The 100 – Watch The Thrones

By starrymag | February 12, 2016

By: Allison Schonter

 

If you haven’t seen The 100’s newest episode “Watch the Thrones,” then I suggest not reading any further. If you plan on watching the new episode, I suggest grabbing a box of tissues…maybe two boxes just in case. And if you have already watched the episode, put down the comfort food, lets all just take a deep breath, and we can try to get through this together.

 

 

The newest installment of The 100 was more than spectacular. Words cannot even describe how awestruck I am by the cast and crew’s capabilities to bring this show to life. Every episode delves deeper into the world that they are creating, and we uncover a new layer of the characters and the complexity of this show.  Packed with action, The 100 is constantly moving the plot forward, keeping the viewer glued to their seat and their eyes glued to the screen – internally screaming as the events unfold. But more than that, the show provides a level of emotion that is unmatched by other shows of the like. The viewer’s heart aches as the characters are subjected to the cruelty of the world that they live in, but they are also rewarded by the tender and light-hearted moments that allow for a brief break in the tension and a moment to relax. Now, to the meat of this article, which can only be done successfully by breaking it down.

 

Queen Nia

Queen Nia, Queen Nia, Queen Nia…Oh, Queen Nia…the Wicked Witch of the West? Nope. Cruella de Vil? Not even close. Queen Nia (Brenda Strong) is on her own stage when it comes to evil and bad. It seems as if her sole purpose is to destroy Commander Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey). In fact, the episode opens with Queen Nia attempting to dethrone Lexa and she has the support of all of the ambassadors, all but one: Clarke. So what’s the solution? Single battle, a method in which two battle to the death. And who does Queen Nia choose as her champion? Prince Roan (Zach McGowan), her own son (I don’t think she’ll be receiving any “Mother of the Year” awards).

Actress Brenda Strong does an amazing job portraying the Ice Queen. Her harsh demeanor, cruel ways and seemingly vindictive attitude definitely earn Queen Nia a top spot on the list of Big Bads that we have seen on the show.

 

Clarke and Lexa

In the past episodes of season three, we have seen Lexa protecting Clarke, but in last night’s episode the roles were reversed and Clarke (Eliza Taylor) was fiercely trying her best to protect Lexa. From the opening scene to the close, the two women are in each others presence, and we witness as their once tense and rocky relationship begins to smooth and settle. It is episodes like these and character development like this that makes The 100 worth watching.

Now the ambassador for the 13^th clan, Clarke gets her first lessons in Grounder politics and she quickly discovers that not only is Lexa’s position as Commander in danger, but also her life. Learning that under the Commander’s own rules and laws a Commander can only be removed from power through a unanimous vote or death, Clarke is adamant in supporting Lexa and being the only delegate not to vote in favor for her removal from power. But her relief is short lived as Lexa accepts Queen Nia’s challenge and decides that the Commander doesn’t have others fight for her.

Lexa tries to assure Clarke that even if she loses the battle to Roan, Skaikru will remain under the Commander’s protection. She calls upon Aden, the most promising of the Nightbloods, who vows his loyalty to Clarke and her people. This seems to do little in way of reassuring Clarke and tension between the two women rises when Lexa informs the ambassador of Skaikru that she has to accept the fact that today could be the day that her spirit chooses the next Commander. And what is Clarke’s ever so pleasant response? “Like hell I do.”

Attempting to settle the feud before the battle can even begin, Clarke approaches Roan, asking him to kill his mother and take the throne. Clarke seems to be quite the negotiator here, pointing out that if Queen Nia dies, Roan becomes King and will be able to return to Azgeda.   Roan has another idea though and informs Clarke that she is the one that can kill his mother and so with that, Clarke goes to Nia (Blindside #1). Faking a deal, Clarke attempts to use the Grounder’s pact-making oath of binding a deal with blood as a way to poison the Ice Queen, but Queen Nia’s right hand woman, Ontari, detects Clarke’s deception and stops things before they can come to fruition.

And off to battle Lexa and Roan go, after a tense and heartbreaking exchange between Heda and Wanheda (#Clexa), in which the words, “I won’t just sit there and let you die,” and “Then this is goodbye. For now,” are exchanged between the two women. Brief close-ups of Clarke’s face during the battle show just how worried she truly is and not only for the sake of her people, but also genuine worry and concern for Lexa.

