Written by Avani Goswami
The 100 returns to Earth in ‘A Sort of Homecoming,’ where things feel just as confusing and chaotic as they were back on Sanctum and Bardo. After the end of last week’s episode, a death that I’m still reeling from, it’s interesting to see where they take this episode and the lack of tribute given to their lead male character.
Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and the crew wind up in the Second Dawn Bunker, which we don’t really get an explanation for, and they’re immediately greeted by Gaia (Tati Gabrielle). I’ve missed Gaia and have speculated about her whereabouts, but it turns out there was no elaborate mystery behind her disappearance. She simply wound up on Earth. The Shepherd (John Pyper-Ferguson) ditches them instantly, using his technology from Bardo to return home, and the others go greet Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos), Echo (Tasya Teles), and the others outside. Side note: it’s really good seeing Earth look how it did in the earliest seasons.
Octavia and Echo, of course, ask where Bellamy (Bob Morley) is, and Clarke reveals that he died, by her hand. Though I expected Octavia to do something, anything, she just hugs Clarke and forgives her, saying that she understands. Echo actually follows suit and they have a sweet bonding moment in the woods. While this is touching, it seems a bit out of character. Octavia and Bellamy have always had a strong sibling relationship and have mourned each other many times in very emotional ways. This feels a little rushed. Echo is also not one to forgive and forget so easily, and it’s shocking to me that it took her all of one minute to accept this. Still, I agree with what they said about how they lost Bellamy a while ago. With only two more episodes left, I’m sure they wanted to wrap this issue up as soon as possible.
Returning to the bunker, the crew try to find the anomaly stone. Raven (Lindsey Morgan) puts the helmet on and sees that it’s 100 feet away, but Clarke asks for the helmet and then destroys it. She calls Earth their home and says she isn’t going to lose anyone else. Okay, well, The Shepherd has other plans. Back on Bardo, he and Sheidheda (JR Bourne), who’s alive and in M-Cap, talk about the sketchbook. The Shepherd doesn’t know much, but Sheidheda does since he’s been in her head. He reveals it belongs to Madi (Lola Flanery) after Cadogan rambles about the Last War and transcendence, and how they need Madi to do it. They decide to tentatively work together and Sheidheda says he’ll be the one to go after Madi.
In the bunker, everyone’s doing their own thing and settling in. One aspect of this episode I enjoyed is the focus on some of the side characters. For a lot of the series, many of the side characters are given minimal screen time and almost no development. Maybe because there are so many, but I like how we got to see their interactions this time. Miller (Jarod Joseph) and Jackson (Sachin Sahel) share an intimate moment and a deep talk, Niylah (Jessica Harmon) breaks out the alcohol, and Jordan (Shannon Kook) and Hope (Shelby Flannery) dance to music Gabriel (Chuku Modu) plays on the piano. Madi is upset with Clarke for killing Bellamy and destroying the helmet, cutting her off from friends she made on Sanctum. After they have a fight, she even learns some music from him.
Some of the best interactions this season have come from Raven, Murphy (Richard Harmon), and Emori (Luisa d’Oliveira). Raven fixes the electricity issue, and then begins her work on the helmet. Murphy has a really refreshing moment where we can see how much he’s changed and how much he wants to help others. Though there is a moment where Murphy and Emori talk about Bellamy, I think it was also rushed. Raven barely got a second where she grieved him and considering they were all together for six years up in space, it seems ingenuine.
Octavia is outside the bunker in the meanwhile, unable to go back in after the events of season five, grieving Bellamy. This moment was probably the episode’s strongest. She says the traditional grounder farewell, ending with “from the ashes we will rise.” This connects the show in a season that feels so far removed, and it’s a welcome moment. Indra (Adina Porter) also meets her outside and mentions Lincoln (Ricky Whittle), who I’m sure we all still miss. Indra admits what happened in the bunker is just as much her fault as it is Octavia’s. They decide to go back into the bunker and face their demons together. Their relationship has always been one of the most heartwarming and compelling, and I’m glad to see them share the screen again.
That’s when everything gets a bit wild. When they’re back inside, a portal opens and someone invisible walks through: Sheidheda. Gaia and Indra stand post while Octavia goes to find Clarke, and the two of them search for Madi. Her and Gabriel are still playing piano in the rec room, while Niylah joins Echo near their bunks where they talk about Echo’s real name and about Becho. Hope and Jordan stop dancing since Hope gets emotional and leaves, only to share another pretty honest conversation with Jordan right outside. Clarke and Octavia find the dancing pair and tell them they need help finding Madi. Hope tells them she’s in the rec room, which invisible Sheidheda hears. Then, he proceeds to lock them all into the same room, including Raven, Murphy, and Emori. To me, this episode feels a little like Season 3 Episode 12, where the mountain man chases down Clarke and friends in Arkadia.
What I don’t understand about this, though, is why they didn’t do something to keep track of where Sheidheda is. Oh well. They’re locked inside, and Sheidheda heads for the rec room, where he stabs Gabriel out of nowhere. Sheidheda then says he can either take her back peacefully or not so peacefully. Or he can just kill her and end transcendence forever. Instead, Gabriel (yay!) attacks Sheidheda from behind and gives Madi time to run back to Indra and Gaia. The mother-daughter duo fight Sheidheda and just as Indra is about to deliver the killing blow, Sheidheda transports himself back to Bardo. Seriously, I’m getting tired of him.
Murphy gets everyone out of the locked room and Gabriel lays in the rec room, dying. Though I understand Gabriel’s death after he’s lived for so long and believes that no one should have that kind of power anymore, I think it’s a little too soon for another death. Much less another man of color who has come into this show and done great things. For entering so late, he has intrigued the audience and seemed like a real part of their group. Honestly, this is a glimpse at how many characters of color are treated on this show, either sidelined or dead, including the leading man.
Anyways, this death is disappointing, even if it is The 100, where characters supposedly die all the time. Octavia says the traditional saying for the dead on the Ark, and amidst all of this, Madi has escaped. We see her in the fighting pit, wanting to sacrifice herself so nobody else gets hurt. So she does, disappearing into thin air, heading for Bardo.
Clarke is obviously upset, but we barely have time to process what just happened because the Shepherd sent an explosive through the portal. Even though Miller can stop it from exploding in the pit, it still shakes the foundation of the bunker and causes the ceiling over Murphy and Emori to come crashing down.
Only one more episode until the finale, I’m not sure how this is going to play out. They seem to be wrapping things up left and right, while still leaving us with so many unanswered questions. I find myself wondering how these characters’ stories will end and if there will be any more tragic conclusions like Bellamy’s. And we have to wait a whole week to find out what happens to Murphy and Emori! All I’ve got to say is I’ll be beyond upset if either of them die after the goodbyes we’ve had to say in the last week.
The 100 ‘A Sort of Homecoming’ is now streaming on the CW app.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT2HEtHWK90
