Naming Day Brings a Dangerous Revelation About Sanctum on ‘The 100’ (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
Throughout the past six seasons, The 100 has had many, many jaw-dropping moments. Lexa freeing her people at Clarke’s expense. Clarke and Bellamy pulling the lever at Mount Weather. Clarke surviving Priamfiya. Monty’s “new planet” reveal.
Tonight’s episode, “The Face Behind The Glass,” has a stunning moment that might surpass them all.
For being only four episodes into a 13-episode season, The 100 is keeping things moving at a quick pace. Last week was all about exploring Sanctum, but this week shines a light into the dark corners of the too-beautiful place and signals a huge, perhaps irreversible change in a main character. Meanwhile, Octavia and Diyoza are on the same mission in the forest, in different places.
One Condition
The episode opens with an exiled Diyoza building a fire in the woods. She’s approached by some officials from Sanctum on motorbikes, who say if she helps return the child the Children of Gabriel took, Rose, Russell will let her live in Sanctum. “One condition,” Diyoza says. “I get a bike.” They give her one, and she rides off.
In Sanctum, things aren’t going so hot. Russell’s wife wants him to cancel Naming Day. “If we cancel, Gabriel wins,” Russell says. Though they don’t know if he’s alive, Russell insists Gabriel’s cause is… but he still won’t cancel the ceremony.
Elsewhere, Sanctum is preparing for Naming Day. A doctor tells Delilah he needs to have a look at her, and he says he needs to see Clarke, too. The doctor declares Clarke fine — though he tells her she should keep her wound covered unless she wants people to worship her — and says he hopes he’ll see her later. Madi and Clarke have a conversation about their lives: Madi wants to go to school, but since she’s a Nightblood and a Commander, Clarke says it isn’t possible.
Making Amends…?
Clarke, Bellamy, Raven, Jordan and a few others attend the ceremony. As they watch, Russell welcomes them to Naming Day. He says the day marks the return of Priya by bequeathing the name to Delilah. He says he will begin the process of making amends, and he gives a tearful apology to Kailey for what happened to her family. She embraces him, and all is forgiven. Then, Russell says, it’s their turn to embrace their neighbors and free themselves.
Heeding his words, Clarke goes to apologize to Raven. Unfortunately, Raven isn’t willing to listen or accept her apology. “The problem isn’t making amends, Clarke,” she says. “Every time you do something horrible, you say you’re sorry, and then you do it again.” She tells Clarke she’s just like Octavia, but that at least Octavia doesn’t pretend to feel bad about what she does. Geez, Raven sure isn’t fond of the Griffin women lately!
Meanwhile, the Children of Gabriel are torturing Octavia for information until Xavier steps in to get them to relent. They call Clarke a “host,” and little Rose begs Octavia to tell them what she knows. “They’re monsters,” the child says, to which Octavia responds, “so am I.”
You’re My Family
Xavier gives Octavia some food and tells her “stay quiet and maybe you’ll live.” He leaves behind a knife, and Octavia uses it to cut through the rope and escape with Rose. The Children figure out they’re gone and run after them. In Sanctum, Clarke has more luck apologizing to another one of her friends. During a lantern-building ceremony that is meant to “float away” their sins, Clarke apologizes to Bellamy for leaving him in Polis. “I know what it’s like to risk everything for one person,” he says, “Madi’s your family.” She insists he’s her family, too, and they hug.
Raven goes to the machine shop, where she meets a guy trying to get a motorcycle started. He’s apparently a Prime, though he doesn’t act like it. Clarke attends a club-esque dance party and runs into the doctor again, where they dance and she smiles.
Speaking of Octavia, she’s trying to run from the Children… and ends up not having much luck. Diyoza and the Sanctum team show up in the nick of time, but they don’t get all the Children. One of them fires a few shots and hits Rose, killing her. In the aftermath, Octavia and Diyoza go to find and kill the leader of the Children of Gabriel so Sanctum honors the deal.
Face Behind the Glass
Clarke and the doctor sleep together, which keeps her from the ceremony. After, they talk about Sanctum and he tells her not everyone believes in the divinity of the primes. Things take a turn when she notices sketches of herself and her friends, with her face circled, because she’s a Nightblood. He says once they get her to the Children of Gabriel, everything will be fine. He’s a spy! He shoots her with a paralytic dart and prepares to take her through the radiation shield, but he’s caught and kills himself rather than being captured.
At the ceremony, Delilah accepts her honor and steps forward, but she runs back to Jordan to kiss him… and tells him something a little ominous. “Don’t let me become a face behind the glass,” she says. It appears that’s exactly what she becomes. When she emerges, she doesn’t seem to recognize Jordan and embraces the mechanic Raven was hanging around with, calling him “my baby.” Something’s very, very wrong.
When Clarke wakes up, she’s in a lab with Russell, his wife and a whole bunch of skeletons. She watches them talk about killing her to get their daughter back, because there aren’t enough hosts left without Clarke. “The mind of the host is erased but the brain is left unharmed,” Russell says, in a twisted attempt to soothe a crying Clarke. He injects her with something, and she goes unconscious. When she wakes up, she’s not Clarke Griffin anymore — she’s Josephine Prime. She looks in the mirror and smiles.
Other Observations
- Who knew The 100 would be loosely inspired by Get Out this season? Throughout those last few minutes I kept waiting for a savior — Bellamy to burst in, Raven or Madi to show up — but it didn’t happen. This begs the question… the real Clarke can’t be totally gone, but where is she now? Can someone take a photo of her and get her back for a few seconds with the flash? Josephine Prime won’t be able to play Clarke forever. Abby, Bellamy and Madi will know something’s wrong.
- Octavia and Diyoza is a team-up I’ve been waiting for since their conversation on the ship during last season’s finale. They’re going to be an awesome duo, and Diyoza might be able to help Octavia work through some of her troubles. Also: did Xavier die when Diyoza opened fire?
- Echo backstory! Nice! I still wonder if she’s linked to Costia’s death somehow, but we probably won’t get answers on that.
The 100, Tuesdays, 9/8c, The CW
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