When The 100 airs its fifth episode of the season, you know people are gonna die. Back in episode 5 of season 1, we saw 320 people sacrifice themselves. In 2.05 Finn went on a shooting rampage and killed 18 Grounders. And now we have 3.05 and yet again some 300 people died. Grounders, to be exact. They did not sacrifice themselves, nor were they killed in a shooting rampage. They were murdered, slaughtered.
Or should I call it a preemptive attack? Pike & co killed the Grounder army because they believed the army would eventually kill them. I'm not sure there is any way to justify their actions, but maybe calling it a preemptive strike sounds a little less awful. "Hakeldama" was all about the slaughter of the Grounder army. Before I get into this episode, let me first explain the title. The name Hakeldama comes from the Bible and refers to a field in Jerusalem. There are two explanations how this field came to be named Hakeldama. The first is that the field was bought by Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' apostles, from the money he received for betraying Jesus. When Judas once fell headfirst into the field, his body burst open and all his intestines came out. The people of Jerusalem subsequently called the field 'Hakeldama', which means 'Field of Blood'. The second explanation is that Judas returned the money he had received for betraying Jesus to the chief priests and leaders and then he hung himself. Since the money was blood money, the chief priests could not take the money to the temple treasury so they bought a field instead, which was used to bury foreigners. The field was known as the 'Field of Blood'. So that's a short history lesson, but remember that Hakeldama means 'Field of Blood'. And a field of blood it was!
I'll review this episode character by character to get a clear overview of the events of this episode.
Clarke
Oh Clarke, I love how you always try to save everyone. Despite Bellamy's actions, she still tried to reason with him and convince him to do the right thing. Clarke asked Lexa not to attack until she had spoken to someone from Arkadia. And eventually, she attempted to get Lexa to back out form retaliation. I love how Clarke still tries to save everyone, but seriously, I would have just let Arkadia die. Clarke should have gotten all the 'good' guys out (Octavia, Abby, Kane, Raven, Lincoln, Jackson, Sinclair, Monroe, Harper, Miller, Miller's dad, Miller's boyfriend) and let the rest of them die at Lexa's hands. I get it, it's not who she is, she always wants to fix everything for everyone, but I do think she reacted a bit too lightly to what Bellamy did. However, their confrontation did not disappoint and Eliza Taylor was amazing in that scene.
Bellamy
First, let me say this: Bob Morley was outstanding in this episode! He portrayed Bellamy with such depth. One moment he was concerned over what he had done and believed they went too far, and the next he was angry at Clarke for everything that happened over the past few seasons. I still don't think Bellamy's participation in the massacre has been fully justified, but at least in this episode we got more of an explanation why he did than in the previous one. And to be honest, he does have a point. The Grounders have killed various delinquents of the 100 before the Ark got to the ground, Lexa did betray them at Mount Weather and Clarke's leadership style has led to countless deaths. The thing is, and that is not a new problem for the show, Bellamy has changed too quickly. This happened in season 2 as well when Finn went crazy and killed 18 Grounders and now it happened again. Yes, he did lose his girlfriend in the attack on Mount Weather, but we really did not get to know her or the relationship between Gina and Bellamy. And Clarke did leave him after they pulled that lever together, but why did we only hear now that he had a problem with that? In fact, he went looking for Clarke in the first few episodes and seemed genuinely concerned for her well-being. How did he feel when he eventually found her, looking like a Grounder and standing next to Lexa, who betrayed them? These questions are all things that the show could have explored more in depth and might have made Bellamy's actions seem more logical.
Octavia
I am glad Octavia stood up to her brother. We all know the falling-out between them will be even bigger, but this was certainly a good start. Octavia is a Grounder and will probably always be one. I also loved seeing Octavia and Clarke working together. It feels to me like it's been a while since we've seen that. The relationship between Octavia and Indra seems to be somewhat repaired, and it's good to see that Octavia still cares for Indra.
Raven
Raven is such a strong woman who doesn't want to be defined by her physical health. But man, she is in a lot of pain. I think there might not only be the pain from her leg, but also the struggle with mental pain. After all, Abby basically put her at a desk so she wouldn't have to stand on her leg. It's possible there's a bit of grief as well since the girl did lose her boyfriend a few months ago. When she showed up at Jaha's speech, it became inevitable that she would eventually take that pill. To me, it did not come as a surprise that she took it when she was at her lowest point. As Jaha said, what did she have to lose? However, now that Raven is with ALIE I hope she won't completely lose her mind and follow her blindly.
