Last week’s episode of THE 100 was illuminating on many levels. For one, it finally introduced the Grounder who had caught and tortured in the previous episode. Besides speaking fluid English, the Grounder has a name: Lincoln (Ricky Whittle) and it is probably no coincidence that he was named after one of our nation’s forefathers since Lincoln proved to be judicious, cautious, and curious. In fact, he has been keeping watchful eye over the hundred since their arrival, and taking careful notes of their activities and moments. Lincoln’s instinct was not to approach them or to antagonize the survivors. Rather he wants to see: what they are doing, why did the come to Earth, how did they arrive, and where are they from?
We also know is that Lincoln took a huge risk in saving Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) and secreting her away from his fellow Grounders to keep her safe. He then later proved the depth of his feelings for her when he disclosed which vial contained the poison antidote. Lincoln is not an unfeeling monster seeking to keep everyone in his path; instead, he has shown intelligence and a grasp of language, which is not expected a century after a nuclear holocaust.
Lincoln’s good nature and intentions was first noticed by Octavia and to another degree by Finn (Thomas McDonell) right before Lincoln stabbed him, which could be argued was in self-defense since Finn, Clarke (Eliza Taylor), Jasper (Devon Bostick) and Bellamy (Bob Morley) had come to forcibly take Octavia back to their camp. Thus, it was curious to see that Octavia understood the ramifications of releasing Lincoln, as it might bring down the wrath of her protective brother Bellamy and it may mean exposing their camp to an even bigger threat should Lincoln come back with his Grounder friends.
Also curious was Finn letting Lincoln leave in peace while he was sneaking out of the camp. It was interesting as Finn has more reason than anyone to resent Lincoln for nearly killing him. Yet Finn’s soul is of a pacifist and seems to believe: why prepare for war when you can make an ally or friend?
Finn recognized that Lincoln’s actions had been to protect all along. Lincoln helped Octavia and kept her safe. Lincoln also sounded the acid fog horn warning to help them all get away when the Grounders had them surrounded. Finn also knows that Lincoln gave up the antidote that saved his life to save Octavia’s life again. These are not the actions of a man who wants to kill them all. Such actions speak to a man who thinks that some of them may be worth saving and protecting – and wise enough to know that perhaps some of the hundred cannot or should not be saved.
Finn, of all of them, has the most to be grateful for since Lincoln’s antidote saved his life; but he also feels the most guilt since Lincoln was tortured in effort to save Finn’s life. That has to make any pacifist a bit conflicted about their role in a heinous crime. Lincoln would have probably not have stabbed Finn but for the fact that he felt threatened in the cave. Did Lincoln’s actions in self-defense warrant being tortured because he felt it was wrong to give up crucial information about the antidote?
So while Octavia and Finn were wrestling with their inner demons and qualms about the fact that Lincoln was tortured and whether it is a good idea to set him free, the rest of the hundred in camp were day-tripping out of their minds on hallucinogenic nuts. These space-kids seriously need to learn a thing or two about not just eating whatever they find on Earth. It certainly added some fun moments of comedy in the midst of a very serious episode, but it makes us worry how long these kids are going to last if they do not start using some better common sense.
Simultaneously, out in the woods experiencing a different kind of day-trip were Bellamy and Clarke. In search of a possible winter refuge and supplies that were hidden beneath ground a hundred years earlier, Clarke and Bellamy did not find a new place to call home or even the desperately needed supplies. They did, however, find a stash of guns – automatic weapons to be exact. Just what they needed to even the playing field with the Grounders, who had more weapons at their disposal and who may soon be seeking retribution for the actions taken against Lincoln.
Guns, though, open a whole new can of worms on the morals front. Normally, Clarke would be the most vocal protestor about arming the surviving kids, but after the near deaths of Jasper and Finn, and the recent other deaths directly at the hands of the Grounders, her fear for everyone’s physical safety overcame her intellectual misgivings about the weapons. After all, Bellamy had not been wrong about the need for them to be able to protect themselves as the Grounders had been the first to strike.
As if worrying about arming untrained teenagers was not enough to have on Bellamy and Clarke’s minds, they also fell under the spell of the hallucinogenic nuts, which brought about two revelations: one, someone is actually trying to kill Bellamy; two, the guilt each felt over their respective parts in the death of Clarke’s father and the near death of Chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington) was eating away at their souls. It would have been a good day for a day-trip (both kinds), but for the fact that one of the hundred had been given the task of killing Bellamy. So all that soul-search and wrestling with their inner-demons may have been emotionally and mentally cathartic, but it nearly cost both their lives while Dax (Victor Zinck Jr.) attempted to complete his mission. Fortunately, preservation instincts kicked in and Bellamy and Clarke were able to defeat Dax before either lost their lives. The same cannot be said of Dax, who adds to the rapidly climbing death-list on THE 100.
So Bellamy and Clarke found some desperately needed weapons to give them and the rest of the hundred a fighting chance as survival. They also made peace with their dark pasts and found a way to work together to extract a pardon from Chancellor Jaha in exchange for the name of traitor who hired Bellamy.
In the end, all is well and ends well – for the moment. Finn was not so pleased with Clarke’s new alliance with Bellamy, nor the guns that they returned with. Raven (Lindsey Morgan) is still jealous of Finn and Clarke’s relationship. And Jasper is going to feel more than a little betrayed once he finds out how much Octavia may now care for Lincoln.
But putting love-triangles and budding romance aside, there are some very serious outside threats coming their way that they all must prepare for. This week’s new episode “Unity Day” will introduce more of the Grounders and surely Diana Sydney (Kate Vernon) has nothing good planned after so swiftly executing Shumway (Terry Chen).
So to see what the next great threat is and how they will all survive, be sure to tune in for an all new episode of THE 100 on Wednesday, March 14th at 9:00 p.m. on the CW. 
Tiffany Vogt is the Senior West Coast Editor, contributing as a columnist and entertainment reporter to TheTVaddict.com. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower).