Don't get too comfortable because that is exactly when you will get the rug pulled out from under you.

"Acceptable Losses," written by Jeffrey L. Vlaming, did an exceptional job when it came to shaking up everything we thought we knew. The twists and turns flowed seamlessly. In fact, there was a natural rhythm to it.

This successful landscape allowed for us to time and time again assume we knew where a scene was headed, only to be proven royally wrong in a matter of seconds. 

The last ten minutes specifically were executed in a way that didn't feel like we were getting too much dumped on us. Yet when you think about it, a lot of the opinions we formed managed to be switched around on, preparing us for a battle unlike anything we could have imagined. 

"Acceptable Losses" touched upon many areas and made it obvious that no one is safe right about now. Things are only growing darker, and for many characters, there aren't many options left. 

During The 100 Season 5 Episode 7, Bellamy and Clarke had to face the fact that Wonkru is no longer an option for them. Their worms were only the beginning for what is gearing up to be a death sentence for their people and even for themselves. 

Meanwhile, Abby struggled with her addiction but had time for Charmaine to confide in her about a pregnancy. As for Madi, she had her first training practice and everything went downhill from there. 

Related: The 100 Season 5 Episode 6 Review: Exit Wounds

In Clarke We Trust

To absolutely no one's surprise, Clarke was the heart of the episode.

It may be a bit biased to say, but Clarke's storyline was one of the strongest in "Acceptable Losses." The way that it flowed allowed for her to gather people along the way, and there is nothing better than Clarke not being alone.

Of course, she still kind of was. 

Now I won't say anything about how suddenly Clarke was involved in the planning aspect of things or even how randomly Bellamy and Clarke were a team again. 

Monty: Octavia will never surrender.
Clarke: That is why we are going to take her out.

• Permalink: That is why we are going to take her out.

But the fact of the matter is that Clarke fits in seamlessly with these people again; they just have to remember that themselves first. 

Using Jasper's letter as more than just a nod in The 100 Season 5 Episode 1 was very well planned; it opened the door for Monty and Clarke to talk without pushing it.

At this point Monty and Clarke aren't as close as they were before; we didn't even get to see them reunite. 

Having Clarke create that bridge with the letter kept Jasper's memory alive, and it also brought her and Monty together again. 

Monty and Clarke discovering that little worm experiment lab was another huge shock. Just when you think the cannibalism comes up, it gets sidetracked by growing mutations in the body.

Everything is fine though. In fact, it is just great.

This all slowly starting to build up to Octavia's takedown for which no one can fault Clarke. 

Octavia lost it a long time ago. It was easy to blame the Dark Year, then the circumstances, then something else.

The bottom line is clear; Octavia is far from the girl we once knew. In fact, Octavia is now a villain that doesn't know when to stop.

It is easy to point the finger at Charmaine, and yet time and again she has made the offer to figure out things. Charmaine suggested sharing long before Octavia even saw the sun for the first time.

It was Octavia's choice to incite war, and it keeps being her choice to put people at risk with no thought of human life. 

Madi was the last straw though, with Octavia proving she isn't going to listen to reason. 

She is shouting at Indra, she is planning the deaths of people you would think she once cared about. I am not even mentioning Echo, but does Raven mean nothing?

Anyway, Clarke tried to work around this option but now there is no other choice. Octavia marks the true obstacle in everyone's way. As long as she is in charge, everyone is more at risk for it. 

As crazy as it may seem to want to take out someone like Octavia, Clarke is really the one thinking clearly about who can be trusted. They can't leave, and they can't wait around for Octavia to turn good again.

It may be startling, but at this point, Charmine makes the most sense. She is the villain that can be trusted when it comes to potential peace and sanity. 

Where do things go from here? 

Related: The 100: Characters Who Deserve More Screen Time

Madi's Summer Camp Adventures 

I love Madi, which is why I am so worried about her.

Gaia offering her a flame didn't sit well with me. It wasn't that Gaia suggesting it was shocking; it was more the way that Madi looked.

She is starting to come around a little, and it is making me question how much she really trusts Clarke.

Clarke and Madi are clearly the priority for one another, but Madi seems to have fallen into that stage where she trusts her instincts too much.

It isn't bad for Madi to think that she knows who to trust; in fact, it is important for her. But she didn't spend the time that Clarke did with Octavia or Gaia. She didn't see what the flame can cause or what being Commander can do to entire populations. 

