The 100 Season 7 Episode 11 Review: Etherea

at .  Updated at .

Bellamy Blake said he follows The Shepherd and his vision for the final war, so I now follow The Shepherd and his vision for the last war.

Even though Bellamy got the chance to live out his version of a folklore adventure, the joy was short-lived.

Instead, our favorite soft representation of the show's heart had to share his Taylor Swift-inspired experience with a cult recruiter, meaning Bellamy was doomed from the start. His love morphed into trauma, which quickly became a search for answers.

But as we all know, Bellamy Blake has never done anything wrong in his entire life, and this time around is no different. 

Bellamy Blake On A New Planet - The 100

During The 100 Season 7 Episode 11, it is revealed that Anders sent Bellamy (and the Conductor) to Etherea. Bellamy's time on that planet and his attempts to get back to his loved ones are followed by a trippy cave twist and a change of allegiance. 

Bellamy returns to his people, only to reveal to Cadogan that the key doesn't exist. This worries the others, with their leverage disappearing at the same time as the Bellamy they know and love. 

Meanwhile, Etherea also introduces yet another concept that may or may not hold weight down the road. For now, it is a room full of light forces, which seemingly represent what everyone in Bardo is looking to transcend to.

"Etherea," written by Jeff Vlaming, gained all of its strength from the return of Bellamy Blake. Following his emotionally motivated journey to get back to his people was a thrill because it allowed us to be in the presence of the heart of the show again.

Bellamy Discovers Something In Etherea  - The 100 Season 7 Episode 11

But beneath the surface grew the plot vines that wrapped themselves around Bellamy, forcing him to play into a cliffhanger twist and a potential push forward in the story being told.

Bellamy's love for those around him became the perfect bait for Cadogan's obsession with losing all emotion, and it was only an actor as skilled as Bob Morley that could deliver that trauma in a grounded way.

The episode's strongest aspect though, was what the season has been missing all along.

The male lead.

A Love Letter To The Beating Heart and Soul of The 100

(and when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone's bed. you put me on and said I was your favorite)

Before anything else is mentioned, to be clear, this episode deserves all the praise for Bellamy Blake existing and leading it. His name can be erased from the actual promo for the episode, and he can be the bridge to another random plotline, but this all only mattered because of Bellamy.

He returned to our screens, and everything made sense again because Bellamy is the heart of The 100. He always was and always will be.

Conductor: Sweet Shepherd.
Bellamy: He's not here. I'm all you've got.

Bob Morley executed those scenes with his usual extraordinary talent and impeccable attention to a character who lays it all on the line every time. Emotion rushed back into the show as soon as Bellamy took back control, whether The 100 intended for that or not.

He brought this sass, his dynamic presence, and this organic energy back into a season that struggled to find direction. Bellamy delivered all of that because of his effortless legacy that will never be stifled.

It was like finally getting to return home, now all we need is for Clarke to exist on the show as well. But Bellamy is a massive step in the right direction, proving that nothing made sense the way it does now.

He is the hero that we always deserved to have, and he represents the entire heart and soul of the show.

Because the truth is Bellamy Blake offers more than The 100 has space to explore. His potential has grown beyond this show, and the wait only reminded the audience of that.

But as always, there shouldn't have been such a long wait. The 100 lacked so much emotion, drive, and excitement with the way the audience kept waiting around for the male lead to return.

In an ironic twist of faith, though, the narrative brought Bellamy back to manipulate his heart.

As Bellamy's soul was wrecked on Etherea, it became apparent where all of this was going. The 100 Season 7 thrives off the threat of the characters we know taking on Bardo's lessons, who brag about not feeling emotions for specific groups of people and instead aim it at everyone equally.

Bellamy Looks At His New Friend - The 100 Season 7 Episode 11

The point is that this life doesn't matter, so getting attached is useless. Instead, everyone should accept the general population because the critical part is getting ready for a war.

So it should come as no surprise that when a familiar character did get forced into the case that it was going to be the one driven by his heart.

There are plenty of characters that exist and that value their love for their people, but there is no one like Bellamy Blake.