Lincoln
Again, it's great to have someone standing up to Bellamy and Pike. I thought Lincoln would punch Bellamy the first time he saw him, but he spared his energy for a later confrontation. Lincoln had every right to stand up to the way Pike wanted to treat the sick. I actually thought Lincoln could have died this episode which didn't happen, but it will only be a matter of time before Pike gets even crazier and starts executing the Grounders inside Arkadia as well. Until then, let's enjoy Lincoln while he lasts.
Pike
Over the past three seasons we have seen quite some villains on the show. Most of them were grey-ish: they had the right intentions but not the right methods. Think of Diana Sydney, Queen Anya, Dante Wallace, Queen Nia. There were some less redeemable villains like Cage Wallace and there are a few that are just downright unlikeable (remember Dr. Lorelei Tsing?). However, Pike takes unlikeable villains to new dimensions. Nothing that the show has done has made him even a bit likeable. I want him dead and the sooner he dies, the better it will be. His character comes off as a one-dimensional villain that only cares about killing Grounders. His argument that every Grounder is the same is bullshit, and if he doesn't see that he must be blind. He is crazy enough to intern the wounded Grounders and he says that the land is theirs now. I read a review somewhere that said the members of Arkadia are now the Grounders, while the Grounders are now the peacemakers. Pike's message to Indra ("Leave or die") parallels the message from the Commander to Jaha back in season 2 and shows how things have drastically changed. I will say it again: this show moves at a rapid speed, but sometimes it moves too quickly. In Pike's case, it might have made him a bit more likeable or understandable if we had actually seen what he and his Farm Station went through. When Lost added the tail section to the main survivors in season 2, it had an entire episode with flashbacks that showed what the tail section survivors had gone through. I know The 100 has a limited number of episodes per season, but I feel like it could have served them well if they had done a similar episode. We briefly heard what Farm Station went through, but it would have made more impact if we had really seen that through flashbacks. Plus, it would give us a chance to meet Monty's father, and who doesn't want that?
Lexa
Oh Lexa, you are so dead. There is no way that the 12 clans will ever agree to not avenging the massacre. And to be honest, they shouldn't. Clarke rightfully said that what happened here was an act of war. It is murder, to say the least, and the 12 clans will never let Pike & Co get away with that (this show is not called How To Get Away With Murder). I also can't help but think that Lexa is blinded by her feelings for Clarke. If someone else had suggested to let the massacre go unavenged, Lexa probably wouldn't have listened. It's possible that Lexa really does want to do things differently, but I'm fairly certain that the person saying it played a role in her decision. This is a bold decision that is sure to have consequences for Lexa.
Indra
Well, at least they let Indra live. For now, that is. Knowing this show they could keep her alive for one episode just to kill her in the next. It is the second massacre after the TonDC bombing that Indra survived. I'm glad she did since I really like her. However, I'm pretty sure that Indra will go against Lexa. Remember back in season 2 that Indra said Lexa is a good Commander because she is ruthless (Indra said this to Octavia in response to her finding out that Lexa knew about the TonDC bombing). This is not so much ruthless, and Indra has always lived by 'Blood must have blood'. Even though she said that she won't defy Lexa, I doubt that Indra will just let this go. I do fear that if Indra really goes against Lexa, she might end up dead. We all saw what happened to that Ice Nation guy from episode 3 that went against Lexa (Lexa kicked him off the tower to his death).
Kane and Abby
Kane and Abby are two people whothink before they act, and that can be quite a good thing. However, in this episode they felt a lot like bystanders. They saw what Pike did and they just stood there and watched. Sure, they tried to talk some sense into Pike or his followers (Kane more so than Abby), but it felt to me like they could have done more. I shouldn't forget that they helped Octavia and Clarke though, so that should be something. Also, they are watched closely by Pike so it might be better to lay low for now and help whenever they get the chance.
Jaha
Wow, that was a quick return to Arkadia (formerly known as Camp Jaha). I didn't expect Jaha to come back to soon. I might not hate Jaha as much as others do, but he is quite crazy. Abby, Kane and Pike all saw that and just thought it would be best to let him to his thing. That means he pulled Raven into this City of Light. I think the problem with Jaha is that it's heavily overplayed. I get it, he believes that he can save his people and that the City of Light is the best place one can ever be. However, it looks like he believes he is their savior to lead his people to the City of Light. The way I see it, he's just a pawn in ALIE's plan.
