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You know what happens when you give me basically an entire episode devoted to one Clarke Griffin? I have very little to complain about. Which is good! I did manage to find two things that bother me but honestly, it’s more of a network thing and not a show thing, so I’ll mention it below but I’ll also deal. Overall, The 100 6×07, “Nevermind” was a very good episode. While not my favorite of the season, I feel comfortable putting it in the top three. After all, how could I hate an episode that gives me basically a full hour of Clarke fighting to survive, deciding to die, and then deciding to live again with a little help from her (fake but much missed) friend?
There are no ‘meh’ things this week, just a lot of love, the two things I didn’t like, and a whole lot of questions and theories for the rest of the season. And believe me: there are so many theories. I’m grateful that once again this show has given the will to theorize back to me. Speaking of theories, if you missed Yana Grebenyuk’s preview for this episode over on TV Fanatic, she was able to rightfully guess a majority of this episode using the sneak peeks and fandom speculation. I say this with my whole chest: our MINDS. So powerful.
[This review contains spoilers for the “Nevermind” episode of The 100.]
The 100 Review: “Nevermind”
Season 6, Episode 7 | Airdate: June 18, 2019
Directed by: Michael Blundell | Written by: Kim Shumway
Things I Loved
Clarke: How could I not love my baby kicking ass and trying to take her life back? When Clarke had enough of Josephine’s shenanigans in her mind-space and started slamming her head with the door? Well, violence is never the answer but you know? I didn’t hate it.
We start the episode with Clarke waking in her SkyBox cell from the pilot episode, surrounded by drawings of her memories, the good and the bad, but not of the most painful. But more on that in a minute. As she touches the drawings, they send a flash through her mind, reminding the audience of the memories as well. She sees the cell door and leaves the room (and her pilot episode look) behind as she escapes back to Earth in the little neck of the woods that she and Madi called home. It was one of the most peaceful times in Clarke’s young life and it was a manifestation of her love for it. That wasn’t the only manifestation that popped up because PAPA GRIFFIN WAS BACK! Sure, he was only a figment of Clarke’s subconscious projecting itself back to her but it was emotional and I missed him. If I had it my way, he’d stay forever.
After not!Dad reveals that he’s not real and she’s not actually dead, he tells her to go back and fight to get the answers she needs and to reclaim her body, that he’ll be there if she needs him. And while I wish we got to see him more after that, unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t the mother-forking-HAPPIEST that we got to see the others that returned. But more on that below.
Clarke escapes back in to another section of her brain aka ‘mind-space’ that is represented by the Ark. Personally, I didn’t realize how much I had missed the Ark set until I actually saw it again and it makes me sad that I may never actually see it again. Regardless, Clarke notices a door that’s not supposed to be there with a Christmas wreath on it that represents Josie in her brain. As she wonders what the fork is happening, the door behind her with her memories pops open to reveal Alie and Clarke is now dressed back in her season three look. Eliza, I’m sorry. That outfit is horrible and I’m deeply sorry they forced you back in to an uncomfortable-and frankly, ugly-corset. Her clothes, however are not the point of the scene. The point is that we now know that because Clarke took the flame back in season three, there’s a neural mesh which basically translates to a protective shield around her consciousness. Sorry, Josie.
We also learn that the way to get rid of that mesh is to use an EMP like they did to Raven and Abby in season three, a fact that not!Alie tells Clarke to keep close to her. Alie also foreshadows where Clarke’s darkest and most painful memories that she can’t deal with are hidden since they’re not drawn on the walls. Thanks for giving Clarke the idea to hide her secret there, not!Alie! You smart figment of imagination, you.
Josephine finally escapes her own mindscape to come play-rather violently-with Clarke in hers. As mentioned before, Clarke manages to kill her once, she commits suicide via a shock collar the second, brings back a fake Russell in the third, and leaves peacefully the third time. Until Clarke goes in to her own mind-space and private thoughts and she flips out and tries to kill Clarke again, despite the deal they struck. But again, more on that in a bit.
In the end, Clarke is still stuck in her own mind-scape and Josephine still has control of Clarke’s body but definitely not as much control as she thinks she does. In the deepest recesses of Josephine’s subconscious, Clarke is alive and kicking, and putting on a light show to get the attention of those who love her. And get their attention she does.
