The 100 writers continue to stir up consequences from both the past and present actions of our central characters in, “Ye Who Enter Here.” While watching, I couldn’t help but recall Nyko’s line from the previous episode, “Places are not evil brother, people are.” Seems like nothing, but tragedy befalls those who enter the mountain, no matter their clan or station. Both Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) are forced to face their feelings about last season’s grounder betrayal at the mountain. Meanwhile, Bellamy (Bob Morley) experiences a grounder double-cross firsthand. Throughout the seasons, lines of kinship have both been drawn and blurred. Whether it’s your people, my people, our people, we all live in the same place and decide if it’s filled with life or death.
5. An Empty & Evil Place
“When we came to the ground it was empty,” remarks Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) to Abby (Paige Turco), after entering the grounder capital, Polis, to attend the summit. This small moment stands out because the Polis marketplace further illustrates the grounders’ society. Kane recognizes the scene as a place filled with life, as opposed to the initial emptiness he felt when first arriving on Earth. In addition, the writers juxtapose Kane and Abby’s hopeful view on Polis, with Bellamy and Octavia’s unsettling return to Mount Weather. The farm station survivors have practically moved into the very place that haunts Skikru. Bellamy, Octavia, Gina (Leah Gibson), and Raven (Lindsey Morgan) enter the mountain with more supplies, only to walk in on a farm station unity dinner. “Thirty-six. Wow! The grounders are going to think we moved in,” says Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) to both Bellamy and Pike (Michael Bach). The political undercurrents behind Octavia’s observations carry over into Kane and Abby’s scenes as they enter Polis; further tying these plot lines together. Kane disagrees with Abby’s decision to allow the farm station survivors to take up residence in Mount Weather, “Now we have to explain taking attention away from everything else we’ve been negotiating for.” Kane and Abby are in awe of the grounder life in Polis, while Skikru find themselves in another precarious situation with the emergence of a new station at Mount Weather. I like how the writers are using “the mountain” not only as a point of tension between Skikru and the grounders, but it ignites contention amongst our central characters.
4. Past Echoes
“The assassin is already there at sundown your people will die,” states Echo (Tasya Teles) to Bellamy, Pike, and Octavia at Mt. Weather. I am not sure what’s more surprising, Echo’s reappearance in this episode, or her episode arc? Or both? In season two, we meet Echo after Bellamy disguises himself as a grounder to get inside “the mountain.” Echo is the captured grounder next to Bellamy’s cage, who assists him in killing a Mount Weather guard; they form an unlikely bond through this experience. She uses this shared history to convince Bellamy and the others that the summit at Polis is a trap. “We abandoned Skikru at the mountain, it was wrong,” Echo explains to Pike, who is skeptical to believe her information. Bellamy quickly takes charge and forms a team to rescue their people from the grounder trap. “We don’t have the numbers, but the missiles in this mountain even the playing field and you know I’m right,” argues Pike. After only a few days living at Mount Weather and he’s already a sure fire mountain man. Sinclair, Gina, and Raven stay behind to find the launch codes for the missiles; just in case. Echo leads the others to Polis. The writers develop an interesting parallel between Pike and Echo in this episode, with his attitude towards Indra (Adina Porter) during “Wanheda Part 2.” His apprehension to trust any grounder is proven right the second time around, because Echo ultimately betrays Bellamy and Skikru. “The assassin is already there,” but he’s not at Polis; rather patiently waiting in Mount Weather to strike. Bellamy’s misplaced trust in Echo is likely to haunt him throughout the rest of the season. A motivating point of contention between him and his sister, Octavia, who wants to go and live amongst the Trikru clan in Polis, as her trust in the grounders remains intact.