Bellamy is a healer. Bellamy is a strategist. Bellamy is a sewer. Bellamy is the actual bright golden light on a planet that has nothing but a gray color palette and a bad sense of humor.

Bellamy and Gabriel - The 100 Season 6 Episode 13

He is defined by how he dedicates his entire purpose of keeping his chosen people alive and loved. He would rip himself open to make sure people like Octavia and Clarke were okay, which is his biggest strength.

But at the same time, it "conveniently" fit into the agenda that the narrative introduced with Bardo. That means stripping someone of their emotions had to come down to manipulating Bellamy to that point.

And that is what this pilgrimage was, a chance for the show to mold Bellamy in the direction they needed him to go on.

After not allowing him a voice or a presence for the entire first half of the season, Bellamy returns wearing his heart on his soft cardigan sleeve. He is once again driven by getting back to those people he loves with everything in him. 

But this journey couldn't be made individually. While at first, there is this sense of relief that Bellamy had someone with him, that quickly becomes regret because it is Conductor Duccett.

Now, this guy isn't a horrible guy. 

Is he Gabriel Santiago? No. But Gabriel couldn't go on this journey with Bellamy no matter how epic it would have been, because his priorities line up precisely with Bellamy's.

Instead, the Conductor exists to manipulate Bellamy to become a victim of Bardo's cult culture. But it is the show itself manipulating Bellamy into a storyline they want him to fit into.

The Conductor Ponders - The 100 Season 7 Episode 11

There is a parallel to consider in the way that Gabriel, Hope, and Echo spent their time on Penance with Orlando for five years. He was just as devoted to Cadogan and the cause, and the others were as focused on their loved ones.

Then there is Octavia and Levitt, they are also from two different sides, but their focus stays on what they care about.

And actually, it can be argued that the group on Penance and Octavia brought the Bardo people to their side more. 

Orlando cared about the trio; even his faith still mattered to him. Echo ended up killing everyone because she saw how much Orlando cared about the guard that Hope killed. Emotion dripped all over that scene and all over Orlando's scenes with Hope and the others.

Hope's Past - The 100 Season 7 Episode 4

Levitt is even worse, falling halfway in love with Octavia before seeing her memories. It is an unconventional romance, but Levitt only needed to see three seasons of her life to risk everything for her. It isn't for all humanity to help Octavia escape, give Hope clues as she leaves Bardo, and keep Octavia first.

But Bellamy is forced to confront his selfish view of the universe, the same view that everyone deserves to follow.

Forget putting every person on the same level; I want my universe to exist around those that matter and that I would do anything for.

The Conductor wasn't wrong when he said everything is about Bellamy. It is, and it always should be.

Bellamy's Back - The 100

Because Bellamy understands what it means to have a purpose more than anyone in Bardo could even comprehend. The narrative can twist facts and they can introduce weird light forms to confuse him at a traumatic time, but his love for his people is stronger than any emotion Cadogan had for his family.

This is why it is frankly hilarious that the show uses this episode to drive the point that Bellamy questions what is missing from his life and decides it is faith while missing the actual emphasis that Bellamy shows us.

Bellamy is driven to that Anomaly Stone by his love for his family.

Along the way, the trauma that he suffers eats away at his mental health, but it doesn't take away from his soul. Bellamy spends two months in an endless loop of wanting to get to everyone and not being able to.

Bellamy in Etherea - The 100 Season 7 Episode 11

What he gets out of Cadogan's cause doesn't seem to be anything related to the actual message; he just wants to find some faith to believe in while trying to get back to Bardo.

It isn't clear whether Bellamy's vision is his subconscious manifesting through the trauma and leading him to find hope in all this or whether it is Cadogan conducted.

If it is just Bellamy projecting his thoughts into these visions, then he is a genius. He somehow knew exactly how Cadogan looked right now, down to his actual outfit.

Realistically that doesn't make much sense, but the show might not have been worried about that. So the assumption is that Bellamy was lost, and he needed to find some hope that he would get out of this never-ending cycle.

It is through no higher power that you are alive right now. It is through me. It is because of me.

Bellamy

It is healthy to seek that out in faith, but it isn't healthy for that to be manipulated to position him supporting things that have nothing to do with the general concept of faith. 

