Sandstorms, alliances and burrowing parasitic worms…who said the Earth wasn’t going to be fun?

It was really great of Jason Rothenberg and his team of writers (lead this week by Nick Brag) to give us a nice, calming episode of The 100 this week, a way to catch our breath after the insanity of the first four episodes. No, wait, we must be thinking of some other show, this episode was horrifying.

After last week’s shot heard round the world (which, considering the world was decimated by Praimfaya a few short years ago wasn’t actually that difficult to pull off), Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) is hard at work planning an invasion of the Shallow Valley and ignoring Clarke (Eliza Taylor) who tries to warn them that their path will put them right in the path of violent sandstorms which just so happen to be full of razor sharp glass shards. And since Clarke has spent the last six years figuring out exactly how to deal with this sort of thing (i.e., run in the opposite direction), Blodreina does the logical thing and uh . . . leads her people directly into the path of those death filled tornadoes. Bellamy (Bob Morley) and Clarke decide to tag along in an effort to rescue Raven (Lindsey Morgan) and Murphy (Richard Harmon) from the Eligius prisoners and because group field trips are fun, we guess?

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Raven and Murphy, having been “rescued” from the mothership, are now being tortured (because Raven hasn’t been through enough apparently) for locking Eligius out of their weapons systems, which ends up being all Shaw’s (Jordan Bolger) doing. It turns out not all the Eligius prisoners are super onboard with massacring hundreds of people, thank Heda for that.

Back at camp, Bellamy and Clarke are sitting apart from Octavia and the rest of Wonkru, because clearly six years and millions of miles of distance wasn’t enough. Just as our two heroes are bonding again (Bellarke forever, don’t @ us) a Wonkru scout arrives to ruin the day. More specifically, a Wonkru scout who just so happens to be chock full of burrowing parasitic worms (congratulations, it’s. . . horrifying death). The worms tear out of the poor guy’s stomach (of course) and into Octavia (of course again) and just as Clarke is cutting into Octavia’s arm to pull the thing out before it can nest or breed or whatever, Monty (Christopher Larkin) calls to let Bellamy know there’s a big old missile with Wonkru’s name on it headed their way (triple of course).

It turns out Murphy managed to escape all the torture and warn everyone about the missile just in time. Although considering their only way out is into the swirling death winds, it’s not a perfect escape. They survive though – well, most of them do anyway – and Octavia, loving and gentle sister that she is, manages to threaten Bellamy’s life before Echo (Tasya Teles) shows up and makes a bad situation a whole hell of a lot worse.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, we now have to wait two weeks for the next episode, because apparently, Raven isn’t the only one getting tortured. Luckily though, our Panelkru is here to go over every last horrifying detail, because if we’re all getting tortured then at least we’re all in it together.

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

Lola and Milena (@LMReactions) – Full time mathematic students, part time reactors

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

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

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

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1. This episode really mirrored Diyoza and Octavia, both ruthless queens leading violent armies. Whereas Diyoza’s men are fighting for the land they believe belongs to them, Octavia’s are driven by their fanatical belief in her. How do you think these beliefs will play into the upcoming war?

Jennifer (@dinahblakes): Diyoza has controlled her people using the result tactic. She knows her people wanna live on Earth, on the only green valley on the planet is there and she wants them to fight for it. That’s the end result for her people. However, Octavia’s beliefs are strictly unity and protection. Wonkru are willing to fight and die for Blodreina because she’s kept them alive in a hopeless and dark place. It’s true what Clarke said, Wonkru have bonded over their loss and loyalty. Her army is violent because they’re fighting for the queen, and that’s what Octavia wants. She wants war to prove her people are worthy, and both armies are on the very brink of a bloody war to show superiority and strength in numbers. What’s this show without competition?

Lola and Milena (@LMReactions): In terms of armies, if I was going to war I would want to have Wonkru’s allegiance by my side. Diyoza’s men are very hard to control and they can snap at any minute. But they have weapons and that will be hard to fight against. Both armies are ruthless and will not rest until Eden is theirs. Like we saw multiple times, Wonkru will give its life in a second to protect Octavia, so they will follow her no questions asked, which can be dangerous when Octavia is not thinking straight.

Mariana (@hopebeiiarke): Yes, it was interesting to see how each army is dealing with this imminent war. While Wonkru was 100% focused, united, obeying every order from Octavia, the Eligius prisoners were like ”nah, we’re good, we have this amazing technology”. I was so shocked that Wonkru built this human shield to protect Octavia, I’m still processing it. If they did this, what else could they do in the name of their queen? I’d say everything. So I think despite of the lack of technology, wonkru definitely has a chance of winning this war, because of their union, if it comes to this.

