A new ship brings a promise of a way back home and a whole host of new problems

“We’re back bitches!” Spacekru finally makes it back down to Earth in the third episode of the fifth season, landing smack dab in the middle of a brewing war, which is pretty par for the course when discussing The 100.

This masterpiece of an episode, somehow better than “Eden” or “Red Queen,” had us captivated from the first moments as Emori (Luisa d’Oliveira) crashes the escape pod into the unknown entity that is the Eligius IV ship. Bellamy (Bob Morley), looking every bit like a new generation’s Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich who?) leads the rest of Spacekru on an exploration of the apparently empty ship.

Back on Earth, Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Madi (Lola Flanery) aren’t faring much better. Apparently, a Grounder inspired take on the classic ‘Step on a rake’ trap is no match for a sonic/air cannon thing. Who knew? Injured and knowing that they’ll never be able to outrun the Eligius prisoners hot on their trail, Clarke makes Madi promise to stay hidden while she draws them away.

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In a spectacular use of dramatic irony, Raven (Lindsey Morgan) manages to tap into the Eligius laser communicator as the prisoners close in on Clarke. Still believing Clarke to be dead, Bellamy immediately assumes that they must be chasing his sister and decides that six years is more than enough time to waste in space.

After the stunning discovery of 283 Eligius prisoners locked away in cryo pods, the gang decides to use them as a bargaining chip against their new foes. Raven, after lying to Bellamy about an escape pod, convinces him to leave her on the ship, ready to execute all the sleeping prisoners if the bad guys call their bluff. After landing in the middle of a hostile Eligius guard, Spacekru are saved by the increasingly bad ass Madi who, recognizing Bellamy immediately, delivers the twin blows that Clarke is still alive and that she needs help.

In a scene that has already been immortalized in the fangirl hall of fame, Bellamy plays his trump card immediately, trading the lives of the 283 prisoners for Clarke, the woman he thought he had lost forever, found at last.

Our Panelkru managed to get their jaws off the floor long enough to answer a few questions for us in this week’s roundtable discussion.

Selina (@selinawilken) – Media journalist covering The 100 for Hypable.com

Erin (@eeandg81) – Homeschool mom who turned fangirling into a career

Yana (@yanawrites) – Mermaid writer human in love with scary stories and abandoned places

Jaclyn and Marcella (@cityofthefeels) – Youtubers on the channel Drowninginfandomfeels, English majors, and hardcore fangirls

Milena and Lola (@LMreactions) – Full time mathematics students, part time reactors

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1. How do you feel about the way they handled the reveal that Clarke is still alive? What do you think about Madi being the one to tell Bellamy?

Yana (@yanawrites): It would have been great if Bellamy just saw her or something but plot wise it doesn’t make much sense. Having Madi be the one to meet him and then fill him in works both as a way to create a bond between Madi/Bellamy and by not making it through something like a radio. In fact Madi telling him opened that door for things to go by quickly and for us not to have to wait as long. If he heard her voice in space, can you imagine that ride back to Earth? Too long, way too long.

Selina (@selinawilken): It was somehow a lot more epic than I was expecting, which is saying a lot. That Madi met Bellamy first and ‘adopted’ him was actually a very popular fandom theory/hope, so I was in complete disbelief the first time I watched it, in the best way. Clarke and Bellamy’s relationship is such a massively important part of the story, so obviously their reunion had to be special, but to essentially build the entire episode around it and have it culminate in such a spectacular hero moment for Bellamy? Never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted that.

Erin (@eeandg81): It was perfect. It was really a scene straight out of fan fiction and it was so good! Madi knowing that was Bellamy in the dark from feet away took my breath away. How many times has Clarke drawn him? How many stories has she told Madi about him to make Madi trust him with Clarke’s life immediately? On the other hand I loved how Bellamy just went with Madi, a girl he has never met or even heard about. She grabs his hand and he doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t look back, doesn’t check to see if anyone is going with them or if they approve. Clarke is alive and he is going to get her back. The writing, acting, timing….all of it. Perfect.