It isn't shocking though that The 100 struggles to process what it wants to say about faith beyond using it as a tool to sabotage.

Even the way that Bellamy is manipulated, through his love for his mother. 

If the whole point of joining this religious cult means not having a family or love, then why is Bellamy's awakening driven by his love for his mother and his people?

Bellamy Survives Etherea  - The 100 Season 7 Episode 11

Call it whatever you want; The 100 is trying to get Bellamy to drink the kool-aid, and instead, he is pushing through for those that own his heart.

Bellamy is also still at his core himself when he pulls the Conductor up and uses the Shepherd's message to inspire them. The irony is that he is doing all of this to save his friend, one single person.

Saving the Conductor isn't about Bellamy choosing mankind over individuals; he decides to save someone who matters to him no matter what. 

The guy himself tells Bellamy to leave him because it isn't about surviving, which isn't the point of the cause. But Bellamy doesn't listen to him; he listens to his heart and his soul.

Bellamy and the Anomaly - The 100 Season 6 Episode 13

And that is the common thread that follows Bellamy through his time on Etherea.

He takes a little bit of Clarke with him when he pushes for him and the Conductor to work together. 

He takes a little bit of Octavia with him when he uses her words, "I am not afraid," to push through the storm. And even though he is now officially Team Bardo when they reach the stone, he says that he is afraid before he jumps.

Bellamy can't let go of his emotional ties; he is incapable of not being himself. 

Bellamy Makes a Plan - The 100 Season 6 Episode 7

Bellamy is a good brother, a good soulmate, a good best friend, and a good person. The only cause that he will always be devoted to is his feelings and the tremendous love that he harbors.

The narrative can shove him on whatever path they need to keep the plot moving, but he will always be more than a simple storyline.

From all of this, Bellamy selfishly found a way to keep going so that he could continue his selfish love for his family. 

But having him pushed to this point is why it feels like Bellamy Blake deserves more than what he has been getting. He is a victim of a show that cares more about the story it is telling then than the characters that have been making all stories worthwhile for seven years. 

Bellamy Crying - The 100 Season 6 Episode 6

Heather Mason from TV Source Magazine mentions in her review the possible significance in using Aurora as the beacon that guides Bellamy towards this choice. Her interpretation explores what that could mean, but it is fitting that Bellamy is once again written around making choices based on the white women in his life instead of himself.

Stripping Bellamy of his essence was also a ridiculous approach when the character was missing all of this time. There isn't enough time to get reacquainted with Bellamy, let alone take him on this entire journey rooted in who he is and what he wants.

Of course, the issue is that this isn't about Bellamy. He fits perfectly as a pawn to a random new story, and he is brought back just in time to use him.

Having an entire arc that follows Bellamy on a journey of self-discovery while those that love him (all of them) actually mourn him is an unattainable dream. Instead, it is about appreciating this content for the Bellamy of it all and how he makes everything better.

Bellamy Aiming - The 100 Season 6 Episode 12

Even if Bellamy is now someone who found meaning in Cadogan's cause, that doesn't take away from the meaning behind the character. He was reaching for that light because he wants more of it, not because he wants to erase what already exists in him.

Watching Bob Morley explore Bellamy's psyche, with most of his feelings going unsaid, was the constant reminder that his soul would never be unchanged. It was magic to get to spend that time with Bellamy again, making the narrative more fun, truthful, and more emotional. Everything that was missing came back as soon as Bellamy fell back into the show.

Trying to shift his trust doesn't take away the electricity that appears whenever Bellamy Blake is on our screens.Even in the forced way Bellamy is now supporting the Shepherd when what he supports is faith, it is still magnetic in the way he delivers his journey there.

Bellamy is missing the ability to find peace; it isn't about not having an emotionless purpose. 

Bellamy and Clarke Finally Talk - The 100 Season 6 Episode 2

The only faith Bellamy lost is the trust that he would get back to his loved ones. Picking apart at who Bellamy isn't doesn't take away from the journey he will always go on.

According to Jason Rothenberg, there is no actual destination to look forward to; that then means that Bellamy makes the journey worth it.

If Bellamy now wants to follow Cadogan, then Cadogan was right all along. Bellamy's path is always the right one, so this is no different. 