ALIE
So ALIE now has another follower in the form of Raven Reyes. What's interesting is that this episode revealed that ALIE can only be seen by those that take her pills. However, this contradicts with what we saw in the previous episodes. In the premiere and episode 2, Murphy saw ALIE without taking a pill. This episode showed that Pike couldn't see ALIE when he was talking to Jaha. Also, Raven did not see her until after she had taken the pill. I am curious to see how that works and how exactly that bag works that Jaha carries around with him. I do hope that ALIE's storyline doesn't get too supernatural. It seemed like Raven's leg just miraculously healed. We also saw that Jaha said to Otan to go the other side where ALIE would be waiting for him. I must admit that the storyline has me intrigued though.
Murphy and Emori
Totally separated from everybody else are Murphy and Emori. They are now like Bonnie and Clyde robbing good Samaritans. Emori wanted to go after her brother, but her brother is now dead. Murphy and Emori also kissed, and I think they are a good match. What should we call them? Muri? Emorphy? Anyway, Murphy has now been taken by Grounders, but if it wasn't for the pill that ALIE gave him he would have been killed. The Grounders called that the sacred symbol, so that adds another question about the City of Light and ALIE. Let's see what Emori will do now that Murphy has been taken.
Overall impression of the episode
At first, I didn't know exactly how to feel about this episode. It felt a bit unbalanced, with some good parts (the Bellamy/Clarke confrontation, Octavia, Indra, Lexa) and some bad parts (Pike and his craziness, Jaha and his craziness). Upon rewatching parts of the episode and reviewing it, I think I came to appreciate it more. Bellamy's action became more fleshed out and the acting was great throughout the episode. The ALIE and City of Light storyline is getting quite interesting, especially now that Raven is involved as well. The episode is also a game-changer since the Grounders and Arkadia have kind of switched sides. Lexa will sure have her hands full explaining her new point of view to the 12 clans and there should be some resistance to that. Also, the scenes where the field of blood was shown was visually stunning. Octavia walking through the field as well made it even more moving. Overall, it was good episode, but not the best of the season.
What did you think of "Hakeldama"? Do you think Bellamy's action can be a bit more justified? How will the 12 clans respond to Lexa not wanting to avenge the massacre? What exactly is ALIE's endgame? How will Raven fit into her plan? And lastly, who is more crazy: Pike or Jaha? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
The next episode of The 100 airs Thursday at 9/8c. Watch a promo for the episode below.
Or should I call it a preemptive attack? Pike & co killed the Grounder army because they believed the army would eventually kill them. I'm not sure there is any way to justify their actions, but maybe calling it a preemptive strike sounds a little less awful. "Hakeldama" was all about the slaughter of the Grounder army. Before I get into this episode, let me first explain the title. The name Hakeldama comes from the Bible and refers to a field in Jerusalem. There are two explanations how this field came to be named Hakeldama. The first is that the field was bought by Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' apostles, from the money he received for betraying Jesus. When Judas once fell headfirst into the field, his body burst open and all his intestines came out. The people of Jerusalem subsequently called the field 'Hakeldama', which means 'Field of Blood'. The second explanation is that Judas returned the money he had received for betraying Jesus to the chief priests and leaders and then he hung himself. Since the money was blood money, the chief priests could not take the money to the temple treasury so they bought a field instead, which was used to bury foreigners. The field was known as the 'Field of Blood'. So that's a short history lesson, but remember that Hakeldama means 'Field of Blood'. And a field of blood it was!
I'll review this episode character by character to get a clear overview of the events of this episode.
Oh Clarke, I love how you always try to save everyone. Despite Bellamy's actions, she still tried to reason with him and convince him to do the right thing. Clarke asked Lexa not to attack until she had spoken to someone from Arkadia. And eventually, she attempted to get Lexa to back out form retaliation. I love how Clarke still tries to save everyone, but seriously, I would have just let Arkadia die. Clarke should have gotten all the 'good' guys out (Octavia, Abby, Kane, Raven, Lincoln, Jackson, Sinclair, Monroe, Harper, Miller, Miller's dad, Miller's boyfriend) and let the rest of them die at Lexa's hands. I get it, it's not who she is, she always wants to fix everything for everyone, but I do think she reacted a bit too lightly to what Bellamy did. However, their confrontation did not disappoint and Eliza Taylor was amazing in that scene.
