The 100 - We Are Grounders Part 1 - Review: "Betrayal, killing and sacrifices"

The 100 is ending its freshman season with a two-part finale called "We Are Grounders", the first of which aired this past Wednesday while the second part is airing in two days.

Part 1 basically set things up for the finale, which I believe is going to be huge and which has been hyped as such. Honestly speaking, there was nothing spectacularly huge in this episode (e.g. explosions or deaths), and yet it was a very solid hour.

So what exactly happened? On the Ground, we pick up after the cliffhangers in episode 11. Bellamy and Raven have returned to camp, without Monty, Clarke and Finn. While we have to wait another week to find out what happened to the former one, we find Clarke recaptured by the Grounders. Anya is dethroned by Commander Tristan who came from somewhere else, and he orders Clarke's death. Fortunately, our heroine is saved by none other than Lincoln, who had also rescued Finn. The three start running from the rest of the Grounders as they have discovered Lincoln's betrayal.

Back at camp, Murphy continues his revenge by killing yet another guy (though I can't remember what he had to do with Murphy's hanging). An unfortunate Jasper witnesses this event, and Murphy takes him hostage and locks them up in the dropship. Bellamy offers to trade himself for Japser, as Bellamy knows Murphy wants revenge on him. As Murphy taunts Bellamy, Jasper and Raven work to free him. When the door of the ship finally opens, Murphy has hanged Bellamy and attempts to escape. The 100's leader is, of course, not dead as he gaspes for air. Murphy exits the ship by blowing a hole in it, thereby once again escaping death.

Meanwhile, Clarke, Finn and Lincoln run into a cave to get rid off their pursuers. As Clarke and Finn wonder why the Grounders don't want to follow them, Lincoln gives them the reason: Reapers. These people appear to be cannibals who eat other humans. Lincoln sacrifices himself so Clarke and Finn can make it back to camp. However, one Reaper has apparantly stayed behind, and he attacks Clarke. Finn has no choice but to kill him, making this his first official kill. They later talk about this, and Finn admits he loves Clarke. She rejects him and tells him it's too late. They eventually make it back to camp, and after they tell their story, Bellamy makes a speech about how they should fight because this is their ground now so they are Grounders. Clarke agrees, but tells them they should run if they want to survive. As the 100 get ready for war, an apparantly wounded Raven comes from the dropship.

Things are not much better on the Ark, which is running out of time as Jaha tells them they have 51 hours left to live. Our newfound hero Kane cannot accept this and desperately searches for a solution. Abby suffers a nervous breakdown as she operates on a patient who resembles Clarke, and Abby realizes she is gonna die with her daughter blaming her for her father's death. Jaha gets all sentimental by opening a bottle that was supposed to be opened on Earth and watching videos of a young Clarke and Wells. But suddenly, he gets an Eureka moment and tells the others his survival plan: using the Ark to get to Earth. While 95% of the Ark will be destroyed, the remaining 5% has a possibility to make it. Will they make it?

As I said there was nothing that really stood out in particular this episode besides the amazing performances (as always). Special credits go to Bob Morley and Richard Harmon for their intense standoff, and to Thomas McDonell and Eliza Taylor for their little romantic talk. And director Dean White, who has also directed the finale, made my heart pound with all these dark, scary and intense scenes.

By the way, did you all notice that the horse on which Clarke and Lincoln were riding, was a mutant? Personally, I did not see it but was made aware of that after a tweet by Jason Rothenberg. It is easy to forget that we have seen a mutant deer before. There is so much we still don't know about this planet and I'm hoping we will get to explore this more in season 2!

What did you think of this episode? Did you enjoy the performances I mentioned? What do you think is going to happen in the finale? Check here for a promo of the finale, and then tell me your opinions and predictions!

About the Author - Daniel

Daniel (Veer95) is a Dutch university student studying Psychology. On SpoilerTV he is a reviewer of NCIS, Crisis and The 100. He also likes to watch Arrow, The Tomorrow People, NCIS: LA, Nikita, The Blacklist, Under the Dome, Intelligence and Hostages.