The 100 Episode 6×11: Ashes to Ashes

How exactly is it the antepenultimate episode already!? It was a good one though, with a great setup for what the endgame will be- or, what our characters want the endgame to be, anyway ?

 Just a reminder, spoilers galore!! Like ALL the spoilers- proceed with caution! 

Making Plans (and Bombs I Guess)

Now that Clarke has returned, plans on how to save everyone else can commence. Problem is, Bellamy lost his literal bargaining chip with the true death of Josephine. He can’t give Russell an empty mind drive (though I kind of disagree, Russell would not be able to tell at first glance, and Bell would have had time to work with until Russ found out, but I digress) so they need a Plan B to get Earthkru the hell out of Sanctum before they all become Primes.

Only there’s a problem right off the bat when Gabriel’s pesky Children show up. Fun fact: Turns out they have no idea that Xavier is dead and that Gabriel has been in his body for a decade. And I love Gabriel and all, but I don’t see how he thought that lying about it for ten years would help make the situation better. Because it didn’t. One of the Kids is Xavier’s sister, Layla (who incidentally is played by the same girl who played Juel in Season 3, remember how easily she took the chip? I digress again.) They’re here for all the murdering, but Gabriel convinces them not to- because he’s gonna take out the Primes once and for all.

They still suspect shenanigans because they think Clarke is Josephine. And the best way for Gabe to prove he’s loyal? Why, kill Jo of course! Look, I get why these people don’t believe Gabriel or Clarke, but I am glad they accepted a bomb in place of this particular murder. They don’t want Gabe or Clarke to fetch the ingredients, so Blake Sibling Reunion Time it is!

As they stroll through the (freaking beautiful) cave for whatever mushroom juice they need, the Blakes have a chat. Octavia is trying so very hard, and Bellamy is trying to not have any of it. But he’s caving, you can see. And Octavia breaks through his icy veneer just a little. I see a lot of progress for these two, as she’s now finally willing to admit her mistakes, and he finally seems open to hearing her.

I feel like that’s fair? I don’t even think she wants to be, she’s a grownass woman anyway.

Miller Time

We find Miller, Murphy, and Gaia stuck in the holding cell after Jackson, Abby, Madi, and Raven have been escorted to the Nightblood Factory. Idk where Emori is but maybe she’s having a slumber party with Jordan. Anyway, Miller is desperately trying to find a way to break out, and Gaia is chanting to Hedas of yesteryear or something.

Or making snarky jokes? ?

But alas, Murphy gets the call that he’s wanted in the palace. It’s not for anything good; Russell has informed him that if he finds Josie, he lives. If he doesn’t, Emori dies, because I guess Russell thinks she’d make a fine daughter? ?‍♀️

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we truly don’t get enough Miller. I love him, and I extra loved him in this episode, battling his demons literally and figuratively. And his relationship with Gaia is a fascinating one, as they, more than anyone other than Octavia herself, were most complicit in everything that happened in the bunker. Now, Miller is trying to figure out who he wants to be on his own, without Octavia or Bellamy shouting the orders, and I am beyond here for it.

So when the guards come in to feed them, it’s not a total surprise to us that Miller refuses. Gaia is shooketh though- she doesn’t see what good him getting beat up is going to do. But he has a plan, because he’s Nathan Freaking Miller after all.

Now, thanks to Miller’s epic shoplifting skills, Miller and Gaia break out of their holding cell and off to the bike shop to get the Becca Bible to fix Madi. Only that is definitely not all they’re going to find in the bike shop.

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

More guest stars in the opening credits who fill my life with glee? Yes please! Seeing Brenda Strong reprise Queen Nia was such an unexpected gift. Honestly the guest stars this season are giving me life. The 100 has really outdone itself in the best possible way. Sorry, I’ll move along now.

We catch up with Echo as she’s taken to the castle to receive her punishment for trying to kill Russell. Wow Ryker sucks. Like every time I see him, I hate him more and more. Anyway, Russell tells Echo that he can be “merciful”. He’s going to let her body become Simone VII! Wow, what a lucky lady ? Does it freak anyone else out that Russell basically says “You are appealing, so instead of killing you like Tai, I am going to use your body to have sex with my wife in”? Because I am thoroughly grossed out.

Russell orders Ryker to take Echo back to the bike shop, because that’s where all the best surgical work happens. Just kidding, Russell totally suspects that Ryker isn’t completely loyal to the cause, so he’s testing him. And Ryker will do whatever Russell says, clearly. So he straps Echo in and turns her into a certified Natblida. Before he erases her though, she begs to tell a story she’s never told another soul before. He acquiesces, to assuage his own guilt I presume. The story goes like this:

 One day, Little Echo and her Little Pal Ash were hanging out and pretending to shoot Queen Nia with arrows in the woods of Azgeda. Nia rides in with a Sangedakru spy who Little Echo must kill to “prove her worth” before they send her into actual Sangedakru territory. Little Echo is scared, and misses the shot. Queen Nia does the deed for her, and says she can still prove herself- by killing Ash. Little Echo doesn’t want to, but since Nia threatens to kill them both… she picks up the knife and strikes. It looks like game over for Ash, and where we assume the story will end. Until..