3. Raven’s Plight
“You think you deserve this pain,” says Sinclair (Alessandro Juliani) to Raven Reyes, as they struggle to find the launch codes at Mount Weather. The 100 writers subtly depict Raven as a war veteran and the epitome of pain in “Ye Who Enter Here.” She talks about her days on the ark as a rogue astronaut to Gina, as if those were her glory days. I forgot that Raven has a heart defect that almost prevented her from ever being a “spacewalker.” Since landing on the ground, Raven continues to endure severe physical pain from all the wars fought. From being almost paralyzed in season 1, to having “the mountain men” attempt to take some of her bone marrow in season 2. Raven’s manufactured herself a leg brace, but other characters (Sinclair included) continue to observe her obvious pain every time she puts pressure on her right leg. “What if she can’t,” asks Raven after Sinclair advises her to accept Abby’s medical care. Lindsey Morgan fully delivers Raven’s hopelessness in this moment; it’s all in her eyes. An important character beat to hit, considering how this episode ends. Remember, Sinclair encourages Raven to have hope again, because there’s a chance Abby could help relieve her pain if she used the medical resources at Mount Weather. Sinclair and Raven run after the ice nation assassin following that surprising third act plot twist. Raven shoots the assassin before he can kill Sinclair, and then she breaks down in the dandelion field. Gina’s dead, all those farm station survivors are about to die, and with Mount Weather goes all of those medical resources; she loses hope once again. Since landing on the ground, Clarke may bear Skikru’s emotional burdens from their survival decisions; but Raven Reyes personifies their physical pain.
2. #Clexa
“They will accept it when they see wanheda bow before me,” says Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) to Titus (Neil Sandilands) during a private meeting. Side note: Who are The Night Bloods? I think it’s pretty badass that the grounder commander trains them for combat. The writers use this episode to really develop Lexa’s perspective on both her past Skikru betrayal and present tension within her grounder coalition. There’s a vulnerability shown during all of her interactions with other characters; from The Night Blood taking that final cheap shot during their duel, to Clarke coming awfully close to slitting her throat. “The battle of the mountain” weakened Lexa as the grounder commander, while simultaneously elevating Clarke to her powerful “wanheda” status; much to both characters’ dismay. During the first two episodes this season we saw the Skikru shoulder the guilt from killing the mountain men. In “Ye Who Enter Here” Lexa serves to represent the grounders’ remorse about the past events, “Those deaths are on you too,” argues Clarke; “the only difference is you have no honor and I had no choice.” Now Clarke ultimately agrees to Lexa’s plan about having the Skikru become the 13th clan in the coalition. She even agrees to stay behind in Polis to serve as an ambassador. I can’t help but suspect that Clarke intends to betray Lexa in an upcoming episode. She has a very intriguing chat about revenge against the Commander with Prince Roan (Zach McGowan). He’s also the first one to bow at Lexa’s feet, after Clarke does, during the clan initiation ceremony. After Clarke agrees to stay behind, and after everyone else leaves the chamber, Lexa then turns to bow at her feet; clearly indicating that “wanheda” still holds all the power in this alliance.
1. For My Kin
“She left us to die at the mountain, she will always put her people first,” pleads Bellamy to Clarke after the attack on Skikru at Mount Weather disrupts the ceremony. Clarke stays behind and then begins to question how an ice nation assassin knew the Mount Weather self-destruct codes, “You’ll have the answers soon Clarke,” says Lexa. Then we see Echo run to meet up with the other ice nation delegates and speak to the ice queen herself; yep we finally meet Queen Nia (Brenda Strong). She’s a leader who is not only seeking the wanheda’s power to command death, but also her son’s freedom. Rewind. Earlier in the episode we observe the assassin saying a prayer before battle, “For my mother, for my father, for my kin.” Fast-forward back to the final scene. Not only were we quick to assume that the assassin was in Polis, but that he was a member of ice nation too. Wrong! He’s the last mountain man, Lt. Carl Emerson (Toby Levins). A man returning home to perform a brutal act of revenge for his “kin.” I am so excited to see Clarke meet the last mountain man again. In “Coup de
Grace” (2×11) Clarke held him prisoner for a brief period of time, only to let him go and send a message to the mountain men. Now Lt. Carl Emerson returns the favor and sends his own cryptic message to both Clarke and her people. After all, season two did teach us that on the ground, “blood must have blood.”
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Next Week 3×04 “Watch the Thrones”