The 100 Season 4 Episode 8 Review: God Complex

This The 100 review contains spoilers.

The 100 Season 4 Episode 8

The return of Indra’s daughter, more screen time for Monty, and a viable use for Jaha made the B plot more worthwhile than the A plot in the episode. Plus, I can already see how this will reverberate into next season.

Throwback to “Day Trip”

Jasper and Bellamy’s plot seeking the old mind-altering nuts from back in Season 1 was pretty thin. Jasper’s banter was at its best in juxtaposition to Bellamy’s stodgy angst. While it does seem Jasper was the perfect person to finally get through to Bellamy, I’m not sure that the payoff – Bellamy cutting himself a little slack and dancing with a girl we don’t know – is particularly worth it. Perhaps when everyone is reunited, we’ll see a better payoff with Octavia or Indra?

Jaha finds the Promised Land

Aside from the obvious prospect of a solution, Indra not only used a gun, but procured several for her people. I’m saying it right now: I think they’re setting this up to be a major conflict for next season. Jaha was incredibly blasé about all this, but I’m siding with Kane. I can only imagine all manner of remaining alliances have been shredded at this point. I’m glad the idea of Grounders not using guns has finally had a payoff, and I’m hoping they will use this tension well.

How much room is in the bunker? Which tribes will Indra allow in? Will the religious order try to wrest control? Where is Becca Promheda’s body? Are there other ALIE or Becca goodies inside?

Medical morality goes bonkers

It’s unclear why the group decides Emori should be tested, and it’s likely they all have different reasons. For example, Roan shows at least some unconscious bias against those born with physical disabilities, whereas Clarke likely only looked to her because she lied and effectively put someone else to death by doing so. The episode would have benefitted from clarity on this point. If our characters are going to backslide on their morals on a show all about where the moral breaking point is, we need to know precisely why that is happening.

Even after Clarke takes matters into her own hands, Abby smashes the radiation chamber and not only does no one stop her, no one even tries. Contrast that with the violence Emori and Murphy were greeted with when they tried to do the same.

The 100 used to turn a lot of settler/colonizer tropes on their heads, like by having Grounders possess greater knowledge or technology, or showing the more extreme brutality of the Ark. This storyline, however, displayed a questionable morality that wasn’t particularly supported by past characterization, something that spelled trouble for the show last season. Moral murkiness isn’t the problem; rather, that’s usually the show’s strength. It’s the weak characterization and confusion as to why the characters are making these choices that weakened this storyline for me, which was the bulk of this week’s episode.

Clarke finally makes the right call

To be honest, I couldn’t believe it took so long for Clarke to sacrifice herself – it seemed so out of character. She usually goes out of her way to try to put herself in the line of fire. Murphy has come such an incredibly long way, and this actor is doing an amazing job this season, but this episode in particular is a great performance.

Even though Emori is fine (which I’m happy about, I enjoy how she complicates both Grounder and Skaikru society), Murphy won’t forgive Clarke anytime soon. That said, Murphy invented the concept of being unforgivable on this show, and look where he is now.

Did everyone notice how Roan referred to Emori by a slur and Raven insisted he not use it? What a great bit of characterization for the sense of justice we’ve seen Raven show this season, on top of Raven show camaraderie with a fellow person with a disability as she comes to term with that identity herself. This week also saw the first time a character spoke aloud the Mount Weather parallel to the Nightblood experiments, from none other than Raven. Will Raven be the new conscience of the group?

Other notable moments:

• Harper is worrying me more than Jasper these days

• “I know we’re supposed to be sad cuz everything’s dying and all, but I’m just gonna say it: I don’t miss mosquitoes.”

• “We can do whatever the hell we want and really mean it this time”

• I loved watching Luna remind us that she’s a pacifist by choice, not necessity

• “Certainty is a luxury leaders can’t afford”

• Murphy calling in his chit “don’t forget that when you were saving everyone else I was saving you.”