Emori tries to heal Sanctum's old familial wounds, while Echo, Octavia and Diyoza struggle with new ones.
- Becoming the Mask: Sheidheda claims that Murphy has chosen to be a hero out of convenience and survival instinct so often that he now legitimately wants to be a hero. Not quite a case of Chronic Hero Syndrome, but close. Murphy doesn't exactly disagree.
- Chess Motifs: Murphy and Sheidheda's conversation is full of them; appropriate, since they are playing chess throughout the episode.
- Cooldown Hug:
- Octavia gives one to Echo. It sort of works.
- Diyoza also gives one to Hope that is slightly more effective.
- Driven to Suicide: Anders tells Gabriel that Orlando hanged himself after they left him on Skyring. Gabriel says goodbye to a blanket-covered body.
- First Kiss: We see Bellamy and Echo's through a flashback to the Ring.
- Hope Spot: The reconciliation between the Children of Gabriel and their parents seems to be going well at first and it seems that Nelson will reject Sheidheda's offer. However once Nelson's father says he is an abomination Nelson kills him and he, Nikki, and their forces decide to hold the people there hostage.
- I Have Your Wife: The episode ends with Nikki and the Children of Gabriel (and, by extension, Sheidheda) holding Emori hostage.
- Mama Bear: Dioyza remains one for her daughter, despite the fact that the last time she saw her she was 10 and she is now 25.
- Manipulative Bastard: Sheidheda keeps Murphy distracted by their chess game since he knows that Daniel Prime was always the more charismatic of the two siblings and that without him Kaylee can't keep the chaos at pay by herself. Sure enough without Murphy there to help things go downhill and the Children of Gabriel and Eligius prisoners hold the Faithful and Emori hostage.
- "Not So Different" Remark:
- Emori explains to Nelson how she was cast out by her parents and shunned by society because of a supposed birth defect as well.
- Also when Octavia tries to comfort Echo, relating her own experiences in losing Lincoln and how she understands Echo's actions, because she has been there herself.
- Patricide: Nelson kills his father.
- Reaction Shot: There is a long, lingering close-up on Clarke's face after Gabriel tells their group that Bellamy is dead.
- The Reveal: "The Sheppard" that the Disciples worship is revealed to be Bill Cadogen the leader of the Second Dawn survival cult that built the bunker that saved humanity from Praimfya who has survived to the present day thanks to cryogenics.
- Self-Harm: Echo cuts up her face, supposedly following an Azgeda tradition to signify that she is over her pain (of losing Bellamy).
- Shirtless Scene: Murphy gets yet another one in his room with Emori.
- Shout-Out: Nelson's mother tells him his birth name was Sachin, which is also the name of the actor who plays Jackson.
- The Sponsor: Of a sort - after ten years of peace have made her Older and Wiser, Octavia shares her experiences of losing a lover that meant everything to her with Echo, in the hopes that it would prevent Echo from going down that same dark path.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted. Jackson actively sits down with Madi to process her trauma. (Though Jackson is a medical doctor and it has never once even been implied that he has any psychology credentials...)
