#the100meta

OR The Odyssey + The 100, an in-depth look at parallels to Homeric canon in season 6, and how the themes and motifs present on Sanctum mirror Odysseus’s 10-year journey back to Ithaca.

DISCLAIMER: I was a Russian Lit major, not a Classics major, so I’m not an expert on this. I did study Ancient Greek and Ancient Greek Drama for 6 and 2 semesters in college, respectively, though, but my expertise is more on The Iliad than The Odyssey so just...cut me some slack lol

If you’re not down for this 2.7k word mini-dissertation, here’s your chance to turn back.

I think that he is clearly aware of how hectic and chaotic his relation with Clarke has been so far. How complicated yet so unspoken it is. How huge harm they’ve done to each other yet have forgiven it.

“Tell me about it”, as a response to “its exhausting, frankly” tells us how exhausted is he himself. It tells us that Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship goes towards something bigger. And I’m not really talking about lovers or anything like that.

I mean that Bellamy is perhaps tired of everything that’s unsaid or that doesn’t happen between them. The show [r. Josephine] hints that they are about to get rid of this exhaustion. Maybe through a conversation, or even other challenging event. But my bet goes to talk, because we know for a fact that 6x11 is about talking through stuff, where 6x10 is more of a Blake’s episode.

Bellamy may even be the one to hold out a hand. We’ve seen Clarke doing it multiple times, 3x05, 3x11, 3x13?, 4x12, 4x13, 5x05? and those are the times I thought of instantly, there are way more as I would go deeper. Maybe now it’s the time when Bellamy is the one to actually start a conversation since he knows how he felt when he thought he lost Clarke AGAIN, not saying how he felt AGAIN.

Another thing that goes with my theory is that Clarke simply gave up in her head, and was told by her own projections that she sees herself as a monster who will abandon everyone. And Clarke thinks that’s what Bellamy sees in her since she left him in Polis.

If characters are the heart of a story, then their relationships are the soul. They’re the connections that inspire change on a character and plot level that further solidifies the overall themes.

In The 100, there are four relationships in particular I think stand out the most as the foundational dynamics of the show: Clarke/Bellamy, Clarke/Abby, Bellamy/Octavia and Kane/Abby. I’ll address each relationship individually and in relation to each other to support my theory.

PLEASE NOTE: This, of course, is in no way a means to suggest that these relationships are better/superior to any others on the show. They all matter in their own way. This is simply my interpretation of the impact of these four major dynamics in particular.

Each of the characters depicted in these relationships are also solid characters in their own right outside of them, each exhibiting well-developed arcs, unique personalities and solid motivations. It's also worth noting each of these characters have been mains since episode 1.

Beyond the obvious bond of family that Octavia/Bellamy and Abby/Clarke have that instantly binds their characters, there is also an immediate friction/gravity between the other two that invites the audience to pay attention to them and speaks of a larger story to come.

I will address each other these dynamics individually, why they’re important, how they’ve changed and where they may go in future seasons. Let's start with the blood/familial relations.

BELLAMY / OCTAVIA

Protecting his younger sister Octavia has been Bellamy’s #1 drive since he was a child - an immense responsibility bestowed upon him by their mother. This is a huge aspect of his identity and one that takes many seasons for him to learn to let go of.

Over time, their individual paths and personalities end up creating conflict between them. Octavia's dedication to becoming a Grounder warrior vs Bellamy's skepticism of them in particular comes to a head in S3, leading to a huge fallout between them.

This fracturing continues into S4 as Octavia continues down her negative path, pushing away those around her. By the end, the possibility of death in the Conclave allows them to put aside their past differences and hostilities and embrace as loving siblings once more.

Of course, even before this, the sparks of tension have always been lurking under the surface of their bond as Octavia's developing 'rebelliousness' as she finds her true identity on the ground often conflicts against Bellamy's desire to keep her safe above all else.

In S4, Bellamy finally learns (with the help of Kane) that he has to learn to let Octavia go - to be her own person, trust her to make her own choices and that he can't always save her just as he learns he has his own identity outside of his relation to her as well.

The good will they finally established by the end of S4 - after enduring their own individual trials - is further solidified in their final conversation over the radio. This is the last chance they get to speak for 6 years and it's a wonderful way to cement how far they've come.

