I have mixed feelings about Season 3, Episode 3 of The 100 (Ye Who Enter Here). It's definitely not my favorite episode of the Season so far. There was just too many Clarke and Lexa scenes for me to love it. I know some people probably thought it was the best episode ever because of all the Clarke and Lexa scenes, but I don't really like Clarke when she's spending vast amounts of time with Lexa. I think Lexa tries really hard to change her and mold her into what she thinks Clarke should be, instead of accepting Clarke for who she is. So the first half of the episode, I wasn't really a fan of. In the second half of the episode, things got cray, and that's the part I really enjoyed. Let my rambling begin!
We start off the episode with Clarke still stuck in Lexa's Ivory Tower. A week has passed in which Clarke has rebuffed Lexa's advances to talk. Lexa comes into Clarke's room and tells Clarke she wants the Sky People to become her people. That she wants the Skykru to become the 13th clan. That would involve Lexa becoming their leader and Clarke having to bow to her. Clarke is not having that. She then even tells Lexa to Go Float Yourself, which is funny because Lexa probably has no idea what that even means. Then comes what I think as a weak explanation on Lexa's part, why she betrayed Clarke and her people at the end of Season 2. Sure, maybe Lexa did what a good leader would do to save her people, but she gave the Sky people up to the wolves. She betrayed them and she really betrayed Clarke. I just thought Lexa's explanation was weak and she didn't even show that much passion in trying to convince Clarke that what she did was right. Lexa is so unemotional about things that she's almost boring. And I think the reason she's coming to Clarke for help is because Clarke sort of one-upped her by destroying the Mountain Men. Clarke has become Wanheda, the Commander of Death. She's like a mythic figure. If Lexa had honored their deal in Season 2, she might have shared that title with Clarke. I mean, Lexa's options are either get Clarke on her side or kill her. How strong can Commander Lexa really be when it was Wanheda that got rid of her enemy for good.
Then we fast forward to Commander Lexa's I AM SPARTA moment
which I just felt meh about. That Ice Nation guy was pretty stupid to follow her to an open balcony after he had just questioned her leadership skills. I guess it could have been a cool moment if it hadn't been such a copy from the 300 movie. Like if she had slit his throat and pushed him over the edge, that would have been more shocking.
We then are sent to Mount Weather, where Bellamy, Raven, Octavia, and Gina are there to deliver supplies. Pike and his Farm Station have pretty much moved in and are throwing a party. That just felt a little jarring and wrong, because the last time we had seen it like that was when the people of Mount Weather were still alive.
I loved the moment we got between Bellamy and Octavia. Octavia is going through such a struggle of where she belongs and it is kind of obvious that it's not with the Skykru anymore. Bellamy sees that and tells her that whatever she decides to do, she'll always have a place with him. Awww. Best sibling moment ever and more reason of why Bellamy is the best!
Then we get the surprise appearance of Echo, a Grounder who was being held at Mount Weather the same time Bellamy was. She helped Bellamy to escape from the guard and cages when he first got there, so Bellamy trusts her. She tells Bellamy that there is an assassin in Polis at the peace summit, and that at sundown, all the Sky People will die. Bellamy knows that Clarke is at Polis (along with other people who don't mean as much to him as Clarke does ;] ) so Bellamy decides pretty quickly that he's gotta go save Clarke.
Then we jump back to Polis where they are having their peace summit ceremony. For reasons that I still have yet to understand, Clarke decides to go along with Lexa's wishes. There's this weird singing going on. Clarke comes out in full grounder garb and bows down to Lexa. Yuck. I didn't get why Clarke changed her mind so quickly on that front. Lexa is still massively untrustworthy to me and seems to only look out for herself. So that's what I consider the not as exciting part of the episode. Lots of scenes with Clarke and Lexa at Polis doing really nothing. The second half is where everything starts to hit the fan and go really, really crazy.
Bellamy is determined to get to Polis and rescue them all from the assassin and Pike has the bright idea to try to arm the missiles in Mount Weather. That was a head scratcher. The first thing he thinks of is to use the most destructive weapon he has around to take out the Grounders. Pike and I are gonna have problems. So Raven, Sinclair, and Gina head to the control room to figure out how to arm the missiles. Turns out you need a code that they don't have.
We then get a really heartbreaking scene where Raven asks if she's broken, that maybe she can't be fixed. I love Raven and seeing her hurting has me hurting. Sinclair does a pretty good job of convincing her to let Abby and the medical team try and fix her hip. I think she even might take him up on that offer. Gina offers to go to the President's office to see if the codes are written down somewhere.
Then the massive twist happens!!!
Echo has betrayed them. The Assassin is not at Polis, HE'S IN MOUNT WEATHER *screaming*
Echo is part of Ice Nation, which is no friend to Commander Lexa or anyone that Lexa wants to bring in as an ally. Echo has been sent so the Sky People's guard will be down. So disappointing. I wonder if we'll get more story with Echo. Like will she try to redeem herself. She didn't seem that gleeful when she made her report.
