All hell breaks loose when the bunker is finally opened as old bonds and new deals are tested

“We’ll survive, we’ll just wish we didn’t.” Abby (Paige Turco) may have been speaking about the food shortage in the bunker but it rang just as true for Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) in this week’s episode of The 100. Taking the blame for Abby’s drug theft, he finds himself in a fight for the death in Octavia’s (Marie Avgeropoulos) gladiator arena. Winning isn’t enough in this cruel new world apparently and despite being the last man standing, Kane’s compassion for his slain competitors is enough to land him in the fighting pit the next day too.

Meanwhile, Bellamy (Bob Morley) is facing off against Diyoza (Ivana Milicevic), using his 283 hostages to save not only Clarke but everyone down in the bunker. As miners they have the technology to break through the layers of rubble and concrete separating Wonkru from the rest of the world without breaking a sweat. Diyoza agrees to his terms and then we’re treated to the reunion fans have been waiting for for almost a year, the first of many it turns out. Bellamy and Clarke (Eliza Taylor) hug (twice!) before falling into the easy co-leadership that has underlined their relationship since the very beginning of the show.

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There’s a great, unexpected reunion when Bellamy uses the new laser comm to let Clarke talk to Raven (Lindsey Morgan) and Murphy (Richard Harmon), still stranded on board the Eligius ship.

Everything happens pretty quickly after that. Kane uses his last moments to tell Abby that he intends to let his new opponent win and makes her promise to stop taking the pills that landed him in the fighting pit in the first place. Octavia, angry that Kane refuses to fight, is about to kill him herself when the sky literally opens and Bellamy rappels down into the bunker with Clarke to bring Wonkru back to the surface.

We get a double family reunion in the forms of the Blake siblings and the Griffin ladies before Diyoza arrives, ready to save the remaining 814 members of Wonkru. The tense standoff between the colonel and Blodreina somehow manages to look like a meet cute by the end of the episode when Eligius captures Abby (needing the doctor for a mysterious cure) and a trigger happy prisoner fires the shot that starts a war, one that Octavia wastes no time in blaming on her big brother.

Our Panelkru reunites (see what we did there?) to break through (we’re full of puns apparently) this week’s episode.

Jennifer (@dinahblakes) – Bookworm that loves to write and fangirl about post-apocalyptic shows

Mariana (@hopebeIIarke) – Law student and The 100 aficionado

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

Aline (@_the101) – Bachelor of Performing Arts, photographer and fangirl

1. Firstly, of course, we have to ask, what you did you think of the Bellarke reunion?

Yana (@yanawrites): I am loving Clarke’s new show of emotion, especially with how she is feeling more in front of others too. Her first words to him and that need for them to never let go was a lot for me to take in. Obviously I would have loved for it to be longer but that intimate feeling that the scene had to it was amazing.

Jennifer (@dinahblakes): Hugs. Hugs. Hugs. Did I mention hugs? I don’t even know where to begin with the beauty behind that scene of Bellamy and Clarke finally hugging each other after six very long years. I asked myself almost instantly, how many times has Clarke dreamt of Bellamy being there? Standing in front of her? Of course, Madi was there to be Clarke’s other very important person and a source of love. However, Bellamy was her partner and one of the things she couldn’t live without. Aside from being in complete shock when Bellamy stepped into the room, she was still dazed from the shock collar and all that. Little did she know, things would begin to return to a bit of normalcy and she’s about to have the touch of a man that really meant so much to her, the hope she held onto for his return. Not to mention, Bellamy just runs to her (I called it a little jog and laughed about it) and scoops her into his arms wanting no space between them. The look in their eyes was enough to send me into cardiac arrest if it lasted for a second longer, and I don’t know if I’m glad it didn’t. Clarke heard him using his head, and that’s the absolute one thing she told him to do before Praimfaya. Now that broke my little Bellarke heart, in the best way of course.

Mariana (@hopebeiiarke): I am so happy with the reunion we got! A beautiful and intense moment just the two of them crying in each other’s arms! ”And now you’re home” this line sums up everything! Bellamy’s home is not the ark (could be because he lived there for 6 years, he could consider it his home), Bellamy’s home is not a place on the ground, Bellamy’s home is Clarke. This reunion felt like soulmates meeting each other again after 6 years. Eliza said at Conageddon that the Bellarke reunion kinda brings back the trust and love between them, and it really did!