Erin (@eeandg81): I’m really not sure. I think we already see that Diyoza has some people that aren’t quite agreeing with her decisions and that could hurt her but also Wonkru’s devotion to Octavia could end up being a problem if they lose a lot of warriors because they are all dying to protect her. No matter what I’m really excited to see this part of the story going forward. I know it’s going to be amazing….and bloody. Super bloody.

Selina (@selinawilken): Diyoza, being a freedom fighter, is clearly already fully aware of how powerful tools fanaticism and the cult of personality are in a war essentially built on ideology. And in 5×05, she saw exactly how much of a threat Wonkru actually poses to her much less disciplined people. Her wanting Kane’s insight on Octavia suggests that she is going to try to inspire a similar devotion in her own people, but I think that might backfire — after all, we know that McCreary is the person who actually inspires this loyalty in at least some of the prisoners. As for Octavia, right now she has her people’s favour but we’re already seeing cracks in the cultish devotion (specifically in Miller and Indra). I wonder how far she’ll be willing to go to hold on to power…

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2. One of the previews for the season teased the idea of two serpents in the garden of Eden. Who do you think this could be referring to? Do you think this could be as straightforward as Octavia and Diyoza or someone we haven’t thought of yet?

Jennifer: The two serpents in the garden originally sparked the idea of Wonkru and Eligius fighting against each other. for Eden. I’m pretty sure that’s what everyone thought at first. However, now seeing that Octavia is starting to have bad blood with Bellamy because he isn’t used to her new life of being her own version of a successful leader….I’m really bouncing the idea of Eligius and Wonkru against the original sky people, which includes Bellamy, Clarke, Kane and Abby. I’m saying this cause all four of them want to think radical and peaceful. Maybe Spacekru as well, if this show doesn’t rip our thought processes to shreds before we find out.

Lola and Milena: I think the two serpents are Octavia/Wonkru and Diyoza/Eligius, those are the two armies fighting for the last survivable place on earth, hopefully it doesn’t get destroyed in the crossfire.

Mariana: The serpents!!! Can’t believe I forgot about that. The first thing that came into my mind was Octavia and Diyoza but maybe it’s too obvious. Kane and Shaw is a good guess, since they’re infiltrated in the enemy field, and this could define the course of this war. I don’t think it’s any other character, there’s no reason to be Clarke, Bellamy, Monty, Murphy… but in The 100 we never say never!

Erin: I think it’s referring to Octavia and Diyoza or maybe on a broader scale Eligius and Wonkru. They are both wanting to take over the same garden and that’s obviously not working out.

Selina: Based on that amazing promo, I took “One garden, two serpents” to mean Octavia and Diyoza, both corrupt, both leaders of corrupt peoples, and both threatening to let that corruption and bloodthirst seep into Eden. But really, in The 100, they’re all snakes. Everyone currently inhabiting or coveting that space threatens to corrupt the ‘purity’ of the land with their conflicts and wars, and everyone is working in some way to undermine or sabotage the people around them. The only one who maintains her innocence right now is Madi, the actual child of Eden, who is also technically the only person who has any legitimate claim to that land.

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3. Obviously people are not thrilled about the whole Bellamy/Echo thing (Octavia, Clarke, the fandom, etc.). How do you think that will affect not only that particular relationship but others within the group?

Jennifer: I’m not particularly fond of Bellamy and Echo but I’ll try to not have my shipper goggles on for much of this answer. Going forward , Spacekru all witnessed Bellamy obviously emotional over Clarke when leaving her behind on a scorched planet, “I left her behind and we all die anyway”. I noticed the same turning heads between Harper and other characters when Bellamy found out Clarke was alive. It’s like they already knew the troubles that are to come, because Bellamy still valued Clarke’s life immensely even after six long years. I have a feeling that the relationship of Bellamy and Echo will cause preserved feelings from the others about the past and maybe cause them to pick sides in certain cases. I guess time will tell! They all appreciate Bellamy so much, value him as a good leader and person, and they’ve seen him at his worst and best. His worst has been grieving Clarke, and it’s all coming back to them too.

Lola and Milena: I think the relationship between Bellamy and Echo is gonna complicate his relationship with Octavia a lot. It’s no secret that Octavia and Echo have their issues and she isn’t going to be happy with her brother being in a relationship with a person who tried to kill her on more than one occasion. Bellamy and Octavia are already not on the best of terms so this will just drive an even bigger wedge between them. But what’s going to be most interesting to see for us is how his relationship with Clarke is affected, or better yet how his relationship with Echo is affected. They’ve been together in space for 6 years and in that time they became a team, but with Clarke being alive that complicates things because they have always been co-leaders. I guess we’ll see what relationship ends us being stronger.