Lola and Milena (@lmreactions): We don’t think they could have done that any better. It was perfect. The emotional impact of him first hearing that Clarke is alive, combined with the fact that Madi told him ‘Clarke knew you would come’ followed by them seeing each other was breathtaking. Of course the biggest moment was when they finally locked after 6 years for him to say ‘She is’ to reaffirm that no matter how much time has passed he is still willing to do anything it takes to protect her. I think it’s safe to say the scene left us on the floor. (editor’s note: they mean this quite literally, their last reaction vid ends with them on the floor)

Jaclyn and Marcella (@cityofthefeels): It was perfect!! It was built up throughout the entire episode, creating extreme suspense and excitement. The way they had SpaceKru listening into Eligius tracking Clarke was a great use of dramatic irony, making viewers lose their minds. The constant back and forth shots built anticipation and left us on the edge of our seats. Madi sweeping in to save them right at the last moment was such a badass introduction to SpaceKru. Having Bellamy find out through Madi allowed them to bond right away over Clarke and how much she means to both of them. It led into some FANTASTIC cinematography shots with Bellamy emerging from the rover, the light illuminating him as he slowly walks out of the shadows and they see each other for the first time. That light symbolized the hope that has been restored in both of their lives, especially Clarke’s as she sobs in relief. Madi is safe and Bellamy is here to save the day, using both his head and his heart. The way the two of them look at each other with a thousand different emotions speaks for itself. It was in that moment when Bellamy says, “She is” where he lets himself really stare at Clarke and absorb the fact that she’s alive. He didn’t leave her to die like he originally thought he did. The tears in his eyes as he stares at her is truly breathtaking. It’s a declaration of how no matter how much time has passed, they still need each other and care about one another. The way that scene was directed was incredible and Bob and Eliza killed it.

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2. Which of the Eligius prisoners are you most excited about?

Yana: Zeke, Zeke, and Zeke. I don’t trust anybody who doesn’t love Zeke. There is just something about him that shows that he isn’t exactly motivated to harm anyone, in fact he could very easily sway towards siding with our favorites because his heart shines through so much. It is refreshing to see a character not have any motivation to keep Clarke safe besides just not being okay with the harm that is being inflicted on her. He has a reasonable way of approaching situations, and while Charmaine’s way of thinking isn’t that hard to understand, sometimes just watching a character that isn’t as untrustworthy of everyone is nice.

Selina: It’s a very close race, but Charmaine Diyoza has me completely spellbound. She is so many contradictory things all at once, and I feel like the show has only begun to explore who she is and what agenda she is ultimately working towards. (But obviously Zeke Shaw is an instant fave as well.)

Erin: First I need to say that I love Zeke. He really is so fun to watch and he makes me smile BUT I am definitely most excited about McCreary. He is so ruthless and wants to hurt everyone. It’s absolutely terrifying. He reminds me so much of s1 Murphy and I want to see what Murphy could have turned into if he hadn’t been given a second chance by Clarke and Bellamy and if he hadn’t been loved by Emori. I also need Murphy to see it. I’m not sure if they’ll do that but I’d love to see Murphy have a moment where he sees how having this family has changed him.

Lola and Milena: All of them have incredibly interesting characteristics and they can only become more intriguing when we find out more about them. But the one character that stood out and that we can safely say is gonna be one of our favorites this season is Charmaine Diyoza. We thought we knew what she was going to be like but she kept surprising us. She was very fair with Clarke while she thought she cooperated while we thought she was gonna be ruthless. Her backstory has already been hinted but there is so much more to dive into and we can’t wait to see that and fall more in love with her.

Jaclyn and Marcella: While they are all very interesting, by them having an antagonistic relationship amongst each other, we’re the most excited to learn more about Zeke! He doesn’t seem fully on board with some of the things that Eligius stands for. This was subtly seen when he was trying to understand Clarke, as opposed to the violent nature that Charmaine and McCreary showed. We’re interested to know more about his story and how he is going to fit in with our heroes. Maybe he will join our side in the end?

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3. How did you feel about Raven and Murphy staying behind? How do you think they’ll get back?

Yana: I have thoughts. Most of those thoughts I can’t reveal but they have to come back down. I don’t see this being the Murphy and Raven spinoff in space show so somehow Eligius would have to get involved to get them down, right? I do wish Raven came down though because she continues to sacrifice every part of her for her people and that is beautiful but not necessary. She deserves happiness and a life as well.

Selina: I was actually really worried about Raven for a second – until Murphy stayed behind with her, and I realised this was not the end of anyone’s story. I love Raven and Murphy’s friendship, and found this an absolutely beautiful development, which shows so much growth on Murphy’s part. And Raven’s decision to stay is heartbreaking: she is essentially sacrificing herself to fulfil her promise to her friends. But now that she is free of this burden, I’m excited to see what she becomes next.