Aline (@_the101): Honestly I had to rewatch a few times because I was crying so hard that I couldn’t see anything. I love Bellarke with all my heart. The Bellarke reunion part 1 was so powerful and iconic, a cinematographic masterpiece. And The Bellarke reunion part 2 had everything I could ask for: hugs, smiles and tears. There was so much emotion, I still can’t believe how soft Bellarke reunion part 2 was. There is a real connection between Clarke and Bellamy, it’s so beautiful to watch. Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley have such incredible chemistry that we can feel it so hard. It seems so real! There is no platonic explanation for the way Bellamy and Clarke look at each other and I love it! This reunion destroyed me in the best way.

Jaclyn and Marcella (@cityofthefeels): It was perfect and Bob and Eliza, as always, performed beautifully in that scene. Bellamy and Clarke have always had this way of looking at each other that says so many things, without saying a word. The look on Clarkes face when she sees him enter the room is complete disbelief, she doesn’t know if she imagined him. It’s not a stretch to say that Clarke has imagined seeing Bellamy again hundreds of times over the last 6 years. It wasn’t a coincidence that Clarke was wearing a tank top during this moment, symbolically showing how intimate and vulnerable the moment truly was. Clarke is able to be open with Bellamy in a way that she isn’t with anybody else.They have this strong connection that it so unique and beautiful to watch. We noticed a difference between the two hugs: the first being instinct and happiness at both of them being in front of one another, the second more desperate and passionate. This is also emphasized with the camera angle as it focused on Bellamy’s hand on Clarke’s back as he pulls her close. This is right after Clarke says the line “and now you’re home” signifying that Clarke’s home is Bellamy and vice versa, as neither of them really have a physical home right now.

2. Diyoza mentioned that they need Abby for a cure. What do you think they need to cure?

Yana: She’s pregnant, Just kidding, maybe. It was something McCreary was invested in as well so all I know is that he must have it or it must affect him personally.

Jennifer: Diyoza knocks me off my feet almost every time she’s on the screen. When she had mentioned that Eligius needs Abby because of their sickness, so many scenarios popped into my head. Would they need her to find a cure like the sickness that Luna and her people had? Would she run rapid around the prisoner ship like Clarke in season 1 with the epidemic spreading? But, seeing the promo for next week’s episode, it only made me suspect a alien growing inside of that poor body. It’s bizarre to think of! It could also be the need to cure the radiation that was growing before the first death wave? Seriously so many questions that need answers.

Mariana: I think it could be two things. It could be a cure for that weird moving thing inside that man’s body, the one we saw in the promo for 5×05. But it’s a little unlikely because that man is on the ground, so maybe he’s from Wonkru? Could it be a virus? I don’t know! Or it could be a cure for the 283 former sleepers of the ship. When they woke up, I noticed some of them coughing, so they could be sick. Or it’s none of those things, in The 100, we’re always surprised.

Aline: I think they need to heal what’s inside their belly – that we saw in the trailer and 5×05’s teaser. I still don’t know if I think of extraterrestrial or it’s a super strong worm. But I think it’s happening slowly with everyone from the Eligius IV.

Jaclyn and Marcella: We honestly have no idea, but it must be something drastic, and without Abby, they will die. This is good for us since Abby won’t be harmed, for now.

3. When Octavia and Kane are talking before his second fight they touch very briefly on “the dark year.” Do you think they mean the first year in the bunker or something we haven’t seen yet?

Yana: Something we haven’t seen. There might have been a point where the people tried to push back again or when someone really close to them ended up in the pits. Speaking of, where is Niylah?

Jennifer: The term of “The Dark Year” simply reminds me of the time of the Great Depression. However, the first thing I guessed was cannibalism. It’s been touched on multiple times before by the fans and Jason, and I think cannibalism was a thing when food was not a reliable resource anymore. People are fighting in the bunker, mostly for the their lives and freedoms essentially. Octavia has a whole clan of grounders who have done crimes to get into that fighting pit, and one of them has to be stealing food. It was a good plan to reduce population with Ancient Roman aspects of entertainment and punishment by the actions of big brother Bellamy, but what were the causes? Food depletion? Starvation? When people are hungry, missing the sunlight and their families…I wouldn’t be surprised if “The Dark Ages” was something that traumatized everyone.

Mariana: I think it’s something we haven’t seen before. It seemed to bother Octavia a lot, and since she’s not easily bothered these days I’d say it was a super dark thing. I’m very curious to see what this dark year was, I hope they tell us!

