The 100 Review: Thirteen (Season 3 Episode 7)

 

How’s everyone doing–are we all still breathing? Is our gonplei ste odon? Week after week The 100 manages to pack more action and intrigue into a single hour of television than almost any other show, and “Thirteen” is no different. Everything’s coming together and the connections are being made clear this week in the Polis/Polaris centered episode. I’m going to break things down by taking a look at the events of the past and the present, as well as how the two intertwine.

POLARIS, 97 years ago:

So Becca, it appears, has a thing for playing God. The woman who created the AI that ended the world, has fled to space on her very own station and is attempting to try again when ALIE escapes and brings about the nuclear apocalypse. I have to admit, although we’ve seen Becca for maybe a total of thirty minutes throughout the course of the show, I already love her. She’s a brilliant, morally grey, idealistic scientist who, like everyone else on The 100, is just trying to do what she believes is right. And apparently that includes creating a supercomputer with humanity’s best interests at it’s core.

It takes another two years for Becca to complete her work on ALIE 2.0, and as a true procrastinator myself, I admire the way she runs down the clock. On the very first Unity day, Becca is forced to choose between her AI and joining the Ark. She makes an excellent argument for bringing it onto the Ark, but her peers have some reservations, and with good reason given how her trial run with ALIE ended.

Becca: It’s designed to interface with humanity on a biological level. It will understand the value of life by coexisting with us.

Her AI could have saved the Ark and kept them in going for another 200 years in space, but then we wouldn’t have The 100. The purpose of ALIE 2.0 is clearly in direct opposition to that of the original ALIE, who believes the root problem of life is that there were/are too many people. ALIE 2.0 seems to have been designed with the goal of problem solving in a way that would allow to her run every simulation for the problems humanity must face, and then choose the one that keeps the most people alive.

Here’s where her story dovetails right into that of Polis and the Grounders. She creates the Nightblood serum, which allows her to complete the neural interface with the crystal matrix containing ALIE 2.0: then implants the chip containing the code into her own brain stem. As soon as she does so, she begins to make quick, intelligent decisions to keep herself alive, either on her own or with the help of ALIE 2.0 we can’t be sure.  Escaping Polaris and extinction as her station is blown out of the sky and made an example of on the first Unity Day, Becca falls to Earth in a scene reminiscent of Raven’s descent.

Becca is the first Commander. Greeted by survivors in hazmat suits, she uses the AI within her to start all over with humanity on the ground, creating the first Grounders and NightBloods.

Becca: I am saving the human race.

POLIS, present timeline:

Lexa and the Grounders of Polis are celebrating Ascension day, a day I would personally love to know a lot more about. I’m assuming it marks the day that Becca fell to Earth and began working on a new society. Which aligns nicely with Skaikru’s Unity day–the dual rebirth of humanity after the end of the world, on Earth and among the stars. Ascension day appears to have become the day that the Nightbloods move up from their training, through a conclave, and the next commander is chosen.

Titus is coming unglued as Clarke has more and more influence over Lexa, leading her to make decisions that he believes will get her killed. Incidentally, he becomes the one to end her life. The timing of Clarke and Lexa’s story could not be more tragic. Lexa opens up to Clarke, admitting that she loves her and the two finally allow themselves a moment of peace and love amidst the constant war.

Titus: Love is weakness, to be Commander is to be alone.

While I expected Lexa’s death at some point this season, I didn’t think it would come immediately after she sleeps with Clarke. She becomes collateral in Titus’ attempt to murder Clarke for Lexa’s own good. The rest of the death scene is done quite beautifully, but this comes off more shocking than emotionally satisfying. Lexa deserved to die standing up for something she loved or believed in, and yes in a way she did, but her death was a mere accident rather than a choice or a necessity.

Lexa tells Clarke that her fight is over and in turn Clarke gives Lexa the Traveller’s Blessing. This is instantly one of the most beautiful scenes in The 100 history. Okay, so maybe I burst into tears as soon as Clarke began to utter the familiar words, but you don’t have to tell anyone that–let’s just keep it between us. Titus pulls the same crystal matrix from Lexa’s neck that Becca inserted into her own, calling it the “Commander’s Spirit.” The Grounders have been led by an AI all this time and it’s officially blown my mind.

Questions and Other Thoughts:

• Octavia leaves Polis after being brought there as a prisoner, but not before convincing a disheartened Indra to join her. I am SO excited to see these two working together again and I cannot wait to see what kind of havoc the wreak upon Pike and his henchmen alongside Kane’s rebellion.
• In the flashbacks Becca says a word in another language in order to power down ALIE 2.0. Later Titus says the same word to the chip after he pulls it out of Lexa. The word isn’t translated and it isn’t a language I’ve ever heard before. Was this the origin of Trigedasleng? Is the Grounder language based off a system Becca created to speak to her own technology?
• ALIE cannot find the second version of herself because it isn’t in a computer, it’s in people. BRILLIANT.
• Murphy is a gift and a way smarter than anyone gives him credit for; major kudos to him for figuring out the ALIE/Polis/Polaris connection before anyone else.
• How exactly does the Nightblood system work? Did Becca use all of the initial vials when she came to Earth on the survivors she found? Is it now a genetic trait and blood type only found in those descended from Becca and her first Nightbloods? Is there a secret stock of the stuff somewhere just in case there comes a time when no one is born with it? 
• Who was the 8th officiate at Lexa’s conclave? Costia? Becca herself? I NEED ANSWERS.
• Becca looks upon the apocalypse and questions “What have I done?” Titus does the same upon shooting Lexa. Coincidence? I THINK NOT! Is Lexa’s death the end of the world? Probably not, but it certainly isn’t good for a world already on the verge of war. To quote Kane: “Transitioning to a new [commander] would be destabilizing.”
• Who else is completely stoked for Kane’s rebellion at Arkadia next week? Is Bellamy back on team good guys?

What did you think of this episode of The 100? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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