The 100 Season 2 Episode 13 Review: Resurrection
Amanda Festa
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One thing is for certain after The 100 Season 2 Episode 13; the scene is set, the pieces are in place, and it's about to go down at Mount Weather.
At its heart, "Resurrection" is a battle cry, uniting the two fronts of the upcoming war and setting the stage for the inevitable collision. But it is also a solemn reminder of the cost of survival: the risks taken, the sacrifices made, the casualties that pave the way and the gray areas that complicate any victory.
"Resurrection" is the fallout from the events of The 100 Season 2 Episode 12. The devastation caused by the missile is drastic, the casualties are staggering and people are in danger. But the emotional fallout is equally consequential. Clarke is beginning to question Lexa's "love is weakness" ideology.
Whereas Lexa is able to distance herself in battle, it is personal for Clarke.
Meanwhile, on the inside of Mount Weather, we have Jasper, the unlikely leader, organizing the band of imprisoned Arkers, armed with axes and baseball bats, and we have Bellamy, the undercover inside man, connecting the two fronts. On the outside, we have Clarke and Lexa, obviously, but we also have the Grounder army with Indra and Octavia on the front lines ready and waiting for the order to attack.
Since reaching Earth, each of the Arkers has had to find their own way to cope and to come to terms with their new world. Each journey has been different. Some were more successful, with the capability to not only survive, but thrive in this world (Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia). Some just ultimately couldn't come to terms with it (Finn). And some are still trying to find their way (Jaha, Murphy).
Tonight, Jasper joined the ranks of the survivors. While he has always shown heart and a willingness to step up, in "Resurrection" he is faced with the responsibility of leading and the pride of a successful battle, but also the pain of knowing that his choices may lead to casualties. He promised Fox her safety and it's a promise that (at least momentarily) he believes he has broken. In this moment, he becomes more than a survivor; he become someone who has been tasked with making hard choices – and makes them.
Jasper: I won't let you die.
Maya: I won't let you surrender.
Tying this episode together is the interaction between Kane and Abby. Kane is a complicated character – one who is portrayed as ruthless on the Ark and while operating under Ark law on Earth. (We can't forget him having Abby flogged.) However, he has found the fault in the old ways and has been arguably the most accepting of the new world's order – and the first to accept Clarke as a leader.
He appeared to acquiesce to these changes without much fanfare, and tonight we are able to better understand why. Faced with Clarke's complacence, he is not mad or even surprised. He tells Abby it's because she grew up on the Ark and learned from them – role models who executed people for stealing medicine and food necessary for survival.
The 100 is full of gray areas. In the end, as Clarke heads to war, Abby reminds her to remember that they are the "good guys." But, shortly prior to this statement, Abby questions if they themselves are worthy of survival. And who's to say, really? It is these gray areas, after all, that make the series so complex and culturally important.
After everything we've done, do we even deserve to survive?
Abby
Complicating matters further is a new front in the war against the Mountain Men. We learn of Maya's family, who were once part of an underground movement that fought to stop the use of outside blood in the mountain. Her mother died from refusing the treatments. In "Resurrection," a number of these Mount Weather defectors agree to help the Arkers; but what does this mean for their own survival?
Bellamy: You're a natural born revolutionary.
Maya: My mom was the revolutionary. I'm just trying to do what's right.
We know there are innocents in Mount Weather. They have families, they send their children to Mount Weather Preschool. But, even if they are spared in the impending attack, they are unwitting parasites who will die without their regular treatments of Grounder/Sky People blood. In theory, a donor agreement could be worked out with survivors, but I can't picture the Grounders being too keen on this scenario.
The tensions around this upcoming war having been building for a while now. It has been carefully constructed, with each piece purposefully placed. Jasper and the Ark prisoners inside Mount Weather, Clarke's and Lexa's alliance forged from Finn's death, Bellamy finding his role as protector, Octavia's quick rise in the ranks of the Grounder army.
As we watch them head to battle, the final montage to "Couldn't Stop Caring" by The Spiritual Machines (so much metaphor in the title of the song alone) sets the stage and gives us the surge of adrenaline we need to make it through the next week.
Jasper: What do we do?
Bellamy: Stay alive and be ready to fight. War is coming.
With so much build up, what do you want to see from the upcoming battle? What will happen to the Mount Weather survivors when the war is won? With casualties of war on everyone's mind, who do you fear may not make it? Which intense scene from "Resurrection" was your favorite?
If you can't decide, you can always go back for a second viewing when you watch The 100 online at TV Fanatic