Aline: I really believe it’s something we haven’t seen yet and I’m very excited to see. Thinking about cannibalism makes me sick but if we don’t have cannibalism in this “dark year” I may be disappointed. The absence of Niylah and the boy Jaha asked Octavia to take care of in this episode made me wonder if anything happened to them. And Octavia doesn’t want to bring this story back… Something very big and very dark happened, it’s a fact. And definitely this is one of the stories I’m most interested to see.

Jaclyn and Marcella: We are so interested to find out more about this “dark year”. We think it has to do with them having to maybe resort to cannibalism. We keep wondering where the hundreds of bodies went, so maybe this ties in to it.

4. Indra, who has always been firmly Team Octavia in the past but in this episode we see her rebelling against Blodreina by not turning Abby in for stealing the medicine and helping Abby and Kane escape. How do you think this will play into the rest of the season?

Yana: Indra still must care for Octavia but she doesn’t agree with this leadership or with the way that Octavia has turned into this dark person. I would say she will still side with Octavia but her loyalty to Blodreina might not be as strong. Also Octavia might want to continue to enforce the rulings of the bunker and Indra might not be as receptive to it.

Jennifer: Indra and her loyalty to Octavia has been prominent over the seasons. However, the relationship of trust and somewhat reliance that she shares with Kane is there to be recognized as well. Loyalty. Indra understands that and always will because she has that same bond with Octavia and previously with Trikru. She knows how much Kane and Abby truly mean to each other, why else would she walk Kane, a prisoner to Blodreina, to Abby so she could talk some sense into him? Of course she knew that Abby stole it, Kane is such a selfless man for his people and those he loves. I think that Indra not turning in Abby or refraining herself from telling Octavia that it wasn’t Kane, was a clear sign of respect and loyalty to those who understand it. I’m not saying the three of them are close, but it was nice to see her watch out and hesitate to help him at first. It’ll definitely play out later in the season as something she could possibly regret, maybe even feel responsible for Kane and Abby to be free and volunteer themselves to help Eligius? All great ideas, huh? I wonder how Octavia feels about all this.

Mariana: Interesting question. I think Indra is very grateful to Octavia because she saved them from Praimfaya, we saw her talking to Gaia in 5×01 about it. So to show her gratitude, Indra became Octavia’s supporter for everything. However, Indra is not blind to the things that were happening in the bunker, we can see that she doesn’t really agree with that. And it was really cool to see her helping Kane, her friend (I love this friendship!). Maybe Indra will ally with Clarke at some point, when they both strongly disagree with Octavia’s way of handling things.

Aline: I think Indra continues alongside Octavia even though she disagrees with her and helping Abby and Kane escape. There’s a lot of Indra in Octavia. She is her mentor. When Octavia called Kane a traitor, it reminded me when Indra called Lincoln a traitor. I love parallels. But Indra finally chooses to rebelling against Octavia because she doesn’t look like she was ever 100% agree with the bunker death matches and she showed mercy to Kane and Abby. So I believe we will have other situations like this, and this will cause big conflict between them.

Jaclyn and Marcella: We love Indra’s relationship with Octavia. These two have always had a mentoring relationship and have had complete loyalty towards each other. So, Indra rebelling a bit against what Octavia stands for shows that she recognizes she has lost her way and things have gotten out of hand. We think this is a relationship to look out for and maybe Indra will guide Octavia back into the light so to speak and back to thinking rationally. Although, in Octavia’s eyes she will probably be seen as the enemy of Wonkru, which worries us.

5. Despite Bellamy learning to use his head and his heart to lead, it’s obvious that he and Clarke still need each other. How do you think their new relationship will help and/or hurt them in their fight against the Eligius prisoners?

Yana: There was a really great thread that I keep mentioning and will link here. There is definitely something in there that could actually end up becoming a reality if Clarke does something for the greater good of Madi not being used for her blood and that going against what Bellamy would have suggested. But I would also like them to understand where the other person is coming from since they were both in those positions at some point.

