 100 Tries To Clean Up Its Bloody Mess By Getting Bloody Messier
Torturous computer programs, hateful siblings, and one rat-faced Murphy are the agents of change in a plot-shattering episode.

[Nay]

Overall I really like the direction the season is now taking.  ALIE now being in a position to be a real threat, the kids heading towards being back together and tying the grounders into the CoL storyline has finally made them a lot more interesting.

 

To weigh in on the Murphy debate, while I think it is assumed that the western 21st century viewing audience is going to view Murphy/Ontari as rape ( and I agree it is indeed rape), I wonder how Murphy himself views it.  

 

In the space of only 5 months since the kids landed on earth Murphy has been hung, banished, tortured, used as a bio weapon, locked for 3 months in isolation, and tortured again.  I think its been shown that Murphy is a do whatever it takes to keep breathing kind of guy, and from his point of view I'd think having non-violent but non consensual sex is not going to be high on the trauma scale for him.  

 

Again thats not to say it isn't rape, I just don't think the character of Murphy would view it as such.

[Lion]

There is no right way to feel trauma.  There is no right amount of trauma.  It's not somehow less rape if it didn't hurt or it doesn't emotionally bother you afterward.  Accurately applying the word rape to this scene isn't suggesting that Murphy is going to have to feel a certain way.  

 

It is really too bad that they chose to film this scene with the bow chicka wow wow music as this show could have maybe found it's footing again by giving weight and seriousness to male victims of sexual assault.  Too often men who are raped are treated as though what happened to them isn't worthy of care, dignity, humanity or concern.  This show had a chance to earn a lot of good will and totally blew it.  Again.  

Edited April 11, 2016 by Lion

[Nay]

Again not saying it isn't rape, but knowing the internet, if/when Murphy just carries on being Murphy with no emotional response to the rape that is going to be spun into "the show runners dont think rape is real" type of thing, without stopping to think if the fairly solid and consistently characterised Murphy would actually be traumatised.

[Lion]

Well, the internet already has plenty of reason to note that the showrunners don't seem to think rape against men is real.  I mean, the porn music tells us this.  

 

However, those who deny that rape happened are actually the ones claiming that a lack of expressed trauma from Murphy is the reason it's not rape.  

[MostlyC]

As Stinger97 said:

 

 

 

Not surprisingly, rape is a super sensitive topic for a lot of folks. Please remember that when posting about it and this episode. Thanks.

 

 

I would also add that "politely agree to disagree" might also be something to remember.  With super sensitive topics, sometimes tempers flare and feelings get hurt. I don't want anyone on this board to have their feelings hurt.

[MostlyC]

My Nana used to say, "No fighting no biting."

 

Agree to disagree and move on.  

 

Seriously.

[Stinger97]

I've deleted the two previous posts because they were blatant attacks on other posters, and that's just not appropriate. If you want to disagree about what constitutes rape on a fictional television show, you're more than welcome to do so. What you're not welcome to do is attack other posters, put down their opinions, and imply that they're dumb and you're smart. It's inappropriate and not in the spirit of this forum. 

 

Additionally, if one poster is not following the rules and attacking others, that does not give other posters free reign to respond in kind. It just makes the mods' jobs more difficult because we have to delete or edit multiple posts, rather than just the one. So, please, please... let's all try to respect one another and get along. If we can't, we'll start handing out warnings. Thanks.

[yellowfred]

So, I just watched the episode.  I actually found it mostly underwhelming, which is surprising, since it included two of the things I've been looking forward to for most of the season (Octavia beating Bellamy up and Pike getting arrested, neither of which were as satisfying as I thought they'd be).  Part of it was probably that I was hoping Octavia would have more of a hand in bringing Pike down and for it to be a more direct result of Lincoln's execution, but mostly it just felt anticlimactic.  Like, I get that they wanted it to be Bellamy's call, because redemption or whatever, but having it be more or less on a whim just wasn't very satisfying.

