The 100 Discussion: Season 6, Episode 4 is all about that cult life

The 100's latest episode, "The Face Behind the Glass," gave fans a plot twist we never saw coming.

Clarke and the gang are enjoying the Naming Day celebrations on Sanctum and getting to know their gracious hosts... but if we've learned one thing from our time as sci-fi geeks it's this: if you think you're in a cult, you're definitely in a cult. Mysterious rituals, a reappearance of that cursed chip implant, and a bloody run-in with the Children of Gabriel bring dark secrets to light and threaten the lives of some of our faves this week.

We're Alyssa Fikse and Jessica Toomer and we have yet to be implanted with another person's consciousness... we think. Follow along as we recap the latest mind-blowing episode of The 100.

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Alyssa: I’m not saying that I would be easily susceptible to whatever is going down on Sanctum, but if I was offered beautiful baked goods after a lifetime of algae, I would strongly consider drinking the Kool-Aid. A good cookie truly can change your life. That’s how they get you! Despite all of the bad sh*t and kidnapping that went down at the end of the last episode, everyone in Sanctum seemed to bounce back pretty quickly, right? Cover up all that ugliness with cute clothes from Anthropologie and a rager, I guess.

Jessica: Turn on the techno Coldplay and give me all the gluten and I’ll indoctrinate my own damn self. I knew this place would appeal to some members of the group more than others. For instance, Clarke desperately wants to buy into their whole “make amends” attitude and Jordan desperately wants to get laid. But all of the sin-toting lanterns and sexy-time with random girls isn’t going to mask the real Hunger Games vibes happening with Russell and that weird-ass speech about rebirth. Anytime a man stands at a mic while a group of people chants his alliterative nonsense as they prepare for a mysterious ritual, my Spidey Senses start tingling. If you think you might be in a cult, you’re definitely in a cult.

Alyssa: That being said, all this culty talk about rebirth and atonement did lead to one good thing: Clarke apologized to Bellamy and reaffirmed their bond. These two. I just can’t. I’m such a sucker for found family storylines, and that is The 100 to a T. If Clarke and Bellamy are a united front, I feel a little better about the survival of our little band of delinquents (even if the entire episodic absence of Murphy was TROUBLING). I really liked that Bellamy reiterated that he understood Clarke and Madi’s bond because even though he may be on the outs with Octavia now, he knows better than anyone about protecting family.

Jessica: As cuddly as things got between Clarke and Bellamy, it seems that Raven is still holding onto her grudge against Clarke, despite all the pastries and good wine thrown her way. Do I identify with our scrappy mechanic’s social anxiety? You bet I do. If I had any talent for fixing things, I’d ditch this party in a second and head to the bike shop, but I’m getting tired of Raven’s constant harping when it comes to Clarke’s past mistakes. Clarke is not why Shaw died, no matter how many times Raven wants to bring up their shared torture experiences. Quit projecting your grief onto her. She’s been through enough! But it was good to see Raven bond with another greaser, Ryker, even if he is a Prime. I hope her budding friendship with him might illuminate some of the strange happenings in Sanctum, and take the stick out of her caboose.

Alyssa: Honestly, this was the horniest episode of The 100 in a long time. Jordan getting his v-card punched, Clarke flirting with the hot doctor, Raven bonding with the hot Prime. They’ve only been on Sanctum for a little while, and they’re already starting to feel a bit human again. That’s part of what makes everything that goes down even worse, outside of the human sacrifice (something I never thought I would say), because this group is so desperate for something good and “normal.” But unfortunately, Sanctum is not going to give them that.

Jessica: While Clarke’s hitting the dancefloor and everyone else is gorging on sweets, poor Diyoza is left out in the cold — literally. I never worry for her because she’s just so resourceful and tough, but Russel chucking a pregnant woman out of Sanctum to survive on her own on a hostile planet should’ve been the first red flag for Clarke and the group that this guy was not the greatest. Fortunately for Diyoza, Russel's “kind enough” to offer her baby a spot inside the radioactive fence as long as she brings him the heads of the primes, and the little girl the followers of Gabriel took. Is it just me or do you also want to see Diyoza team up with these rebels and take this kimono-wearing dictator down?

Alyssa: I am getting strong vibes that if the rebels can make her a better offer, she’s going to take it. Diyoza is first and foremost a pragmatist, and that is not an instinct that you just turn off overnight, especially now that she might actually get to have this baby instead of enduring another bout of cryo before she can give birth. That being said, I am not sure I trust these rebels either. There seems to be major dissent in the group, and that kind of internal instability is dangerous.

Jessica: Yeah, it’s still too early to tell which group gives her the better odds so I’m counting on Diyoza to play both to her benefit until she has enough information to make an educated decision. Meanwhile, Octavia’s in the hands of this Gabriel cult and she is NOT making friends. I appreciate how hard the show is leaning into the character’s whole “rebel without a care” vibe — I certainly feel like she’s a realist and she’s right to be suspicious of everyone on this planet — but I also want to see a bit of humanity come through for our girl. Watching her try to save the young Prime the group kidnapped is a good start, but I think Octavia’s only going to grow and overcome her past if she decides to focus less on executing people and more on confronting her own trauma. If anything, this season of The 100 is a lesson in the importance of self-care.

Alyssa: I really loved seeing Octavia work to save Rose, even if she was ultimately unsuccessful. Octavia has been through so much and she has been shown to have a great capacity for compassion — having to live your life in a tiny space under the floor tends to help you overcome prejudices — I would love to see that flourish again after being Blodreina almost beat it out of her. Giving her a cause like liberating the people of Sanctum and overthrowing the Primes would be a great way for Octavia to get back to her true self. Unfortunately, that is not going to be an easy path, because she’s joined Diyoza on the hunt for this “old man” that the Children of Gabriel keep mentioning. Another creepy cult leader on one planet? Yay. I hope this turns into a fight to overturn both prongs of the patriarchy on Sanctum.