He is what defines so much of The 100, and he is the essence of everything.

The Bellarke Void of Love and Angst

(you were my crown, now I'm in exile, seein' you out)

Bellamy loves Clarke. Goodbye.

That is all that we (and Clarke) deserve to know, as she has the sweetest look on her face when she gets to hug her best friend again. It is all about Clarke, the way her selfish love for Bellamy silences her attempt to be selfless.

Not What It Seems - The 100

The second that Clarke gets to see Bellamy again and the way that they find comfort in one another; that is what the show can't do without. 

They can try to put a bandaid over it or replace it with different dynamics, but that soft love and energy can't be replaced. 

It will always be about Clarke and Bellamy's connection, the building block that allows The 100 to stand straight and to throw everything at the audience. As long as Clarke and Bellamy are tackling it together, they carry you through every obstacle.

Bellamy may be battered and bruised from his time on Etherea, but he does allow himself to find comfort in Clarke's arms and under the love that the people in the room have for him.

It is like he is overwhelmed by it all, forgetting exactly how heavy love can be and how much of it exists out there for him. Call it blind faith, but that moment is what Bellamy was fighting for.

The warmth radiating from those that love him is just starting to reach him after he spent months in a consistent cold from the lack of emotion around him. And the weather. But mostly the lack of love.

Clarke brings all of that back to him again, and for that one second, it is perfect again. 

She has had to make choices and work through problems herself, the world's weight on her shoulders with no soulmate to talk it through with this time around. 

Clarke in Bardo - The 100 Season 7 Episode 8

Eliza Taylor delivered that shift beautifully, portraying Clarke's relief and her immense emotion for the one person she couldn't do all of this without. She may not be allowed much time to grieve or be relieved, but those quick glimpses say it all.

It was terrific to see Octavia actually react clear as day to the loss and now the gain of her brother, something there was finally time for. But frankly, they deserved even more of a reunion; this wasn't enough for siblings crawling to the ends of the planets to find each other.

The Bellamy and Clarke reunion felt like a separate entity altogether, with it starting with Clarke and ending with her. The range of emotions that she manages to go through feels like a mirrored example of the audience.

The love that comes from seeing Bellamy again quickly becomes heartbreak at what his journey has done to him. He did everything he could to get back to them, and now he isn't himself.

Bellamy: I'm stuck here with you while everyone I love: Octavia, Echo, Clarke are all alive, they are just out of reach. Sometimes, Bellamy Blake, irony can be funny. This is not one of those times.

There have been times when Clarke and Bellamy weren't on the same side, but this is different. So much of Bellamy's loyalty is triggered by the pain and trauma left on Etherea. Even if he doesn't see it, it radiates off of him.

This isn't a difference of opinion, this is Bellamy needing to heal emotionally, and Clarke knows that better than anyone. Clarke struggles with her emotions in ways that not many are forced to on the show. She always buries down instead of sitting in what she is going through.

The answer to Bellamy's pain on that planet was also to bury it deep and replace it with a general loyalty to a random dude in Birkenstocks. 

The only way to move from this is for Bellamy to reconnect with how he had to bury his feelings. He is struggling, but he has people around him to help him through that.

Bellamy and Clarke During Season 6  - The 100

Not to be a selfish person with too many feelings, but there is no way Bellamy can do this without his other half. Much of the emotion behind his choice is tied to Clarke, as she takes on the job of expressing the emotions he struggles with.

They say for better or for worse, and Clarke and Bellamy have seen each other in both places. But this is now Bellamy's worst, and Clarke has to find a way to handle where they go from here.

Bellamy had to take on that role of bringing Clarke back during The 100 Season 6, but that time, it brought her back to her body. This time Clarke has to take on that responsibility of guiding Bellamy back emotionally.

He is there; he just needs a little push.

Clarke Griffin in Season 7 - The 100

Clarke has struggled in expressing emotion this season. She closed off when she lost her mom and didn't have her person around to voice all of that to. It was evident that Clarke existed as a presence for others, listening to people, and not talking herself. 