It isn't Clarke not understanding things; it is her understanding them too well.

We are not betraying the one friend that we have here.

Raven

• Permalink: We are not betraying the one friend that we have here.

The fear is that Madi is risking too much. She may think she has it under control or knows enough to keep herself safe, but then Octavia shows her true dark side -- a side that is growing -- and we know she clearly has no remorse for a child in peril.

It is jarring to follow Octavia's train of thought, only to then follow Madi who still has this hope for something else.

With war just around the corner, Madi is in a difficult position and there aren't too many people she can trust. 

We didn't see Indra and Madi spend time together, but the truth is Indra is the only person I trust amongst the bunker bunch to look out for Madi. 

Even Gaia, someone who at first seemed to agree with Clarke's plan, is sitting back and waiting. The time for the Commander may be over, but it feels like Gaia is sticking around waiting for that to change. 

At this point in the game, the most we can wish for is Madi realizing just how messed up the situation is. During that time though, Bellamy and Clarke will have to figure out a plan to get Madi out of there before it is too late. 

Octavia is going to get Madi killed, so you can't fault Clarke for getting rid of Octavia before that happens. 

Like Octavia said herself, acceptable losses, right? 

Related: The 100: Best New Relationships of Season 5

Echo and Raven Are On a Break 

Here we are; the time has come for things to get a bit colder in Shallow Valley.

Echo got what she came there for, even if it meant selling out someone Raven counted on herself.

Echo and Raven were meant to be a team. They spent six years together, so at a moment like this, why not try to make a plan together?

Echo knew what would work, even if from it came a loss that to her was acceptable. 

No matter how much we are told that Echo has changed, betrayal is clearly easier for her to stomach in situations like this. Raven couldn't do it, but Echo the spy knew it was what would move things along. 

Shaw, you're good. I can see it in your eyes.

Raven

• Permalink: Shaw, you're good. I can see it in your eyes.

Still, Raven is her partner over there, and it was a real betrayal that cracked their exterior connection a little bit.

There is no real answer here, but Echo's choice left their only ally in that place without a position to help them.

It is upsetting from our point of view to see not- Zeke in this position -- a place that has him at rock bottom and which risks his life as much as theirs. It also sucks that Raven is questioning her trust in Echo when they only have each other.

Moving forward, they will have to count on one another. How can that happen if Echo might just as easily decide her plan is the better one to execute?

At this point in the story, the only thing we know is that Echo and Raven need to find a way not to let this completely screw up things for them. 

As for not Zeke, he probably won't be putting any of his trust in either of them. Considering the circumstances that is more than fair.  

Related: Enjoy UNLIMITED access to thousands of Movies and TV shows with Prime Video. WATCH ANYWHERE. CANCEL

Charmaine and her Tequila Sunrise Surprise 

McCreary, you are the father!

Which one of you saw that coming? I was waiting for The 100 Season 5 Episode 5 to lean into that big reveal, which is why I was lulled into a false sense of denial once they didn't.

It was perfectly executed because it was the last thing you could have seen coming when Abby was getting off that emotional rollercoaster. 

Obviously, there are many questions that come with it, specifically how she remaoned pregnant during cryo-sleep. Someone should figure out the science on that and get back to me. 

Still, the stakes have to be even higher for Charmaine. She isn't weak, but the pregnancy poses a lot of issues when it comes to war.

It's also a complete shock that I'm still processing. Alcohol couldn't have been good for the baby, right? Does she even want to keep the baby? 

Harper: Wait! What are you doing?
Clarke: Stopping the cycle.

• Permalink: Stopping the cycle.

How will this play a part in the war that is threatening all of them? Charmaine is great at hiding it, but she can only do that for so long. It is in her best interest to stop now. 

And why did Charmaine decide to trust Abby? Was the drug addict aspect appealing enough for her now? 

So many questions, so little time. 

Related: The 100: Bellamy and Clarke's Platonic Soulmate Reunions Examined

The Bellarke Corner

To make things easier, I have created a specific corner only for Bellamy and Clarke talk. 

Following The 100 Season 5 Episode 6, it is safe to say that we were worried about where they would end up.

Before we venture into everything between them as a whole, let's talk pain.

Bellamy suffered. In fact, he got an entire episode to worry and feel for the people in his life. It transferred over a little to this episode. Not too much though, thankfully. 

Then you refocus on Clarke, someone who has kept things close to her heart in fear of what may happen if she opens up. More than that, it is like Clarke struggled to open up in general.

