I have mixed feelings about The 100 Season 1 Episode 9.

It's not that it wasn't an engaging, well written or acted episode. It was all of those. I was engrossed in the hour and nervous for the characters both on the Ark and on Earth. I also got angry at some of the characters.

The 100 has been a dark show since the beginning, which felt authentic and realistic given the future circumstances. At the same time, there was hope for a bright future and society seen through Clarke, Finn and Octavia's eyes.

Watch The 100 Season 1 Episode 9 Online

We've seen a quick shift in Clarke's attitude, which feels false and unearned. When she gave her approval for Bellamy and the others to torture Lincoln to save Finn's life that made sense. She cared for Finn and crossed her own moral line in order to try and save him. Her decision to bring the guns back to camp wasn't a terrible one, but her utter disregard of Finn's concerns was a horrible one.

Is she just pissed off at him over Raven? Is that what's driving her dismissive attitude? If it is, then she's not as mature as I previously gave her credit for being. When Finn was injured, she made the choice to step back and leave him with Raven.

As a leader, Clarke's headed in the wrong direction. It's all about balance and trust. Bellamy was on one extreme, Finn was on the other, and she was in the middle. After the incident with Charlotte, Clarke learned to trust both Bellamy and Finn to some extent. She betrayed Finn's trust by having an armed Bellamy, Raven and Jasper follow them.

Whether or not the Grounders would have fired on Clarke, Octavia and Finn doesn't matter. A drunk and unstable Jasper shot first. That act of aggression added to the 100's other activities which were viewed as hostile. They heightened a war which could have been stopped.

It's unlikely the Grounders will be willing to talk peace again, which is unfortunate. I was hoping we'd see at least a period of calm, but I'm not sure there's any overture the 100 can make to fix this. It looks like it's going to get worse before there's any chance of it getting better.

At least, Clarke has a better understanding of why the Grounders attacked. It will be interesting to see Bellamy and Finn's reactions to the Grounders view that they were attacked first, especially given that one the of flares killed a group of Grounders. It definitely provides justification for some of the actions.

As bad as the situation on Earth was, it was worse on the Ark. Mayhem! Diana didn't waste any time in taking action against Jaha and helping her people. She's selfish, arrogant, and power hungry. She was responsible for six deaths from the explosion and then perhaps thousands more from damage done to the Ark.

If the Exodus ship was what exploded, she got the fate that she deserves. In her haste to leave the Ark, she took risks that weren't necessary for the drop ship and the Ark. What wasn't clear to me was what happened to Abby after she refused to help.

Was she on the Exodus ship? Did they kill her? Leave her behind? We'll have to wait until next week to find out. It's also possible that the explosion wasn't the Exodus ship. Or that some people escaped before the explosion.

The hour wasn't entirely negative and dark. Octavia and Lincoln grew closer. I loved when she was following flowers to find his place. It was sweet and so human. That contrasted with her sneak attack on him. At least, he's helping her learn to protect herself. He cares about her.

I really like their dynamic together. It's touching and natural. It was sad to see Lincoln get hit in the chest with an arrow and take off. Poor Octavia! He has to be okay, because I need more of Lincoln and Octavia. Plus, their relationship could be the key to bringing the 100 and the Grounders back together.

Unlike previous episodes when I felt emotionally spent, this one left me frustrated about the happenings. Since I was drawn into the story on an emotional level, it was successful. The problem was that I lost the connection I previously had with most of the characters. We'll see if it returns with next week's crisis.

What should Clarke have done?

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