Bellamy
First, let me say this: Bob Morley was outstanding in this episode! He portrayed Bellamy with such depth. One moment he was concerned over what he had done and believed they went too far, and the next he was angry at Clarke for everything that happened over the past few seasons. I still don't think Bellamy's participation in the massacre has been fully justified, but at least in this episode we got more of an explanation why he did than in the previous one. And to be honest, he does have a point. The Grounders have killed various delinquents of the 100 before the Ark got to the ground, Lexa did betray them at Mount Weather and Clarke's leadership style has led to countless deaths. The thing is, and that is not a new problem for the show, Bellamy has changed too quickly. This happened in season 2 as well when Finn went crazy and killed 18 Grounders and now it happened again. Yes, he did lose his girlfriend in the attack on Mount Weather, but we really did not get to know her or the relationship between Gina and Bellamy. And Clarke did leave him after they pulled that lever together, but why did we only hear now that he had a problem with that? In fact, he went looking for Clarke in the first few episodes and seemed genuinely concerned for her well-being. How did he feel when he eventually found her, looking like a Grounder and standing next to Lexa, who betrayed them? These questions are all things that the show could have explored more in depth and might have made Bellamy's actions seem more logical.
I am glad Octavia stood up to her brother. We all know the falling-out between them will be even bigger, but this was certainly a good start. Octavia is a Grounder and will probably always be one. I also loved seeing Octavia and Clarke working together. It feels to me like it's been a while since we've seen that. The relationship between Octavia and Indra seems to be somewhat repaired, and it's good to see that Octavia still cares for Indra.
Raven
Raven is such a strong woman who doesn't want to be defined by her physical health. But man, she is in a lot of pain. I think there might not only be the pain from her leg, but also the struggle with mental pain. After all, Abby basically put her at a desk so she wouldn't have to stand on her leg. It's possible there's a bit of grief as well since the girl did lose her boyfriend a few months ago. When she showed up at Jaha's speech, it became inevitable that she would eventually take that pill. To me, it did not come as a surprise that she took it when she was at her lowest point. As Jaha said, what did she have to lose? However, now that Raven is with ALIE I hope she won't completely lose her mind and follow her blindly.
Lincoln
Again, it's great to have someone standing up to Bellamy and Pike. I thought Lincoln would punch Bellamy the first time he saw him, but he spared his energy for a later confrontation. Lincoln had every right to stand up to the way Pike wanted to treat the sick. I actually thought Lincoln could have died this episode which didn't happen, but it will only be a matter of time before Pike gets even crazier and starts executing the Grounders inside Arkadia as well. Until then, let's enjoy Lincoln while he lasts.
Over the past three seasons we have seen quite some villains on the show. Most of them were grey-ish: they had the right intentions but not the right methods. Think of Diana Sydney, Queen Anya, Dante Wallace, Queen Nia. There were some less redeemable villains like Cage Wallace and there are a few that are just downright unlikeable (remember Dr. Lorelei Tsing?). However, Pike takes unlikeable villains to new dimensions. Nothing that the show has done has made him even a bit likeable. I want him dead and the sooner he dies, the better it will be. His character comes off as a one-dimensional villain that only cares about killing Grounders. His argument that every Grounder is the same is bullshit, and if he doesn't see that he must be blind. He is crazy enough to intern the wounded Grounders and he says that the land is theirs now. I read a review somewhere that said the members of Arkadia are now the Grounders, while the Grounders are now the peacemakers. Pike's message to Indra ("Leave or die") parallels the message from the Commander to Jaha back in season 2 and shows how things have drastically changed. I will say it again: this show moves at a rapid speed, but sometimes it moves too quickly. In Pike's case, it might have made him a bit more likeable or understandable if we had actually seen what he and his Farm Station went through. When Lost added the tail section to the main survivors in season 2, it had an entire episode with flashbacks that showed what the tail section survivors had gone through. I know The 100 has a limited number of episodes per season, but I feel like it could have served them well if they had done a similar episode. We briefly heard what Farm Station went through, but it would have made more impact if we had really seen that through flashbacks. Plus, it would give us a chance to meet Monty's father, and who doesn't want that?
Lexa
Oh Lexa, you are so dead. There is no way that the 12 clans will ever agree to not avenging the massacre. And to be honest, they shouldn't. Clarke rightfully said that what happened here was an act of war. It is murder, to say the least, and the 12 clans will never let Pike & Co get away with that (this show is not called How To Get Away With Murder). I also can't help but think that Lexa is blinded by her feelings for Clarke. If someone else had suggested to let the massacre go unavenged, Lexa probably wouldn't have listened. It's possible that Lexa really does want to do things differently, but I'm fairly certain that the person saying it played a role in her decision. This is a bold decision that is sure to have consequences for Lexa.
