Marie Avgeropoulos as Octavia. Photo courtesy of TellTaleTv.
**This article contains spoilers for “Exit Wounds” and events that happened in prior episodes.**
“That is not my sister.”
So…let’s talk about Octavia. Generally, I’m a fan of the direction they have taken her and how she turned out after six years in the bunker. But as a viewer, I’m going to need something more—specifically, information on what happened that no one is willing to speak about, information that I think is needed sooner rather than later. Octavia’s harsh actions and mentality are starting to fall through the cracks of believability. With everyone back, can she really not see that things are different? It’s not the bunker anymore—you can’t just ignore that complexity. Yet she does. She treats the world like it’s her bunker—like it already belonged to Wonkru. That’s a mentality that needs more structural support story-wise.
Octavia’s antagonistic actions had a ripple effect throughout the episode, as she clashed with nearly every person, including her own brother. Their sword fighting session—with Bellamy landing the finishing sweep—was awesome, and a much-needed release of tension between the two of them. Seeing Bellamy react and try to understand what his sister has become has been one of my favorite aspects of the season. Bob Morley does a fantastic job, and you can see him searching for the sister he once knew every time he interacts with this new Octavia.
What really got Bellamy riled up with Octavia was her immediate banishment of Echo. I mean we saw this conflict coming the moment last week’s episode ended, but it did take some interesting turns. Not only that, but it really gave some meat to Echo’s bones when it came to her character development. The Echo we knew would have turned the defectors in without hesitation—but now she can’t do it. She is more level-headed, smart, and has a moral center. It really is a fascinating journey that her character has been through. Now her only way out of banishment is by defecting—but as Octavia’s spy—in order to help Monty bring down Eligius’ eye in the sky. I’m certainly invested in her risky mission. I mean, she’s already off to a devilishly clever start.
Pictured (L-R): Tasya Teles as Echo, Marie Avgeropoulos as Octavia and Bob Morley as Bellamy. Photo courtesy of TellTaleTV.
Things got really interesting when they put the focus on Maddie’s Nightblood. It’s something I kind of forgot was so important, especially to everyone in the bunker, and I was pleasantly surprised to be reminded. We came to realize thanks to Gaia, that the importance of a Nightblood leader has not been forgotten after all this time. Maddie’s existence, and her true nature, make her a threat to Octavia. Color me surprised then when Maddie told Octavia herself, and under blood oath became WonKru. Clarke sure does have a problem on her hand—one that hopefully doesn’t end with Maddie’s death.
Outside of all of the Octavia drama, Murphy and Emori got some bonding time as Emori worked effortlessly to get his collar off. This provided ample time to get a concise reasoning for their separation—Emori enjoyed feeling part of something bigger than her, and because of it John kept pushing her away. Good thing for them though, things are looking up for the two of them as they had some sexy time. Well, almost had. Their moment was interrupted by a survivor of their badass trap: their new hostage McCreary.
A very eventful episode focused on an Octavia spinning out of control and becoming a danger to everyone she once knew—even Wonkru. I hope we get some intel about this dark period in the bunker soon (I’d be willing to bet that it’ll come from Kane or Abbey), because it would really help further sell Wonkru’s mentality.
What did you guys think of the episode? Make sure to leave your thoughts down below!
Bonus Notes:
– To Octavia’s credit, her reasoning to still shoot defectors (as harsh and cruel as it was) was fairly sound—at least by The 100 standards.
– I really enjoyed the advancement of Maddie’s favoritism of Octavia from the stories she had been told. However I do think Maddie should have caught on quicker that she clearly is not the same—and likewise probably can’t be trusted.
You can catch The 100 on The CW when it airs on Tuesdays at 9pm EST.