Unfortunately, the resulting years were not kind to Octavia and the rift between them grows wider than ever after they reunite as very different people with conflicting loyalties and motivations. In a long history of complications, S5 marked their lowest point to date...

It will be a long road to recovery, but I have no doubt that they will eventually find their way back to each other. Fate has torn them apart and transformed them but at the end of the day they're still family and I believe the love they share will shine through again.

Overall, their relationship is an interesting representation of a close sibling bond and spotlights the ability to forgive loved ones, accepting other people for who they are and even letting each other go in a healthy way to grow as individuals.

ABBY / CLARKE

There are few bonds as strong as that between a parent and their child and Abby/Clarke present no exception. The very premise of the show wouldn’t exist if not for their love. Sending the kids to the ground was an attempt to protect Clarke from execution after all.

Similar to the familial bond of Bellamy/Octavia, they also struggle with the similar conflicts such as learning to let each other go & letting each other become their own person as Abby is in the unavoidable position as a parent of watching Clarke grow into an independent adult.

They struggled a lot in the beginning - separated by both physical space and emotional distance as, after losing her father, Clarke places the blame for it on Abby. This makes Abby even more determined to find and reconnect with her daughter.

Much of Abby’s story in the first two seasons revolves around the desire to keep her daughter safe - as any good mother would - and this is further exacerbated when Clarke continually puts herself/ends up in a line of fire and Abby naturally becomes even more protective of her.

Of course, this sparks conflict between them and they struggle throughout S1 and S2, culminating in some devastating decisions and betrayals that shakes Abby's view of her own daughter.

Abby progresses a lot in this regard, allowing physical distance between them and learning to accept that she has to let her daughter follow her own path wherever it leads her. Though she doesn’t always agree, she supports her, stands up for her and only ever wants what’s best.

By the end of S2, they've accepted each other for who they are/who they've become and remind each other that their love and support is ever-present no matter what. Even though Abby searches for Clarke after she leaves, she's resigned herself to the distance for the first time.

Their relationship is a wonderful and much needed portrayal, especially to show younger audiences, of the importance of a loving, supportive parent and learning to respect and accept each other for who you are and be there for each other no matter what.

Though they haven’t had as much significant interaction in later seasons as they did in the beginning, the love they share always binds them and continues to impact the story. I hope we will be able to see them spend more time together in the future after being separated.

This bond is one I’m hoping will play a role in the evolution of Clarke and Madi’s mother/daughter relationship as well, which can also be used to further their own relationship as Clarke comes to understand her mother even more (more on this later).

ABBY / KANE

Though they started in opposition to each other - clashing as Kane was driven by logic (head) and Abby by emotion (heart) - over time they were able to connect as allies, become best friends, close partners, trusting co-leaders and eventually fell in love.

Though Kane took steps towards redemption on his own, Abby eventually plays a beneficial role in his development as a source of support. She comes to believe in him - as a man, as a leader and someone she can put her faith in and work with to achieve the same goals.

Since S1 they only ever grow stronger, closer, more understanding. The shock lashing was one step back, but they quickly took two steps forward soon after as they came to understand each other better for it. This marks a huge, positive turning point for their entire relationship.

Through their challenges, they come to realize they are more similar than they thought and help each other become the best versions of themselves - a union that creates a powerfully effective pair as they lead their people into the longest period of peace on the show.

Like many relationships in S5, they also reached a low point after both suffered individual setbacks that negatively affects their relationship. They didn't get to work through all of this, but I have no doubt they find their way back to each other again once they begin to heal.

They’ve endured countless trials and tragedies but their love has endured it all and only ever grown stronger from it. Disagreements between them are handled with care, respect and maturity - a true example of what a strong and successful relationship should be like.

Through their interaction, they've come to represent healing, hope, redemption, understanding and, of course, true, selfless love as well as offer a refreshing portrayal of older love, the positivity of finding love again (Abby) and finding it later in life (Kane).

CLARKE / BELLAMY

Confirmed to be the main dynamic of the show, their relationship has evolved immensely since the beginning. Similar to Kane/Abby, they are introduced as a pair at odds whose opposition sparks change and often proves mutually beneficial to each other.