Things between the two leaders finally come to a conclusion at the end of the episode when Lexa stops by Clarke’s room to thank her for supporting her. After the rocky road that they had been traveling down since Lexa had abandoned Clarke at Mount Weather, this scene lends to mend that relationship, showing a tender moment between the two in which Clarke tends to Lexa’s wounds. Clarke even manages to evoke a rare smile from the usually stoic Commander. It is during this scene that the two women are no longer Heda (“Commander) and Wanheda (“Commander of Death”), they have shed their rank and are now sitting in each others presence as Lexa and Clarke, something that they only do when with each other.

 

Lexa and Roan Battle

If there was one standout scene in the entire episode that surely had everyone gripping their seats and their hearts racing, it was the battle between Roan and Lexa. The scene was perfectly choreographed and flowed naturally, making both Zach McGowan and Alycia Debnam-Carey look like trained warriors.

Early on it becomes apparent that the crowd is split. The ambassadors sitting and watching with Queen Nia in their presence are all rooting for Prince Roan to defeat their Commander. The crowd, on the other hand, all roots for Heda, offering a glimpse into just how great of a leader Lexa has proven to be. She earns the support and the encouragement of her people, and you can see the concern and worry etched onto their faces as the camera pans the crowd, briefly stopping on the young Nightblood Aden.

The battle begins with Lexa seemingly the underdog, struggling to hold back Roan’s sword as it pushes dangerously close to her face. So what is the Commander to do when she finds herself in this predicament? Use her hand to push the blade away, causing a steady stream of black blood to drip from the wound and gasps of shock, awe and worry to escape from the observers. The fight is very much back and forth, a constant tug for the upper hand, and just when you think that one has fallen, they get back up. And if anyone reacted like me, their hearts dropped to their stomach as Roan disarmed Lexa and sent her flying to the ground with a forceful kick to her chest. But as the Commander has proven time and time again, she is cunning and clever, but just as Roan goes to make the final blow, she rolls out of the way, kicks Roan’s legs out from underneath him, and grabs the spear, reversing their positions.

            “Jus drein, jus daun.” Blood must have blood. Lexa echoes those words right before plunging the spear straight into the chest of Queen Nia, killing her (Blindside #2). Grounders believe that deaths must be avenged and Lexa certainly did that in “Watch the Thrones.” Back in season two, Lexa tells Clarke about Costia, the woman whom Lexa had once loved and whose death ultimately led to the Commander avoiding any form of emotion. According to Lexa, because Costia was her’s, Queen Nia had the woman tortured, killed and then beheaded. And as is Grounder tradition, blood must have blood, and Lexa finally avenged Costia’s murder.

The final moments of the battle show just how great of a leader Lexa can be. She had the chance to kill Prince Roan, the man that she was supposed to kill, but she instead kills the Ice Queen – gaining control of the situation once again and regaining the respect of those who had begun to doubt her. With the death of the Queen, Prince Roan becomes King, and Lexa is well aware that Roan proves to be a much more promising leader than his mother ever was.

 

Nightbloods

Lexa bleeds black. As executive producer Jason Rothenberg has said, Lexa is the “baddest ass on the ground.” You can’t get much more badass than bleeding black. It turns out that her unusual color of blood is what has enabled her to rule over the Grounders. She is a Nightblood, a select few among the population whose blood is black, a condition that (as Lexa informs Clarke ) traces back to the very first Commander.

The revelation of black blood allows insight into the exact process of how a Commander is chosen. In season 2, during a conversation with Clarke, Lexa reveals that their leaders are chosen by reincarnation. After episode four, it appears as if having black blood is a direct linkage to the original Commander and the first sign that the Commander’s spirit will be reincarnated into that child’s body. As soon as it is discovered that a child’s blood is black, they are whisked away to Polis, where they train to be warriors and learn under the guidance of the Commander. This offered for a tender scene of Lexa teaching the current Nightbloods, with one particular child, Aden, proving to be the star pupil and most promising.

 

Jasper and Monty Go on an Adventure

The events that unfolded in “Blood Must Have Blood: Part 2,” the finale of season two, marked a pivotal and life-changing event for Jasper (Devon Bostick). The boy who landed on Earth with a sense of humor, light-heartedness, and a close friendship with Monty (Christopher Larkin) is unrecognizable in the man that he has now become in the wake of Maya’s death. Struggling to deal with the loss, Jasper has pushed everyone away, turned to alcohol and is doing things that some may deem ridiculously stupid and dangerous.