Jennifer: Thinking back to previous seasons with the head and heart with respective titles belonging to Clarke and Bellamy, there’s always been issues. Clarke being the rational one, and Bellamy feeling his heart tear at the thought of doing something he knows he has to do. Not saying it wouldn’t have the same effect on Clarke, but take Mount Weather for example. Bellamy told Clarke that there’s innocent children and doesn’t wanna kill them, but he just killed a man that fathered the little boy that tugged at his uniform sleeve. Clarke knew that their only option was killing them unfortunately, and it took Bellamy a bit longer to accept it. Here we are, as six years have passed and the head and heart have reunited. With the roles reversed as the maternal Clarke Griffin and the interrogation master Bellamy Blake, and the unexplained bond they have without being in battle. Now that’s something to be explored this season and I cannot wait. Diyoza says in 5×03 “She must be pretty important to you” was an obvious sign to Bellamy showing his own head and his heart, but strength can be vulnerable too. It can be an issue this season, as Clarke has Madi and Bellamy has his sister, both vulnerable for some more different reasons but always with each other. Time really hasn’t shaken their universe of telepathy with just one glance, and hopefully not their importance in what they are to each other. A quote from Jason is racking in my brain right now along the lines of the head and heart not being able to survive without the other. I think that’s exactly what we’re gonna get this season, a tale of how the head and heart grasp onto the other when needing AND wanting to.

Mariana: In my opinion, in this season there will be a huge change of roles. Bellamy was always the heart, the emotional one, the one who didn’t measure the consequences when it comes to protect his sister. Now, we can totally see Clarke acting like that with Madi. I think Clarke, who was always so sensible, will make decisions based only on her goal to protect Madi. So she will need Bellamy to show her the best decision for everyone. For now, Eligius people are the common enemy, things will get bad when they have different goals. They might fight, but I’m sure they’ll always find a way to forgive each other.

Aline: I have never agreed 100% with the phrase “love is weakness”. Especially when it comes to Bellarke. They are so much better and stronger together. And I believe this 6 years separate journey was necessary for them to grow individually to be even stronger when they are together. They always bring out the best of each other. But now Eligius knows their greatest weakness, which is also their greatest strength. And that may bring some defeats in battle, but I believe it will bring victory in the war.

Jaclyn and Marcella: Bellamy and Clarke have always worked so well together as leaders, being that they balanced each other out in terms of using their head/heart. Now that these roles have switched a bit we think that this season they will explore the deeper, romantic need for each other. That being said, we think that their relationship will both help and hurt them in their fight against Eligius. They are strong leaders and will work together, as they always have, but they have different obligations. Clarke has Madi and Bellamy is loyal to Spacekru and Octavia. We know they are going to be fighting for the same thing, with different reasons, which will bring angst between them when loyalties are most likely tested.

6. Skaikru has always had the upper hand in terms of technology but that isn’t the case anymore. Do you think they’ll be able to adjust their warfare accordingly?

Yana: Or take over Eligius technology with the help of Zeke.

Jennifer: Personally, knowing that Eligius is more technologically advanced than Skaikru when they returned to the ground after 100 years is kinda scary to think about. The grounders didn’t have guns, so our delinquents gave them guns in exchange for peace and a leverage in war. Now, the enemies have blasters and rockets that could literally burn a hole in someone’s chest killing them instantly. Recklessness is different from having an upper hand, one of them causes the other to happen. Octavia and Wonkru have fought each other to survive, so I’m pretty sure that she doesn’t mind a war at all. She’s prepared her people for it, all of them losing their fear of death because they’ve fought for it so much and Wonkru won’t let anything happen to her. Will their instinct to survive rule out the strategy making? I really hope not. They’re all fighting for the last survivable land on Earth, and I’m afraid that technology will be an advantage for Eligius. Their use of warfare is exactly what it looked like, surprising and loud.

Mariana: I think it won’t be easy to end this war in a diplomatic way. Mainly because our old Skaikru is now divided, they’re not united anymore. Bellamy cares about his ”family” from the ark, Clarke cares about Madi, Octavia cares about Wonkru, so this will weaken their strength as a group. We know that when the delinquents are together, nothing can stop them. But now this unity is gone, so I’m excited to see if in the end they can work together again, I hope they do!

Aline: I’d like to say yes, but I don’t think so, not in terms of technology. But I still have faith in victory because we have Bellamy, Clarke, Raven with her brain, and Octavia with her army. Our heroes are a dream team but everything will only work if they know how to work together as a true team after 6 years apart.

Jaclyn and Marcella: This is going to be so cool to see how this plays out since the technology is on another level this season. We think that Raven will be able to figure something out with the help of Shaw, especially since he knows first-hand the extent of the technology that the Eligius prisoners have.

7. After episodes dedicated to Clarke and Octavia we finally got a bit more focus on Raven. After everything she’s been through throughout the years, what do you want to see for her this season?

