There is nothing quite as satisfying as all the pieces fitting together the way you knew they would. Except for the whole Sanctum cult portion of the reveal, safety has never felt so out of reach. 

But if there is one thing we can count on it's that people will always let you down, because there is no such thing as total piece even on the most beautiful of planets. 

During The 100 Season 6 Episode 4, Clarke puts her guard down during the traditional lead up to Naming Day which turns into her becoming Josephine. After Cillian tries to make sure the Children of Gabriel take Clarke, he instead kills himself and leaves her to be used by Russell and Simone without her friends having any clue about that.

Meanwhile, Diyoza and Octavia find their way back to one another and choose to go after the Children of Gabriel because they think that will gain them access to Sanctum.

Also, Echo gets in touch with her feelings that she closed off all her life. 

"The Face Behind the Glass," written by the legendary Charmaine DeGraté and directed by the very talented Tim Scanlan lured the audience into a false sense of security while raising the stakes in a groundbreaking shift to the season. 

It was all about losing yourself to the conversations, the romance, the hookups, and even just the bright possibilities that came with Sanctum. But while all of that distracted both the viewers and the main characters, just under the surface there was a plan being put in place that now has Clarke in actual limbo.

It was a kaleidoscope of misconception, crafting a real sense of normalcy and then yanking that away with one twist of Clarke's hair.

And yet, the episode didn't miss any beats building up to that cliffhanger reveal. It was an extremely successful episode that pushed the story to the place it was headed all this time if you were paying attention at least.

The 100 Season 6 Episode 3 Review: The Children of Gabriel

Clarke Can’t Come To The Phone Right Now. Why? Because She’s Josephine.  

She never stood a chance.

As soon as Clarke entered Sanctum her faith was sealed, it was only a matter of when and how.

And sadly that doctor guy's big plan to keep her from being used for her blood only allowed her to become exactly that.

She was already knocked out, so Russell could justify using that chance on Naming Day to put Josephine in her. Had that guy left her alone, he could have filled her in later and she might have disappeared of her own choice.

That is wishful thinking at best though, because this was all in the works from the very beginning. Now though Clarke is left in a possible Get Out moment, not making us fear for her life but more about her soul.

She is in there, even if it looks like she will be stuck in her own personal limbo while Josephine takes over. Chances are that Mount Weather set up in the trailer was how the audience will check in with Clarke.

While Josephine pretends she is Clarke and also is the real Josephine in Clarke's body, the real Clarke will be shown to us in small portions as she is stuck in that Mount Weather representation of her past.

On Naming Day it was all about airing out what you regret most, and this could have not made the list. That doesn't mean it doesn't become what Clarke is locked up in, working through her mistakes and waiting to get saved.

The Sunken Place in "Get Out" worked close to the same way, with the person stuck inside their own body actually getting to see what was happening.

Now this I can work with.

Josephine

• Permalink: Now this I can work with.

Only more information will make it clear exactly how much Clarke (and Delilah) are clued in on what their flame person is doing. 

The vital part here though is the question of if they can be saved.

Obviously, Clarke will be, she is the lead and this is all about her journey.

Delilah on the other hand, she did give Jordan and the audience hope when she asked her to save her. She had to have known, or maybe hoped, that there is a way to take out the flame and revive the host.

Russell said the person is gone once the flame goes in, but Clarke has more experience and frankly, they haven't met her well enough yet.

If they could save all the original people that became hosts it would be a gift for the season, and if not then we will all settle for Clarke. 

Which brings it back to Josephine and her whole part of this storyline. It is safe to say that there will be flashbacks to fill in the gaps and build up an understanding of how this all works.

The original theory presented during The 100 Season 5 Episode 2  here at TV Fanatic was right about the details after the first eclipse. That girl from the deleted photo will be Josephine or the first clone of her.

Gabriel and Russell create it, but maybe after that Gabriel has second thoughts. It is one thing to bring back a person who shouldn't have died, but that then turns into Nightblood representing a god-like view of specific people in their population.

The line of succession, the complete lack of consent that the original people have, and the dangers of recreating someone over and over might catch up to him.

There were mentions of an old man which has to be Gabriel, meaning he was involved in the cloning at least a few times over. He had to have recently pulled back from it, maybe even after Josephine's "fall" six years prior to this. Something triggers him not wanting to be cloned again, and could Josephine seek him out?

