In the immortal words of Octavia Blake: we’re back bitches! After the horrors of last weeks episode of The 100 brought the show to what felt like a new low, “Nevermore” turned around and did the exact opposite. While the episode and the themes within remain dark, these elements move the story forward in a cathartic way rather than the traumatizing nature of “Fallen.”
The episode begins with all of our favorite delinquents on the verge of severe emotional breakdowns. Everyone is falling apart, and understandably so as each of them have been through hell and back this season. They’re angry and heartbroken both with themselves and with each other. But when one of their own is in grave danger, the adventure squad manages to put their differences aside to save her.
Raven isn’t the only one facing her demons this week: ALIE systematically attempts to break each of the delinquents trying to help her. She taunts Clarke with the blood on her hands going as far as to include Lexa, losing Abby to ALIE/the City of Light, and the death of her father, Jake. Jasper’s breaking point is his grief for Maya, but ALIE frames him as selfish for mourning her so deeply while the others who’ve all lost people as well have had to bury their pain and move on. She combines both these tactics against Bellamy, bringing up all the other blood on his hands that he rarely gets blamed for and claiming that his reasons for killing have always been selfish.
ALIE/Raven: At least Clarke was saving her people, you were just saving your own ass.
While ALIE’s barbs are meant to hurt Raven’s friends they aren’t entirely without truth. Clarke has become Wanheda against her own desires, but she’s done what she has to do to keep her people alive, every time. Jasper’s PTSD has made him selfish, but it’s also what’s kept him away from ALIE: his insistence to remember Maya, even if it hurts has kept him alive. (Well, that and the watchful eye of Abby Griffin.) Like Clarke, Bellamy has always been doing what he thinks is right, and though he’s made grave mistakes, his intentions were always to do what was best for he and Octavia first, and their people second.
Each of them own up to their failures and how they’ve changed as people, but much to ALIE’s displeasure they don’t allow their flaws to break or define them. They accept who they’ve become and they adapt to become better. As viewers it’s always satisfying to see characters grow, and each of these people had development in spades this week.
Bellamy: What do you do when you realize you might not be the good guy?
Clarke: Maybe there are no good guys.
This is an excellent repetition of Abby’s line to Clarke in the Season 2 finale, and once again I think it’s just as effective. Abby used it to reassure Clarke that sometimes we have to do terrible things to save the ones we love. Clarke gives Bellamy that same assurance. No one is truly good or truly bad, and they’re all just trying stay alive and do the best they can with the choices they’re given. (Except ALIE and Jaha, those two are just plain evil.)
Meanwhile Monty gains new demons when he’s forced to kill his mother to save Octavia. The moment is raw and heartbreaking and some of Christopher Larkin’s best work. The fact that he later learns that he could have saved her the way they save Raven adds another level of devastation to Monty’s actions. This could be what brings Jasper and Monty back together. We’ve watched their relationship fall apart this season as Jasper blamed Monty and Clarke for the loss of Maya, and Jasper took Monty’s help for granted. Now it’s going to be Monty’s turn to grieve; hopefully Jasper will recognize that and step up to help his best friend.
The one positive result from what Monty has to do is that it brings Octavia back into the fray. Seeing Monty make the ultimate sacrifice for her tethers her back to her people. She had been spinning out of control all season, feeling like she didn’t belong anywhere and Lincoln’s death sent her even further down the path of the lost. Through Monty saving her life and working with everyone to save Raven’s she realizes she’s still needed, she’s still cared for, she’s still a part of something.
Octavia: I’m not Trikru, I’m not Skaikru, I’m nothing.
Monty: You’re one of the 100.
I cannot end this review without talking about what a phenomenal job Lindsey Morgan does throughout the episode. Each of the cast members in “Nevermore” deliver layered and emotional performances, but Lindsey goes above and beyond both physically and emotionally. From the way she switches back and forth from ALIE to Raven, to the way she throws herself completely into the physicality of the episode, I’ve scarcely seen more riveting acting. Someone give this girl and Emmy!
Questions and Other Thoughts:
How awesome is Sinclair? I love how much he cares for Raven and how hard he works with everyone to save her. Now techkru needs to go save the rest of their people!
Do you have to short circuit the chip before you can remove it from someone who’s been chipped? Because while I’d like for it to be easy enough that you can just start slicing people’s necks and taking it out, if it’s that simple then all the hard work to create the EMP is for naught.
Speaking of the EMP, they took out the rover’s battery to power it, yet moments later the vehicle is still functioning. Continuity error or magic apocalypse car? You decide.
Niylah is amazing, more of her please. I’m so happy to see her come back into play after so long.
When Jasper tells Clarke, “I couldn’t do what you did,” we all understand the comparison he’s making. My question is how does Jasper know that her relationship with Lexa was romantic? He never met the Commander, and all of Clarke and Lexa’s relationship was kept hidden from almost everyone. I assume it’s from the emotion in her voice when she stops him, but that doesn’t quite seem like enough to get across the fact that she loved Lexa the way he loved Maya.
All of the puzzle pieces are coming together: Raven knows how to take down ALIE and they all know how to save the people that have been chipped. Get to work gang! Clarke, go save your mom, it’s important for my health!
What did you think of this episode of The 100? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The 100 airs Thursday at 9/8c on The CW.
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