 

Also, I feel like maybe the worst part about the Ontari storyline (aside from that one thing that's probably been discussed enough) is how completely ineffectual she is.  Like, I guess it's only been a few days, in story, since she showed up again, but I was kind of expecting her to blow the whole thing open more than she has.  Pike won an election and immediately slaughtered an army of grounders.  From what we've seen, the Commander's position is more absolute than the Chancellor's, so you'd think that Ontari would have at least done something vaguely comparable.  Instead she's twiddling her thumbs in Polis (no puns intended) and the only effect she has on the Arkadia storyline is some vague doubts that she'll accept them surrendering Pike.  

 

It occurs to me that both of my above complaints come down to the fact that this show has killed off two significant characters this season and neither of their deaths seem to be more than a footnote in the current direction of the story.  Obviously, the season's not over yet, so there's still time, but it's more than a little frustrating.

 

All that being said, probably the one good part of the episode, for me, was the Alie stuff.  I can hardly believe I just wrote that, but here we are.  As much as I could really do without seeing Raven tortured (again), I thought Lindsay Morgan's performance was great.  Also, her Raven-as-Alie stuff was so spot-on it freaked me out.  On a side note, I feel like Jaha should get some kind of special award for being a normal human who interfaced with an AI (the same AI that once nearly wiped out humanity) and somehow made the AI more evil.  

[wevel]

So, I just watched the episode.  I actually found it mostly underwhelming, which is surprising, since it included two of the things I've been looking forward to for most of the season (Octavia beating Bellamy up and Pike getting arrested, neither of which were as satisfying as I thought they'd be).  Part of it was probably that I was hoping Octavia would have more of a hand in bringing Pike down and for it to be a more direct result of Lincoln's execution, but mostly it just felt anticlimactic.  Like, I get that they wanted it to be Bellamy's call, because redemption or whatever, but having it be more or less on a whim just wasn't very satisfying.

 

Yeah, I was surprised how many people (not necessarily on this thread) found this a gripping episode.  I actually hated Octavia beating up Bellamy, because it was clearly paving the way for his redemption ("Look at poor tortured Bellamy, now starting to have to *pay* for his misdeeds"), and at the same time, was too personal a punishment for his key role in the *unprovoked* slaughter of a non-hostile army, among other things.   Pike's arrest, as the PTV recap noted, was just too easy, and made him look stupid.  If he were just a random bad apple, that's one thing, but he'd been set up as one of the main Big Bads of the season, so we don't want to see him walk into the easiest trap in the world. 

 

Also, I feel like maybe the worst part about the Ontari storyline (aside from that one thing that's probably been discussed enough) is how completely ineffectual she is.  Like, I guess it's only been a few days, in story, since she showed up again, but I was kind of expecting her to blow the whole thing open more than she has.  Pike won an election and immediately slaughtered an army of grounders.  From what we've seen, the Commander's position is more absolute than the Chancellor's, so you'd think that Ontari would have at least done something vaguely comparable.  Instead she's twiddling her thumbs in Polis (no puns intended) and the only effect she has on the Arkadia storyline is some vague doubts that she'll accept them surrendering Pike.  

 

Well, she did slaughter all those young nightbloods, but yeah, otherwise, Ontari seems like the weakest person-in-power ever on the show.  Sure, she lashes out violently, sometimes resulting in actual deaths, yet at the same time, she also comes across as a lot of insecure bluster.  Perhaps that's intentional, i.e. she's being written and portrayed as a new Commander unsure of her grasp on the throne, but given who she just replaced, the contrast is glaring.  I'm assuming she'll have more of an impact in episodes to come, but it's almost comical to me that Murphy, of all people, is now her closest advisor and confidant.

 

In the space of only 5 months since the kids landed on earth Murphy has been hung, banished, tortured, used as a bio weapon, locked for 3 months in isolation, and tortured again.  I think its been shown that Murphy is a do whatever it takes to keep breathing kind of guy, and from his point of view I'd think having non-violent but non consensual sex is not going to be high on the trauma scale for him.  

 

Again thats not to say it isn't rape, I just don't think the character of Murphy would view it as such.