Well, at least they let Indra live. For now, that is. Knowing this show they could keep her alive for one episode just to kill her in the next. It is the second massacre after the TonDC bombing that Indra survived. I'm glad she did since I really like her. However, I'm pretty sure that Indra will go against Lexa. Remember back in season 2 that Indra said Lexa is a good Commander because she is ruthless (Indra said this to Octavia in response to her finding out that Lexa knew about the TonDC bombing). This is not so much ruthless, and Indra has always lived by 'Blood must have blood'. Even though she said that she won't defy Lexa, I doubt that Indra will just let this go. I do fear that if Indra really goes against Lexa, she might end up dead. We all saw what happened to that Ice Nation guy from episode 3 that went against Lexa (Lexa kicked him off the tower to his death).
Kane and Abby
Kane and Abby are two people whothink before they act, and that can be quite a good thing. However, in this episode they felt a lot like bystanders. They saw what Pike did and they just stood there and watched. Sure, they tried to talk some sense into Pike or his followers (Kane more so than Abby), but it felt to me like they could have done more. I shouldn't forget that they helped Octavia and Clarke though, so that should be something. Also, they are watched closely by Pike so it might be better to lay low for now and help whenever they get the chance.
Jaha
Wow, that was a quick return to Arkadia (formerly known as Camp Jaha). I didn't expect Jaha to come back to soon. I might not hate Jaha as much as others do, but he is quite crazy. Abby, Kane and Pike all saw that and just thought it would be best to let him to his thing. That means he pulled Raven into this City of Light. I think the problem with Jaha is that it's heavily overplayed. I get it, he believes that he can save his people and that the City of Light is the best place one can ever be. However, it looks like he believes he is their savior to lead his people to the City of Light. The way I see it, he's just a pawn in ALIE's plan.
So ALIE now has another follower in the form of Raven Reyes. What's interesting is that this episode revealed that ALIE can only be seen by those that take her pills. However, this contradicts with what we saw in the previous episodes. In the premiere and episode 2, Murphy saw ALIE without taking a pill. This episode showed that Pike couldn't see ALIE when he was talking to Jaha. Also, Raven did not see her until after she had taken the pill. I am curious to see how that works and how exactly that bag works that Jaha carries around with him. I do hope that ALIE's storyline doesn't get too supernatural. It seemed like Raven's leg just miraculously healed. We also saw that Jaha said to Otan to go the other side where ALIE would be waiting for him. I must admit that the storyline has me intrigued though.
Murphy and Emori
Totally separated from everybody else are Murphy and Emori. They are now like Bonnie and Clyde robbing good Samaritans. Emori wanted to go after her brother, but her brother is now dead. Murphy and Emori also kissed, and I think they are a good match. What should we call them? Muri? Emorphy? Anyway, Murphy has now been taken by Grounders, but if it wasn't for the pill that ALIE gave him he would have been killed. The Grounders called that the sacred symbol, so that adds another question about the City of Light and ALIE. Let's see what Emori will do now that Murphy has been taken.
Overall impression of the episode
At first, I didn't know exactly how to feel about this episode. It felt a bit unbalanced, with some good parts (the Bellamy/Clarke confrontation, Octavia, Indra, Lexa) and some bad parts (Pike and his craziness, Jaha and his craziness). Upon rewatching parts of the episode and reviewing it, I think I came to appreciate it more. Bellamy's action became more fleshed out and the acting was great throughout the episode. The ALIE and City of Light storyline is getting quite interesting, especially now that Raven is involved as well. The episode is also a game-changer since the Grounders and Arkadia have kind of switched sides. Lexa will sure have her hands full explaining her new point of view to the 12 clans and there should be some resistance to that. Also, the scenes where the field of blood was shown was visually stunning. Octavia walking through the field as well made it even more moving. Overall, it was good episode, but not the best of the season.
What did you think of "Hakeldama"? Do you think Bellamy's action can be a bit more justified? How will the 12 clans respond to Lexa not wanting to avenge the massacre? What exactly is ALIE's endgame? How will Raven fit into her plan? And lastly, who is more crazy: Pike or Jaha? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
The next episode of The 100 airs Thursday at 9/8c. Watch a promo for the episode below.
