This The 100 review contains spoilers.
The 100 Season 6 Episode 9
It seems strange to say that everything’s coming together, considering the overall high quality of this season. Nonetheless, this episode had the uniquely satisfying feeling of disparate threads knitting together. That is, until the emotional gut-punch of Marcus Kane’s death.
While Greyston Holt’s time on The 100 playing the second coming of Marcus Kane was shortlived, it was impressive. He managed to somehow have the Kane vibe down cold, in an otherworldly way. Still, I was glad to see Henry Ian Cusick get to say farewell as the character he spent five seasons building and creating. When we first met Kane, he was an odious heel, the kind that was so juicy, so easy to hate. It was hard to imagine then that he would become the moral compass of the show. The writing took Kane on that journey, sure, but Cusick’s performance is what sold it and had us cheering for him to live and begging for Kebby where so many had previously hoped he would go float himself.
Going out like he did, on his own terms, was completely true to his character. It will likely wreck Abby, especially considering her first husband (she may not have married Kane but he was a true partner in every sense) died walking out of an airlock, too. But it was the right end for Marcus Kane. It was a great performance from Cusick, and I’ll miss the gravitas he brought to the show and the way he acted as a sounding board and paternal figure for so many characters, especially the volatile Blakes. It’s too bad Kane won’t get to see Diyoza’s redemption and whatever the future holds for her child – I have a feeling he would have loved it.
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It was right, too, that his dear friend Indra was there to say goodbye and to help him carry out his wishes. It should surprise no one that at some point Indra memorized the full version of May We Meet Again, halfway between a poem and a prayer, the raison d’etre of Kane’s mother and her entire religious sect. Indra’s farewell honored Kane’s mother – his past – as well as his present in the form of the bond he cared about so much between the unified clans of earth, with the Grounder farewell you gonplei stei odon – your fight is over.
The 100 used Kane to make it even more clear that they’re not just getting into Sanctum’s false gods, but dabbling in our own god complex. Yes Indra, Kane was crucified, died, and now he has been resurrected. And yes, Children of Gabriel extra #6, please do radio from Jericho to Providence, and say hi to Skeet Ulrich while you’re at it. I’m sure Bellamy does know there were originally 13 apostles – er, Primes – before that whole business with Judas – I mean Gabriel. How much farther will they push it? As Indra pointed out, does it matter if they really are gods? Certainly whatever is happening with Sheidheda in Madi’s head will have an opinion if he’s told he’s merely one of several files on a data drive, implanted into someone’s mind.
O faced down some red butterflies (instead of blue, harkening back to season 1) which lead her to Blodreina, symbolizing all of her dark, destructive impulses. Her desire to kill rather than handle her emotions. I’m surprised nothing from the SkaiRippa era came up, considering that was a clear cut (and better written) example of what the writers are no retconning the Blodreina era into being, Octavia running toward violence as a way of hiding from emotional devastation.
This recontextualization is probably our best bet for redemption and moving on, though it still doesn’t resolve the fundamental flaw that we were still never let in on Blodreina’s decision making or hesitations as she made her choices. So many of her actions made little sense from a character standpoint and could have been salvaged, had the script put in the time to bring us in on her thinking instead of “preserving” a twist we all could see coming from a mile away or giving more screen time to Clarke’s equally confusing decisions.
Speaking of Clarke, it was good to see her! Josephine was pragmatic as usual, allowing killer Clarke to take the wheel to save their collective skin when necessary. Of course our girl Wanheda won’t go back in the corner without a fight. I love that she found a way to snark on Josephine even while her body was occupied, Morse coding out “boo hoo.” Bellamy will be fine – the confidence that those two have that they can handle themselves is so refreshing. They don’t feel the need to rescue one another unless things are really dire, and instead focus on the real problems at hand, of which there are many.
Other notes
I can’t possibly overstate how thrilling it is to see INDRA AWAKE!
Great to see so much Trig again this episode!
OK Octavia vs Blodreina is basically the best fight I can imagine on this show.
O’S face when she heard Clarke’s voice on the radio broke my heart a bit.
Remembering that the Blakes have no idea Kane is dead made me sad all over again. Space Dad!
Read more about Season 6 of The 100 here.