She could not know where his head was at, and the fact that he is mentioned so often means there is no chance that he won't be introduced. It is all about timing, and maybe there is no way to bring Gabriel into the picture until Josephine is there to make their future more clear.

It would also show us both of their motivations because Gabriel isn't helping destroy the Prime creations as much and Josephine is a complete stranger to us all.

The connection lies between them, and it could be Josephine's interest in where he is that lets Clarke's body leave Sanctum. 

The real hope with this huge shift of a storyline though is the way that it will bring Clarke's people back together for her. 

Everyone is relatively in the same place, and that has to be because the story this season needs them all to work side by side. The question of losing Clarke never came up, so what do they all do once it is very much a real threat?

Suddenly every issue they had with her won't compare to the risk of losing her, of letting her mind be trapped for the same of some people that are huge villains at best.

What felt like antagonistic dislike for Clarke, in the beginning, will become an action-packed need to save the person they love, even if their history recently was messy.

Rescuing Clarke will be the driving force for everyone in Sanctum, which would be a necessary shift from them all being on different sides.

There is nothing more meaningful that could realistically bring them back together like the love for Clarke Griffin.

She will be okay, she has to be. There is no The 100 without her and we will all die trying to make sure she is brought back as soon as possible.

Hallowed Be Clarke Griffin. 

The 100 Season 6 Episode 2 Review: Red Sun Rising

Diyoza and Octavia's Night of Fun! 

These two need each other more than ever if only it wasn't under the most twisted of circumstances.

Sometimes letting the audience know more than the characters becomes us knowing that Diyoza and Octavia are headed the wrong way, and yet we can't just turn them around so they are facing the right direction. 

With all the action that was happening back in Sanctum, it was harder to keep track of this situation.

Having Diyoza and Octavia pair off to gain entrance into Sanctum was a way to slow down their awareness, but at the same time there is no way they aren't about to find out the truth just in time to help save the day.

It works like this, with no one knowing that Clarke is Josephine there is a long way for them to go. First, they need to find out, then they need to presumably realize that it isn't a simple save, and then they need to work on a plan. 

Through all of this, it is possible that the Children of Gabriel would offer help or have the answers they are looking for.

But as mentioned before, a story splits up characters so they all have small pieces of information that they would need to be together to figure out.

Diyoza and Octavia's plan to take down this group has to then become them learning the truth, maybe even meeting Gabriel. They will see that where they want to end up is not the place for them, and that could happen right as their people manage to escape to save Clarke.

Allowing these two characters outside the boundaries will also help not confine them, instead of letting them work out their past issues without the judgment.

Right now Sanctum is still building up this idea of perfection, and there is nothing like a misunderstood group of followers to allow Octavia especially to just be herself.

She isn't looking to change yet, and with Diyoza there she isn't forced to prove that she can be trusted. Maybe allowing Octavia to dwell in this idea that she is a monster will be the way for her to figure out where she stands.

It might not be a redemption story, but at least it will be the real her. She isn't looking to prove anything to Diyoza, which means she won't be holding back.

On the flip side. Diyoza is a lot of what Octavia could be but with less of the bloodlust. There is a rational way that she goes about her choices, while Octavia is more in the moment without much thought.

They are telling the same story but with different traits aiding them there, so that lets them influence each other down the line as well. 

The 100: How the Blake Siblings Prove that Forgiveness Should Be Hard

Theories and the Future and The Anxiety

Let us get the scary theories out of the way, specifically, the one that Selina Wilken has pitched over at Hypable with the idea that it is all about putting the flame back in Clarke. 

If Clarke doesn't actually exist in her body anymore, it is possible that Madi would find her in her mind again. That would set into action the plan that involves needing to put Clarke back in her body, and her only consciousness would be found in the Flame. 

Technically Madi could take it out and they would put it back in Clarke, then there is the memory aspect to consider. The memories in the flame count on the time that they spent in the person, so for Clarke, it would be at least leading up to the Season 3 portion of City of Light.

Beyond that though, Clarke's memories wouldn't be saved there for her.

We can wait 56 years for our baby girl’s Naming Day… or we can get her back tonight.

