Will The 100 ever ease up on its intensity? I hope not.

The 100 Season 1 Episode 6 changed things up a bit by showing us a flashback on the Ark rather than delving immediately into the aftermath of the culling. The look back at Bellamy and Octavia's childhood provided immense insight into their characters.

Bellamy was happy once upon a time, but he took on enormous responsibly when his sister was born and hasn't been able to let her go. He's been her protector since her first breath and he let her down. He's carried that burden over to his leadership on Earth.

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I have mixed feelings about Bellamy. From the beginning, he's been about protecting himself and his sister. In many circumstances that would be a noble cause, but his actions did cause harm. He didn't want the adults from the Ark to come down because he shot the Chancellor and his fears about what they would do to the children prisoners wasn't entirely unfounded.

The problem was that his actions had far-reaching consequences. Wells and Charlotte are dead and Murphy was banished. By taking the radio, he cost another 200-plus people their lives. He earned the guilt that he bears. How does he redeem himself in the eyes of the others and for himself?

His decision to go after Octavia was the right thing to do, but he again put other peoples' lives in danger. In this case, he shouldn't be held responsible. It was the grounders who killed them, not Bellamy. At least, Octavia was saved, though now Finn's life is in danger.

The fight between Bellamy and Octavia felt so real. The words that sprung from their mouths were truths, but they were ones that should never have been spoken. They both immediately regretted their honesty, but neither could take back what they said. The anger and resentment had built up and finally exploded.

Octavia blamed Bellamy for Finn's condition, her mother's death, and her situation. And, he threw it all back at her with the most hateful thing he could say, "My life ended the day that you were born." Ouch! The truth hurts. He was no longer the happy brother who named his sister, Octavia.

Where do they go now? They will continue to be at odds, but the love they have for each other is undeniable. I hope they take a step back and remember they are the only two with family on Earth and embrace that. 

The next closest relationship is between Finn and Raven, but she's not too happy after finding out her boyfriend moved on after only 10 days. Oops! They grew up together. That's a bond that won't break. Given Finn's reaction and outreach to Clarke, I have to wonder if he's feels something much different with her.

Finn and Raven have familiarity, but is their relationship destined to be more of a familial one rather than romantic? In contrast,  Finn and Clarke's relationship has been built on a unique trust and bonding. It's still a new situation, but I appreciate that it hasn't taken a normal catty, teenage love triangle path. Instead of being annoyed by it, I'm intrigued to see how it will play out.

Clarke's "I hardly know him." was the perfect response. She may not know if she loves Finn, but I loved her answer.

Outside of the human drama that occurred, we finally learned more about the grounders. While it made sense for Octavia to want her freedom from cave, especially given her years of captivity, the grounder watching over her wasn't all that bad.

His actions could be interpreted as helping her. He took her into his "home" when she was injured, fixed her leg, and took care of her. Sure, he locked her up after she tried to escape, but even that could have been a noble move. The other grounders were out there killing her friends. Maybe he was protecting her from them.

Octavia's grounder did blow the horn to save her friends from certain death. Two of Bellamy's search party had already been killed, how many more would have been goners if the other grounders didn't seek cover from the "coming storm"? It definitely appears that the grounding holding Octavia was not part of the larger grounder attack group.

Odds and Ends

• The bodies falling from the Ark was a tragically beautiful sight. It reminded me of imagery from Hannibal. It's horrific, but has a certain elegant artistry to it. It's an image that will be long remembered. I only wish it was shown for a few more seconds.
• Raven cutting Finn's hair was awkward -- Almost like a mother trimming her son's hair.
• Bellamy and Octavia's mother remains an enigma. Why did she keep Octavia? She seemed to make plenty of questionable life choices. 
• Bellamy made a deal with Commander Shumway to kill Chancellor Jaha in exchange for passage on the drop ship with his sister. Why did Shumway want Jaha dead? Was he acting alone or was he acting on someone else's behest? 
• Jasper saved the day. He's proving himself loyal to Octavia. Will she see that in him?
• Could Finn really die?
• "How do I get home?" - Utterly heartbreaking moment. 

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.