The 100 Review: Rubicon (Season 2 Episode 12)

Every time I think this show can’t get more intense, they go and up the ante.

Rubicon: a line, which once crossed represents the point of no return. A fitting title for such an explosive episode, in my opinion.

First up, the highly anticipated ship of Murphy and new girl, Emori – fondly dubbed Memori – seems like it might be a bust. Despite their cute moment discussing inner demons, Emori betrays Murphy and Jaha in the end. Let’s not give up all hope just yet, though. In any other show, holding a knife to someone’s throat would be the end, but on The 100 it’s practically foreplay.

Inside Mount Weather, things get a little gruesome. First, Dr. Tsing begins killing the Ark kids for their bone marrow, forcing Bellamy to team of with Dante to come to their rescue. Together, they make sure that radiation leaks into the sublevel Tsing is stationed on.

Did anyone else get a weirdly vindictive sort of satisfaction when they watched the evil doctor practically melt from radiation burns? Just me? I’ll be sure to bring that up with my therapist the next time we have a chat.

Like all great episodes of The 100, there were plenty of Bellarke moments to make us swoon. First we got Clarke’s panicked anxiety over Bellamy’s late check-in, and then Bellamy’s frantic nerves over Clarke’s mission to Ton DC. The next time these two try to pretend they’re not hopelessly devoted to one another, I’m going to roll my eyes so hard.

Speaking of romance, Lincoln and Octavia might be on the outs for a while.

I have to say, I was expecting more from that reunion. More drama, more anger, more something. Even if the mission turned out fine in the end, Octavia finding out that Lincoln betrayed Bellamy was supposed to be a bigger deal. Right?

Romantic subplots aside, Clarke’s moral dilemma took center stage in this episode.

After finding out Mount Weather plans to launch a missile at Ton DC, Clarke rides out to warn them. Lexa has different plans, pointing out that they can’t evacuate the city without alerting the Mountain Men to the presence of a spy, effectively ending Bellamy’s usefulness before he can turn off the acid fog or rescue anyone.

The question becomes: Do we save Tondc and sacrifice everyone in Mount Weather, or do we sacrifice Tondc and move forward to defeat the Mountain Men? Heavy.

I’ve said it before, but this season seems to be all about what kind of leader Clarke wants to be. Compassionate and peaceful, or hardened and merciless. She’s been on a dark path lately, but I’d hoped that she was starting to come out of it. Seems like I was wrong.

Clarke sides with Lexa, choosing to abandon the people of Ton DC to their fate.

The look on Abby’s face when she realizes what Clarke has done… that is the face of a mother who no longer recognizes the daughter standing in front of her.

Abby: “Their blood is on your hands. And, even if we win, I’m afraid you won’t be able to wash it off this time.”

I have to admit, I had a totally panicked moment last night when I realized there are only four more episodes left in the season. WHAT? That doesn’t seem like nearly enough time to wrap up all these stories.

More importantly, what will I do without my weekly episodes of The 100?

Will Clarke rescue Bellamy and the kids inside Mount Weather? Who will get caught in the crossfire?

Give ‘Rubicon’ your own rating, and sound off in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

The 100 airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

Lindsay MacDonald

Lindsay is an associate editor for Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer, viewer, and internet addict. Her obsession with TV started with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and has been going strong ever since; current favorites include Scandal, The 100, The Walking Dead, and Arrow. She considers a perfect Friday night to be a joint-cuddle-session between an adorable puppy dog and her Netflix queue. Follow @lindsayjoane