The 100 - The Garden

Discussing Ep. 7.2

I really liked this episode. It helped to answer a lot of questions from the last one as well as shed some light on a really important pairing from last season.

They really built it up last season, the relationship that would emerge between Octavia and Diyoza. They were both very snippy with each other but at the same time, Diyoza knew where Octavia was coming from and seemed to understand her at a time when no one else did. Octavia was just coming out of the darkness that had turned her into Blodreina and she was trying her best to come to terms with it all, and Bellamy was just not being of any help. No one really was. Having Diyoza be the one to connect with her was so fitting considering Diyoza's past as a world famous terrorist. Considered a monster in her own right, she knew what Octavia was going through and perhaps did (or didn't) understand Octavia's need for acceptance from Bellamy and others. At the very least though, Diyoza, in her own way, was a sympathetic character for Octavia and she definitely needed that.

Likewise, I remember feeling that Octavia had that maternal/mentor instinct to her in the last season, especially in the way she interacted with a Sanctumite girl (who unfortunately died). But I could see that perhaps Octavia needed that person, that Little Octavia, as it were, to get Octavia to reconnect with that part of herself that was not corrupted by all the violence and bloodshed that she had endured. Although it was the irony of ironies when the Disciples came looking for Octavia and she had to hide Hope in that little nook in their house, telling Hope to be brave and to stay quiet. This was an obvious nod to Octavia's experience of hiding in the floor when she was growing up. I think DiyO was a very apropos and cool pairing and I'm glad we got to see a window in their developing relationship.

I think it worked so well how both Diyoza and Octavia needed that break from everybody and everything in order heal themselves, both emotionally and psychologically. Where they were was highly therapeutic for both of them. Although Octavia had one final piece of business to settle, and I really hope she gets a chance to settle it. It was rather heartbreaking how she was so determined, so bent on trying to find a way back to Bellamy to show him that she finally changed for the better. And I loved how Hope was wanting to help her to do it, so that Aunty-O could bring everyone back with her, including Murphy! 😄 But Diyoza wasn't so supportive. I could see why she wouldn't want Octavia to leave because they were all happy together. She also didn't want Octavia killing herself trying to do it. And her line of "Your brother left you to die! Why are you so eager to run back to him? Why aren't we enough?" That was a killer line. That just really showed how much Diyoza had changed too and how much she had come to love Octavia and regard her as family, to the point of being rather jealous and protective of their unique relationship.

Considering all that, I think this episode sufficed in terms of seeing the bond that developed between the DiyO family. I don't think there was a lot left to show beyond that. I don't think another episode is needed and I applaud the writers for being able to show the development of DiyO so effectively in one episode. "Teamwork makes the dream work!" I like that quote. What I was surprised by was that neither Octavia nor Diyoza taught Hope how to fight! Echo assumed, like I did, that Hope got her training from DiyO and that's why she was so good. I am now eager to see how Hope fared without Octavia and Diyoza there and who this Dev person was who ended up training her. 

So we get to the here and now, so to speak. It was rather amusing when Hope mentioned how Octavia had spent 10 years on Skyring and I kept thinking to myself "Well, she doesn't look like it! She still looks, at best, like she's in her early 20's," only to check up Marie Avgeropoulos' age and she's actually 33 years old! So I guess everything fits. Not only that, but much like on Manifest...."it's all connected!"

I'm going to need Baby to explain the history here and how Becca is connected to Eligius III and all of that, because I was thoroughly confused. I couldn't remember the backstory and the different ships and what it all entailed. Perhaps it's not that important but I'm big into canon and histories and all of that so maybe I'll have to do some research to piece it all together. I really hope that the CW will go ahead with The 100 prequel regarding Becca and Josephine and all of that before the first nuclear apocalypse happened on Earth to piece it all together. It seems like humanity has stretched far beyond Earth and Sanctum after that apocalypse. Almost Star Trek like. And perhaps they've found a way to do space travel without a ship!

So the Anomaly is basically just a Space Bridge. And there's apparently more than one. The one in the lake seemingly leads to Sanctum, though I'm wondering about that now considering Octavia threw her message in a bottle into that Bridge and it led to the Disciples showing up and taking both her and Diyoza away to Bardo. And the second Bridge, which is in that cave, perhaps leads to Bardo? More questions. What I found funny was that had Gabriel not come with Hope and Echo, none of this would have been explained! No one would have thought to look into the skull of that guy and find a memory drive. And only Gabriel had the technology and know-how to even read the memory drive and had the backstory as to where they actually were (Planet Beta) and what it all meant. I'm really glad he was around because none of it would have made much sense!