Erin: I loved that Murphy and Raven both chose to stay behind. Romantic or platonic or whatever I love any scenes I can get with the 2 of them together. Lindsey and Richard have off the charts chemistry and I am always excited to see more of them. As for how they’ll get back I don’t know. Bellamy is still working on making a deal with Eligius at the end of this episode so hopefully that will work out and they’ll bring them down. Not as if anything ever actually works out the first time on this show.

Lola and Milena: That was really funny and tragic at the same time. First we’re really happy Raven isn’t all alone and second, as big fans of Murven and that relationship, we are ecstatic that Murphy was the one who stayed. I think it will be a few episode before they get back and the only way we see them getting back is with the help of the Eligius people, going up to get them and their people.

Jaclyn and Marcella: We love it! We always enjoy the banter between those two, so we’re very excited that they get to have this adventure on the prisoner ship together. They have great chemistry that is always such a joy to watch and shows how far they have come together. We loved seeing Murphy step up to stay with her, as it demonstrates strong character development. Raven teasing him that dying alone would have sucked was a nice callback to a moment in the season two premiere when she questioned why Murphy was helping her, to which he replied that he didn’t want to die alone. However, we do think that danger will find them in the form of the prisoners in cryosleep. We already saw one of them wake up and they’re very hard to kill. It’s also possible that the Eligius people will use Murphy and Raven to twist what Bellamy did around on him and use them as leverage. This could be how they end up back on the ground.

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4. This episode really showcased Skaikru’s willingness to sacrifice themselves in order to save others. Do you think this will help them or hurt them in their fight against the Eligius prisoners?

Yana: Depending on the character. I don’t see everyone agreeing on things all the time, it made sense when most of them wanted to come down and there was a goal they had to achieve but there are clear disagreements and divides regardless. The fight for Eden will bring out opinions from everyone, although even if they are different I do think the space group will gravitate towards each other. The same goes for Clarke, she will sacrifice her whole self but I don’t see her not still having an opinion and drifting towards the one that puts Madi in a safe place.

Selina: Clearly, Clarke’s feelings for Madi were a major strategic disadvantage in her battle of wills against Charmaine. But I have a suspicion – or maybe just a wild hope – that our heroes’ love for and trust of each other will ultimately help them win (or, more realistically, survive) the war.

Erin: I’m not sure. I’m a little worried that Eligius is going to exploit their weakness. I mean love is weakness, right? Octavia bringing that line back in the trailer was probably not a good sign of things to come.

Lola and Milena: As this show has often stated ‘Love is weakness’ but as the audience has also learned love is very much the strength for a lot of our characters so while some may become irrational and hotheaded others will find strength in knowing what and who they’re fighting for.

Jaclyn and Marcella: We can see it both hurting and helping them depending on the choices they make. The loyalty that our group have towards each other is something that the Eligius prisoners can’t relate to. On the other hand, this could easily be their weakness and a way for Eligius to use them against one another. Charmaine now knows that Clarke will do anything to protect Madi and that Bellamy was willing to kill hundreds of lives to save Clarke. While we are over the moon about the “she is” line, it gave away that Clarke is his weakness and we foresee this causing a lot of pain for us in the near future.

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5. Spacekru has obviously become incredibly close over the past six years. How do you think their team dynamic will change now that they know Clarke is alive?

Yana: They better all just bring her in because she is their people. It will be an adjustment because we have seen how they use her as a reason to make certain choices, but now that she is actually there with her own thoughts and views again, will it all go exactly as smoothly?

Selina: I think it is the fact that they are back in conflict, more so than Clarke being alive specifically, that will ultimately threaten to break up the band. SpaceKru are a family, but that family was formed under completely unique, peaceful conditions. And they are not each other’s ONLY family. Particularly Bellamy might find his loyalty torn between ‘his’ people and the agendas of Clarke and Octavia, respectively. But I like to think that the bulk of SpaceKru will stick together. Echo and Emori just found a family, don’t take it away from them!