 

I suspect that the scene wasn't meant even as a depiction of non-consensual but non-violent sex; hence, the sarcastic tone of Murphy's "the things I do to survive" comment and the music to frame the encounter as "sexy."  But even though the scene taps into problematic stereotypes or inaccuracies about gender and sex that have already been articulated (men always want sex, Ontari is hot so what's the problem, if there's attraction then it can't be rape etc.), within the storyworld of The 100, I can buy Murphy not feeling like this is particularly awful.  If The 100 were a psychologically realistic show, I'd expect him to already be suffering from PTSD from all that other violence you've enumerated, but tv characters commonly emerge from multiple encounters with torture without much damage.  I really wish the writers hadn't gone there though; haven't they previously stated that they would never depict sexual violence (which should include coercive sex under the threat of violence)?  I'll admit that for me, it would be much worse to see a female character be a victim, but that doesn't mean that the Ontari/Murphy scene wasn't also something the show didn't need.

Edited April 12, 2016 by wevel

[Save Yourself]

Overall I really like the direction the season is now taking. ALIE now being in a position to be a real threat, the kids heading towards being back together and tying the grounders into the CoL storyline has finally made them a lot more interesting.

To weigh in on the Murphy debate, while I think it is assumed that the western 21st century viewing audience is going to view Murphy/Ontari as rape ( and I agree it is indeed rape), I wonder how Murphy himself views it.

In the space of only 5 months since the kids landed on earth Murphy has been hung, banished, tortured, used as a bio weapon, locked for 3 months in isolation, and tortured again. I think its been shown that Murphy is a do whatever it takes to keep breathing kind of guy, and from his point of view I'd think having non-violent but non consensual sex is not going to be high on the trauma scale for him.

Again thats not to say it isn't rape, I just don't think the character of Murphy would view it as such.

I agree that Murphy probably doesn't view it as rape, just yet another awful addition to the long list of things he's had to endure to survive. And this would be an interesting thing to explore since that thought process can come up for real life rape victims - a confusion of what rights they actually over their own body, if someone having sex with them when they were too drunk or high to give informed consent is rape, etc. Edited April 12, 2016 by Save Yourself

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

Pike's arrest, as the PTV recap noted, was just too easy, and made him look stupid.  If he were just a random bad apple, that's one thing, but he'd been set up as one of the main Big Bads of the season, so we don't want to see him walk into the easiest trap in the world.

 

So many pivotal events this season have happened either off-screen or too quickly and easily. The conflict between the Farm Station folks and Azgeda has been such a crucial event, yet it didn't merit even a second of screen time. Ditto for the election that brought Pike to power. Titus conveniently explained off-screen that he killed Lexa. The massacre of the 300 Trikru warriors was off-screen and happened too easily. Abby convinced everyone in Camp Jaha to take ALIE's pill too easily and quickly, etc.

 

 

I actually hated Octavia beating up Bellamy, because it was clearly paving the way for his redemption ("Look at poor tortured Bellamy, now starting to have to *pay* for his misdeeds"), and at the same time, was too personal a punishment for his key role in the *unprovoked* slaughter of a non-hostile army, among other things.

 

It was almost a textbook example typical TV "redemption" arc (typical as in typically terrible). Have someone accuse the character in question of something they either didn't do at least were merely accessories to instead of the driving force. In this case, Lincoln's murder. Then have everyone disapprove of the character who dares think these actions deserve something more than a slap on the wrist or in this case some punches in the face. Then have the would-be-redeemed character save the day, the more contrived way this happens, the better. And finally, have a viewers' favourite (in this case Kane) give some mixed message of praise and lip service to the idea that they aren't going to forgive and forget any time soon..