Throughout the episode, Hope seemed to have a real problem with Echo. And after she revealed whom she got all her info on Echo from, it was clear to see why. Octavia seemingly didn't shed a good light on Echo. Hell, I'm curious to know what she said about Clarke! I know she's said something perhaps tongue in cheek about Murphy! I'm also curious as to what exactly Octavia did share with Hope, especially in regards to Skairipa and Blodreina. I can't imagine those would be soothing bedtime stories that Diyoza would be happy to have Aunty-O share with Hope. Then again, I can't imagine Diyoza's own exploits would make good bedtime stories either! It was nice to see Hope drop her guard and stop being so antagonistic towards Echo and to see Echo do the same. It's funny because I think Hope would find a lot of sympathetic/empathetic people among Wunkru, especially Jordan! He's like the only other one who's lived in isolation, away from other people other than his parents, like Hope did. I'm calling it now...Jordan and Hope. Jope? Hopan? But the others all have their stories of heartache, pain and suffering and could probably relate to her in some way. So it was really good to see Echo reach out and make that connection with Hope. 

 

So you kind of knew that things were just too good to be true. That Gabriel was finally able to get the info he needed from that guy's memory drive and suddenly this hobo comes and smashes his tablet! 😒 I have to say, I did like how they explained the technology, from how the Bridges are activated with people's biometric signature to the hobo with a clock tattoo that actually counts down! I want a tattoo like that....well...maybe I don't! What I'm curious to know is why everyone loses their memory when they do cross the Bridge. Hope didn't seem to know who she was or why she attacked Octavia (it was apparently to put a locator tag on her) nor did she even know who Diyoza was (though it seemed to be coming back to her). All her memories returned when she made it back to Skyring. Perhaps those suits that the Disciples were wearing help to stave off memory loss during travel. There are still a whole lot of questions and mysteries that need to be answered but I like that a lot of them were answered in this episode.

So I take it that this is it (for now) for the adventures on Skyring and we go back to Sanctum in the next episode where we see Clarke basically go and screw everything up some more. Well, she's going to have help with RussellDC now there amongst them. I wonder though if Dark Commander has access to all of Russell's memories and if Russell knew of the extent of the Bridges' power. He mentioned how the Anomaly was something that caught his attention about Sanctum. And I also wonder who or where the Disciples come from. Are they from another Eligius mission? Are they in any way associated with Becca? Their technology and ability to manipulate the Space Bridges is highly advanced and so perhaps another Eligius ship landed on some planet where that technology already existed and these guys took advantage of it.

How many planets has humanity colonized at this point?   

As a post script, I couldn't help but think of the GN'R song "The Garden" when I read the title of this episode. If they could have gotten the rights, they should have Diyoza at least sing a few bars. I could totally see Diyoza being a GN'R fan!

You can find it all inside, no need to wrestle with your pride
No, you ain't losing your mind, you're just in the garden
They can lead you to yourself or you can throw it on the shelf
But you know you can look inside for the garden

The 100 - From The Ashes

Discussing Ep. 7.1

So it's been a while! But with the return of The 100 for it's final season, I stepped away from my other writing to focus on this show. Man, it feels like forever and yet at the same time, it doesn't

Feels like an anomaly!

HA!

And that's where we start. With a small (basically useless) recap of last season that did little to jog my memory, where Hope (not Hope Mikaelson....Hope Diyoza) returns from the Anomaly and inexplicably stabs Octavia. Octavia goes into the Anomaly and Bellamy is there, screaming her name. Then suddenly, fucking poltergeists carry him off! I have to say, that was really weird, seeing Bellamy get tossed around by some unseen force. Then my Echo steps out to look for him.

And she sees Bellamy being dragged off before she starts getting her ass handed to her by the unseen forces as well. While in the tent, Gabriel is trying to revive Hope who wakes up, kicks his ass and then runs off. Once alone, she finds some weird stick stabbed into her skin. Turns out it's a note, with  one side being the same design of the tattoo that Octavia had on her back.

I forgot what this meant, other than it was related to the Anomaly. It obviously is going to play a big part this season as even Russell makes reference to it and how he built Sanctum because of it. However, on the other side of the paper, there was this.

This is intriguing because....who wrote it? Octavia went into the Anomaly after Hope came out of it. So, how could it be from Octavia? Was it from Diyoza, her mom? I don't see that because I don't think Diyoza and Bellamy interacted at all last season, or if they did, it was very minimal. Mind you, the Anomaly fucks around with time (which is why Hope had aged so fast). So I'm very intrigued as to who wrote this and why.

I will say this about Hope....she is her mother's daughter, at least in terms of fighting. It was VERY impressive how she went one-on-one with Echo and was able to essentially beat her. I mean, that is not an easy thing to do! Echo's been training her whole life to be an assassin. For Hope to be able to best her, I have to imagine that she underwent some serious training from her mom. But if that's the case, how did that happen? Obviously, while in the Anomaly, they are able to exist in other places. How else did she get that note in her arm? How else did she get the training that she has? How else did she get those tattoos on her face?

Speaking of which, seems like she wasn't the only one. These alien beings who were able to cloak themselves....they seem to have those same tattoos on their faces as well. And not only that, they seem to have a real problem with Hope.

It's apparent that where they know who everyone is. Gabriel's full name is displayed. They didn't have a full name for Echo, but they knew she was from Azgedakru so they put that as a last name. How in the world did they know her history? And from the display, they have their orders to spare both Echo and Gabriel so as to be rendered to Bardo. Who is Bardo? But for Hope, she was to be killed on sight. So that creates a lot of interesting mysteries.