Mariana: People are not thrilled about it at all!! Octavia’s reaction was totally predictable and amazing. Octavia didn’t even know Echo was alive, she thought Echo was gone for good since she was forbidden to enter the bunker. And just like that she appears and KISSES her brother!! Me, a calm and peaceful person, would be pissed. Octavia? She wants to kill Echo right there (I wish she had). If someone tries to kill my brother, I’m sure as hell I would not date this person, even if he spends 6 years trapped in space with me. Sorry for the rant, back to the question!! I think people will take sides, like Harper and Monty could defend Echo to Octavia saying she’s their friend now and everything is ok. Bellamy will defend her… so it could make things difficult for Spacekru to find their allies. Obviously, I’m with Octavia on this one.

Erin: My guess is it will affect Spacekru the most because Echo is going to be afraid none of them love her enough and that might drive a wedge between her and the rest of Spacekru not just Bellamy. She will probably realize later that they are still a family that even though Bellamy and her don’t work out romantically she is and always will be part of his family just like Raven and Finn. I doubt it’s going to affect Wonkru at all. I could see Echo and Octavia end up on the same side because we’ve seen Echo reaching for her sword and kind of slipping back into her old ways. They could definitely start agreeing and fighting for the same thing. We saw Clarke get jealous in that last scene of 5×05 and then she put on a little bit of a fake smile for Madi so I don’t think she will let her feelings for Bellamy change her relationship with Madi at all but Madi might let it change how she feels about Bellamy.

Selina: I really don’t have an issue with Bellamy/Echo. Them being together communicates to the audience (and the other characters) that they have both been able to forgive and move on, and that helped them grow into the people they are now. It’s absolutely fair to say that the Bellamy and Echo we knew six years ago wouldn’t be together, but they’re not those people anymore. Six years was a long time. And now, this development will serve to amplify Bellamy’s conflict between the person he has become and the family he has made (SpaceKru), versus the person he was and the family he left behind (Clarke and Octavia). It serves a legitimate story purpose, which is all I ever ask for. The only thing I worry about is that Echo might end up serving as a plot point in Bellamy’s story. I think the character has a lot of potential on her own (as we’ve already seen in her brief interactions with Spacekru), and I hope the show takes advantage of that, especially since she is a regular character now.

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4. This episode presented two different medical issues, the mysterious black spots in the prisoners’ lungs and the incredibly disgusting Alien-esque sand worms. Given that the show has played the idea of germ warfare before, do you think they’ll figure out a way to weaponize either of these? If not, how do you think they will play into the rest of the season?

Jennifer: Biological warfare, we’ve seen it before with Murphy and the rest of Arkadia in season 1. Specifically with the worms though, what can you call a disease that isn’t caused by your enemies, and isn’t hasn’t been used in war because it’s the weather? I haven’t seen it before, and even if I was grossed out the entire scene….it felt like another enemy was being piled upon Wonkru. The Eligius lung infection surprised me because I honestly thought that the alien worms were gonna be the only thing that would freak me out. However, I think the simplicity in the cause of this disease is the radiation that Eligius was mining before the cryosleep, as Abby explained.

Lola and Milena: I don’t think they can weaponize the black spots cause they don’t even know how to cure them, so the only thing that could be used is maybe the desert worms which can give us a fighting chance considering we can’t compete with the weapons from the Eligius prisoners. But speaking of the black spots, I think whatever that disease is, it’s something that makes the prisoners incredibly strong and unstable and that will for sure be a major problem in fighting them.

Mariana: As a Grey’s Anatomy fan, I was so excited about the medical issues and Surgeon!Clarke (most badass surgeon on Earth). It would be so awesome if they weaponize the worms, using it to weaken the Eligius army the way the grounders did in s1 with that disease. It’s a technology Eligius does not have! In terms of the black spots Abby diagnosed, we know that 13 more patients have them. I’m really curious to know what caused it and if it’s still out there, if it can make more people sick. Is it June 5^th yet?

Erin: I’m not sure about the worms. Clarke kept it so maybe they could figure out how to somehow use them but I’m not sure how. Whatever the black spots are I doubt it will be used in warfare but I do think it’s going to play a big part in the season maybe not because of the people who have the spots but I feel like it’s going to be a big part of Abby’s story.