Erin: It’s probably going to change a lot of things because no matter how strong this family is they’ve built Bellamy and Clarke can’t stop this connection they have. Jason has said in so many interviews that if what’s right for Clarke/Madi isn’t what’s right for Spacekru it’s going to cause tension. I think the tension will be because it’s going to be impossible for Bellamy to make a decision that could hurt Clarke or Madi but not everyone in spacekru is going to feel that way. For some of them that family of 7 is always going to be more important than anyone else and I imagine that is going to be hard for Bellamy.

Lola and Milena: I think the biggest change is going to be for Bellamy who, until now, made decisions in order to save Spacekru, and now know that he knows Clarke is alive he is of course going to want to choose what’s best for her too. The problem will be what will happen when what’s best for Madi isn’t going to be what’s best for spacekru and how that will put Bellamy and Clarke at odds with each other.

Jaclyn and Marcella: We don’t think that the team dynamic as a whole will change that drastically. We think that Spacekru still has a sense of loyalty to Clarke for saving them and will look to her as well to lead them. We do think that relationships within Spacekru will change, particularly Bellamy and Echo. We think Echo will have a hard time adjusting and that relationship will be irrevocably changed. We can’t wait to see Bellamy and Clarke leading together as a team, even though there will be some bumps in the road ahead. It is clear from episode three that they are still in sync with each other and still mean the world to each other even after six years.

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6. Even though we only saw them together for a few seconds, it seems clear that Bellamy “Space Dad” Blake has taken Madi under his wing. How do you think his version of protection/parenting will work with Clarke’s?

Yana: Bellamy clearly won’t let Madi be in any danger but if there is a situation where like Madi needs to be saved but so does Harper, and Madi isn’t in immediate danger but Harper is .. I think they will struggle. Because Bellamy would come at it in that mindful way about how it makes sense strategically to save the person in more danger while Clarke will channel her heart and focus on Madi’s safety.

Selina: I honestly thought it was the other way around! Madi is a BAMF. As much as I like the idea, I’m not sure how much we’ll actually see him ‘parent’ Made — I actually think it’s more likely that Clarke and Bellamy’s agendas will clash because Clarke is so devoted to keeping Madi safe at all costs, while Bellamy will be more inclined to make decisions in Spacekru’s (and/or Octavia’s?) favour.

Erin: I think we are going to continue to see a role reversal. Clarke is now season 1 Bellamy Blake. She is going to be impulsive and all “heart” when it comes to protecting Madi just like Bellamy was with Octavia. Bellamy has now been using his head and his heart because he promised Clarke he would and everything he has done for the past 6 years has been built on that promise. I think they will balance each other out when it comes to Madi just like they did in s1 once they started to work together.

Lola and Milena: Bellamy, of course, adopted that child the second he saw her. He grew up with a younger sister and he had to literally be a parent to her, so in that way he and Clarke will have something in common. We think they will be on the same page in regards to protecting Madi but Clarke may be overly protective and irrational cause Madi is the most important person to her, and she will need Bellamy to ground her and help her cause he know what it’s like to be overly protective over a person.

Jaclyn and Marcella: From the little we have seen in this episode of Bellamy and Madi it is clear that there is already this trust between them. Madi has never met Bellamy before, yet she has heard so much about him from Clarke, and looks at him as if he’s a hero from a story. Right away, she knew that he would save Clarke and focuses only on him in that scene. Although this very well could have been a trap, Bellamy still went with her. We found it really ironic and a little foreshadowing that the mug that Bellamy used said “Best Dad in the Universe” after he pulled up in the rover with Madi. We can tell that their versions of parenting are in sync when they both said “Madi no”, indicating that they are on the same page even after not being together for so long. There wasn’t a doubt in Madi’s mind that Bellamy would save Clarke. She listens to him immediately even after just meeting him. Bellamy has a paternal side that we’ve seen in various episodes from raising Octavia. We wonder if since they seem to be doing a role reversal this year, if we’ll see Bellamy give Clark advice about Madi, similar to how she would always give him advice pertaining to Octavia. When Bellamy lifts his fist and Madi drives away, you could see Clarkes shoulders sag with relief as if a weight has been lifted. She’s not alone in protecting Madi and she knows that Bellamy understands that love.

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7. What are you expecting from next week’s episode? Do you have any ideas for what will happen when they open the bunker or are you totally focused on the Bellarke reunion?

Yana: I have ideas but I will just say that I am totally focused on the Bellarke reunion, with hints of excitement for fans to see more of what is happening in that bunker in present time and how relationships all around are shifting. There may even be new connections that people haven’t picked up on yet?

