The 100 Season 5 Episode 1 Review: Eden
Yana Grebenyuk
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The 100 is back, and nothing is the same, yet it still somehow manages to blow your mind.
So far things have been created in a quick paced storyline that shakes up everyone's place in the show right now. This sets up for a nice journey that we now get to follow as everyone adjusts to the chaos again, and hopefully reunite all the groups together once more.
The Season 5 premiere opened the door for all the different groups that are scattered across the Earth (and space), introducing them all to us once again before things become even more complicated.
But while the Eligius group landing on Earth allows for the space group to try to utilize their ship to their benefit, things aren't exactly great for Clarke and Madi.
All the hope Clarke had for the landing ship has now set up for an epic face-off between her and Charmaine.
On The 100 Season 5 Episode 1, Clarke explores what the next six years on the ground mean for her now that she is alone. It involves trying to survive before the appearance of Madi changes the isolation that she has ended up in.
Meanwhile, the space group is struggling to figure out how to get back down to Earth, the new Eligius group makes quite a crash, and Octavia isn't messing around.
New bonds have been created, including ones we still have a lot to learn about. The interactions that Charmaine, McCreary, and Zeke share are still a mystery that when explored more, will allow us to see how power structures work among them.
There is also the plain fact that everyone is separated right now, with most of them working on how to come together again.
Related: The 100: Season 5 Preview: Welcome Back, Nothing is How You Left It
Clarke and The Discovery of Madi
Eliza Taylor is a powerhouse that has stolen all focus during the season premiere.
This is obviously Clarke's story but somehow almost a half hour of her journey on Earth was something we haven't gotten to experience in full before.
From trying to dig out the people in the bunker so she could join them, to being so hungry she ends up eating bugs, to putting a gun to her head out of pure hopelessness.
Eliza Taylor brought her all to those scenes as always, and the result was the first half of the season premiere left me in actual tears.
Clarke sacrificed her life to make sure her people survived, now she is completely alone on Earth, and that isolation is beyond anything she had forced herself into before.
It tears away at your heart watching her clawing away at any chance to be with her mother, only to end up on the verge of death because nothing is working and the Earth is pushing back against her.
I can't explain how much it hurt to watch Clarke reach a point where she thought death was the only way for her to stop her suffering. But by the end, I was crying from a combination of the scenes, the acting, and the fact that this was one small glimpse into the loneliness that was plaguing her.
Clarke: If you shoot, they will hear you.
Madi: I will make sure it is my only choice.
But then she found Eden, and suddenly even the way that she talked into the radio was happier and gave me hope that she would be able to do this.
Being introduced to Madi was icing on top of that cake, the way that she wasn't going just to trust this stranger but the process that ended up with Madi and Clarke counting on one another to make it through the wait.
Their dynamic is familiar, and it feels promising, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be okay as long as those two are together waiting for the rest of Clarke's people to come back to her as well.
Madi is a character we still get to learn a lot about, but what stuck with me the most was the scene where she shot the guy trying to harm Clarke.
This wasn't something that has done before obviously, yet there was this strength within her that made it clear her instinct was to protect. It isn't great that she ended up having to do this, but it was so freaking badass.
There is also a natural, relaxed way about Clarke and Madi where they know each other well, and even though we don't know them, it is effortlessly easy to slip into their moments together.
Further down the line, I am sure there will come time for us to struggle with some of the new dynamics and the friendships that formed without us looking, but for now, it is effortless to join them at this point and see how they manage to work together all this time.
New Arrivals Means New Questions
Where has Zeke Shaw been all my life?
Seriously though, these new people are not looking to back down on taking their land back, and they have the upper hand considering they have hundreds of prisoners and only two aren't mass murderers?
That sounds great, except it doesn't.
McCreary has to be the glimpse that we get about who exactly we are dealing with on the darker side.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the pure evil that appears to live within him, but I officially am not a fan of how he is planning to handle things.
Zeke: What's it mean?
Charmaine: It means we aren't alone.
Charmaine, on the other hand, doesn't come off as reasonable, yet somehow there is a familiar vibe about her. She might not back down easily, but she has room for us to get to know her more.
Still, she takes what she feels is theirs which means things will be tense when Clarke and Madi present a problem for her. Also, I wonder what that scar across her throat is. Any guesses?
Finally, we have Zeke, a guy we know even less about besides the fact that he is very proud of himself and doesn't yet come off as a character to worry about.
I would keep an eye on him because there is a lot more he will bring into our lives, and we just aren't ready for it.
Related: The 100: Mental Health and The Necessity of Moving On
The Space Group and Their Beacon
We didn't see too much of everyone in space just yet, but somehow it was enough to get a clear picture of how things may have settled after all this time.
The different friendships that are going on feel exciting even though there is still so much we have to learn about them.
Bellamy and Murphy's scenes truly had me thinking that they are such guys, acting childish and making it hilarious for us at the same time.
The friendship these two have formed in familiar and entertaining, while at the same time being realistic because those two just aren't the type to talk about their feelings with one another.
Then there is Raven and Bellamy, a pair that formed a partnership over the past six years that is still working out its issues.
The two are counting on the other to help things run smoothly, but there is still that worry from Bellamy about his sister that pushes against Raven's frustration that she can't get them all down there.
Bellamy and Raven have fallen into their bond though after all this time, and it continues to show.
Raven holds her ground, not giving Bellamy any room to argue when he is wrong, and it is great to see the two take Clarke's memory as an inspiration for this leadership team up.
