Please note: this recap contains major, major spoilers for the fourth episode of The 100. If you don’t want to know what happens, turn away now!
War has moved to inside the walls of Arkadia on The 100, and no one is safe from the coming battle. While Clarke and Lexa were caught up in trying to end the war between the Trikru coalition and Ice Nation with some political manuevering, a smaller but just as important conflict was brewing between Kane and newcomer Pike inside the borders of the Ark station camp. You can’t escape war no matter who or where you are!
This week’s episode, “Watch the Thrones,” was one of the best episodes of the series to date. There was political maneuvering like we’ve never seen before (is this The 100 or Game of Thrones?), breath taking action sequences and surprising twists, but it all began with a war council. Lexa had the Ice Nation queen, Nia, arrested for acts against the newest of the 13 clans of the coalition: the Skaikru. The punishment? Death. But instead, Nia staged a coup during the council, and asked for a vote of no confidence against Lexa. But only a unanimous vote or death can remove a commander from power, and Clarke wouldn’t vote for it. So instead, Nia issues “the challenge,” a single combat fight to the death fought by representatives for each leader. Nia picked her son, Roan, to fight for her, while Lexa opted to fight for herself, to prove to everyone she isn’t weak.
But since Clarke was still worried about her people’s fate if Lexa was killed, Lexa had her second, Aiden, pledge his loyalty to Clarke as well. Plus, Lexa told Clarke, she had Indra send a peacekeeping army to protect Arkadia’s borders from any Grounder attacks. But that didn’t stop Clarke from worrying that Roan would kill Lexa, so she approached Roan to try to reason with him next, in an attempt to convince him to kill his mother and become King of Ice Nation. But Roan told Clarke that his people would never take him back if he killed their queen, so he offered to help Clarke do it instead. A mother who sends her son to a fight to the death in her place, and a son who tries to help plan his mother’s assassination? Wow, there is very little love lost between Roan and Nia. Some might even say their relationship is … icy. (Sorry.)
So, Clarke took Roan’s advice and attempted poison Nia under the guise of making a deal: she’d kill Lexa in exchange for her people’s safety. But Nia’s own second smelled the poison before Clarke’s plan could work, escalating things even further. Nia declared war on Clarke and the Skaikru and revealed that her second has the black blood of the Nightbloods. (This means this Ice Nation warrior could be the next commander.) Clarke went straight to Lexa and Titus to warn them of Nia’s plans to make her second the new commander, and Lexa was shocked that a Nightblood slipped through her fingers. There is so much going on right now in Polis, but I especially need to learn more about this Nightblood mythology!
At the single combat showdown, Clarke showed up but clearly felt conflicted. She obviously didn’t want Lexa to die, but there’s something with her and Roan, too—she doesn’t want either of them to die. (Honestly, neither do I.) And in one of the coolest scenes to date on this show, Lexa and Roan faced off in a shocking, equally matched battle. There were moments where it looked like either of them could win or die …until Lexa got Roan at the end of her spear. But instead of finishing him off, she declared that blood must have blood and threw her spear straight into Nia’s chest, killing her. With the queen dead, Roan is now King of Ice Nation. Twist!
Later that night, Lexa visited Clarke in her room to thank her for showing up to the fight. Lexa believed it meant something, which it did, but of course Clarke still tried to deny it, claiming she only went along with it because it was the right thing for her people. Sure, Clarke. Keep telling yourself that. Clexa fans know better.
Back at Arkadia, though, things weren’t any less tense. Pike wanted to take immediate action against the Grounders for what happened to his people at Mount Weather, but Abby and Kane tried to educate him on the fact that now that they’re a part of Lexa’s coalition—she will get justice against the Ice Nation for them. Of course Pike couldn’t accept that; he couldn’t (or just plain wouldn’t) understand the benefits of Lexa’s peacekeeping force stationed outside their gates, so he riled up the Arkadia people to join his side in being anti-Grounder to the point where they even attacked Lincoln, leaving him with a nasty head wound. Guys, stay away from Lincoln, or I swear … blood must have blood. (Editor’s Note: SECONDED.)
This loss and feeling of failure seemed to especially affect Bellamy—after all his girlfriend Gina died alongside the rest of the Mount Weather casualties. (The weight of that feels as though it’s about to set Bellamy on a very destructive path.) Pike could tell Bellamy was feeling vulnerable, so he liquored him up and convinced him to steal guns from the armory to help Pike attack the peacekeeping force outside their gates. No! Bellamy! You know better than this! Bellamy has already lived through a war against the Grounders and he knows deep down it’s not the smartest decision to attack them, but he also just lost another person he loves because of Grounders. So he’s making rash decisions based on fresh and raw emotions, like trying quit the Arkadia guard (thankfully, Kane wouldn’t let him). We know he’s making a mistake, but he can’t see it. It’s a good reminder to everyone that not even Bellamy is perfect, no matter how much we may want him to be.
Bellamy ended up getting the guns, but their attack squad ran into Lincoln on the way out of Arkadia. He held them off long enough for the alarm to sound, and Kane and Abby arrested all the conspirators—including Pike and Bellamy. But Pike was able to spout off enough propaganda to get the people gathered to call for his name to be on the ballot for the vote for chancellor. And sure enough, the next morning, Kane visited Pike in the prison to hand him the chancellor pin. His first acts as chancellor were to pardon himself and the rest of his conspirators, as well as reject the brand that made Arkadia the 13th clan and arming themselves to attack Lexa’s peacekeeping force. Yikes. This is going to end terribly. For Arkers and Grounders alike.
Someone else continuing on his destructive path? Jasper. He refused to go the Mount Weather memorial and instead got drunk and snuck out of camp with Monty on his tail (because Monty continues to be the best friend ever). Jasper took him all the way back to the dropship, which almost looked peaceful now that some grass has grown over the ashes of all the dead Grounders Raven fried. Jasper drunkenly passed out under a tree, and Monty found a jar of ashes in his backpack—Finn’s ashes. Turns out Jasper stole them from Arkadia!
When Jasper finally woke up, Monty gave it to him straight: he needs to shape up. Everyone is hurting. Everyone has lost someone. But it’s no one’s fault, no matter how much Jasper wants to blame Clarke or him. But Jasper wouldn’t hear it, and so Monty gave up and walked away. (This bromance is officially over. Hearts are breaking all over the world!) And to kick Jasper when he’s already down, he tripped and spilled Finn’s ashes on the ground. So much for a ceremonial memorial, huh?
What did you think of that beautifully choreographed single combat scene between Lexa and Roan? How scared should we be now that Pike is chancellor? How much do you want to hug Bellamy and punch Jasper in the face? Tweet me your thoughts at @SydneyBucksbaum!
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Images: The CW
The 100 airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.