Russell

• Permalink: We can wait 56 years for our baby girl’s Naming Day… or we can get her back tonight.

The show doesn't always add up all its science, which works for people like me that don't always get it, so they could always just find some loophole reason to have Clarke get all her memories in place. 

So if memory loss is not on our radar now as a concern, it is all about the bigger twist that could worry some. The Commander aspect.

Clarke would not only have her consciousness back but like Madi, she would have access to all the Commanders and essentially be living out through a flame with everyone else in there.

There isn't a concrete way to describe the uneasiness that comes with it, only that it threatens to take instead of offer Clarke anything.

The flame storyline is something the show always returns to, looping Madi in just so they would have a home for it again. 

The issue becomes that Clarke's time with the flame was over and done with, trying to go back to having it in their lead again is taking thousands of steps back.

In a way, the flame was an aspect that Clarke recovered from, and now that she isn't linked to it like she was, the idea of that not being true is disturbing. It makes it come off as if Clarke has no agency, she will have to exist as a way to keep this mythology going and so that the storylines from Earth don't go away.

And then there is the Lexa of it all. Because another reason this could be put into Clarke again, is to come full circle and solve the problem the show can't seem to figure out.

When do the Lexa mentions become too much? There is like this specific amount of times that they need to mention the character to absolve themselves of the mistake they made with her death, and this would be a way for them to wipe that clean.

Have Clarke connected to the flame and there is no need for any more promises that the show remembers. Now their lead would be forever imprinted with that technology, and in a sense with Lexa's existence in that chip type creation.

Personally, it would be like taking away Clarke's agency, not allowing her healing process to actually last because there is this little flame they have to keep circling around.

Except that isn't Lexa. It is her memories and it is her life, but that isn't a bandaid that will fix her absence. It will not only take away from the memory of a character who can't actually return, it, more importantly, strips the lead of her value as her own person.

Just because you have the option to do something, should you?

But then the question becomes, will they?

It is a strong possibility but there is also The 100 Season 5 to consider because it does deserve credit with the way they handled the existence of the flame and Clarke's ability to move beyond it.

The 100 Season 5 Episode 12 was an episode that you could say a lot about, but that scene where Clarke was getting addressed by Echo and Madi did hint at progress.

Clarke's realization about her mistakes came at the expanse of Bellamy's life, with that choice being thrown in her face by everyone in that room to help her see where she went wrong.

And then, Clarke made it clear to Madi that her love for her daughter went beyond what she felt for Lexa. Without taking away their history, Clarke was given a way to vocalize that this was her past. Her present can only exist if she focuses on the future and not caught in what she can't change.

Subtly Clarke was offered the chance not to linger in what The 100 continues to bring up. Going forward, there is hope that maybe the show won't do what is expected because of the disservice it could do to the lead that it would corner into one storyline for good.

There is also the Lexa topic, she can't actually be brought back so to bring her up without delivering on that might cause more of an issue than an improvement.

The bottom line here is that Clarke is thriving in the place that she is now because the story became her own again. It would be an insult that the show might not risk committing to limit Clarke back to one relationship and not the whole life she could have in front of her.

But sometimes you need to get that worst case scenario out if only to move on from it and not end up dwelling in it. 

Because while it was clear where the story was going in terms of Josephine taking over Clarke, where the story goes from here leaves plenty of chances for a plot twist or a drastic conclusion that none of us see coming. 

Now that we have that out of the way, the ideas for the future are endless. 

Keeping it realistic though, it would make sense that Madi links portions of it together on her own.

At the same time, we know that the others, at least Bellamy and Murphy, will start to doubt if Sanctum is as good as it seems. This would work together to create the tension needed to question other things.

Madi is the key to the tech portion of it all, so she could float ideas that no one believes yet. There is even a chance that she could out herself in a desperate need to find out if Clarke is really herself, revealing what she shouldn't to Josephine and risking her own life in the process.

Because her flame is an upgrade to theirs, one they won't be able to pass up. While they were preparing Clarke, Russell let it slip that they have to wait for the brain to mature at 21 years old and that their Nightbloods are running out.

They have to wait for the next one to be born, then to grow up, and even then there is a list of people that go in order to be reborn. For example with Josephine, she was third in line so they couldn't have used Clarke for her.