Adding to it all was a cameo by King Roan, as well as Echo's childhood friend who she killed. Gabriel said it was the toxin in the atmosphere that created the illusion for Echo, but I do wonder about that because of what Hope saw.

She saw Octavia! Why would she see Octavia? She doesn't even know her. And as opposed to Roan and Original Echo taunting Echo about her past and who she would follow if Bellamy wasn't around, Octavia seemed to be legitimately talking to Hope. So I'm really curious about this too.

Another line that Gabriel said was that the Anomaly was closing because 'they' couldn't control it. Who's "they?" Whoever they are, I found it odd that Gabriel's solution was to essentially step into the Anomaly. That was rather ballsy. But I suppose since Hope survived, that the only way they'll find the answers to their questions is by going in there. Will we see Bellamy and Octavia and Diyoza? The Anomaly collapsed and shot up into space! So where did they all go?

Back at Sanctum, Wonkru moved into their fancy new digs. I have to say, it seemed so bizarre to see them all in a normal house setting. I'm so used to seeing them in caves or in the forest or on some spaceship. This was too normal! LOL! All them get together outside for a nice little picnic before they decided what their next step is. While the death of Abby was certainly a big event, I'm surprised as shit that they mentioned nothing about Kane. He died too! But they were all toasting to the death of Abby and reminding Clarke nonstop about it.

Right off the bat, Clarke assumed control again. I really wonder why that is. Why is she always the de facto leader of the group? Is it just because that's what they're all used to by now? The person who I was most thankful was there was Indra! Indra is so bad ass. And she's like the only parent there among them now. Not only that, but she legitimately seems like the wisest one now. She had so many great lines like "Every battle plan is perfect until the first shot is fired." Or "Belief is stronger than the truth."

She was out there advising Clarke on what to do. She was the one delegating duties beyond what Clarke was delegating. She was the one who was putting everything into perspective. They have Wonkru, who still follow Madi as the Commander, even though she no longer has the Flame. They have the Sanctumites, who resent Wonkru for coming and fucking everything up and still hold Russell Prime as a god. Then they have the Children of Gabriel, who are resentful towards the Sanctumites and Russell and want their land back. Then they have the 36 criminals who followed Diyoza. I had completely forgotten about those guys. It's going to be really interesting how they work this all out because they have SO MANY players on the field now.

Not to mention Murphy and Emori, who are still playing the roles of Daniel and Kaylee, two Primes who the Sanctumites still respect and worship. I wonder how far they're going to go with this but I am glad that Emorphy still has a role to play and they're not relegated to the background just yet. Also, with Murphy's guilt over the death of Abby (and I couldn't remember what he did....I was happy that he basically recounted everything in the bar!), I wonder if they're still going to go with his vision that he had of Hell and if he's still haunted by that.

The one character I'm somewhat concerned for is Raven. She doesn't seem to have anything to do right now. And I was super upset that all the focus, in terms of grief, was on Clarke. For fuck's sakes, Raven lost somebody too! Granted, she didn't know Shaw all that long but that's the point. She never got the chance to. Everything was about Clarke's grief. What about everyone else's grief? What about Indra's grief over losing Kane, who became a man she respected? What about Jackson's grief over losing a friend and mentor in Abby? No, it was all about Clarke!

I think my favourite moment in the episode was when Madi was attempting to comfort Clarke by sharing her experience in losing her own mother. Clarke, ever the self-centered diva that she is, thought Madi was talking about her. She was like "Madi, I'm right here!" For fuck's sakes! It was embarrassing how Madi had to explain to her that she was talking about her REAL mother, not Clarke! What....did Clarke assume that Madi didn't have a mother before she came along? Like, what the actual fuck?!?

This is why I don't get how people view Clarke as the leader. She's far, far too volatile and inconsistent to be the leader. She spent the majority of the episode defending Russell, insisting that they weren't going to kill him, even though everyone from Indra to Russell himself felt that he deserved to die for what he did. Then, when Russell hands over items that belonged to Abby, Clarke snaps. I'm not harping on Clarke for that. I get that she had a hard time processing Abby's death and that she was suppressing her grief and it all came out. So I get her lashing out and beating the shit out of Russell. But to go and declare to everyone from all the different factions that essentially, the old way of doing things is done and over with, she goes and declares that Russell will die for his crimes! How is that different than what Russell was doing before?

One guy that I was actually glad to see was Dark Commander. I really felt that last season, he was tacked on merely as a way to give Madi a storyline. But now, he's assumed control of Russell's body. How? Fuck if I know! But I like it because it adds a new element to everything. I can totally see Russell/DC (as I'm calling him) taking command of the 36 prisoners. He could also take command of the Sanctumites as they still see him as a god. But the prisoners seem to be the kind of folks that DC could manipulate into following him. So that's where I see things going with him.

So an intriguing first episode. Though Bellamy was barely featured, apparently that's going to be continued this season. I just read that Bob Morley requested time off from the series and that's why he will not be featured so heavily, which is rather disappointing. Still, they have so many characters to focus on, too much in my opinion, that I fear that we may see some fan favourites actually not make it to the end.

Rather nail-biting in that sense!