Anway, Gina is making a report from the President's Office and the Assassin is RIGHT BEHIND HER!! AAaaahhh. He stabs Gina a bunch of times and opens up a panel on the President's Desk. He rolls up his sleeve to reveal a code on his arm and triggers a self-destruct sequence for Mount Weather. Why would Mount Weather have a self-destruct option? I don't know. Doesn't seem very smart to me. After he punches in the code, the assassin leaves. Gina musters just enough strength to get to the walkie talkie and warn Raven and Sinclair of the imminent doom that is about to happen and the assassin. Sinclair and Raven chase the Assassin out of the compound and Raven shoots him dead. She tries to get Gina back on the walkie to give her the code and turn the self-destruct off, but it's too late, Gina is dead.
Again, I have mixed feelings about this turn of events. I didn't necessarily love Gina's character, because she was an impediment to the whole Bellarke relationship, but maybe I would have liked her if I'd been given a chance too. If Gina's character would have had the chance to grow. From what I've heard Jason Rothenberg say (the show creator and cause of vast frustration regarding Bellarke) losing Gina will make Bellamy make some bad decisions as the season goes on. Many viewers were criticizing this as a cheap, overused plot device and I have to agree. Even when Bellamy learns of Gina's death, he doesn't act that heartbroken. I think that's because Gina was always just a filler for him. A way to carry on while Clarke was gone. Their relationship never really felt believable and it does seem kind of dirty only to include her and her death to make Bellamy go on some dark, questionable journey. Rothenberg could have done better with that one, because I really don't think The 100 fandom buys it that much. Anyway RIP Gina, I wish I could have had the chance to know you better.
Raven, after not being able to get Gina on the walkie is about to run into Mount Weather when it explodes!!!
30+ Sky People are included in the causalities. The majority of them being from that unlucky Farm Sector who just can't seem to catch a break. Things are going good. They've found more of their people. A place to bunker down. And then BOOM dead. So this will result in more hard feelings from Pike and more ammo for his whole death to the Grounders spiel.
Bellamy, Octavia, and Pike meanwhile have made it into the peace summit with swords drawn only to find nothing there. Raven then calls in on her walkie to tell of the tragedy. Lexa then declares them at war with Ice Nation and has all Ice Nation affiliates at the summit arrested. Prince Roan goes back to jail. He's not really all that surprised.
Then comes the moment where my Bellarke heart breaks once again. Lexa sends the Arker's back to their territory in order to get ready for war. But surprise surprise, she wants to keep Clarke with her as a Skykru Ambassador. My eyes just rolled. Could Lexa be anymore transparent. She just doesn't want Clarke going off with Bellamy, who she's already jealous of. Bellamy comes to Clarke and tells her to come back to her people, that they need her and Lexa can't be trusted for anything. Bellamy reminds Clarke of how Lexa left their people to die and how she'll do it again, given the chance. Clarke again breaks Bellamy's heart by stating that she would stay with Lexa. ARRGGGHH. His face in that scene.
Here's what I'm afraid of, that this Season will be just like Season 2, where Bellamy and Clarke are separated the majority of the time, while Lexa is there to try and manipulate and change Clarke. I'm tired of this. Bellamy and Clarke work better when they are together than when they are apart. Lexa is a thorn that needs to be removed. Also Lexa's motives are always so fishy. I'm hoping that Clarke still has her defenses up around Lexa. That she realizes that it is only a matter of time before Lexa decides to betray her again. I hope she can fix the damage that she continues to do to Bellamy's heart and trust. This scene just hurt me.
Then we get a weird scene where Lexa bows down to Clarke and recites some weird vows of loyalty, almost like she's trying to marry Clarke. *Gag* Lexa is a liar and a cheat and will continue to be one in my mind.
The last real important scene in this episode is that the Ice Queen is finally revealed along with our slippery Mount Weather foe Emerson, the only survivor of the Mount Weather annihilation.
He's the one that supplied the codes and started this next conflict. Emerson, Go Float Yourself. In regards to the Ice Queen, she looks pretty scary. A formidable enemy. I'm scared, nervous, and excited to see what she does next.
Oh and I almsot forgot, no City of Light, Jaha, or Murphy in this episode. Also no Jasper or Monty. I guess that's a good thing about this show, how there are so many storylines and characters that you care about, that you notice when they are not in an episode. I bet we'll get some City of Nonsense stuff, Oh I mean City of Light stuff, in the next episode.
So those are my thoughts on Episode 3 - Ye Who Enter Here. It's not my favorite episode of Season 3. The beginning was a little slow and boring, but the second half was pretty awesome. This episode also caused much pain for my Bellarke heart. I blame the vocal Lexa/Clexa fandom for this and the show writers and creators continuing to push a weak romance instead of the strong one with more chemistry. As always, these are my own thoughts and opinions. If you don't like what I have to say, I don't care.
Episode Grade: B
Slow first half, but great second half. Twist I didn't see coming. RIP Gina, you deserved more. Lexa Go Float Yourself. My Bellarke heart hurts.
screenshots from http://screencapped.net/tv/the100/