It didn't help that Bellamy wasn't around, the one person who she always shared her feelings in an act of emotional intimacy unlike any oInstead, she keeps it in, either by the narrative or the lack of Bellamy. Or both.

Clarke's love for Bellamy is not only put to the test now, but that is also what she has to channel to help him work through this. She can no longer exist for others to talk about their feelings around her; she has to be keyed into her feelings. For Bellamy.

The real key is obviously the love that Clarke and Bellamy have for one another. The narrative might not see that, but I do even if it makes me feel like an entire clown.

Clarke's Advice - The 100 Season 7 Episode 4

The only good thing to come out of this season so far has been Bellamy and Clarke's chance to talk about what they mean to one another. Maybe if they defined their relationship a lot sooner, they would be full-on romantic soulmates, but if this is all we can get, it is not the worst place.

Bellamy loves Clarke. Clarke loves Bellamy. 

They may not be on the same page right now, but they are reading the same book.

There was a small smile on Bellamy's face when he finally got to hug Clarke, a ritual that is all about their love for one another. 

Bellamy and Clarke With A Problem - The 100 Season 6 Episode 11

The Conductor was wrong when he said death and destruction loom over Bellamy; it is the love and people he does it for that remove that dark cloud around him. All he needs is to be with the people that he would be willing to risk his whole heart for, and the puzzle is solved for him again.

Faith in an entity that somehow helped him survive long enough to get to Bardo is fleeting, but the love that exists between Bellamy and his loved ones is endless.

The Shiny New Plot Reveal In a Sea of Dying Promise 

(in my defense, I have none. for never leaving well enough alone)

I read it. Sure, it helped pass the hours, but I gotta say the message? Doesn't add up.

Bellamy

Pretending not to see it won't make it go away, which means the light form sequence that screams Annihilation needs to be discussed.

But the show must like making us talk through why certain plotlines would be a bad idea because here we are.

This is a bad idea.

First things first, a civilization that ascended to another form, and they somehow had their mortal forms rise is a concept. It isn't entirely original, and even if it was, it just isn't it. 

Levitt Finds Out The Truth - The 100 Season 7 Episode 11

That bleeds into the next opinion; that the show doesn't know what is going on this final season.

Does The 100 even know what it was to do? What story does it want to tell?

Because this season alone, there have been numerous threads introduced, and each time it is dropped as quickly as it appears.Just like the issue with the never-ending big bads that filter in and out of the season (Sheidheda, Nikki, Anders, Cadogan), it is an inconsistent way to tell a story if you don't know what you are trying to explore.

It doesn't have to be about the journey, it can be about the destination, but there actually has to be one in mind.

Levitt In Bardo MCAP - The 100 Season 7 Episode 11

Details and concepts get thrown in one on top of another, but it is just fragments of ideas. None of them are explored enough to stand on their own.

The 100 initially was focused on a combination of Sheidheda's existence and the Anomaly's mysterious introduction to the audience. But then Sheidheda wasn't as exciting to explore, so he exists in Sanctum as a way to distract the leftover characters that the show didn't bring over to the Anomaly story yet.

From there, the Anomaly morphed from a wormhole to the Cadogan reveal, bringing the past into the present. The 100 Season 7 Episode 8 served as a guide to Cadogan's history with the Anomaly Stone and Bardo.

Initially, it was all about Becca's introduction that you need the flame inside your head to know which symbols to choose. Becca also showed Cadogan Judgement Day, which the audience assumes inspires his travel through the stone and asks Reese to hunt down the AI.

Reese Faces Off With Callie  - The 100 Season 7 Episode 8

He wanted to know how to see what Becca saw on the other side. Naturally, that became the war that Cadogan was preparing his people to fight; they just didn't know that it was his selfish attempt to solve the unknown puzzle that Becca left behind.

It also connected back to the flame that doesn't exist the way it did before. It was a way to access this other side, and it connected to the Anomaly Stone storyline, and it incorporated Madi and Sheidheda's Commander power struggle.

From there, Anders tripped that up a little when he spent all this time talking about the original people from Bardo and how they became crystal giants through that bioweapon that they had locked up. It appeared to be a distraction, swerving the characters and the audience away from the actual war by bringing up some random information that didn't matter before.