Selina: Chekhov’s worm! I have actually been wondering if Octavia might end up using it on her own people, as a torture method or as a threat to anyone who threatens Wonkru/her status as Blodreina. And, while I don’t necessarily think this is actually going to happen, I could absolutely see Octavia being desperate enough to set some of those worms loose in the garden of Eden, making it uninhabitable for EVERYONE.

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5. It seems as if there is very little, if any of the old Octavia left. How do you think the new, terrifying Blodreina will adapt to life above ground?

Jennifer: I’ve had conflicting feelings about her since season 3, so most of those haven’t changed. Octavia was the scary, radical, “you are the enemy of Wonkru” queen who made her people fight for freedom. That’s who she is now. She’s changed the most honestly, and her life above the ground won’t be different from the bunker because she still has that loyalty from everyone. Except, maybe some actual sunlight to accompany her along the way. I really hope I’m wrong and she redeems herself in rebuilding her relationships with family and old friends the right way, like she’s human and not just a Queen. Blodreina isn’t under the floor anymore for the second time in her life!

Lola and Milena: Blodreina’s main focus is getting her people to Eden, and much like the old Octavia, she doesn’t use her head as much as she uses her heart which results in her being unreasonable at times, especially in this episode. I think it will be very hard for her to go back to a normal way of living after spending 6 years in hell. But she’s marching her army towards a war she has a small chance of winning so the question is if Wonkru will stay loyal, and what will happen if they don’t?

Mariana: I’m sure our Octavia is still there! She suppressed all her emotions in the bunker because she had to, she had to be strong, but she was alone. Yes, she had Indra but all her friends and her brother were not there anymore. I think that now that they’re together again, they will try to remind Octavia of who she really are, and slowly she will open herself to love again. Because love is not weakness!

Erin: Well she seemed happy to be back above ground but so far there hasn’t been any adapting. She expected the wind to do what she wanted so it seems like she feels like she doesn’t need to adapt to the world around her because it adapts to her and she might be right. So far it looks like everyone will do anything she wants and that’s not really a new thing because Bellamy always did the same.

Selina: For now, it looks like we’re going back to her underground kingdom, where she still reigns supreme. But I think the more she interacts with people from her old life, and the more details about the ‘Dark Year’ come out, the harder it will be for her to hold on to that power which is so contingent on maintaining that cultish fervour around her ‘Blodreina’ persona. (And who is to say Gaia will continue to support her, with actual Nightblood Madi in the mix?) I expect that the increasing frailty of her control might turn her angry and desperate, and we’ll see her fight tooth and nail to hold onto power. As for whether there is any of the old Octavia left… I want to believe. People like Indra, Bellamy and Monty might be able to pull her out of the darkness yet.

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6. Raven’s plan to escape the Eligius ship had more than a few flaws (e.g. her staying behind, Murphy’s shock collar keeping him from getting too far, giving Eligius back the power to bomb Wonkru, etc.). Given the fact that Raven is a super genius and nothing on The 100 is ever that simple, what else do you think is in store plan-wise? How do you think Shaw is involved?

Jennifer: Raven was someone I was on the edge of my seat for the entire episode. I was on the verge of fighting McCreary myself on the couch, because she doesn’t deserve to be shocked and neither does Murphy. Her plan did have flaws, but I think those were strategic. Raven isn’t a dumb character, and knows what she’s doing will have consequences towards herself or the people she’s protecting. Shaw may of been told that Wonkru knows about the bomb and was able to stall until they got out? She looked too confident when she began to propose her plan to Shaw and Murphy, so I really hope nothing went wrong….on purpose.

Lola and Milena: Shaw is going to continue to be a big help for us, cause Raven now has her hands tied, literally. The bombs shouldn’t be a problem for the next couple of episode cause we saw from the promo that Diyoza will try to make some sort of peace (which will fail), so for a long term plan Raven somehow still needs to permanently deactivate the bombs if we have any chance of surviving. Kane and Abby may also be able to help considering they are on the inside.

Mariana: I think Raven’s plan worked partially, because Murphy could warn them, but she wasn’t expecting that the shock collar would keep Murphy from going too far. Shaw really is playing in both teams, we can’t say what he will do next. Now Raven is a hostage of Eligius and they’ll probably try use her skills, and Shaw maybe will help her escape… I’m here for this relationship.

Erin: I’ve been trying to figure out the long game this whole time. I 100% think everything that happened, even Raven screaming at Shaw, was part of their plan but I don’t know what else it entails. Maybe Raven was thinking about more than just the missiles now but her plan is to keep Shaw on the inside so they can know what’s going on down the road.

