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Oh, no! We’re staring down the barrel of another hiatus and it’s unfortunate since season six continues to be an absolute delight. ‘The Old Man and the Anomaly’ was an episode dedicated to pushing along the B and C storylines of the season and man, push it did. Some things were surprising-and a little uncomfortable-some were not so shocking, (I KNEW XAVIER WAS GABRIEL, I KNEW IT), but it definitely pushed the story forward. nuKane, anyone?
As always, we’ll break things down to Things I Loved, The Meh Things, Things I Didn’t Like, Honorable Mentions, and Theories. It took me awhile to figure out how I felt about this episode because at first watch it’s a little overwhelming. It’s arguable that even too much happened in this episode. But lucky for us, we have an entire two weeks to sort it all out.
[This review contains spoilers for the “The Old Man and the Anomaly” episode of The 100.]
The 100 Review: “The Old Man and the Anomaly”
Season 6, Episode | Airdate: June 25 , 2019
Directed by: April Mullen | Written by: Miranda Kwok
Things I Loved
Eliza Taylor’s Acting: Remember how during the hiatus everyone was hyping up Eliza’s acting and we were curious as to why? Well, now we know. I know I’ve spent a lot of time in my reviews waxing poetic about both Clarke and Josephine this season and Eliza is the reason why. She switches so flawlessly from Clarke to Josephine and plays both characters with different subtle nuances and it’s a delight to witness. In this episode, she plays psycho Josephine who is manipulating everyone around her just like she does best. She let’s Murphy and Emori know that Clarke is still alive, she blackmails Ryker in to building her an EMP to fry Clarke since her dad won’t do it, and what does she get for all of her effort? Kidnapped by Bellamy. A Day Trip between the woman wearing Clarke’s face and Bellamy ‘I’ll Kill You All For Hurting My Wife’ Blake through woods that have anomaly addled plants that mess with their heads? I don’t hate it.
Emori: Yeah, yeah. Just because Murphy changed his mind at the literal last second doesn’t mean he’s getting a spot on the ‘loved’ list. His other half, however? Oh yeah. She’s earned her spot. It was a little touch and go there for a moment when it seemed like she was going to take Josephine up on her offer to officially kill off Clarke, even went to Bellamy to get the shock collar so that they could complete the deed-ballsy, by the way-, but she took a look at her Space Family and she realized, as much as she loves John, she can’t do it. The thing about Emori is that all of her life she was shunned and alone. She initially found a home with Murphy but her home is no longer just him. The people she spent six years in space with are her home too. She no longer has to make bad choices just to survive. Her initial instinct was, of course, to do what she needed to do to live forever with Murphy. However, seeing the people that were also with her, that supported her, that loved her was what she needed to realize she’s not that person anymore, and not only that, it’s not who she wants to be.
Did she want to betray Murphy? No. She loves him and would love to be with him for all of eternity. But at the cost of sacrificing someone else’s life? No. She might be regretting that decision since Josephine stabbed Murphy in what we can only assume is the femoral artery which means he’s knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door himself (maybe hells, tbh), but all of her actions this episode? Growth.
Xavier Being Gabriel: If you’ve read my previous reviews of season six or follow me on twitter, you know I’ve been on the “Xavier is Gabriel, I just know it” train for quite awhile. In fact, two weeks ago I tweeted out, “Did you know the name Xavier means ‘the new house?” Yeah. That’s how much I was convinced that it was happening. I looked up the meaning of his name just to feed my own theory. Love that for me. More than I being right, I loved it for other reasons. Firstly, I love that Diyoza was the one to figure it out because she’s flawless and amazing (and she better come out of that anomaly or I’m marching down to the writers room and we are going to fight. She is the best new character this show has introduced ever and I refuse to lose her to a weird green light) and she has more brains than most people on Sanctum combined. I said what I said. Also, now that he no longer has to keep up the pretense of not being Gabriel, we get a little more back-story. He was ready to die, even raised an apprentice to do the deed. The apprentice loved him too much and brought him back anyway for which he was killed in a fit of rage. Good help is just so hard to find these days.
We also learn that Ryker was the one to help Gabriel escape Sanctum in the first place which is just further proof that Ryker isn’t about this life. Is it bad to say that I hope he decides to not resurrect himself again? I know that sounds like I’m rooting for him to be killed off, but let’s face it. This is The 100. He probably will be. Plus, for a character who isn’t so in to the whole living forever thing but just can’t seem to help himself, a sacrifice without the possibility of coming back is a nice ending.
Anyway. Gabriel brings Diyoza and Octavia, who is not doing well at all, to the anomaly since it’s calling to them. Diyoza has visions of unborn baby Hope as a little girl (her greatest desire), Octavia has visions of Bellamy kneeling and bound in the middle of the forest, a callback to the fighting pit (her greatest fear), and Gabriel sees Josephine (who represents both). What’s interesting about vision!Josephine is when Gabriel realizes that Diyoza is seeing Hope, she tells him that there’s no way she’s not going in to the anomaly and that he might finally get his answers. Answers to what remains the question.
Sure enough, Diyoza goes in to the green light because it’s something she needs to do and in an effort to save her new bff, Octavia follows her in. Unfortunately, she’s the only one spit back out, good hair, healed arm, and promptly passes out in Gabriel’s arms.