Yet The 100 Season 7 Episode 10 confirmed that the Bardo history and Cadogan's search for answers with the stone suddenly come together. In a convenient turn of events, somehow, the information that the people in Bardo left behind lines up with the journey Cadogan was already on.

Bill Cadogan - The 100 Season 7 Episode 8

But if things on The 100 magically come together when the show needs them to (and stalls the story when they don't), then there needs to be a payoff.

Instead, The 100 has now dropped the Anomaly Stone introducing Judgement Day and is now taking a sharp left turn into non-corporeal energy forms. These light forms have no physical form; instead, they are the true essence of the people that existed on Etherea. They now exist non-physically, whether as a soul or as this energy in a cave.

This is what Cadogan is aiming towards, supposedly assuming that Bardo's code is the key to turning into the people in the cave. 

Again, this is an idea introduced in the last hour that feels like another shiny toy that the show touches without really dedicating time to it.

Cadogan with a gun pointed at him - The 100 Season 7 Episode 10

It just spoke about how the war might be a test, and yet the title of the series finale jumps right back into war. What is the point of Jordan coming to a conclusion if that means nothing later? What is the point?

Jason Rothenberg himself said after The 100 Season 6 Episode 13 aired that the final season was meant to introduce the moral of the story. All this time with the show and the theme didn't find time to present itself; instead, the show's entire meaning will pop up in Season 7.

Now here we are, 11 episodes into the story and with only five more episodes to go, and what exactly are we exploring?

So far, it is like we are getting a lot of ideas thrown our way, explored just enough for us to get a general understanding, and then dropped in favor of something else. There are many open books on the table, but the audience isn't getting to finish any of them.

Anders In Bardo - The 100 Season 7 Episode 5

Now, these light forms are the newest way to distract with the promise of greater meaning, and yet it feels like just another idea that can't possibly be fleshed out the way it is meant to.

If any of these things represent the overall message of the show, then it is a shame that it was only worth exploring half-heartedly in the last hour of the series.

But let's humor this season and pretend that whatever path they will follow has time for a satisfactory conclusion. This time around, the potential moral of the story was these presumed aliens that somehow found a way to exist on this planet and then transcend to energy forms that chill there for fun.

Once again, the only way to achieve that is through this war that might be a test, but that might still be a war. To transcend, you must be pure and worthy, just like if you were to take the flame.

Niylah, Jordan, and Miller - The 100 Season 7 Episode 6

At the same time, everyone in Bardo, and even these Sanctum newcomers are treated as people who can all follow this path. Cadogan and his friends spend all this time shaming our favorite characters for how they lived their lives. But yet they are also peddling that these beasts that only follow their emotions can join the cult as well.

This doesn't add up in the way that transcending is both an exclusive cult club for those that are pure enough to not care about individual people as much as they care about all mankind. 

It also feels important to ask how all of this information is proved to us. Bellamy isn't wrong when he says he believes what he can see, and that cave was all smoke and mirrors.

There aren't any actual answers. So far, it seems just to be information that Cadogan decided makes sense. If we assume he explored the planets, ended up in Etherea, and saw exactly what Bellamy saw, then he didn't actually know anything.

Callie On The Outside - The 100 Season 7 Episode 8

Unless the aliens on Etherea left a note about how they transcended beforehand and Cadogan read it, all of his assumptions are precisely that. There is no proof to support how or what happened to create that light.

The question of whether Cadogan is or isn't a cult leader comes back around again. Because even if his intentions aren't horrible, his execution might be.

He took experiences that we didn't see him go through and created his interpretation of what it all means. Then he sold it to his followers as a way to create an army of people that don't allow attachments or emotions or life outside of this cause. 

But nowhere did Bellamy or the Conductor see hints of all that during their time on the planet. This civilization didn't leave behind any indication that people must strip themselves of feelings or live their lives a specific way to move on into the next life this way.

Reese, Gemma, and Callie in The Bunker  - The 100 Season 7 Episode 8

Where did Etherea's cave create the illusion that to transcend, you couldn't work on a day of rest as Orlando did?

All these rules seem to come from Cadogan, not from Etherea's life forms. It's possible that he pulled it from the passages he found in Bardo, but what is to say that connects back to this endgame?