Selina: I HOPE that this is somehow all part of their shared plan, even though surely Shaw would have warned Murphy about going outside of the perimeter – Murphy could easily have died there if not for Monty’s quick thinking! So I don’t know if Shaw is still hedging his bets or if he’s already full-on Team Raven, but either way, Zaven is endgame. What Shaw and Raven are ultimately going to do, and what Diyoza’s plans for Raven might be, I don’t know, but I hope it involves Raven reuniting with Abby and Kane.

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7. Since this episode was so heavy and panic-inducing and we have to wait 2 weeks for the next episode, let’s lighten things up for the last question. What are your top 3 wildest dreams for this season?

Jennifer: My top three wishes for this season, huh?! How fun. My first wish would be that the relationships we all love and care for are fixed, because my heart needs that consolation after this season, I just know it. Secondly, I would love for Bellamy and Clarke to just dip a toe into the romance pool or possibly even a whole dive. Have our slowburn characters been through enough pining? That jealous look she gave Bellamy and Clarke though….Lastly, for a really intense ending that will tie up season 5 and lead right into season 6. Possibly, having some confessions too, if you know what I mean.

Lola and Milena: Our 3 wildest dreams this season in no particular order are Wonkru and the Eligius prisoners sitting in a circle holding hands and singing Kumbaya by the end of the season. Bellamy and Clarke talking for longer than 2 minutes, and Bellamy and Octavia resolving their problems. I don’t know which one of these sounds the least realistic.

Mariana: It’s no surprise that my first wildest dream for this season is canon Bellarke! The head and the heart thing? Iconic. It’s about time, they’re clearly soulmates and they will realize it this season!!!

My second wildest dream is to see a lot of Madi and Bellamy interactions. I want the official adoption, I want Bellamy to protect Madi against everyone who tries to hurt her, and I just want Lola to become a regular on the show so she can continue with her for more seasons! My third wildest dream is Eligius defeated and our beloved delinquents living in peace in Eden. A girl can dream, right?!

Erin: If I could have literally anything? First give me romantic Bellarke. Bellarke kissing, Bellarke saying I love you, Bellarke and Madi as a family, I just want them to admit they are in love with each other. Second I want Diyoza, Shaw, and McCreary to live through this season and to make it to s6. Third…I know I already said I wanted romantic Bellarke but I really would love a Hakeldama type scene. Just the 2 of them, uninterrupted, arguing, telling each other everything they missed, Clarke screaming about calling him everyday. I want all the angst to come pouring out in one long scene. Maybe McCreary can lock them up together.

Selina: 3. I love the idea that Monty will be the person who ultimately manages to get through to Octavia. That would be an awesome storyline for them, and such a rewarding full-circle moment. 2. Ever since those cryo pods were introduced into the world of The 100, I’ve been waiting and hoping for them to be used in some major way. 1. Mackson wedding

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Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives

Alright, we’re going to do our best to keep this short. This episode was incredible (as usual). We yelled, cheered and threw things at the TV (again, totally par for the course with this show). The score was fantastic, the acting was superb and the writing was on point. Like everything else on this show, we were given just enough of the story to make our skin crawl (ew, sandworm flashback) while holding the majority of the answers and payoffs just out of our reach, making us itch and crave for our next fix.

Watching this episode for the second or third (or fourth or tenth) time, we couldn’t help thinking about how the whole season has the feeling of a game of chess played between two masters. How, with every piece finally on the board, the players have started moving their pawns into place, keeping their strategy close to the chest. Whether it ends in defeat or victory, there is no question that that ending will come at a terrible cost – friends and enemies left destroyed and dead on the sidelines, because Jason Rothenberg and co. love making us suffer and we can’t get enough.

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Rather than trying to find fault in the acting or the writing or the directing (ha, we just made ourselves laugh), let’s just shine a spotlight on one of the characters we’d love to see more of.

Harper McIntyre has been a part of the show since the very beginning and despite being a part of one of the show’s only healthy, long lasting relationship, we’ve seen very little of Harper herself. She’s often relegated to the shadows in the face of such characters as Octavia and Clarke and Bellamy but we think it’s time for the rise of Harper. Kind, loving and probably a secret badass, we all need a little more Harper in our lives.

We know that you’re all probably painfully aware of this fact already but it bears repeating: we have to wait two whole weeks for the next episode. Two whole weeks to find out if Octavia makes good on her threat of attacking her brother, two weeks without our new favorite hobbit, Madi, and two weeks to overanalyze every single Bellamy/Clarke moment from this episode. The only good thing we can say about this wait is that at least it’s not another year-long hiatus. That’s something, right?

THE 100 returns TUESDAY, JUNE 5th at 9/8c on THE CW