Then there are the slight hints between Raven and Echo or Bellamy and Emori or Raven and Emori; in fact, the possibilities are endless because there is this effortless way that we see friendships formed over time.
Monty: I don't want to be that person anymore.
Harper: You are a strong person Monty. It is one of the reasons that I love you.
As for relationships, Murphy and Emori have taken to this new life but not in the ways we would have thought.
Emori has grown into this place, finding a purpose that she seems to enjoy and that makes her feel like she is doing something to help.
Murphy has gone the other way, not a fan of too many rules subjected him to essentially banishing himself from the group. He is isolated from them by his own doing, and yet no one wants that for him.
It is fascinating to me at what point Murphy decided that he couldn't be a part of the structure that formed up there and how much it differed from his partner who has really taken to this group.
In case anyone didn't notice, Emori didn't have her hand hidden with a bandage in the scene with the food. It touches upon just how comfortable she feels with these people now and how happy my heart is for her.
Meanwhile, Monty and Harper have kept their bond healthy all this time and have proved to us that love is real.
They are so cute and supportive of one another, even though there is a weight that Monty is struggling with now that the return to Earth is very much real again.
Or its manned by aliens who prefer anal probes to radios.
Murphy
Now to the part everyone is reacting to.
I know. I know. Trust me, I know.
It has been six years, and since the true, long-lasting relationships happen when we can't watch the development or see the pair grow together, it would only make sense for the first scene that the two share to be essentially a foreshadowed discussion about their impending doom.
But really, Bellamy is now in a relationship with someone who killed his girlfriend, almost killed his sister, and caused the death of a huge chunk of his people.
I might worry more if the first time we were introduced to them wasn't with a conversation about how everything will change when they get back to the ground, followed by a heavy reminder that Octavia is their most significant worry down there.
There are a lot of ways to examine why this doesn't make sense and doesn't work. Seeing as this is the one thing that didn't work for me so far in the season I will briefly point out that this isn't a good pairing for either person.
If Echo is meant to be a character that shifted the way she acts and views the group she is within space, why reintroduce her to the audience through a relationship?
I get that Bellamy is our one of our favorite people, so we are inclined to appreciate all his scenes, but Echo could have been explored without being automatically attached to someone.
In fact, showing her relationships with the other people in space could have helped significantly in the first few moments that we had with her.
There are no good guys.
Clarke
Six years is a long time, and Echo could have shifted in the way that we knew her, with a slight tendency to favor her weapons still.
The important part though is that it isn't told to us, it is conveyed. Bellamy and her being in a relationship doesn't erase all that we remember about the character; it makes us question it more, if possible.
That is why I hope there is more of an exploration of who Echo is as her own person, not just through Bellamy's relationship with her.
As for Bellamy, this was the only time in the first four episodes that I didn't understand him. Either six years was too long, and he has developed a bad memory, or he is really convinced that everything will be perfect when they land on Earth.
The way that Octavia has become this looming threat over Echo and the fact that these two have more working against them than for them means there is pushback to look forward to.
It isn't a coincidence that Echo didn't believe Bellamy or that the scene then was followed by a sneak peek at the stone cold Octavia in a position of power.
Octavia finding out about Bellamy and Echo will be the true voice that we need in this situation, I do not doubt that she will bring up everything we are feeling right now.
Still, I know this was and will rightfully continue to be an unpopular relationship based on the fact that the only context we have is unhealthy and had Bellamy on the end of some substantial emotional pain.
For anyone worried though about the next few episodes focusing too heavily on this relationship, I will mention that it isn't explored, with other events taking priority.
Related: The 100: Bellamy and Clarke's Destruction of the Friend Zone
Bunker Blood and Chaos
Everything is fine in the bunker. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the fights to the death are as terrifying as I imagined them to be.
Octavia though is the highlight of the small look that we have gotten so far into the bunker.
She is not even a little shook up by the brutal violence happening in front of her, which isn't exactly a surprise considering how obvious it is that she is behind all of it.
Still, there is something to be said about the fact that this is the transition from Bellamy's view of what his sister is up to.
One thing is for sure, Octavia is not at a point in her life when she can be messed with. And it is pretty clear that the bunker is the darkest setting so far this season.
Related: The 100: Clarke Griffin's Positive Bisexual Representation
Stray Thoughts
- Zeke has arrived, and he is the best part of the prison ship since the sliced bread that they probably weren't eating while in their cryo-sleep.
- Murphy is a chore alongside things like doing the dishes, just let that fun fact sink in a little.
- Clarke was looking up at the sky which switched into Bellamy looking down at the ground but that was nothing. It was a purely platonic far away gaze.
- Madi had her own special hiding place, a hole in the ground that was used to hide her from the flamekeepers. It isn't exactly a coincidence that she feels most drawn to Octavia during Clarke's stories, especially considering the scene we saw in the trailer of them talking as possibly Clarke looks on.
- Clarke finding memories of Jasper and breaking down is a small reminder of the loss that not everyone got the time to mourn. It was a vulnerable and emotional reminder that just surviving isn't something that everyone could handle or even wanted to go through with.
- Which makeup Youtuber do you think Octavia learned the new tricks from? This new red look will be all the rage on the ground.
What did you think of the season premiere? Which group are you loving the most right now? What would you like to see more of? What surprised you the most in this episode? Which new character is your favorite so far? What else do you just need to talk about? Let us know what you think below!
And don't forget that you can watch The 100 online, right here on TV Fanatic.
Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.