Priya: That’s right! Not Delilah, but Priya. Once she discovers what Gabriel did she is rightly enraged. Sure, she’s enraged because he skipped the line but I feel that there’s more than that. We all assumed that when Priya said, “Delilah is happy, she wants you to know that.” that it was false comfort. But is it possible since Delilah was so reluctant to go under because of Jordan that maybe she didn’t fully disappear, just like Clarke? Then again, if they were sharing a brain, I’m sure that it would have shown symptoms of that, right? Then again, Delilah probably doesn’t fight as hard as Clarke, so maybe the brain isn’t deteriorating as quickly.
Regardless, when Russell orders Emori and Murphy be taken to be held with the others and the guards get the Earth people’s guns to bring back Josephine, we see Priya shake her head. Is there a chance that, like her son, she will see the error of her ways and want to no longer be immortal? Does the apple not fall far from the tree? I think it’s a possibility.
The Meh Things
Jordan: It pains me to put him on this list. But, bruh.
“So, you only care about Clarke?”
I know you’re new here and all, but um…that’s a duh for Bellamy. I’m sure your parents taught you that.
More than that, I know you love Delilah after knowing her for an entire day and a half. And that’s not considered crazy at all on this show because it happens to every character but I’m going to need you to not get stabbed for her. Like…I just got you and I’m not willing to give you up quite yet. Stop it.
Things I Didn’t Like
Abby: Man, she’s just never coming off of this list, it’s official. I had hope after last episode that maybe she wasn’t so obsessed with Kane that after Josephine literally told her that she could bring back Kane through a mind-drive with a nightblood that she would connect the dots and realize that her daughter’s weird behavior was because she was no longer her daughter. But no. She’s so obsessed with saving the man she sleeps with that she can’t be bothered to put two and two together. You are officially The 100’s worst mother and I’m not even sorry for giving you that title. You suck and it makes me sick to even look at you knowing that you put a man before your child. Disgusting.
Also, trying to guilt Raven in to doing your bidding all so you could save said man? Also gross. Just…what happened to this character? She used to be rootable and now I just want to float her myself because every time she comes on screen she just makes it worse and harder to root for her in literally any way.
Madi: Madi is being influenced by the dark commander. She knows it, the adults that are supposed to be keeping an eye on her know it, the audience knows it. So, why when she’s out here talking about killing everybody in sight do none of the adults in her life think to keep an eye on her? Like….you just let her disappear? Didn’t think, “Hey. She might go and try to kill some people and ruin the plan we’ve just made. We should make sure one of us is with her at all times, just in case.”
Furthermore, “I know that I’m the commander.”
No, boo. You’re not. You’re just a child with an over-glorified piece of tech in your head. Because Earth and its thirteen clans are long gone. There’s nothing left to command. You are literally on a new planet/moon and you hold no power there so maybe calm down, okay? The only people even remotely listening to you are Echo and Gaia and even they are side-eyeing you. Maybe take the chip out of your head because it’s making you murderously insane.
Also, it must be said that I have no desire to see Madi murder anyone in cold blood ever again. It was highly uncomfortable and made me feel a little ill.
Honorable Mentions
nuKane: I’m sorry, but I laughed. Maybe it was the shock that they actually went through with it but I actually laughed. It must have been the part of me that was hoping that Abby would come to her senses and when it was proven that she didn’t, I just had to laugh in disbelief. Either way, Kane is back and in Greyston Holts body which is not a bad form to come back in. So, I’m guessing original Kane’s body is big dead now.
Fun fact: Greyston Hold played a character named Kane Greary in the Lifetime adaptation of the Seven Deadly Sins books and now he’s playing Marcus Kane. Just can’t escape that name, can you Greyston. I love symmetry.
Anyway, Kane is back and in a new body and he’s not so impressed with what Abby has done to him. I do want to point out the parallel of Kane saving Abby in the season four finale and saying that she might hate him for saving her but at least she’d still be alive and her saying it about him in this episode. Yeah. I caught it. Will Kane decide to stick around is the question. Since he’s allegedly the moral one of this show, he might opt to have the chip removed. It would be pointless since his host was willing and likely didn’t survive the mind-wipe like Clarke (and possibly Delilah?) did so it would just be two deaths. But it’s a possibility.
Emori and Echo’s Looks: This gets a honorable mention because it can be read two ways off the top of my head and I’m not actually 100% sure which one it is.
One) Emori stared at Echo because somehow Echo and her have forged an off-screen bffness and she realizes how much she doesn’t want to betray her.
or
Two) Emori realizes that if she tells Bellamy that Clarke is actually alive she doesn’t want to potentially jeopardize Echo’s relationship with Bellamy since she knows he’ll do anything for her.
I accept either of these as an explanation but if any of the writers read this review and want to chime in and clarify, I won’t hate it. Also, both is also an acceptable answer.
Theories
- Josephine will mess with Bellamy’s head and needle him about Clarke.
- Bellamy will hallucinate Clarke due to the weirdo toxin the anomaly plants are emitting.
- Ryker and Priya will eventually sacrifice themselves. Possibly Kane as well.
- Gabriel and Josephine will come face to face and have an interesting reunion.
- Octavia will save Bellamy and Clarke’s body somehow.
- Diyoza will not be dead. Okay, this one is wishful thinking because I’m not okay with the alternative.
- Eventually, Russell will turn on his daughter because as much as he loves her, she’s a danger to others.
That’s all for now! Don’t forget that The 100 won’t return until July 9th. So tune in then at 9/8c on The CW.
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