They were presented as co-leaders of sorts in the past, specifically in S1, which made a way for them to relate to each other in a way their fellow teens couldn't. The burdens of leadership and responsibility acting as an initial conduit to better understand each other.

That more direct co-leadership has diminished over time a bit and became defined more as support rather than actively making decisions together as they both have their own strengths and weaknesses in their interaction with others. They always work better together than apart.

They help each other become less polarized versions of each other. This is stated plainly multiple times as Clarke encourages Bellamy to use his head over/in tandem with his heart as, from the beginning, they've been presented as 'head' and 'heart' respectively.

They don't always agree though and are shown to be more than capable of calling each other out on their mistakes and encouraging the other to learn from them. A common friction that breeds growth.

Though their stories often lead them on separate paths with little communication, the show allows them to reunite at some point each season and there’s generally a sense of connection regardless of the amount of shared screen-time.

Given this lack of proximity (only a few months of interaction overall) keeps further exploration of their relationship at bay. Direct contact is key to this and they’ve been denied it in many ways. No matter what people want them to be, I believe this needs to be remedied first.

Because of this lack of time, they’ve also never truly been able to work through past issues and this is another thing that I feel is important to address before their relationship moves forward in any way. For example, Kabby had ample time and it helped them grow close faster.

Clarke/Bellamy hit quite a few roadblocks in S5 as well and logically have a lot to work through before they can see eye to eye once more, though, despite it all, surprisingly seem to be fine in the finale despite not having attempted any reconciliation yet...

Regardless, like many relationships on the show they've always represented redemption, forgiveness and the benefits of a trusting partnership that is sure to be a constant through the entirety of the series no matter what.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY

As a whole, the consistent theme of these four is that of family. Two of blood, two of bond/choice. Octavia/Bellamy are half-siblings, Clarke/Abby are mother/daughter, Clarke/Bellamy became unlikely friends and Kane/Abby represent the same bond as husband/wife/parents.

With this in mind - and knowing how much they impact the story - it’s easy to assume that family is being presented as the lifeblood of the overall narrative. They also represent different kinds of love - allowing familial, platonic and romantic bonds to shine equally.

These relationships also spotlight the characters that comprise them and further cement them as integral parts to this story. For example, Abby, Clarke and Bellamy are each represented in 2 of the top 4. That's pretty special!

I'd also like to note that these characters still connect with each other outside of these presented dynamics as well. For example, in many ways, Kane connects to every single one of these characters to some degree: Abby, Clarke, Bellamy and Octavia.

In many ways, Kane acts as the missing piece that helps to bind this family together: the husband Abby lost, the father Octavia and Bellamy never had and one that Clarke could have again. Which only further shows us that family is the heart of it all.

NEW DYNAMICS

Now, there's one more I need to address. In S5 we are introduced to Madi who, now in many ways, has become the driving purpose for Clarke. This is an unprecedented level of connection for the show to establish so late and with so little on-screen development/set-up.

Despite the fact that they are not afforded the same rich history or shared screen time of the other four, it's no question the show wants them to be the next big family dynamic - the fifth of the big mains that's bonded in mutual, familial love.

Regardless of their unconventional origins, their relationship represents a driving force that's certainly not new to the show. Both Abby and Bellamy were introduced in the beginning entirely motivated to protect their loved ones Clarke and Octavia as well.

IN CONCLUSION

Relationships/characters come and go, but these four have always remained – the only that have remained since the very beginning. No matter how they’re pushed or pulled apart, they evolve (for better or worse) but never fully break and I don't think they ever will.

