The 100: Resurrection Review

Spoilers ahead for tonight’s episode, “Resurrection.”

“Resurrection” picks up immediately where last week’s “Rubicon” left off, with the bloody aftermath of Mount Weather’s missile strike. Many people are gravely wounded, including Kane and Indra. To make matters worse, those who survived the attack on Tondc are being picked off by a sniper. Despite Lexa’s protests, Clarke cannot let this stand. She couldn’t save members of the war council, but she’s sure as hell not going to walk away when innocents are still in harm’s way. Clarke has proven time and again how fearless she is; her enemies underestimate her at their own peril, and the Mount Weather sniper is no exception. With Lincoln’s help, Clarke takes the sniper out in spectacular fashion. I like that there’s still room for her character to grow. The reins of leadership are hers, but she’s still grappling with the weight of her crown, as it were. Luckily Eliza Taylor is up to the task, allowing Clarke’s weary vulnerability to show through the cracks of her well-erected façade. Clarke is strong, but she’s far from perfect. Aside from Raven, the one person who still has a real problem with Clarke is her own mother. But more on Abby in a bit.

There was a lot of drama at Mount Weather as well. Cage may have taken out much of the war council in one fell swoop, but he’s still trying to contend with people who’d rather not be killed for their marrow. Like Jasper says, they may have taken the level, but now they need to hold the level.

Remember when Jasper’s role was more about comic relief in season one? It’s easy to focus on Clarke’s journey on this show, but the once-goggled one has undergone an interesting transformation this season, especially in the last few episodes. Jasper is a leader of a different sort, inspiring his fellow prisoners to battle back against those who would just as soon see them all dead. The outsiders were never guests, they were guinea pigs, a difficult truth Clarke suspected but Jasper had to learn for himself. Needless to say, he didn’t handle the news well. But having his illusion of a safe haven shattered had a galvanizing effect. Jasper has no intention of going quietly into that good night, and now he’s fighting back tooth and nail against the Mountain Men. In tonight’s episode, we witness a level of savagery that probably no one thought Jasper was ever capable of. Like Clarke, he understands this is survival by any means necessary, never mind that, on paper, both the outsiders and the Mountain Men share a common ancestry. Irradiated or not, the blood they spill is the blood of humans. It’s tragic, really, that one must die for the other to survive.

We do learn that there is an underground resistance (yes, literally), one that once included Maya’s mother, who lost her life battling for her belief in equality for all. I’ll admit I didn’t trust Maya in the beginning, but she’s proven herself to be a true ally. Her father, reluctant to enter the fray or take sides, finally understands he can no longer ignore the need for change. I like that Eve Harlow brings a real wide-eyed intensity to Maya. Devon Bostick, too, conveys so much with just his eyes. Their peril is writ large on their faces.

Of course, Maya’s not acting alone—she and Bellamy have been working together.  With her help, Bellamy finally reaches Jasper. It’s great to see the two reunited, even if their reunion is bittersweet. (Jasper doesn’t realize Finn is dead!) Bellamy understands they still have a long way to go before they’re truly free. Surrounded by members of the resistance, he somberly tells Jasper, “War is on the way.”

Now, can we talk about Abby for a moment? Her world has literally crumbled around her and she’s still having a hard time coming to terms with the person her daughter has become. It’s understandable that being buried under rubble would stress anybody out, but Clarke is truly not the problem. As Kane points out to her, the Ark’s council members begat an environment in which extreme measures ultimately led to extreme thinking. Clarke is no different from the people who deigned to send 100 children to the ground. In that respect, was the Ark council any less forgiving or barbaric than Mount Weather’s powers-that-be? Kane says it best when he tells Abby, “We have to answer for our sins.” And even then, she still has a problem with Clarke. Why else would she remind her that “we’re the good guys”?

In any event, The 100 is beating the drums of war, and with only a few episodes left in season 2, we’ll have the showdown with Mount Weather we’ve all been waiting for.

Some closing thoughts:

I honestly thought we were going to lose Kane tonight.  Or even Abby. The former would be a devastating loss; the latter, not so much. I’m glad Abby got to do more than just gripe about Clarke’s decision-making, but I’m hoping she experiences some kind of change of heart about her daughter sooner rather than later. 

Like Clarke, Octavia proves she’s not someone to be underestimated.  The other seconds don’t take her seriously until she proves how resourceful she is by creating a smokescreen. I appreciate the journey Octavia is on, even if I didn’t quite buy its genesis. I guess I’m just another second who needed to be won over.

Lincoln redeems himself, but Lexa doesn’t do too much this episode except offer advice that Clarke largely ignores.

Until tonight, I didn’t realize how much Devon Bostick reminded me of silent film star Buster Keaton (and I mean that in the best way possible).