The Flame though could offer them a glimpse at a new version of their technology and tease them with a chance at something better.

Which is where this theory ends with the destruction of this Becca invented technology.

Most of the destruction that happened was for the Flame or because it existed. Whether it was the fight for the Commander role or because of the potential that a Nightblood had, there is no peace if this technology is to exist.

And going to this new planet was meant to be a fresh start, but it introduced the same concept that they had left behind. At first, it felt redundant, but what if it starts a conversation on the use of the chip and the flame, to begin with.

Humans can't use this knowledge for good, it always comes with selfish gain or to have a power that ends in death. What if the real way to break from all this is to destroy not the people but the technology that makes it so for them?

Or maybe it will be a third twist altogether, with the show using what we think we know to turn it around on us when we least expect it. Truly only time will tell.

The 100 Season 6 Episode 1 Review: Sanctum

The Bellarke Corner

The Bellamy and Clarke conversation that actually does exist and was introduced right before Clarke disappeared is interesting for a few reasons.

The most important, besides how soft they were with each other, is the foreshadowing of it all.

There are moments where the show drops a line that feels like it will come back, and frankly, it never does. But with Clarke becoming someone else, and no one else knowing, Clarke reminding Bellamy that she will never forget feels very sinister.

Assuming the characters don't figure out what is going on with Clarke, the biggest sign of all this would be "her" actions.

It is likely that Madi will figure it out first with the flame and all, so she will plant the seed of doubt in people like Bellamy. But it might take something else to trigger the realization that Madi isn't lying.

The synopsis for the following episode teases Bellamy and Clarke butting heads, which makes it seem like Josephine will have her agenda in place quick. She will play along as Clarke but in a way where she will manipulate those around her into buying whatever she will try to sell.

In the trailer she is telling them that the Sanctum people are happy, trying to convince a group of those she doesn't know that nothing suspicious is going on.

And it will have to come down to Josephine either putting Bellamy at risk or not remembering what Clarke promised she would, making Bellamy put it together that this isn't his Clarke.

If Madi mentions it first, he will only need that one example of Clarke going back on that word to reconsider what he thinks he knows. This is a character always not too far from skepticism, for very fair reasons. 

There is also the fact that Josephine does kill someone in Clarke's body, all little pieces to a bigger picture of who Clarke can't be after the way she spoke to Bellamy about her past mistakes.

The fact that gauging Josephine in Clarke's body will circle back to the way that Bellamy and Clarke interact with each other is a lovely way to look forward to how this all will be handled.

It also allows for a distraction from all the questions about Clarke's faith and how long it would take for everyone to start working at bringing Clarke back. 

Can we also mention that before Clarke left she only got closure with Bellamy? For now, Madi and Bellamy and Abby are the only people who truly know Clarke in a way that could aid her.

Bellamy: I know what it's like to risk everything for one person. I know Madi's your family.
Clarke: You are my family, too. I lost sight of that. But I promise I will never forget it again. You're too important to me.

• Permalink: You are my family, too. I lost sight of that. But I promise I will never forget it again....

Everyone else is still left with a different view of who she is, specifically Raven and Murphy. 

There could be this attempt to both have people there for Clarke who are in her corner enough to fight for her, and for those who don't know her well enough to have to work through those feelings.

Saving Clarke won't be a one person job, and Josephine comes off as edgy enough to show the true difference of Clarke's actions.

Actually being faced with the prospect of losing Clarke might bring everyone together instead of against her, with the believers driving the journey because of who they knew was there.

For now, though, let us just say thank you for the quality hug content we continue to get. At least there is that constant, and in a twisted way we finally got the conversation we were looking for before Clarke disappeared.

Bellamy was struggling to allow himself to feel his emotions after everything that happened, so it was small but still meaningful that Clarke was the one that provided him a place for that.

The hope here is that Bellamy and "Clarke" do continue to have consistent scenes, even if it is Josephine. There is no way it would take Bellamy long to piece it together and from there he will be all about bringing his family back.

On the theory front though, it felt like a good a time as any to shrink it down a bit to a specific character's journey for this season. 

There can be episodes that have main storylines for certain characters and others don't have the same purpose. For example, this time around, characters like Gaia, Abby, Murphy, and Emori didn't make the cut. In order to not distract too much with stories that aren't necessary, some huge episodes have to bench characters.

