The 100 Season 4 Episode 9 Review: DNR

This The 100 review contains spoilers.

The 100 Season 4 Episode 9

“DNR” served to set up the events for the last push to the end of the season. But this episode had so much heart it didn’t feel like filler at all.

I don’t know about you, but I bought the “Clarke as Commander” feint hook, line, and sinker. It felt like in many ways, everything was building to her eventual leadership of all thirteen clans. I hope that if Clarke does eventually lead them all, she does it with a different title and mandate, rather than at the top of the existing Grounder political structure. Roan had some great commentary about a colonizer coming in to rule over the “savages.” He correctly nailed the fact that any imperialist tendencies Clarke may have are of the White Man’s Burden variety.

While there is nothing more Octavia than that gorgeous closing shot of her approaching Polis on horseback in silhouette, I hope this turn back toward extreme violence is short-lived. Octavia is a warrior, through and through, but that doesn’t have to mean she’s a killer. If you need any evidence, look no further than the reactions to her behavior from various Grounders, including Indra, Roan, and Ilian. These are warriors from the same culture that taught her, and they’re concerned by her current lack of a moral code.

Seeing Harper curled up on the bed made me realize that we’ve rarely seen anyone grieve their situation in such a vulnerable way on this show, at least not for any length of time. Isolation, angst, and reckless violence are more The 100‘s speed. I don’t totally think it worked – I felt the least connected to Harper’s storyline, although she has had much less screen time than the others – but I have hope for this plotline.

By far, the strongest part of this episode was the series of heartfelt goodbyes. This sort of thing can easily become saccharine or stilted, but Jasper and Bellamy stayed true to their characters, while tugging on just the right amount of nostalgia for who they once were. It also felt like Bellamy preventing Jaha from storming Jasper and friends was a true moment of redemption from his own violent past. I hope we see more of this side of Bellamy as leader and protector again as he comes to terms with his previous actions.

Raven and Murphy’s parting scene was incredibly powerful, particularly because it included an apology from Murphy for shooting Raven, which caused permanent damage. It’s so rare for Murphy to speak completely without artifice or defense mechanisms, even with Emori, when he tends to use humor. For her part, Raven, let’s go of her anger and seems to genuinely forgive him. This scene just felt so earned. It would be easy to forget that the character now in front of us was a villain in Season 1, the one who urinated on kids, shot Raven, and was strung up by his own people because they were so tired of living under his boot. I’m so glad they’ve never let us forget that, and using the moment fleeing from the drone was a great opportunity to remind the audience of Raven and Murphy’s dynamic and set up this lovely, vulnerable scene between the two of them.

Richard Harmon has done an incredible job portraying Murphy’s transformation, and he and Lindsey Morgan were excellent in this scene.

Now that we’ve handled the emotional side of the end of the world, who’s ready for a deadly game of hide and seek? As always, my money’s on Octavia.

Other observations

• I’m still not convinced anybody ever elected Kane to be chancellor.

• Miller seemed awful cozy with Jackson.

• “If she can’t use her brain, why do they need her?” Ouch Emori, I know you’re hurting, but that’s still pretty cold

• Gaia’s name, which she shares with the earth mother goddess in Greek mythology, can’t be an accident.

• Jasper seems more like a cult leader every day.

• I loved Bellamy calling Jaha out for sending them to the ground to die in the first place. I would add, though, that they haven’t been children for a long time.