Stunning Motif in 'The 100'
After a jaw-dropping mid-season finale and a hiatus over the Christmas season, ‘The 100’ returned to television this Wednesday with a strong opening to the second half of their season. While our friends on Mount Weather continue their Oceans 11-esque escape plan to get off the mountain, the “Sky People” are left reeling by Finn’s death, and the Grounders contemplate whether or not Clarke’s merciful murdering of Finn brought sufficient justice.
What struck me most about this episode was the writers’ impressive use of motif—or recurring theme. In the mid-season finale, ‘Spacewalker,’ Clarke had to murder the man she loved in order to promote peace between her people and the Grounders. While her murdering of Finn was an act of mercy, saving him from the impending tortures threatened by the Grounders, this act, as Lexa says to her, “will haunt [her] for the rest of her life” (Remember Me).
In ‘Remember Me,’ this theme of sacrifice is effectively repeated. While I think many would agree with me that Indra seemed the most likely culprit for the attempted murder of Lexa, it proved a powerful turn when it was revealed to be Gustus, Lexa’s right hand man. Gustus’ actions were not really an attempt to kill Lexa but an attempt to break the alliance and save her life. As he eerily says to her, “This alliance will cost you your life.” As a result of his actions, however, Lexa has to kill him, thus repeating the motif from the previous episode. In order for the alliance between the Sky People and the Grounders to be struck, both Lexa and Clarke had to kill men they truly cared about and who truly cared about them.
Both Finn and Gustus did risky (and immoral when speaking for Finn) things in order to protect the women they cared about. And both of their actions led not just to their death—but death at the hand of the woman they had sought to protect. This irony and repeated theme made these episodes stand out to me as some of the strongest writing I have seen on TV.
vaporwave
stormborns
jimmyeatworldofficial
tangentwithtanner
origamiaround
