April7739

Very reminiscent of 4x05 when he figured out Octavia is still alive and was so happy and hopeful again.

destroyer of worlds

I just love that this episode was an ode to a lot of the dead characters and crucial storylines throughout this show's run. Love it, love it!

And the great Clarke and Bellarke scenes were just icing on the cake.

a little chaos

Anyone else think Emori is going to die next ep?

April7739

No. Well . . . wait a minute, Luisa did describe season 6 as “Deadly as usual.”

madness

Yikes, I hope she was just referring to the deadly nature of that moon and Sanctum and not her fate. I feel like I still don't know enough about her and I want to know everything??

April7739

Now I’m starting to worry.

Emori is one of the few grounders I’ve ever liked. She needs to stick around.

destroyer of worlds

I hope not. Emori really deserves better but so far, Luisa's screentime has been comparable to probably Harper's? And that's not great.

April7739

Definitely comparable to Harper’s. We need some character reduction, but Emori is not one I want to lose. I really enjoy Luisa both as an actress and a person.

a little chaos

Emori has grown on me these past 2 seasons, she’s certainly in my top 10, so I hope she survives the season too.

Since we’re on a mini break, how are our top 10’s looking?

1. Clarke
2. Bellamy
3. Echo
4. Lexa
5. Murphy
6. Diyoza
7. Raven
8. Octavia
9. Emori
10. Roan

The ones in bold I stan and forever will. My top 3 could mix it up though, Bellamy could take top spot, heck... so could Echo. To be fair my top 4 I probably love equally but I love order

April7739

1. Bellamy
2. Murphy
3. Clarke (really could go up to 2 this season)
4. Harper
5. Jasper
6. Raven
7. Kane
8. Roan
9. Diyoza
10. Jordan

Emori might be at 11 right now for me. A good episode could put her back in.

destroyer of worlds

I really want more Raven AND Emori screentime, period.

I have to think about my list a bit ... for the first time, my top 5 is probably changing even though I don't like it.

a little chaos

So April and I have 6 characters in common which is pretty solid, even if I have 2 characters she dislikes/hates and she has 3 that put me to sleep

April7739

I’m guessing Harper and Kane and Jordan put you to sleep, Becks?

a little chaos

Correct as I love me some Jasper

April7739

Some things in here may reference conversations/posts on the other board. I'm too lazy to go back in and edit them out.


Since I was away and busy this week, I’m just getting around to typing up these thoughts now. Wow, what an episode! These last two episodes have really reminded me why I love this show so much. There has been such great character work. Last week really allowed a focus on Bellamy’s emotions (which is probably why it’s still my favorite of the season), and this week really allowed us to focus on Clarke. She’s such a complex character, and the episode was really cool and cerebral. Shout out to the director for some really neat camera work.


Clarke (and Bellarke): So much of this episode was devoted to her that I feel like most of my thoughts will be here. (There really are only 3 characters to discuss in this episode.) This season, Clarke is really creeping up on Murphy on my favorites list. I feel like this may be the season that she surpasses him, depending on what he does next, I suppose. I know some people don’t like Clarke, and that’s fine, but I think she’s an incredibly compelling and complex character, and this episode demonstrated that.

The attention to detail in her mind was really astounding. There were things I didn’t even pick up on until I re-watched, like the fact that Finn’s pole was next to Lexa’s throne. (Yeah, I overlooked that.) I was really glad that the show remembered Finn. Despite my lack of feeling towards him, it was a huge moment in Clarke’s life. I also loved that, in that scene, we saw Jasper’s goggles (RIP Jasper, I still love you), and Jake’s iPad. Just seeing Jake Griffin again in general was really cool. All the cameos, actually, really worked in different ways. Jake represented the safe place of Clarke’s subconscious. Maya was the guilt (and shoutout to Eve Harlow for still being really good in that role). Not sure what ALIE represented, perhaps Clarke’s intellect? But Monty definitely represented that hope and fight for life, and I was SO SHOCKED to see him again. I had completely forgotten that I saw something on Twitter saying, “That’s Monty’s jacket!” And I’m glad I forgot that, because it made the reveal of him even more surprising.

Of particular interest to me is the moment where she was in the fighting pit with Octavia/Blodreina. There is a lot to unpack in that conversation there. VERY interesting how Octavia was also used to represent guilt in Clarke’s mind, but even more so than that . . . fear. She represented Clarke’s biggest fear at this point, which is that Bellamy hasn’t truly forgiven her. And that’s a natural, normal fear to have. Eliza’s acting in this scene really tugged at my heartstrings. I’ve kind of given up on the writers having Bellamy apologize for going against Clarke’s wishes and putting the flame in Madi (even though I do think it ultimately had to be done), so I’m totally here for them continuing to explore Clarke’s guilt and fears over her decision-making in that episode. Especially since it led to some really not so great episodes for her at the end of season 5, including the episode where she used the shock collar on Madi. (I appreciate Josephine’s line about “child abuse disguised as protection,” or something like that, because that scene really rubbed me the wrong way, and I’m glad that the show can at least be aware of that.)

So Clarke’s fear that Bellamy hasn’t forgiven her and thinks she is a monster leads really well into the moment where she gives up. And I read through everything in here, and I truly don’t understand the argument that what Bellamy did was OOC, but please, let’s not start that up again. I’ll just say that I don’t think he at all was, but I did pay closer attention upon a re-watch to his “it’s the smart play” line to see if I thought it felt off the way some other people here did. And I don’t think it was. I think it was the fact that we were seeing it out of context in that moment that felt strange. And that was exactly the way Clarke was seeing it. Josephine very carefully selected that specific exchange from Bellamy to Russell and didn’t show Clarke any of his devastation, his sorrow, his rage before that. She didn’t show Clarke the memory of Bellamy nearly killing Russell in retaliation. She just showed Clarke the decision, but Clarke didn’t see any of his heartbroken resignation leading up to it. So this played into her fear that he had given up on her, that he didn’t think she was worth forgiving or saving.

