That being said, Murphy’s (Richard Harmon) banishment may also turn out to be a positive. His equally unstable and crude manner of handling things has already proved to be harmful to the group dynamic. Although sending him off into the unknown isn’t exactly the friendliest of punishments, at least it gives him a small chance at survival. Murphy may be more resourceful than he appears, too. Without his posse of extra muscle following his every whim, he will be forced to use his brain instead of relying on brute strength to keep him alive. Once again, in true CW fashion, this might not be the last we see of this character.
Although back on The Ark, Abby (Paige Turco) is reeling over a death that we may never see come. Clarke purposely deactivated her wristband as a form of punishment for her mother’s deception. It is her rash brand of thinking that was the catalyst for most of the events of the evening. Her wristband going dark forced her mother to push up her plans to exit the Ark, putting herself and Raven (Lindsey Morgan) at a greater risk of being caught.
Besides harboring emotional baggage, at first toward Wells, and now toward her mother, Clarke is starting to act largely based on her initial reaction. When the 100 first landed on Earth, it was Clarke’s logical thought progression that kickstarted their survival efforts. Although she and Bellamy have been in an on-going power struggle, the combination of their strengths has been beneficial to the group at large. Without that balance, like we saw in this episode of The 100, there was a downward trend in behavior that led to the loss of two more members of the group.
If there was one thing about this episode that particularly stood out, it was the combustible nature of the 100. Although Bellamy’s instincts proved to be right, Clarke’s explosive accusation against Murphy was all it took to incite the group into a murderous rage, mob mentality at its finest. Part of this probably stems from their upbringing. Although many of the teens actively have spoken out against “floating,” they were raised in a society where any and all illegal acts were considered corporal crimes. This is something that has been instilled in them. Despite their current predicament, a lifetime worth of beliefs doesn’t just disappear simply because of a change in scenery.
The 100 ended this episode with a hot and steamy scene between Clarke and Finn (Thomas McDonell). This love connection would have been great and very welcome, if it wasn’t overshadowed by the realization that Raven’s boyfriend is none other than Finn, that is. Raven is such a likeable character, while Clarke comes with so much extra baggage. Seeing how this situation plays itself out once Raven and Finn are reunited is something worth tuning in for, don’t you think?