The 100 Season 2 Episode 16 Review: Blood Must Have Blood, Part Two
Amanda Festa
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One girl against a mountain?
It may seem like an uphill battle, but no one will stand in the way of Clarke's mission to save her people.
Much-anticipated reunions are only outnumbered by much-dreaded deaths on The 100 Season 2 Episode 16. And as Mount Weather falls, a new and more ominous threat presents itself.
After The 100 Season 2 Episode 15, there was much debate over the logic behind Lexa's decision to break the alliance and leave the Sky People for dead.
While I would still argue that cutting that deal when they were thisclose to taking out Mount Weather once and for all was a little premature, her willingness to sacrifice for her people was evident. And this ability to sacrifice oneself (physically or emotionally) is what makes a leader on The 100.
This theme is the backbone of "Blood Must Have Blood, Part Two," and Lexa's decision in Part One set the stage for the hard choices made by Cage, Dante, Clarke and Jaha.
Dante's refusal to help Clarke, Bellamy and Monty on their mission to stop Cage is indicative of that. While Dante was originally Team Sky People, the war makes him realize what is necessary for the mountain's survival. He orchestrates the Grounder deal with Lexa because he knows Lexa would be more likely to take a deal that would still leave Mount Weather with a fresh supply of blood and/or bone marrow.
Tell me, if we released your people and theirs, what would have happened to mine?
Dante Wallace
By not joining his people on Level 5, Dante is acknowledging that he does not morally agree with what he has to do, but it must be done now for the survival of Mount Weather. When Clarke tries to use Dante as leverage to stop Cage, her plan is fundamentally flawed because Dante is clearly willing to die for the survival of his people.
He tells Cage not to make the deal, and Cage (for once) genuinely looks conflicted. Ultimately, Cage knows he can't exchange one man for the lives of all the residents at Mount Weather who still need the treatment to survive.
One of the strongest scenes (and they were all strong, so that is saying something) comes when Dante tells Cage to let him die, he turns down Clarke's ultimatum, and she is forced to kill Dante. Like a falling row of dominoes, this exchange is over before it even begins, because in this moment none of the three characters can make a different decision.
Deliverance comes at a cost. I bear it so they don't have to.
Dante Wallace
After the Grounder deal, the Sky People are the Mountain Men's last chance to survive. Whatever the stakes, Cage and Dante cannot agree to let them go if they want their own people to thrive. Similarly, Clarke writes a check that her butt has to cash. She needs to appear strong, to show Cage that she is not going to back down.
Unfortunately, Abby makes the amateur mistake of announcing to Cage that she is Clarke's mother the second the bag is taken off her face. I was curious about this pronouncement when it first happened, because it would seem that when captured by an enemy, you probably don't want to announce that you're a close relative of the woman leading the charge.
Emotional attachments are always exploited in these situations. It's post-apocalyptic warfare 101.
Clarke, Bellamy and Monty are then faced with their own test. Do they irradiate Level 5, killing everyone who has yet to receive a bone marrow transplant (including innocent civilians AND Maya!), or is there another way?
From the moment Dante refuses to help them, Clarke knows what has to be done. For her, irradiating the level is the only surefire way to save her people and end the Mount Weather threat. While it can be compared to Lexa's choice in Part One, the difference between the two is that Clarke has no allegiance to the Mountain Men and she tries other options to avoid it coming to this.
My sister, my responsibility.
Bellamy
For Bellamy, the decision is more personal. He genuinely seems on the fence about the plan until Octavia is captured. His decision is rooted in a sense of responsibility to his family, especially since he was not able to protect her on the Ark. Much of the chip on Bellamy's shoulder has been about failing to save her from capture that first time, and he was not going to let that happen again.
Clarke and Bellamy's initial reunion in the tunnels was anti-climactic (and surely didn't compare to their last reunion in The 100 Season 2 Episode 5 – the hug heard around the fandom). However, this is more than made up for when Bellamy puts his hand on hers and tells her that they will do it "together." The couple that irradiates Mount Weather together stays together, amiright? Too soon?
If you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you. You're forgiven.
Bellamy
And the Bellarke feels keep coming as they return to Camp Jaha. Clarke's refusal to enter camp is understandable. And watching Bellamy offer her forgiveness is heartbreaking. But she has a lot weighing on her and parroting back Dante's words is fitting. Like Abby tells her, "maybe there are no good guys." Everyone is doing what they have to for the survival of their people. Dante, Cage, Clarke, and, even Jaha.
While Jaha and Murpy continue their journey to find the real City of Light, Jaha is also making difficult and controversial decisions. Letting crew members die to guarantee their survival?
He claims that he is sacrificing the few for the many, an ends justifying the means approach, which is also what Cage is doing when he lets his father die; it's what Clarke is doing by pulling that lever; and in Lexa's mind, it is what she is doing when she takes the unfortunate deal.
So Mount Weather is no more (RIP Maya). When Raven hands Jasper back his goggles, they seem familiar yet foreign, a relic of the past. Jasper is not that kid with the goggles anymore, and I can't wait to see where The 100 Season 3 Episode 1 finds him.
Speaking of The 100 Season 3, the last few minutes change the shape of The 100 universe once more. Jaha is welcomed to the City of Light by a hologram A.L.I.E. who is in possession of the nuclear missile Jaha rode to Earth. And Murphy finds a video of a guilt-ridden man talking about a mysterious "her" before he shoots himself on camera.
If the comparisons to Battlestar Galactica weren't clear before, they certainly are now. A.L.I.E. is Caprica Six-esque and I can't wait to see where The 100 is taking this.
Is the "her" referred to on that video A.L.I.E.? Where will Clarke go after leaving Camp Jaha? Did Clarke and Bellamy make the right decision irradiating the mountain? Do you think Clarke's decision was different than the one made by Lexa? What did you think of the season finale?
It's going to be a long stretch without new episodes, but you can always watch The 100 online at TV Fanatic to get your fix of past seasons.