Ultimately, this is a really tragic parallel between the two of them. In 6x06, Bellamy wanted to fight, but he felt as if he had no choice but to resign to doing something for the sake of the survival of his people (accepting the deal). In this episode, Clarke similarly wanted to fight, but she felt as if she had no choice but to resign and give up for the sake of the survival of her people. It was a really sad scene, much like the Bellamy scenes last week were really sad. But another parallel is that, once that passion to keep fighting is reignited in both of them, they both get so determined and do not give up and decide to keep fighting. In Selina's review, she pointed out that this is Clarke's second chance to live, and Bellamy's second chance to save her. And I just love that, I do. THIS is the kind of Bellarke angst fans wanted in season 5. This is hitting the right beats emotionally. This (along with some other news, I have no idea what it could be) seems to have rejuvenated a lot of fans.

Looking ahead . . . I want Clarke back really badly, but I would also love to see her mind explored a bit more. I would especially love to see Bellamy make a cameo in there, like in the fighting pit so she could confront that fear. But I’m trying to lower my expectations. Now in regards to the EMP, I’m guessing that Josephine will encounter an obstacle on her way to getting rid of Clarke once and for all. Like maybe the EMP will be a risk to her mind drive, too.


Bellamy: Even though he had a small part in this episode in terms of screen-time, he had a big effect on the episode as a whole, so I’m going to talk about him next. Plus, I already talked about him in the Clarke section since their stories are so intertwined and paralleled right now. One reviewer said that Bob has a habit of stealing the show even during the episodes where he has very minimal screen-time, and I agree! (4x04 comes to mind.) I feel like the fandom (or at least the part of the fandom that loves Clarke) is just cheering him on so hard right now! I know I was jumping out of my seat and fist-pumping and shouting, “Yes, Bellamy! Yes!”

Whenever the show can remind us how much of a nerd Bellamy Blake is, I love it. Him picking up on morse code shows us 1) how damn smart and observant he is and 2) how closely he pays attention to Clarke, even though she’s not Clarke at that moment. I think someone on Twitter phrased it as, “We’re so lucky Bellamy majored in morse code and Clarke Griffin.” I just LOVE seeing him rejuvenated at the end, determined, so passionate. This is a return of heart-driven Bellamy, and I’m in love with it.

I feel like Bellamy is in a ****ty position every season, and this season is no different. I’m interested to see what he does now, but I don’t envy his position at all. He’s got a responsibility to be a leader and ensure that all of his people (including all those people still in cryo on the ship) survive, but he has to find a way to save Clarke now, too. And let’s face it, smart as he is, Bellamy doesn’t know about this tech stuff! (Jordan, we need your help!) Not to mention the fact that one of his best friends is in kahoots with the enemy, and his should-be daughter is under the influence of this dark commander. (Knowing Gaia, she probably didn’t even clue him in to that fact.) I’m really interested to see who he tells and who believes him.

Bottom line, though: Bellamy never got Clarke's radio messages for 6 years. But he got this message. Beautiful. Poetic.


Josephine: I hate her, and the flashback, while adding layers to her, doesn’t negate the horrible things she’s done since then or make me pity her. But I will say that she’s a really good villain. I’ve already talked about how well Eliza portrays her, but I have to give a shoutout to . . . Sara Thompson? I believe that’s her name. She’s done a really good job portraying her, too. Her “We’re back, bitches!” was really good, as was her, “I don’t know what that means,” when Clarke told her to go float herself.

It was interesting to look into Josephine’s mind, mostly just to see Earth pre-ALIE and the bombs. While I wouldn’t mind seeing more of that, I also don’t want that to become the focus, as if there was one weaker act of the episode, it was that one for me.

So Josephine sacrifices babies, huh? Horrendous. I will be really pleased if she meets a violent, painful ending just like McCreary did last season.


Stray Thoughts: Miller admitting that he slept through most of Earth Skills was funny, as was him asking, “What does it mean?” when looking right at the word ALIVE. Oh, Miller. I’m here for a Millamy team-up, though. I’ve missed that dynamic, and since Bellamy probably can’t/shouldn’t trust Murphy right now, this would be great to see Miller support him.

Whoever did all the artwork did a great job. I really loved seeing all of that on the walls. Cool stuff.

Can’t remember what my mom said this week because I was out of it when we talked, but I know she loved the episode and continues to love both Clarke and Bellamy, so I’m proud of her.

Monty might not be on my top 10 favorite characters list, but I still do like him a lot and miss him, so it was great to see Chris Larkin return to the role again. If Harper had been right there with him, I probably would have burst into tears, because Harper is my homegirl.

Does Clarke really think Abby will take care of Madi? Abby’s been an absentee parent for a while now. I have a lot more faith in Bellamy taking care of her than I do Abby.

This episode proves that you don’t need to involve all the characters in every episode, and that sometimes, just focusing on the ones who matter most to the storyline is all you need to do.


Episode MVP: Duh, Clarke Griffin! Although Bellamy made a case for it at the end.

6x01: Bellamy
6x02: Murphy
6x03: Clarke
6x04: Diyoza
6x05: Jordan
6x06: Bellamy
6x07: Clarke