She spent "Exit Wounds" mostly isolated; she didn't get to really talk to someone she trusted about her worries for Madi. 

Now things got even worse. In fact, this was probably Clarke's biggest nightmare when it came to Madi training with the other children. She watched Octavia lure Madi away and had to make sure not to show any weakness herself. 

To then finally try to alert Bellamy about the thing she is struggling with, and for him to say they don't have time for it -- don't even get me started on that.

I love Bellamy; I will always love Bellamy. But the truth of the matter is Bellamy was wrong.

Bellamy should not shut down Clarke as if her person, the one person that she had for six years, is not as important as his people.

The line in the sand is clearer than ever before. Their priorities line up in the simplest sense, but Bellamy isn't looking out for Clarke.

We watched the story that unfolded between Madi and Clarke. We know how much Madi means to Clarke, how she kept her sane at a point when she really struggled.

Bellamy doesn't know that, but if we are going to get invested in anyone's pain over their new person it would be the one we witnessed. 

I understand that you are worried Bellamy, but that was a pretty selfish way to take over a conversation. You are desperate and yet can't remember that people like Clarke and Monty deserve their time to express an issue.

Now, this doesn't mean everything is doomed  and nothing will be good again. It feels like the build-up to something; these small hints are all collecting themselves to finally be addressed.

And yet, Bellamy is in the wrong and should be ashamed of himself. I understand him being worried about Raven and Echo, but Clarke is a person too. 

Clarke was his person if we are bringing up the old times, and he can't pretend nothing has changed most of the time and then flip and prove that it has the next.

Their scenes in general though were too easy to slip back into. The 100 Season 5 Episode 4 and The 100 Season 5 Episode 5 worked overtime to prove how effortlessly their partnership could be explored again.

It was great in the way that we got to see them giving each other looks and counting on one another, and yet it is starting to bring up a bigger point.

The two never really talked.

Sure, they had their reunion when Bellamy caught her up, but did they actually talk?

Consider it the DTRing of platonic soulmates. It is like they know where things left off, but neither of them knows where they stand now.

Things changed between them whether they're both ready to admit and deal with it or not.

"Acceptable Losses" built on that in a fascinating way; they are in the same space, and yet they aren't.

The way they craft their plans are still different, and Octavia becoming more of a treat may be the turning point for them. 

They need it all to boil over so they can figure out where the distance is cutting into their relationship. With Madi unofficially joining the Wonkru fight and Clarke setting up a plan to take out Octavia, things are about to get real.

Because it is only when they face what they are trying to ignore that things will start to work more smoothly.

Now, who do you think will break first? Who will initiate the take that they clearly need?

The countdown for a blow up begins now, and if we are lucky, it will be a real angst fest. 

Until then, let us all be Bellamy- and Clarke-level diplomatic. 

Stray Thoughts

• Abby got her own version of the Wonkru choice with the Kane vs. the pills dilemma. You would think the choice is easy for her, but clearly, it isn't. If you could help out Abby, what would you choose?

• Who is going to remove the flame from Gaia? That plot is so Season 3, and after such a big time jump it stands out the most lately. The bad part is that this isn't as interesting anymore, it takes away from actual conflict and Gaia and Madi deserve a new thing to obsess over. 

• Monty's girlfriend is alive and well! Her curls were looking lovely, and she even had a few lines. Her name is Harper. I should have used it, but I decided to only reference what her plot has been so far instead. But really, give that girl a genuine story of some kind. She could be involved with the simplest thing but being there only to comfort Monty is kind of upsetting. 

• Charmaine has the best one-liners in all the land. 

• Jaha didn't die so that Ethan would grow up to be such a bully. 

• I would like to take a second to discuss not Zeke's face. His precious face is not okay but with enough good wishes maybe it will heal quicker. He was just trying to help, and now he is at an all-time low and won't even let Raven tend to his wounds. What kind of messed up fanfiction did this turn into?

• Yelling at Indra is just something we do not do. You know Octavia has lost it when she thought that was okay, and she deserves what is being planned against her for that reason alone. Sorry, not sorry. 

What did you think of the episode? Whose plan were you rooting for most? Did you expect that big pregnancy reveal? Did you guess that Wonkru had invested in worms or are you still waiting for the people eating as well? Did you agree more with Raven or Echo?

Would you choose Kane or the pills? Which part did you love the most? Which part did you like the least?

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.