 

And never, ever, allow the people the would-be-redeemed character has harmed the most decide his or her fate. That would be wrong for some reason. In this case this is Indra who inexplicably left Bellamy in the hands of Octavia and company.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Jack Shaftoe

[Aeryn13]

If they had bothered to set up Pike as grey instead of - for the first time ever on this show - one-dimensionally evil and stupid - Bellamy`s fall and redemption could have been a good story. Previously in the show, they did a great job of presenting all conflcts as having two sides. The Mountain People used quite cruel means but were fighting for survival. Lexa leaving her allies to be slaughtered in the Season 2 Finale wasn`t so clean-cut, that you couldn`t see her point. Kane appeared downright evil in Season 1 because he, too, was quite cruel in ensuring the survival of the Arkers, now he is the leader of the rebellion against a dictatorship.

 

And okay, Farm Station had it rough after their landing. Super-rough. I can understand why they were in such a Grounder-hate-boner state. But then they go and slaughter 300 people in their sleep. Not in an imminent attack, not even because they genuinely believe an attack is assured, not in defense. They didn`t go there and tell them "hey, we resent this 13th tribe thing, leave or we`ll make you" and things escalated from there so finally they were  forced to defend themselves in the end. No, slaughter of an, at that moment, non-hostile force. In their sleep. Arggh.

 

All their hard work with Bellamy`s redemption in Season 1.B and Season 2 down the drain. Though I found it deeply ironic that now Octavia finds him unforgiveable. Not after the slaughter or locking the Grounders up or locking Lincoln up or attacking that village or trying to turn Clarke in when she wanted to talk sense into him. Nope, it`s now that he actually wanted to help them in the previous episode. I get that they didn`t trust him but his offer was genuine. And maybe he could have made a difference. The irony, it fucking burns.      

 

With my luck, Pike and Ontari will hit it off because they are both crazy.

 

I think the last scene with the writers being tone-deaf. Bow-chica-wow-wow music and Murphy being snarky doesn`t mean my ears were closed during the actual dialogue wich basically was  "okay, you`re hot and all so thanks for the offer but not interested"  "are you sure? I can and will slowly torture you to death"  "well, in that case, I`m still not saying yes but I can`t say no, can I".

 

Yes, the visceral reaction would be different to "bigger guy bullys smaller girl around" which is why I think the writers wouldn`t have framed the scene as they did with the genders reversed. Because in that case, it would have dawned on them. Even if it is exactly the same thing, I`m shocked sometimes when reading or watching interviews and they appear so obtuse to anything but the most obvious concepts.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Aeryn13

[RCharter]

 

I think the last scene with the writers being tone-deaf. Bow-chica-wow-wow music and Murphy being snarky doesn`t mean my ears were closed during the actual dialogue wich basically was  "okay, you`re hot and all so thanks for the offer but not interested"  "are you sure? I can and will slowly torture you to death"  "well, in that case, I`m still not saying yes but I can`t say no, can I".

 

Yes, the visceral reaction would be different to "bigger guy bullys smaller girl around" which is why I think the writers wouldn`t have framed the scene as they did with the genders reversed. Because in that case, it would have dawned on them. Even if it is exactly the same thing, I`m shocked sometimes when reading or watching interviews and they appear so obtuse to anything but the most obvious concepts.

And this is where the show failed.....by putting in the porn music and having Murphy make the sarcastic comment.  It does muddy the water.  Not in what actually happened, but in the mind of the the viewing audience.  Many of which have grown up with the same "dudes don't get raped" or "she is hot so its not rape!" mentality.

 

It would not surprise me in the least, that the writers really had no intention of this being a "legitimate rape" and end up shocked that people saw it as such.  

[Lion]

I think that's the major problem with the season - general tone deafness.  It often seems as though people in the writer's room had some great ideas but no one really stopped to think about the consequences of what these ideas could mean when drawn out to logical conclusions.  Everything from the instigation of Bellamy's complete turn around to Pike's villainy to images like how Lexa's and Lincoln's deaths occurred to now this rape scene that they tried to music away is all just complete tone deafness.  

[xtwheeler]

I never thought it was possible, but Murphy has become such a little treasure on this show.  He's like Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica -- he is wily AF in his desperation to survive, so much so that it becomes kind of admirable.  Like dude, you are really going ALL OUT to live another day. Respect.

