Murphy and Indra must defuse a tense situation. Meanwhile, old friends make new allegiances.
In 2019, the television industry aired 532 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of The CW's The 100.
"The Flock" was written by Alyssa Clark and directed by Amyn Kaderali
Across the series, the drama has examined the difference between surviving and living. Choices were made to ensure the human race would survive despite numerous extinction level events. Those decisions were seemingly inevitable. Someone had to make them. They needed the clarity to do what's best for everyone even if they weren't exactly entitled or prepared to make such drastic decisions. It ultimately came down to a test over loyalty. Clarke and her friends were loyal to each other. As such, the people who stood in the way of their survival would frequently be killed. Innocent lives were lost as a result of that. They have had to reckon with the choices they've made. And now, several of them are placed in a situation where life is entirely about protecting humanity from the greatest threat that exists in the known universe. The Disciples are a collective society built around the idea that one must be in service to the many. It's selfish for anyone to allow emotions to infiltrate their lives. That still happens. All it took was Octavia coming in to burst their bubble. Levitt has seen a world drastically different than his own. He is in awe of Octavia while understanding the burden and complexity of the actions she has taken in the past. Even though she is trying to appease Anders by fighting in his war and passing his tests, these two are still fundamentally drawn to each other. This society isn't perfect. It's built up on the idea that the shepherd will protect everyone. He is the savior who brought humanity to this planet. He will be the one to lead the charge against the enemy that lurks out there. And yet, Bill is just a man trapped with a sense of self-importance. He didn't unlock the mysteries of the Orb. He has simply created a narrative that props him up as otherworldly. It's easy to buy into that concept because Bardo and the terrors outside the compound reveal a world and threat unlike anything any person has had to face before. These characters may fully be fighting aliens at this point. But the story is still centered around the personal emotions and how they play a role in this ongoing debate. Anders tests Octavia, Echo, Diyoza and Hope to convert them to their way of life. He has to trust that they will serve the best interests of Bardo. Their loyalties need to be to something greater than each other. They have to fight for a cause instead of caring solely about their personal freedoms. It's not a choice though. They are psychologically manipulated into believing they have to kill their friends for the good of the cause. Hope fails in that endeavor. She wants this society to burn to the ground. She doesn't care about the war that Anders continually says is coming. It has no purpose in her life. Anders suggests that she is selfish and thus unworthy because of that viewpoint. She is made to suffer because she can't control her emotions. This society offers peace when it comes to the suffering that women have to go through to sustain the human race. However, it also crushes their spirits because it only allows one perspective to be seen as valid. Even if they are successful in this war, this society isn't built to last. It doesn't establish itself as something that can flourish outside of these perimeters. Clarke will challenge that now that she has landed on the planet. She is fighting for her friends. She has to save them. She is greeted by a man who wants to explore the secrets of her mind to better prepare for a conflict he sees as the most important thing. It's all selfish and impulsive. That works in the context of this story even though it seems like the show is once again repeating itself. Back on Sanctum, it's always abundantly clear that Sheidheda is playing a long con that will eventually lead to him in power once more. As such, the other characters are constantly coming across as foolish for falling into his obvious traps. Indra believes that locking him in a room with the Faithful who feel scorned by him killing their leader will be a death sentence for him. It isn't. It just eliminates one group of people while earning him the devotion of another. Indra has always feared what he was capable of. She was tentative in every interaction knowing that he was working on some master plan. She feared him gaining control of Wonkru. That has now happened. It's the expected plot beat. As such, it's not all that exciting. The show isn't going out of its way to surprise the audience in its final season. It has moments of excitement. It's also all over the map using confusing timelines to rapidly depict character evolutions in service of a final story that is both simply too straightforward and incredibly vague about why it is important in the first place.
