Octavia is really shining this season as The 100′s version of a rebel. She’s managed to earn the respect of the grounders with her unwavering sense of sticking with it. I mean, seriously, how many of the 100 could have taken that beating and got back up again? And, more than that, even after losing that fight (admirably, of course), she agreed to become a warrior-in-training for probably the least likeable grounder character we’ve met. It says a lot about what’s beneath the surface.
Beyond Octavia stretching her new self-actualized legs, this season has been dominated by a strong female presence: Clark, Lexa, Abby (Paige Turco), Raven (Lindsey Morgan). The writers aren’t excluding any of the male characters, but they’re definitely not getting the same recognition they did last season. Just in case you haven’t been watching, they even killed off one of the main guys. It was brilliant in terms of the narrative, but it also reinforced the idea that men aren’t carrying the same weight they did in season one. Bellamy, beware.
I have to admit that at first, the whole concept of Clarke essentially shutting off her humanity ala Vampire Diaries’ style struck me as recycled material, but the more I contemplated a firmer version of the character we’ve become well acquainted with, the more I liked it. Clarke’s definitely had to make some tough decisions as the unofficial leader of the 100, but she’s always brimming with compassion and morality at the end of the day. Seeing her with ruffled feathers for more than a few pouty scenes would have been a nice departure from what fans have become comfortable with. After all, change is a good thing. Too bad the writers seem to have veered away from the darker side of Clarke before it really had a chance to become a highlight of the show.
The 100 is back on track, and the Mountain Men aren’t the only ones anxiously waiting to see what happens next.