Yana: H a p p i n e s s. But that is okay. Zeke is already heading up there for her.

Jennifer: Oh, it was definitely good to see Raven have her own little spotlight to shine, and more time to show it. She’s always been a character I was interested in, being proud of how well she’s handled her disabilities even though it came with a handful of hardships. But she’s smart, and strong both physically and mentally and our wannabe peacemaker Shaw is already taking a liking to her. The reunion with her and Clarke showed how much of the burden she took upon herself to make sure they all survived. Clarke sacrificed herself, Raven made sure she didn’t die in vain and got their friends back on the ground. Now, she’s dealing with a threat that she’s never had the ability to explore or experiment with. People who were frozen in space, in time, and all she did was patiently wait to be the hero. Our mechanic sacrifices so her loved ones can live and be happy, when she chose her own life over pain. That’s what I want for Raven. I want her to be happy and to accept her pain as something she’s overcome and live on the ground. The ground was the dream right? Raven needs to live because she’s been through so much, so please someone give her a glass of water and something that’s not algae. But everything on this show eventually gets dark, and I can’t say I’m excited for more of her journey this season.

Mariana: I want her to be happy, find love (Shaw!!!) and be appreciated for who she is! Shaw seems to be a male version of her so it will be interesting to see them interacting. I have this feeling that Raven will be happy(ish) this season. Fingers crossed!

Aline: Happiness. Raven Reyes deserves to be happy. That’s all I can think of when we talk about Raven. I’ve never seen a character suffer as much as she does. I love her and she is an inspiration. I remember when she said “I don’t choose pain. I choose to live.” This speech marked me forever. She is always ready to sacrifice herself but continues to choose to live. And that’s such a beautiful message. I love her relationship with Murphy and I don’t know if something will happen between them but I already enjoy her relationship with the new character Shaw. She deserves someone who recognizes how wonderful she is and in this episode Shaw already saw this without even knowing her. That’s what she deserves. Recognition and happiness. And that’s what I want for her this season.

Jaclyn and Marcella: Honestly, we just want to see Raven happy this season. She is a character who has been through hell and back and we continue to see how strong she is. We loved the scene of her and Murphy playing soccer and want to see more light and carefree moments like this with her this season. But this is The 100, so light moments are often few and in between.

“They gave Pandora a box. Prometheus begged her not to open it. She opened it. Every evil to which human flesh is heir came out of it.” – Kurt Vonnegut

The stage is set, all the players are on the board and, pardon the expression, sh-t just got real. Somehow all the simmering tension of the first three episodes was just the beginning, a cosmic giant setting up a pattern of dominoes before that ill fated shot knocked them down.

Choosing our favorite part of this episode is like a parent choosing their favorite child, but as it is with parents, no matter how little they might want to actually acknowledge it, of course we have one. Bellamy and Clarke have been the head and the heart of this show from the very beginning and they prove exactly why in “Pandora’s Box.” Other writers will give the Bellarke reunion the incredibly detailed analysis it deserves (not to mention all the fanart it has already inspired) but we’ll focus instead on all the moments after that.

Despite being separated for more than six years and Bellamy believing that Clarke had died, they pick right back up as if no time had passed at all. The two seem to be caught in the same gravitational pull, grounding each other with every touch or look. Something that speaks to their profound connection more than any flowery words or overblown performances ever could.

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Will Bellamy Blake ever get a break? He’s been on Earth for a couple of days and he’s already being blamed for World War 3. (Or is it 4? Maybe 5? We’re losing track at this point.) We get that the new Octavia is scary and ruthless – you don’t let nearly 400 people die in your fighting pit by hugging them too hard – but come on. Take a break from the whole Blodreina thing, maybe wipe off the war paint and get to know your brother again.

As we say this though, we know that that would never actually happen. This is The 100 after all and not only would this be wildly out of character, it would break the cardinal rule of not being realistic. Something you probably wouldn’t expect from a show featuring flirting via hacking and a soccer match on board a spaceship but which the show never fails to embody.

How are Raven and Murphy going to get home? Where are Madi and the rest of Spacekru? What else is Octavia going to blame on Bellamy? And, perhaps, most importantly, what the hell was that thing channeling Alien‘s facehugger in the promo for next week? The only way we can get the answer to all those questions is to tune in for the next episode. Although this time, we may just have to lay off on the popcorn. We’re getting queasy just watching the promo.

THE 100 returns TUESDAY MAY 22nd at 9/8c on THE CW.