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Recap / The 100 S 05 E 012

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As the battle between Wonkru and the Eligius Prisoners erupts, a betrayal leads to catastrophe. Madi defies Clarke over the fate of Wonkru. Octavia in turn comes face to face with the consequences of her recklessness.


Tropes present in this episode:

  • Abusive Parents: Clarke places a shock collar on Madi and shocks her into submission so that she can't run away and fight with Octavia's army.
  • Batman Grabs a Gun: Given the severity of the situation, all former grounders, both members of Wonkru and Spacekru, grab and use guns.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Echo, Madi, Emori, and Murphy arrive just in time to stop Octavia's Heroic Sacrifice and rescue her, Bellamy, Indra, and Gaia. Lampshaded by Murphy.
  • Borrowed Catchphrase: The second time Octavia has used Bellamy's catchphrase in the series, and this time she says it to his face: "My brother, my responsibility."
  • Bungled Suicide: Played with. Abby doesn't honestly know if she deliberately overdosed and botched it, or if she accidentally did and Clarke was there in the knick of time.
  • Call-Back: Several:
  • Can't Kill You, Still Need You: McCreary tells Diyoza that she's only alive until after their daughter is born, and then he will kill her.
  • Character Death: Vinson and Ethan. Possibly Kane, Gaia, and Miller, whose fates remain up in the air at the end of the episode.
  • Chekhov's Gun: Two:
    • It's from a Freeze-Frame Bonus from two episodes ago, but still applies. Diyoza's journal entry about the "Sword of Damocles" comes back in a big bad way.
    • A literal one in the form of the mini gun mounted on top of the Rover.
  • Dare to Be Badass: Madi successfully pulls one of these to get Clarke to finally see reason.
  • Deathbed Confession: Kane confesses to Abby that he knew it was her who instigated the horrors of the Dark Year, not Octavia.
  • Death of a Child: Ethan dies in the opening minutes.
  • Designated Girl Fight: Echo and Clarke brawl. Echo wins easily, as she is the one trained in Grounder combat.
  • Eaten Alive: Vinson takes a bight out of Kane while trying to kill him.
  • Forced to Watch: Played with. McCreary forces Kane to LISTEN to the howls of pain and anguish from the survivors of the massacre he just committed against Wonkru.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Octavia attempts one so that Bellamy and Indra can escape and save Gaia, but it is interrupted.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Vinson stabs Kane multiple times.
  • Internal Reveal: Abby finally admits to Clarke that she voted to send the original 100 to the ground because the only alternative was for Clarke to be floated, and this at least gave her a chance.
  • Infinite Supplies: Averted. Wonkru FINALLY runs out of the medical supplies they were able to salvage from the Ark and Mount Weather.
  • Genre Savvy: Madi took the liberty of changing the password to activate the flame, meaning Clarke can't use it against her. Unfortunately, Clarke had a backup plan.
  • Law of Inverse Recoil: As the BFG Murphy uses is actually a specialized mining tool, it's nowhere near as easy to use as he seems to think. The kickback alone knocks Murphy flat on his back and he nearly causes the gun to explode upon use.
  • Made of Iron: Kane takes about 7 stabs with a scalpel from Vinson, and still puts up a hell of a fight.
  • Madness Mantra: Miller gets a bit of this after being wounded, repeating "We can still win" even as he passes out from blood loss.
  • Mama Bear: Taken to an uncomfortable extreme when Clarke puts a shock collar on Madi and proceeds to shock her to keep her from running away.
  • Meaningful Name: The Damocles is clearly named for the Sword of Damocles, as a missile threat hanging over the characters.
  • Negated Moment of Awesome: Two in the same scene. Octavia is just about to go out in a Blaze of Glory to save her brother, mentor and Gaia. She is even posed strikes a fittingly awesome pose. Then the Rover drives up with guns blazing and rescues her. Then Murphy whips out the Sonic Cannon, fully prepared for some ass kicking. It promptly malfunctions again and he has to toss it away and run.
  • Pistol-Whipping: McCreary knocks out Echo with a handy one.
  • Playing Possum: Bellamy forces Octavia to do this with him after the valley massacre, as the Eligius snipers are taking out any survivors that move.
  • The Reveal: Some piece of Lexa's spirit survived her Last Stand in the City of Light, and continues to reside within the flame, and is able to vaguely communicate with Madi through the flame.
  • Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Kane gets to listen to the results of his treachery as Wonkru is massacred, and later gets attacked by Vinson.
  • Running Gag: Murphy just can't get the BFG working.
  • The Scapegoat: Bellamy blames Octavia for the massacre, even though this episode and the one preceding it make it clear that they had an excellent plan that would have resulted in winning the valley, but that they were betrayed by Kane and Diyoza.
  • Stalker with a Crush: Vinson reveals to Kane that he is one to Abby.
  • To Be Continued: Part one of a two-part finale.
  • Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Subverted. Madi has spent half the season trying to lead her people and being a cold-hearted, war-worn general, and when Clarke finally agrees it's time for her to assume the role as the Commander, Madi is relieved—until Clarke reveals she's staying behind. Then all pretense of the Commander is dropped, and Madi is terrified, begging Clarke to come and needing reassurance. Madi throws herself into Clarke's arms, and her mumbled "how can you be sure?" at Clarke's insistence they'll see each other again is said in such an innocent way that it's a stark reminder that while Madi is the Commander and has the knowledge of the Flame, she is still a child and wants her mom.
  • Violently Protective Girlfriend: Echo proves to be one toward Bellamy.
  • Yandere Couple: Kane and Abby. Abby electrocutes Vinson for attacking Kane, while Kane confesses that he put all of the moral blame of the Dark Year on Octavia even though he knew that Abby was the one behind it.
  • Wilhelm Scream: Used in the climactic battle when the rover shoots down two of McCreary's soldiers on a ridge emplacement.

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