Bellamy: Bob Morley has the habit of stealing the show with very minimal screen time. He did it in season four with Bellamy’s primal scream at hearing Octavia was “dead” and he did it again with this episode. Bellamy is making a game plan with Russell on how to build a compound for all of his people in exchange for them not retaliating about them murdering Clarke. When Josephine first walks in-looking like a snack, by the way-he falters because it’s still hard for him to see Clarke and know it’s not Clarke. He quickly gets back on the subject but he is so attuned to his Clarke that even though he knows it’s not her, he can’t help but notice when she’s being weird. All it took was a few taps of her finger against her arm for Bellamy’s soulmate/husband instincts to kick in and realize he was being signaled by Clarke. Honestly. Tapping of fingers on the arm. What type of soulmate bull is that? Good thing he’s so observant because if it was me, Clarke’s ass would be a goner.
Regardless, it’s not me, it’s Bellamy, and after spending all of 6×06 being a very upset bean, this episode ends with him realizing Clarke is alive and he vows he’s going to get her back. I cannot tell a lie, this is very exciting. The first half of season six seems to have been losing Clarke and the back-half appears to have been set up on how to get her back. Using morse code was a stroke of genius on Clarke’s part. Finally, after 2199 calls, she sent out one more and he actually got this one. I stan two (2) intellectual nerds who know how to communicate beyond “death.”
Josephine: There is no denying that this woman is a straight up psychopath. She has completely lost whatever humanity she ever had. But you know what she does have? Some really amazing quips and one-liners.
“Go float yourself.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
*
“Between us girls, I like your body.”
*
“Child abuse dressed up as protection.”
*
You’re selfish.” (like she has any room to talk, amirite?)
But probably the most important line that came from Josephine?
“I have to think of my people.”
Clarke is casually browsing through Josephine’s memories when she witnesses Josephine’s last host murdering Isaac at the offering grove. And why? Because he was stealing her offerings of nulls to the woods. She quite clearly tells him that she wants to pursue oblation for the good of her people, a line that Clarke herself has used many times. What makes this so interesting to focus on is that in a different life, Clarke could turn out just like Josephine. Josephine is basically a cautionary tale of who Clarke doesn’t want to turn in to but that she very easily could have. But she never lost that piece of herself like Josie did. Maybe it’s because Josie has been surrounded by people who spoil and pamper her, treat her like the princess that everyone accuses Clarke of being. Meanwhile Clarke herself has been surrounded by people who love her like Madi, Bellamy, and Abby, who have kept her sane and tethered to the ground. Moreso, Josie’s version of “saving” everyone isn’t trying to avoid something like a nuclear apocalypse or two, but rather cheating even the most natural of deaths. Nature runs its course and living forever isn’t realistic. And even if it is, are you really living if you’ve lost the part of yourself that made you human?
Monty: Bruh. Bruh. Bruuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh. Words cannot explain how excited I was to see the fandom theory of Monty being back for this episode being accurate. I LOVE THIS PURE BEAN OF A MAN! Having him be the one to help Clarke realize that by giving in to Josephine aka death wasn’t doing better was so brilliant. Clarke has been trying to live up to his last wish and her brain manifesting him as her will to live? Epic. Plus, not only is Monty a pure bean, he’s a literal genius and watching him and Clarke hack in to Josephine’s mind-scape was wonderful. More than that, a shout-out has to go to the directional shot of Monty flicking the lights in the diner to morphing in to Clarke doing it because Monty is Clarke in this scenario, he’s a projection from her subconscious mind, making every action he’s done something she’s actually doing in a way. Loved literally everything about this. A+.
Furthermore, Monty represents the part of Clarke that wants to live. She may have admitted defeat and given in to Josephine’s pestering but a small nugget of herself wanted to live and survive. He called her on her crap excuses and made it a point of giving her reasons to keep on going. Love that for her.
Projections and Guilt: Jake, Monty, and Alie seem to be the parts of Clarke’s subconscious mind that want her to not give up while Maya and Octavia are physical representations of Clarke’s guilt, remorse, and desire to just let go.