Ash has killed Little Echo. She stares at Nia in shock, wondering what she’ll do now. The Azgeda warrior casually reminds Nia that Sangedakru is expecting a little girl named Echo, so…

Back in the present, Ryker tells Ash he’s sorry, but not that sorry cause he’s still going to kill her. And the terror in Echo’s face is awful. Until it isn’t anymore.

Someone else who isn’t sorry? Me, at all, about Ryker’s death.

For Monty

After the Blakes get back, plans start heating up for real. Gabriel is crafting a bomb, only it’s maybe not going to kill anyone. With her newfound need for peace, Clarke would rather they didn’t hurt any innocent folks, and asks if it’s possible.

Of course it is because Gabriel is the master of all things, so they get to work. Clarke tells Gabriel, then eventually O and Bellamy her plan to be Jo to get the bomb past the radiation fence. Bellamy hates it, but everyone else agrees that it has to be done. And just then… up pull the riders from Sanctum. Because of course they did.

Clarke puts on her best Jo face, and when Jade tries to kill Layla, “Jo” says she’s got this one, and tells Jade to make sure they can get away. Clarke fires into the ground, stunning Layla and no one else. She has to talk to Bellamy before she goes though because again, of course she does.

As Murphy, Jade, and “Josie” stroll on back to Sanctum Proper, they’re greeted by Russell. Russ informs Josie that while Simone VI is dead, they can now make nightblood so who even cares? When Clarke sees how they are making nightblood, via Madi, it takes every ounce of strength she has to let it continue.

And in a move that Clarke would never in a million years pull, “Jo” knocks Madi out with a shot and that’s that. No way can Russell doubt who he’s dealing with now.

Random Thoughts:

• Murphy at least suspects that Clarke isn’t Jo, right? Idk, there was just something in his face during his reaction to “Jo” that makes me think he isn’t convinced. I can’t even fully describe it, and I could be wrong, but yeah. Also, Murphy knows a con when he sees one.
• Whoever makes the titles really likes Echo, yeah? Both “Echoes” and “Ashes to Ashes” bearing her name is at the very least an impressive feat. What do we call her now, anyway? Echo? Ash? Asho? I like Asho, frankly. Must be hard to be called the name of the best friend you were forced to kill every day of your life though, wow. Poor Asho.
• Is Sheidheda’s hairdo supposed to be some kind of clue?  I feel like they went to great lengths to make sure we noticed his hoodless look, though I am not sure why. But nor do I have any idea about anything involving Sheidheda, so.
  
  
• I am still really worried for Emori. Because Russell “I am a man of my word” Lightbourne doesn’t exactly instill faith. Though maybe I should be more worried for Natblida Asho. 
• I feel like there is an AU somewhere where Blythe Ann and Jae the Cookie Man have adopted Jordan and they’re all having a very nice HEA. All the cookies and stories of Marper from space. Honestly I can think of no better outcome. 
• How pissed are the people in cryo going to be when they realized they missed an entire season war? Also, I daresay some of them could have been useful, considering. Especially Brell, I miss Brell. But also where’d Indra go?

Song of the Week:

This week, I chose Meg Myers’s “Running Up That Hill”  mostly because the lyrics fit and the vibe is spot on. Also, I just really like it, so. 

Episode 6×12: Adjustment Protocol

Why does this look so completely amazing and simultaneously wholly terrifying? Oh right, cause it’s The 100. Penultimate episodes are tricky beasts that I usually have mixed feelings about upon first viewing, because I have to wait a week before the big conclusion. So yep, consider me scared as hell. 

• Ally has a theory that someone is going to try to kill Clarke, thinking she’s Jo and wow that is a really likely theory! It isn’t one that I like, but it is one that makes a shitton of sense, considering how out for blood Earthkru is going to be if they think Clarke is dead.
• Speaking of theories, Greg had a great one: What if the Cadogan Connection isn’t Sanctum/Russell at all, but Sheidheda!?  My mind was kind of blown because holy crap, that makes sense. Throwing us off with the Becca/Eligius III connection is a pretty The 100 thing to do, but also, Sheidheda seems to be anti-everything Becca stood for. Which apparently is Cadogan’s jam too. And he legitimately could be Cadogan’s heir, as the timelines would match up. The math on the Russell theory doesn’t work- at best they could have been brothers, or co-cultists, but Russell cannot be Cadogan’s son unless Cadogan started having kids when he was like 10. 
• “Special naming day” is giving me actual stress. You know what? No thank you. I don’t wish to have any Primes back. Not Simone the Shittiest, nor Ryker the Cowardly. Yeet all their mind drives into the lake, immediately. And if they ruin one of our heroes… I’m going to grab Asho’s bow and kill ’em myself.
• Gabriel mentioned that the “Adjustment Protocol” was Simone’s brainchild so that sounds messy af.  Like if that particular demon had a hand in it, it’s going to be interesting. Though I am absolutely here for them using Sanctum’s own weapons against them, so.  
• Are they going to erase another Prime to free up a mind drive for “Josie”? I mean that has to be the only way to find one, right? Damn is Russell going to be royally pissed when he figures this out! 

What are your thoughts? Does anyone know Clarke isn’t Jo? Are the Blakes finally on the mend? Can someone get rid of Sheidheda like, yesterday? Let us chat!