The answer is probably that things just conveniently fall into place when the show needs it, which will happen in the end.

But for now, it is interesting that the entire premise of transcending is focused on not caring about any one person over everyone else. And yet, Bardo exists around honoring and serving the Shepherd. The population ironically still gives more weight to Cadogan over the well behind of all mankind. 

Never travel to another planet without something to read. Even if it is pocket propaganda for another false god.

Bellamy

There are still five episodes left, though, so maybe another greater theme of the series is still yet to be introduced.

Each episode, the narrative picks and chooses what they want to dig into, but none of it has any weigh when the investment isn't there. It is a way to pass the time until the next chapter; it doesn't feel like it is an intentional journey that incorporates the history of The 100 into the main message at the end of the tunnel.

Instead, the audience is in an endless tunnel, waiting for some light to indicate that we are heading somewhere. Anywhere.

Maybe these light forms are the light at the end of the tunnel, or perhaps it is just a reflection of another fake-out. It doesn't matter when it isn't the destination or the journey; it is just the obstacles thrown in the road.

The Conductor in Etherea - The 100 Season 7 Episode 11

Regardless, it is time to channel our inner Bellamy Blake and head towards the exit. 

Stray Thoughts

  • Which song off folklore do you think was Bellamy's favorite?

    Leave your guesses in the comments below!

Etherea In Full - The 100 Season 7 Episode 11
  • Everyone said they wanted void!Bellamy and here he is. Granted, this is more emotionally scarring and painful, but ask for the twist, and it will appear.

    Now it is time to manifest Bellamy Blake getting some peace and happiness, for once in his life. This man carries the weight of a thousand worlds on his shoulders, and it is time for that to stop.

  • Levitt looking into the memories and pausing for clues is peak reviewer culture. That is precisely what happened while my review for The 100 Season 7 Episode 5 was written and is comedy gold.

    Same, Levitt. Same. 

  • It was funny the way that Bellamy couldn't manage to climb that mountain wall. He could probably use some of the bouldering skills that his real-life counterpart, Bob Morley, possess.

  • The way that faith and religion is depicted on this show will never cease to surprise all of us. It only exists when the show needs to turn characters against everyone else, or when they need to create chaos.

    While there is some exploration of why someone might follow the "religion" that the show decided to create that season, it is always meant to be an example of weak-minded groups that support the Shepherd leading them.

    Is the show trying to say something about religion? Or is it just the perfect inconvenience?

Gabriel Helping Out - The 100 Season 7 Episode 4
  • It must be a rule in that little propaganda book that every man (minus Cadogan) has to shave and look super clean. If this isn't an entire door opening for Bellamy to get a well-deserved haircut, shave, and shower after all of this, I don't know what it is. 

  • There was a Pike mention, and it was precisely the respect the character deserved to get. Who is shocked that it was Bellamy who gave him that respect? The best duo.

  • Just like in Annihilation, can someone burn that light form cave with fire?  

    If there is anything to learn from that movie, it is: better safe than sorry.

Gabriel and Octavia in Bardo - The 100 Season 7 Episode 6
  • 'I am not afraid," wrecked my entire soul.

    The Blakes actually deserve to share scenes and be siblings again.

    This episode poked at Bellamy's heart and messed with his head when it came to Aurora; he deserves a reminder of his family that isn't full of loss and pain.

    This separation made us miss what we haven't had in a while, and there is no denying the way that Bob and Marie would come for our hearts in those scenes.

Octavia in Bardo - The 100 Season 7 Episode 5
  • The 100 needs to pick a speed. There are only so many times, various groups of people have the same conversations. From Indra and Gaia talking about faith to Gabriel talking about false gods to Bellamy calling out the cult culture.

    Or the way that Cadogan and Gabriel talked about feelings was the same thing that Anders explains to Echo, Hope, Octavia, and Diyoza. That again comes back with the Conductor and Bellamy, the same conversation over and over again.

    The same topics keep getting covered; it is just different characters repeating the same words. Unless there is a point that the show wants to get across, it feels like a never-ending cycle of trying to show that The 100 has deep and meaningful conversations without actually having them.