[Solace247]

I think the last scene with the writers being tone-deaf. Bow-chica-wow-wow music and Murphy being snarky doesn`t mean my ears were closed during the actual dialogue wich basically was "okay, you`re hot and all so thanks for the offer but not interested" "are you sure? I can and will slowly torture you to death" "well, in that case, I`m still not saying yes but I can`t say no, can I".

And this is where the show failed.....by putting in the porn music and having Murphy make the sarcastic comment. It does muddy the water. Not in what actually happened, but in the mind of the the viewing audience. Many of which have grown up with the same "dudes don't get raped" or "she is hot so its not rape!" mentality.

It would not surprise me in the least, that the writers really had no intention of this being a "legitimate rape" and end up shocked that people saw it as such.

Further confusion is added when you consider it was the EXACT music used in the season premiere when Niylah and Clarke were getting their fully consensual freak on. I don't know if they were trying to save a few bucks on music or trying to draw some weird-ass parallel. That's why when the great analyzers of fandom pour accolades on the writers in their analyses, I'm constantly sitting here thinking: "Are we sure they're THAT smart? Maybe they're just that DUMB."

EDIT: emphasis added

Edited April 13, 2016 by Solace247

[Meushell]

Catching up on season 2. 

I like Ontari and Pike better than Bellamy and Monty right now. The former two are bad guys who will get what is coming to them (hopefully), but mostly, the writers seem to fully understand that they are bad guys. 

Is it wrong that I enjoyed watching Octavia beat up Bellamy? Can she throw a few punches at Monty too? I suppose being turned in my his mom were his punches. To think I was touched when they reunited.

I rather like the Ontari and Murphy plot, though they could have done without the rape. With or without that, or the chains, he would still be a prisoner under her control. I like that they gave a reason for her to keep him around. He's a threat with knowing her secret, but he's become the only one she can go to for help. He's dead if he steps out of line though, and he knows it. 

[Lady Calypso]

This season kind of sucks. Now it's just depressing and angsty all the time. There's been so little happiness this season; I usually like angst in my TV shows. What I never asked for was all angst all the time.

I was disturbed by Murphy's last scene, like many here. I think what made it worse is how he was tied up and dragged around by Ontari. He couldn't really escape from the scene, he told her that he was with someone else, and she threatened him with violence. He couldn't have gotten away and after witnessing her gouge a guy's eyes out to make a statement and to draw attention away from her being a fake commander without the flame, I can see why he resigned himself to the fact that they were going to have sex. He definitely was a slave to her; attracted to her or not, it was still uncomfortable to watch. Whoever directed that particular scene and whoever chose the music for it made the wrong choice. It was not a sexy scene in any way; it was a rape scene, for sure. 

Octavia beating the shit out of Bellamy was refreshing. Her telling him that he was dead to her was awesome. Bellamy has a long way to go before he can get any of my respect. He'll probably have to almost die for each and every character he's wronged, serve Pike up to Octavia, and probably offer up his first born child, and that's just the start. I really am trying to figure out how he can be redeemed after this season. 

Clarke's random return at the end of the episode was hilarious. She really got there at the wrong time, right in the middle of a chase. It made me laugh with both Clarke and Jasper having different goals in that scene. 

Oh no, Raven's now been possessed by ALIE. And now Abby's taken the pill, and so is everyone else. Now with the Pike arc temporarily out of the way, we're getting full force City of ALIE, mind control arc. Seriously, though. Can Raven get a happy arc? I mean, I get why the Wick plot was dropped, but at least she was happy for a couple of brief episodes there because of him. Lindsey's wonderful at her role, but the torture porn has got to stop with her. Transfer it over to Bellamy, at least. He needs to be tortured more. 

[Taryn74]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

Clarke's random return at the end of the episode was hilarious. She really got there at the wrong time, right in the middle of a chase. It made me laugh with both Clarke and Jasper having different goals in that scene.

I remember that making me laugh pretty hard, too.  SO NOT THE TIME, CLARKE.