Maya was the love of Jasper Jordan’s life and when Clarke and Bellamy pulled the lever in Mount Weather in season two-with the help of Monty, mind you-she died after being exposed to radiation that her body wasn’t equipped to handle. Clarke has always held the guilt of Mount Weather with her and people on the ground weren’t soon to let her forget it. She was reminded every single time she was called Wanheda, the commander of death. In the back of her mind she must have realized that Maya dying was what triggered Jasper’s downward spiral (though to be fair, he had a rough go of Earth from the pilot) in to suicide. not!Maya taunts Clarke, telling her Jasper’s death is on her, that it was too bad that she wasn’t one of Clarke’s people, and sounding very reminiscent of this season’s Raven, telling her that she apologizes but nothing ever changes. What hit the hardest was probably hearing that she’s killed more people than she’s saved. Don’t feel too bad, Clarke. They were mostly extras.
While Maya is the obvious representation of Clarke’s self-loathing, Octavia is the manifestation of her self-doubt. Bloodreina strolls in, accusing Clarke of thinking she’s expendable and that she doesn’t care about Bellamy like she claims she does. Clarke tearfully insists that she cares about both of them, but obviously this projection doesn’t care. She reminds her that she left Bellamy behind to die so how much could she really care? Through teary eyes and a raspy voice, she swears that Bellamy understands her choice and that he forgives her. And here’s where not!Octavia voices her self-doubt.
Clarke is obviously questioning what kind of person she is if she could leave her other half behind to die and she doesn’t believe that she’s worthy of the forgiveness that he says he’s given her, no matter what she wants to believe. Having Octavia be the one to express this to Clarke in the recesses of her mind was another excellent choice given her own history with her brother. Bloodreina was a monster and Bellamy has written Octavia off for her actions while in the bunker and for not showing remorse for her actions against those she’s hurt. Clarke’s mind conjuring her may very well be asking why she’s above reproach when Octavia is not. And it’s also a reminder that despite her flaws, Octavia loves and cares about Bellamy and is his sister and as his sister, she trusted Clarke with him, and that trust was broken. The questions does stand though: has Bellamy really forgiven Clarke? Can he have when their conversations about it have been superficial at best so far? Clarke needs to feel like she’s earned his trust back and his forgiveness and deep down, she doesn’t. Not yet.
Miller: Look, he was on for all of ten seconds, but his face looking at JoseClarke? Amazing. This may as well have been him looking at her.
Things I Didn’t Like
Lack of Trigger Warnings: There were two instances of suicide in this episode. First, Josephine with the shock collar, and then when her rando stalker shot himself in the head in front her in her memory. I wish the CW was more pro-active in issuing warnings at the beginning of the episodes or at the very least airing the suicide prevention hotline number after airing. In this day and age, this should just be a “duh” but it’s not. Do better, CW.
In case anyone needs it the national suicide prevention hotline number is 1-800-273-8255.
Promos: I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. The promo’s this season are absolute garbage. I could accidentally sneeze while it’s playing and miss the entire thing. If you take out the logo of The 100 at the end, each one is only 6-7 seconds long. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Theories:
No memory loss: Fiiiiiine, as of this episode I will go ahead and jump off the memory loss theory train. It would appear Clarke will somehow get her body back and have all of her memories intact. I also reserve the right to change my mind and if it does somehow end up happening I’ll still scream “I TOLD YOU SO!”
But this episode made me think that, “You called me every day for six years and then left me in the pit to die.” will be less about jogging her memory and more about them finally having an in depth talk about what went down in season five. Mayhaps this will even lead to a talk about….feelings? Let me not get my hopes up on that front.
Gabriel: Alright. So, I’m still not convinced that Xavier isn’t some form of Gabriel. However, it stands to also reason that Gabriel is just chilling in the anomaly, frozen in time, and coming back every time Josie is resurrected. Maybe that’s why the anomaly is calling to Diyoza, Octavia, and Xavier now that she’s back.
Stray Thoughts:
- I miss Jordan. How is he doing? Is he okay? Is he drinking enough water?Does he know Clarke’s dead like everyone else?
- Has Abby figured out that, you know, Clarke isn’t Clarke? Will I get that answer next week?
- The sacrificing of the baby disturbed me on a very deep and very real level. A baby. Josephine, you bitch.
- Not Josephine using Bellamy to get Clarke to sacrifice herself. God, they’re so loud that everyone can hear them but themselves. I hate them.
What did you guys think? Sound off below or hit us up on twitter @TVSource. Until next week!
Watch The 100 Tuesday’s at 9/8c on The CW.
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