Jessica: The best friendships begin with a bit of murder after all. I think Diyoza and Octavia working together will be good for both of them. Diyoza has so much to teach O about reckoning with your sins, embracing your abilities, being confident and proud of who you are despite what others think, and O might help Diyoza’s maternal side come through more — guiding and mentoring this young woman who’s so like her will be good prep for motherhood. Russel and this old man should be very afraid that these two women are finally joining forces.

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Alyssa: Meanwhile, back in Sanctum, everyone is partying like it’s 1999 and Clarke has left behind her usual leather daddy get up to wear a party dress that I covet for the summer weddings I need to attend. Our girl is LIVING. Looking cute, getting laid, living her best life. Until she isn’t. But before we get to the Continued Trials Of Clarke Griffin, we need to talk about that fight between Bellamy and Echo. I’m assuming you were cheering the entire time.

Jessica: Alyssa, you know me. I’m no Becho stan, so yes, seeing a light at the end of this very dark, nauseating tunnel gave me a tiny spark of joy. That said, I actually came away from that conversation empathizing more with Echo and feeling disappointed in Bellamy. Now, do I think the writers have realized they’ve made a mistake with this pairing and are trying to hasten its end with contrived arguments that feel forced and uncharacteristic? Yes. But seeing Bellamy lash out at someone who’s done nothing but support him for the past three years all because he feels guilt over abandoning his sister did not sit well with me. Just like Raven using Bellamy’s decision to leave Octavia outside the walls of Sanctum as some kind of proof he’s atoning for his misdeeds while Clarke isn’t, it also felt icky. I’m left confused as to where they’re taking Bellamy this season and why he seems to be a character that can do no wrong, while the women that surround him are constantly vilified.

Alyssa: I’m so glad that it felt out of left field to you, as well. I think you’re right, they’re trying to end this pairing sooner rather than later, but I feel like the writers have conveniently forgotten that Bellamy and Echo have been a couple for years. Things on the Ark were fostered in a weird little bubble, so in a way, it makes sense that being thrown into vastly more traumatic situations would raise the tension in a relationship, but some of this stuff would have come up. I worry that Echo is going to get killed off in order to make way for Bellarke, and even though I am a Bellarke shipper first and human second, this outcome would make me feel very, very gross. I hope that’s not what’s coming, but I have a bad feeling about all of it. As to Bellamy getting a pass when Clarke and Octavia are not is also troubling me. For a show that has done a relatively good job of creating complex, powerful female characters, I feel like they’re being punished for the shades of grey that they used to be praised for.

Jessica: Exactly. I want to see Echo live a life apart from Bellamy, to flourish despite the end of their relationship. Killing her off to make way for Bellarke would send a message that her life wasn’t worth living if she wasn’t with Bellamy and I am not about that. I think it would do Bellamy’s character some good to have an ex-girlfriend that’s not dead for a change. But alas, this episode was not about Bellamy and his troubled dating life. It was about the Primes and Clarke and how they’re connected by nightblood and the flame — two plot devices that just won’t die.

Alyssa: Well, at least we finally know what the Naming Day Ceremony is all about: implanting the consciousnesses of the OG Primes into fresh hosts. As creepy as expected! Poor Jordan’s new girlfriend is now pulling an “I don’t know her” in a big way, because hello new person inside. It’s all very grim. In classic Clarke fashion, she gets laid and then betrayed. The hot doctor was actually one of the Children of Gabriel who was trying to find a nightblood for some as yet unknown reason, dosing her with a temporary paralytic and leaving her vulnerable before he ends up cutting his own throat rather than submit to Sanctum forces. Upsetting!

Jessica: To all the sketchy bros out there, here’s a tip: if you’re going to bang a woman, don’t leave your penciled sketches of her and her friends hanging out for her to find. The sheer incompetence of this guy, who’s been living as a spy in Sanctum for, what we only can assume is, a long time to be so careless in his tradecraft is enough to warrant his bloody demise. Of course, by taking the less torturous way out he left poor, paralyzed Clarke to the wolves — the wolves here being Russel and his wife who miss their darling Josephine so much that they don’t mind moving up their sacred Naming Day timetable to implant her consciousness into Clarke’s body. I don’t want to toot our own horn, but we knew this was coming and as disturbing as it is, I’m kind of excited about this storyline?

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Alyssa: I am VERY excited about this storyline, to be completely honest. I think it will be a great opportunity for Eliza Taylor to have her own little Orphan Black acting exercise, and I think that it’s setting up some really interesting Bellarke stuff. You just know that Bellamy is going to be the first to realize that this isn’t Clarke. I’m ready. I think this was my favorite episode of the season so far, partly because it is setting up really exciting things going forward. Between this imposter Clarke and Octavia and Diyoza’s Motorcycle Ride of Justice, I can’t wait to see what happens next week. From the looks of the teaser, things get real in a hurry.

Jessica: Agreed. There’s only so many times you can fight the impending apocalypse before that threat gets stale. This new host plotline feels more in line with the show’s sci-fi roots and certainly presents some major moral dilemmas for our group to wade through. I don’t believe for a second that one a host is implanted with the chip, their old consciousness dies. Why have that lengthy conversation about faces behind the glass with Jordan and Delilah if that were true? And even if it was, Clarke’s already transferred her consciousness once before to the flame and I think, with Maddie’s training and her own storyline of facing Shade Heda this season, there’s a connection there we just haven’t explored yet. Because you know, if Bellamy doesn’t suspect something fishy’s happening with Clarke, Maddie sure as hell will.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors', and do not necessarily reflect those of SYFY WIRE, SYFY, or NBC Universal.