The last place we left off during The 100 Season 5 Episode 3 ended with the very long awaited reunion between the core relationship of the show, with Bellamy Blake using almost 283 people as leverage to make sure Clarke Griffin was freed by Charmaine and her crew. 

Based on the promo though, the time to check in with the bunker has finally come. There wasn't much that we got to see about them in present time, in fact, we mostly just learned that Kara is now on Octavia's side and that Kane is involved in the fighting pit now.

It didn't look good for him, but there was only so much to help us piece it all together while we waited for an update. 

Now The 100 Season 5 Episode 4 is using the title "Pandora's Box" which connects to the myth of Pandora opening a box and releasing death, sickness, and many other evils into the world.

The only thing left when she managed to close the box happened to be hope, something the characters on The 100 could always use more of. 

But there is also the option of this new title just referencing someone getting another person some jewelry from the local abandoned Pandora? The bunker has to have an outlet mall, right?

And the synopsis for this specific episode is, "Our Heroes are forced to rely on the help of Shallow Valley’s dangerous new inhabitants to save some of their own, with surprising results."

Now, this preview may contain some light teases about the third episode, with a specific focus on characters and scenes that have been discussed before or have been included in promotional videos and/or photos.

Proceed with caution if you like to be kept in the dark, but really, who likes that?

Related: The 100 Renewed For Season 6 at The CW!

Bunker Fun May Not Be Limited To Everyone 

The promo for Pandora's Box confirmed a long time coming question about when the bunker will be visited again.

The good news is that we are all caught up, the bad news is that things aren't exactly all that lovely down there. In fact, there was a lot of truth to all those convention conversations about how dark things are in the bunker now.

Octavia took it upon herself to not force population reduction as it was done on the Ark by instead creating a system that would punish those that have wronged their clan.

While this idea enforces justice and takes care of that little buried under a pile of rubble issue, it also opens the door (or box) to other evil to filter in. 

I am not all that great with the meaningful guesses because being wrong isn't always that fun, but the bunker being Pandora's box in this situation would mean that evil will be released in a way that none of us have probably seen on this show yet.

But then there is hope, something that most of the characters cling to and especially Kane and Abby in that promo. Their relationship was explored in The 100 Season 5 Episode 2, with them struggling to figure out where to go from here.

Abby was frustrated with Kane about him not listening to what she wanted, and he just wanted to make sure the woman he loved was safe.

Now the present time reveals that Kane was in the fighting pits at some point was the really twist, making us question what could have happened that not only does he have to fight to his death but now Octavia seemed so indifferent to him.

In Pandora's Box, characters that we have started to worry about are brought back into our lives in fascinating ways. The bunker to me was probably the third interesting group, and yet it isn't because things are boring down there, in fact checking in on them really puts into perspective what survival does to some.

There are many outstanding scenes shared between different groups of people, and it is safe to say that shit got real.

For people that are curious about what is going on there, this episode does a great job of putting us in the perfect point within the story. It doesn't feel like the plot is dragging its feet, in fact, everything we learn is crucial to the season as a whole.

Basically, don't expect anything when we return to that bunker because things continue to shake up in ways that none of us could have expected.

Related: The 100: Bellamy and Clarke's Destruction of the Friend Zone

Bellamy Blake's Hero Stance And All That Follows

Bellamy Blake pulled off the best hero rescue of all time, but that doesn't mean things get any easier from here. 

Clarke and Bellamy will reunite in this episode once more, and that is all I am going to say. If there is anything that I have learned while waiting for the best ending on The 100 to air, it is that surprises always make episodes sweeter.

What I will say is that Bob Morley and Eliza Taylor continue to push our expectations out of the water, raising the bar higher and higher.

The best part though is that sense of nostalgia, there may have been a time jump, but these two characters have instincts that don't go away. They rely on one another and check in when they have to make decisions. 

None of that changes because these two still need the other's opinion and it almost feels like breathing when you watch them together. They just understand each other fully, and Pandora's Box confirms that with subtle hints. 

In order for them to work together, there needs to be someone on the other side of this conflict. This time around it happens to be Charmaine, McCreary, and Zeke.

Zeke though is a precious guy who wants to fly things and not partake in the violence that people like McCreary are thriving on, but that is a conversation for another day.

The Eligius trio continues to be brought to the forefront in this episode, with the cracks in their interactions with one another getting harder and harder to ignore. 

There are more and more questions that start to form about their past and their individual connections with one another, but in my opinion that is the best part.

Pandora's Box makes the curiosity surrounding this new group much stronger, and they don't disappoint when it comes to their interactions with our favorite characters.

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

Raven and Murphy's Excellent Space Adventure 

That plot twist of a decision in the previous episode left both Raven and Murphy to fend for themselves in space, all while knowing that they aren't going to get down any time soon. 

During Pandora's Box, we check in with the pair and watch how they handle the fact that their return home didn't happen like they thought it would.

They also have to wait for Bellamy to reach out because at least they still have a job to do up there, but that isn't all that the episode focuses on when it comes to these two.

Without giving much away, the two do have to pass the time unexpectedly and fans of this still in the works friendship will be happy with the episode.

It would be very easy to simply check in with what those two are doing up there from time to time when relating it back to Bellamy and what he is counting on them for.

Instead, though, Pandora's Box raises the stakes for these two and finds the time for a more personal moment or two. Raven and Murphy may have spent six years together in space, but that doesn't mean their relationship is perfect.

These two still find time to bicker and argue, yet at the core of their relationship is an understanding that we are lucky to see more when there is nothing but time.

Now I have been trying to circle around the story that is awaiting those two, but based on the promotional pictures that were released for this episode, something tells me that taking a stroll to visit the prisoners in their beautiful spa sleep won't be as promising as one may think. 

Stray Thoughts 

• There was a scene where my secondhand embarrassment turned into third and fourth.

• I am still trying to figure out how that one thing was in any way realistic and I have thoughts, feelings, and words to share with The 100. I did the math, and it doesn't add up!

• The best way to pass the time before watching a new episode of The 100 is to rewatch scenes from another episode. If any of you need me, I will be watching The 100 Season 4 Episode 13 for reasons. 

• Ain't no crying in the club.

• I couldn't imagine using the words Criminal Minds and meet cute in the same sentence, but here we are. I loved the sense of nostalgia that came with it, and I will just be over here humming "We Could Be Heroes." 

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

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

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