    Faith. Belief systems. Survival. Doing better. Cult or no cult. Having feelings. Acceptable losses. All of this is like chewing the same gum, hoping to get a different flavor. 

Octavia Watches Echo  - The 100 Season 7 Episode 7
  • There have been thoughts circling about what if Cadogan dies and Bellamy takes his place. I want it on the record that Bellamy is a Shepherd I can stand behind. Or rather, I can bow to.

    I am already bowing. Give Bellamy all the power and the robe. 

  • Mentions of rewrites were thrown around a lot this season, meaning we might have to rethink entire storylines that may have changed.

    Instead, I am personally curious about Anders putting in the code for Etherea. Was there meant to be a bigger story there about why Anders did that and what it meant? It isn't explained and chances are that it won't be, but there is substance there that is intriguing. 

Octavia and Anders - The 100 Season 7 Episode 5
  • The remaining episode titles for this season were released, and was anyone surprised? 

    For a show that prides itself in its dialogue about how self-aware it is, it really isn't. But sure, let us head towards yet another last war because that's the one beat the show always knows how to head for.

  • If you think about it, Cadogan was going to find out about the key anyway. There was no way the group, or Clarke at least, wouldn't confess some point soon.

    So if anything, Bellamy was helping them out. He is the most selfless human in all the land.

Clarke and Others in Bardo  - The 100 Season 7 Episode 10
  • Cadogan is so smart and yet he couldn't figure out that the key didn't exist? There were so many clues. 

    Frankly, I expected better from him.

  • Should we be worried about where Hope, Miller, Jordan, and Niylah are?

  • It was strange how this season keeps walking back on the prequel, The 100 Season 7 Episode 8, with them this time around shutting the door on Cadogan making an appearance.

    If the show does get picked up, he could appear in flashbacks and such, but he didn't know anything about who Callie became, and he carried around that photo of his family.

    The feeling in the room is that Cadogan never went back to Earth after he entered the Anomaly Stone, which is a shame because the introduction to a new show was all about him and his family. 

Callie Faces Off With Reese - The 100 Season 7 Episode 8
  • Echo brought up the idea of "What Would Bellamy Want" during the previous episode. To her, that meant killing everyone in Bardo out of revenge and in his name.

    Then you have Bellamy Blake on Etherea against one of the guys responsible for this mess that he is in. The guy attacks him, and Bellamy still gains the upper hand long enough to leave him alive.

    Bellamy then moves onto trying to get off the planet, and he doesn't think about killing "the enemy."  But I guess that is none of our business. 

  • Just let Gabriel Santiago enjoy his food adventures, please.

Gabriel On The Hunt - The 100 Season 7 Episode 2
  • Bellamy may not have gone on this folklore self-journey with Gabriel, but how jealous will Gabriel be that Bellamy cuddled with the Conductor for warmth and not him?

What did you think of this episode? Did you enjoy the chance to spend all that time with Bellamy? What was your favorite part of his journey? What was your least favorite? What didn't you expect? What did you expect more of?

Did you see that twist coming with him choosing to follow Cadogan now? How much does you heart hurt for the man that went through so much and turned to this faith because of it?

Where do you think things will go from here? Do you trust Cadogan more now that Bellamy does? 

Raven and Niylah Working Together - The 100 Season 7 Episode 10

Who else was shocked by that Aurora reveal? Who else is not only annoyed but refuses to acknowledge the strange life forms in that cave? If we don't see it then it doesn't exist, right?

Did that Bellarke reunion wreck you since it was probably the last one? Who is prepared for Bardo to change Bellamy's looks again?

Let us know what you think below!

Stick around for more interviews, features, slideshows, and reviews of the upcoming season, and watch The 100 online right here on TV Fanatic.

Etherea Review

Editor Rating: 4.9 / 5.0
  • 4.9 / 5.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
User Rating:

Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 (10 Votes)

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

Show Comments
Tags: ,

The 100 Season 7 Episode 11 Quotes

Never travel to another planet without something to read. Even if it is pocket propaganda for another false god.

Bellamy

Conductor: Sweet Shepherd.
Bellamy: He's not here. I'm all you've got.