Once more, this essay is not to negate the power of any other relationship on the show. All had their own impact and purpose from Clarke/Lexa, Monty/Jasper, Murphy/Emori, Raven/Abby, Octavia/Lincoln, Indra/Octavia, Indra/Kane, Monty/Harper and so on.

i gotta to bell first bc his my boyyyy! okay, so i’m not so sure what this cound mean. this is the only time a characters face is hidden - plus it has the x’s and the question mark

i’m thinking the x’s could be kill marks? and the first ones are gone over a few times to symbolize that there were more that couldn’t fit?

this could be showing us days passing? maybe bell somewhere keeps a track, maybe on his cell wall, of days it’s been? but then i have no clue where the question mark comes from?

or maybe the question mark symbolizes that he’s unsure of who he is? i mean it’s probably that because the whole video like “who am i?” so maybe bellamy is really searching this season for himself

i really enjoyed the flashes in the trailer, and i think there’s something behind who they fade or flash to! so this is where raven is narrating and saying she was a rebel or whatever, but this is the only time we seen a character fade into another character while the words are across the screen!

i’m thinking that this is just because both bellamy and raven were rebels in their own way - but there’s a question mark again! what is that about!?

this is my favorite part from the trailer !! clarke looks so cool!

my idea is that clarke is looking up to the sky because of hope and her friends

but my other idea is that this is symbolizing clarke looking up to the sky when the rocket takes off - because that stroke of white looks like smoke from the rocket!

this is a skull but i think it vaguely looks like a gas mask!? and then next photo it’s the skull again - this just might be a mind trick - like the face on mars - but still it’s so cool! no real theories about this one :) gas masks have been a thing on the 100 for a while, duh

this!!!! was a quick flash and i really like it

this is like such a stretch - but when i saw this, I immediately thought of wells and clarke playing chess !! this probably is absolutely nothing but still

I HAVE NO CLUE WHY THIS IS A THING so let’s look at this a little closer! the duck is behind bars, a puddle of blood is in front of the lil guy, and the lil guy is presumingly dead :( so this is the 3 bird we’ve seen for this season of the 100 - the vulture from a BTS photo, some sort of bird (hopefully it’s a raven), and then this ducky..

maybe this could symbolize madi? i mean that’s a baby duck? who’s the child we know of this season - madi. i don’t want to think that they would kill her after one season but maybe they would? everyones been saying that there’s a crazy death this season??

okay side note to go with that little theory - what if madi does die? she’s killed by someone from eligius it fuels clarke to become the comander of death again? i mean she mentions tcod in this trailer and like no one has mentioned that since season 3?? idk this is incredibly dumb so probably not lmao

this is pretty cool! octavia locked in a cage.. just like she probably felt as a kid

in the main trailer, octavia says to madi that she knows what it’s like to be locked under the ground (or whatever she says) and possibly this means that octavia will be locked up? i mean, that’s like obvious but idk maybe it’s not!

also it’s ironic bc the ducky is behind bars and so is o???

this is obviously a phone... but it’s clearly an old phone as well!! there’s a lot of retro stuff in this futuristic video game fallout 4 and it’s really cool bc it helps the story in the game and so maybe they are using retro stuff from when the original nuclear bomb fell - in 1945

i liked raven screaming into the phone because i bet that shows that she is trying so hard to get in contact with the ground or bunker but she can’t at all and she’s beyond frustrated

this is the second time the black circle appears! this time in front of the globe? again, nothing here to me ugh

First of all, I do not like Octavia so much. I follow people who do like her as people who couldn’t care less about her. But this is a character study, and I’ll try to be as reasonable as I can be, so bear with me cause this one is a Problematic ™.

On screen, the crew leaves Murphy tied up to the rocket and he screams out in agony.

In the original script, the crew does the same, and Murphy…. weeps. 

Weeps. 

Murphy was supposed to break down in tears and weep at the realization that he’s just lost Emori.

And now I’m starting to wonder… When have we ever seen John Murphy break down and cry on this show?

Never.

Seriously. We have never seen him shed more than a few tears at once. He’s never had a moment where he utterly let go, lost it, cried out every pain and suffering he’s ever been through. 

Some may argue that this is a sign of strength, that it shows how he’s “not emotional or weak and doesn’t let life get to him” but I have to disagree because firstly thats toxic masculinity get it away from me if anything, it shows how he’s internalized. 

Remember in 3x13 when Pike tore him and his family apart in the Earth Skills class but Murphy just sat there and took it? Even with everyone watching? Even when he physically attacked him? He didn’t do anything. He wasn’t about to lash out at Pike and spill out his whole life story. John didn’t want everyone knowing the real him. He didn’t trust them with it. 