Selina: I’m so easy to please. Every aspect of the show matters to me, so I would be equally happy no matter which characters the episode focuses on (I’d be down for an Eligius-only episode, too!). I’m honestly just excited to see what happens when everyone is back together, because there are so many potentially explosive dynamics that the show could explore.

Erin: Look I want to care about what’s happening to the people in the bunker and what spackru will be doing but really all I can think about is Bellamy and Clarke, and the lighting when Bellamy walked in front of the rover like an angel, the music, the way Bellamy looked Clarke in the eyes when he said, “She is”, how they both said “Madi, no.” still so perfectly in sync even after 6 years, how Eliza and Bob have so much chemistry when they are feet away from each other and they don’t even talk, how next week they are going to be in a room alone together and they are going to hug and probably have a conversation. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be live tweeting the episode but anything that happens after I see that scene will be jibberish and won’t make sense. Sure we might get Blake and Griffin family reunions next episode and I do want to see them. I want to know how they get out of the bunker, I want to know why Kane is in the ring, I need to see how/if/when Raven and Murphy get to the ground but I doubt I’ll be able process anything but Bellamy and Clarke actually talking for the first time in 6 years.

Lola and Milena: Although it’s hard to think past the point of Bellamy and Clarke interacting after 6 years we are so excited for everything that episode will bring.Starting with the long-anticipated reunion between Bellarke to finding out more about the Eligius people and then the bunker. When we finally open the bunker, after the emotional reunion between the Blakes, we’re going to have problems right away. There is only one survivable place on earth and everyone wants it. The conflict that will rise between Wonkru and the Eligius prisoners is going to be one of the main plots this season and we don’t have a slightest idea how that will be resolved.

Jaclyn and Marcella: Well, we know from the interview with Jason that Bellamy and Clarke will have a private moment together along with a hug, which we are thrilled about. Of course, from the promo they gave we know that we’re going to see what happens with Kane and Octavia in the bunker. The only option for getting them out of the bunker is through the Eligius prisoners, as they have the mining resources that they need. We’re excited to see how that comes about, but we are still dying from the ending of this episode! We’re going to be re-watching till Tuesday for sure. We are expecting lots of tears and emotions from episode 4- from Bellamy and Clarke, as well as us.

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“Never mind, I see you”

Honestly, this show is getting a little ridiculous at this point. How in the world can it keep getting better and better with every episode? “Eden” was exceptional, “Red Queen” was horrifically amazing and somehow “Sleeping Giants” put them both to shame.

After watching this episode three or four more times, the only way we can describe it is to compare it to a master violinist playing his masterpiece. Every part of it worked seamlessly together, weaving in suspense and dread and excitement until the magnificent climax. We have been imagining the reunion between Bellamy and Clarke since the screen went black in 4×13 but somehow this was so much better than anything we could imagine.

It would have been exceptionally easy to drag this episode out, fill it with useless information and buffer scenes just to make the fans suffer a little bit longer. As it was we did suffer, but in the best way possible. Every part of this episode was perfect, every scene perfectly set, every line of dialogue building to the mythos of the show, a concerto that had us screaming and crying at our TV.

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Instead of trying to find fault with this episode (which, if we couldn’t do after four viewings we doubt we ever will) we’d like to shine a light on Bob Morley. We spoke about Eliza Taylor’s incredible talent in the “Eden” roundtable, a powerhouse performance that could’ve easily overshadowed any lesser actor. Which makes it all the better that she and the fans have Bob Morley.

From the very first episode, Bob Morley has had an incredible knack for showing us, through a simple look or gesture, exactly what Bellamy has been thinking or feeling, sometimes delivering two separate performances in one incredibly nuanced scene. This, like everything else in this episode, was played perfectly, from the moment Madi reveals that Clarke is still alive to his final line, the impossibly simple yet powerful, “She is,” he is able to convey all his guilt and joy and grief in a way we’re hard pressed to find anywhere else.

Why is a week always so long? There is no way we’ll be missing next week’s episode, not with the promise of new insight into the bunker and the fallout from the world’s longest awaited reunion. Which, if we are to believe Jason Rothenberg, might include a hug to rival 2×05.

THE 100 returns TUESDAY MAY 15th at 9/8c on THE CW.