“Watch the Thrones” presented an ultimatum for Jasper in the form of an adventure with Monty, who follows Jasper out of Arkadia and to the dropship, where Jasper proceeds to drink himself into a stupor. It turns out that Jasper brought along a few things in his bag, among them being Finn’s ashes that Abby (Paige Turco) had collected at Tondc. He states that he understands why Clarke and Bellamy (Bob Morley) did what they did, but he doesn’t understand how Monty could have played a hand in killing all of the innocent lives at Mount Weather, including Maya, who had also been Monty’s friend.

Finally, through with Jasper’s behavior and being his punching bag, Monty leaves, giving Jasper the choice of either accepting the help that he is trying to offer him or remaining alone and miserable. This seems to strike a chord with Jasper, and when he drunkenly falls and spills Finn’s ashes, it’s as if a wall has been broken. While it still remains unclear whether Jasper will be able to mend his friendship with Monty and whether he will finally begin the process of overcoming his loss, I think that it’s evident that this episode was a changing moment for Jasper, a moment of realization and self-reflection.

 

Pike and Bellamy Forge a Deal…and Potential War

In “Watch the Thrones,” the aftermath of the massacre at Mount Weather by the hands of a Grounder from Ice Nation played a prominent role for those remaining in Arkadia. From the very beginning, tensions are running high among the people. The knowledge that an army of 300 Grounders is camped outside of the Sky People’s community doesn’t sit well with some, and their frustrations are taken out on Lincoln, the man who is trying his hardest to assimilate into life among the Sky People. Tensions run even higher between Kane (Henry Ian Cusick), Abby, and Pike (Michael Beach) – all three leaders in their own way and on different sides of the argument. Untrusting of the Grounders despite the assurance that they are here under the Commander’s orders to protect Arkadia, Pike wants to put an end to the potential threat before it’s too late (Blindside #3). Kane and Abby, on the other hand, with Skaikru having recently joined Lexa’s coalition, entrust their fate to the Grounders, believing that they mean them no harm.

Sensing Bellamy’s vulnerability and his anger and hurt from the loss of Gina, Pike approaches him and proposes something that could have potentially disastrous affects: steal guns and kill the Grounder army. At first reluctant, Bellamy eventually agrees. Just as Lexa avenges the death of Costia, Bellamy very well may be trying to avenge the death of Gina. Blood must have blood, after all. But their plan doesn’t get very far, as they are stopped at the gates of Arkadia by Lincoln (Ricky Whittle) and later detained under orders from Abby and Kane, but not before Bellamy is able to rally the crowd behind Pike, and by the end of the episode it is revealed that Pike is the new chancellor. His first order of business? Pardon himself and the others. Second order of business? No longer recognizing the brand that Kane has on his arm signifying Skaikru’s place in the coalition. His third order of business? Pick up where his plan had been stopped: kill the Grounder army.

While it would be easy to dislike a character like Pike, it is important to realize that all of the characters on The 100 are complex and layered. Pike and Farm Station had endured months of attacks after landing on Earth and being separated from the rest of the Ark. Pike has no reason to trust Grounders. They have been the enemy for him since day one on the ground when Ice Nation killed 15 children, and in the eyes of Pike, all Grounders are the same. Unfortunately, his actions are likely to catapult Skaikru and the Grounders into battle, starting a war that could have been avoided.

 

And to Conclude…

“Watch the Thrones,” was an hour of intensity, an hour where jaws dropped, hearts raced, and a few eyes may have shed some tears. The episode was an excellent example of character development as we watched both Jasper and Bellamy struggling to deal with their losses, and we watched as Clarke and Lexa’s relationship healed. Not only does “Watch the Thrones” offer a perfect amount of action, it also offered an emotional connection between the characters.

            The 100 allows viewers the chance to peel back the many layers that make a character and understand their motivations and why they do what they do. It quickly becomes apparent that no one character is completely evil or completely good (maybe with the exception of the Ice Queen, but even she is doing what she believes is best for her people). It is this intense focus and understanding of the characters, combined with ongoing action and amazingly realistic post-apocalyptic sets that make The 100 one of the most rewarding shows to watch on television.

 

Don’t forget to watch episode 5 of The 100, “Hakeldama,” next week at 9 EST on the CW Network!