And yes, Murphy wanted the whole ‘tough guy’ persona and for people to fear him way back when, but that was only because at least I think he didn’t dare burden someone with his problems, his life, the real emotions he felt, the real person he wanted to be. 

He just let everything build up. 

And then he meets Emori, the one person on the planet who finally fucking understands him and has been through the same and who he can actually be himself around and its like holy shit, its you. It’s the person he’s been waiting for. Someone he can finally allow to get close to him instead of pushing them away. And you can bet everything you’ve got that he’s gonna do everything in his power to keep her here, and keep thinking that she was too good to be true. 

Until he realized she was. 

When you look back at it, many people on the show have broke down crying. Clarke when she lost Lexa, Octavia when she lost Lincoln, Raven when she lost Finn, Bellamy when he thought he lost Octavia, Monty when he lost Jasper… just to name a few. It’s a fairly common sight, and almost all of them pertain to the loss of a loved one. Never Murphy, though. He’s been through hell, but none of these events happened on screen, so I suppose it makes sense that we’ve never seen it. again with the internalizing though

Until now. 

Now he’s loosing her. The only person he’s ever wanted, and he’s loosing her. He did everything he could on this godforsaken earth to protect her, and he failed. She’s the only person who’s ever stayed, and now she’s gone. And they don’t care. 

Murphy looks at her, hollow. Destroyed. 

I just have to argue that Murphy crying here would have, in a way, been a more upfront way of expressing the severity of this loss. Both would have been even better but we didn’t focus enough time on him. After his past losses, he only felt anger, only saw the world in red, killed the hurt. But Emori found the sorrow in him. She showed him where his heart was, and for the first time in his life he acts not on his instinct to survive, but on his heart to live. With Emori, Murphy lived. 

With Emori, Murphy found his heart- and now it’s breaking.

She was here. She was real. She is dead.

He is alone.

Okay, so today is when the 100 writers are posting the script for episode 10. Which, as we all know, was the conclave. So picture this: AU in which Luna basically takes Octavia’s place in this episode, makes the decision to share the bunker (which would’ve actually been in character for her), and shows mercy to Octavia so she survives but isn’t the leader.

-“But with your clan gone, who will you fight for?”

“I fight for everyone. I fight for life. When I win, everyone will be saved.”

-Luna, after finding Octavia at the end of the conclave: “There are people worth saving. You aren’t one now, but I believe people can change.” Then she’d go on to help Octavia with her anger management issues, that whole “I know the darkness” thing. I feel like she’d be good at this, we already saw how she helped Raven.

-(Just going to point out that Octavia has kind of turned into a ruthless killer this season, and it seems unlikely to me that she would stop in one episode. Wait, actually, she doesn’t really stop, just kills the right people— those who will benefit her most. Seems to be in keeping with her previous actions, now that I think about it. Just not really the redemption arc it’s made out to be.)

-OKAY SO LUNA WOULD BE A GREAT LEADER OF THE BUNKER AND NOBODY CAN TELL ME OTHERWISE. She ran her own isolated society for years. She’d know all about rationing and keeping the peace, and is one of only two people on the show who have actually led a group of people living in close quarters for so long.  (The other being Jaha, but for fairly obvious reasons she would be the better choice to lead the second dawn bunker.) She might be a little out of her element being underground, but would anyone else not be? It’s not like any of the others had experienced it, they had all grown up on the ground or in space.

-I know that they were going for “the girl under the floor” stuff, but honestly, the “floukru queen” turned “wonkru queen” does it for me

-It takes a while for her to trust Skaikru again, but it happens eventually. Then when Raven comes back with the others, they’re reunited because sea mechanic needs to happen please and thank you

-It’s in character for her to be peaceful, calm people down, fiercely uphold her ideals, and balance out all of the warriors among them with her different point of view. But people would also know not to push her around or challenge her authority, because of her extreme skills in combat.

-Also, because of her nightblood status (and by having won the conclave) she would be held in higher regard by the grounders, as a person who actually knew and understood their religion. Also, being a nightblood would make it unlikely, or even impossible, for her to die from radiation poisoning should there be any risk of that. It’s important to have a leader you can count on, and I’d say that not dying is a part of that.