But let us take a second and talk about Bellamy. He is the lead male character and this time around it feels like once again he doesn't have his own story. There isn't even anything in sight for him that doesn't tie him down to the women in his life, including Octavia, Clarke, and Echo.

Having him relate to them is great, but when it becomes them having their own stories and Bellamy just servicing their's, we have a serious problem.

Octavia is out there looking for redemption or for entrance to Sanctum, Clarke is involved in Josephine and the Primes, and Echo is tapping into her own past.

The least that can be done is to consider that Bellamy can and needs to have his own storyline because this is really upsetting that he can't be his own individual if he isn't tied to a woman who needs him to provide for her own arc. 

The 100 Season 6: Jason Rothenberg on Upcoming Pair-Ups, The Bellarke Partnership, and Characters Facing Their Demons

Stray Thoughts

• This new dude Ryker and Raven are a new ship, and while I said I wanted more for Raven, hopefully, there is something beyond this. Ryker is Priya's son, but he also is over this entire concept of a Naming Day. There has to be something there about him not agreeing with this tradition or not looking to live forever.
  
  Raven has Zeke's wish of happiness for her on her mind, and then there is this guy who can't have happiness in the position he is. 

• Quick question about Echo's backstory reveal: Why is this coming out so soon in the season? Her backstory gets explored in flashbacks during the eleventh episode of this season, far enough away that introducing this now seems like either an arc for her or just dropping it in now and picking it up later. 

• They all said not to do it. Everyone said not to fall in love with Jordan and Delilah because a storm was coming. But here I am attached to their connection and their potential because I am so very weak. How can someone not fall for how adorable they are? And how they get each other?
  
  It is too fast but what isn't on a post apocalyptic show? Especially if we are talking romances. Lately it is like everything moves quickly so at least make these two last. 

• Clarke Griffin is our bi babe and she continues to be the absolute best. Her taste in men might leave more to be desired but we will give her a pass since everyone she sleeps with (except for Niylah) ends up dying. 

• There is a scene in the promo for next week where Murphy and Bellamy find the creepy skeleton room. It is all happening so soon. Who wants to bet that Bellamy's choking kink will be back and better than ever?

• The talk of Cillian being crazy makes me wonder if he really was. His plan was to have the Children of Gabriel take Clarke, which sounds crazy but look at what happened to her. Maybe not having enough information makes you question his intentions, but if he was a spy for the outsiders then he didn't want Clarke used for her blood.
  
  That sounds like the correct way to go about all of this, so if anything he was on our side about not using people as host bodies for a long line of original Primes. If only he did his job better, but that's a conversation for another day.

• Was Gaia left on the ship or brought into Sanctum? She needs to be there for Madi so that she doesn't tell anyone about her Nightblood. Gaia is also the only person who would believe Madi right away if she said she was seeing Clarke in the flame when she shouldn't be. Just please bring back Gaia before we all start to worry. 

• Russell and Simone really pat themselves on the back for their morality and there has never been this sinister of a position to be in. The selfish nature with which they strip Clarke of her mind and control of her body? All for eternal life? 
  
  It feels nice being right but at what cost? Clarke Griffin's soul is so pure and the love that exists for her has to be stronger than the evil that lies in Sanctum. 

• What are the odds that Josephine harms Kaylee in the next episode because she connects all the dots? Kaylee isn't stupid and she actually seems moral through and through.
  
  She could put together what Russell did and threaten to expose their selfish needs and how they took a chance away from someone else, maybe even stripped Clarke of a life she actually had and not one she didn't choose.
  
  This would threaten Josephine and might give us a glimpse at how far she would go to keep her secret. 

What did you think of the episode? Did you see that twist coming? What is next for Clarke?

How long do you think it will take for everyone else to figure it out? Is there even a way to save her? Are you Team Flame or Team No Flame now?

Which character did you enjoy seeing happy the most this episode? Which character did you wish had more happiness?

What did you love most about all of this? What could you have done without?

Let us know what you think below!

The 100 airs on Tuesdays, at 9/8c on The CW.

Stick around TV Fanatic for more features, slideshows, episode previews, and reviews of the upcoming season, and watch The 100 online to catch up on the adventure. 

Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.