Written by Avani Goswami
The 100 is off to a confusing but compelling start this season, with complex plot twists and new characters that are interesting but hard to keep track of.
The second episode, “The Garden,” focuses on Octavia and her journey to the anomaly, where Diyoza gives birth to her daughter Hope. Octavia wants to escape, despite Diyoza’s pleas to stay in the peaceful place, but when she tries to leave she gets herself and Diyoza into trouble. Hope hides as the other two get captured, and she returns as a twenty-year-old on a mission to get her mother back.
We find out a lot of interesting things about this world, some being that time passes much faster in the anomaly, and that there are only two ways to travel: with a code or through “tagging,” which is basically getting stabbed by someone from that place. We also discover that the anomaly is called Sky Ring or Planet Beta, and it is actually a prison for people in another place known as Bardo. It was good to get some more explanation about these details.
This leads to the other half of episode two, bringing Echo and Gabriel to the anomaly with the help of Hope. They want to find out where their friends are, like Bellamy, but they end up having to wait five years to leave, since they have no way to travel from Sky Ring back to Sanctum or Bardo.
Episode three is wildly different, and focuses back on Clarke and the crew on Sanctum. A nuclear reactor needs fixing, or they’ll all face the consequences of severe radiation. The best bet to fix it is people with nightblood (a.k.a. Murphy and Emori), but more help is needed, so the Elilgius prisoners are recruited for the job. Raven doesn’t tell them that it isn’t safe for them, and they end up being sacrificed for the mission. This places Raven in a leadership role and forces her to make a difficult decision, which was really interesting to see. I think this will mend her friendship with Clarke, since they’ve both now grappled with the weight of leadership and can understand each other better.
We also get a look at Russell, who is now Sheidheda and his execution, which he narrowly avoids. Gaia also tells everyone the flame was destroyed, ending Wonkru, which I feel will do little but increase the tension in Sanctum.
In the fourth episode, I’d say the characters back on Sky Ring and Raven are the ones who shine. In the anomaly, we find out about Hope’s past and how she learned to fight, along with a prisoner named Orlando, who is their only way off the planet. They have to wait five years for his prison sentence to end when the Disciples, as in the soldiers from Bardo, will come for him. Orlando reluctantly teaches them how to fight for their escape in five years time, and they all become a sort of makeshift family. But at the last moment, when they are about to get off Sky Ring, Echo betrays Orlando and leaves him there, saying they can’t trust him.
Back on Sanctum, they finally mention going after Bellamy and Octavia, and talk to some of the Disciples, who tell them that Clarke will play a key role in ending the war. Raven discovers the
incredible capabilities of the Disciples’ suits and even hurts more of their people, once again cementing her struggle with sacrifice and her understanding with Clarke. They end up finding out the anomaly is some kind of wormhole, and they travel to a random planet to see if their friends are there. When it’s clear that their friends aren’t, they realize they’re trapped with no method of travel between the different locations, which left me anticipating the next episode.
The fourth episode was by far the best this season, and I’m finally getting excited to see where everything goes. This season’s mystery is confusing to keep up with, but it’s unlike the show has ever done and intriguing since there’s so much left to figure out. I wonder where all the pieces may fall, since the crew’s problems include their missing friends, Sheidheda, the anomaly, and the different warring groups back on Sanctum. But as we’ve seen with every other season, we just have to wait and see if and how they’ll survive.
The 100 Season 7 Episodes 2-4 are now streaming for free on The CW App.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTdEbup47Kw
