The 100 Review: Gimme Shelter (Season 4 Episode 7)

When it rains, it pours. On The 100 Season 4 Episode 7, “Gimme Shelter,” a literal storm drives our favorite heroes to the emotional brink across the board.

These people have been holding in their feelings and pushing past them to survive for so long, it’s incredibly satisfying to see the dam finally break.

Terri Hughes Burton and Ron Milbauer are new to The 100 writer’s room this year, but boy did they do their homework. These two seem to know these characters better they know themselves. With the black rain forcing everyone inside they are forced to confront each other and all of their pent up frustrations and deeply held fears.  

Kane makes a bid for Dad of the Year, and Moral Compass Boyfriend as he mans the radio at Arkadia, keeping in touch with both Bellamy and Abby. Bellamy is solidly on team save everyone at any cost, so of course he goes out against Kane’s advice in an attempt to save a pair of redshirts stuck under an overhang somewhere outside the wall.

Because of what he’s been told his whole life whether it’s Octavia, the delinquents, or Skaikru in general, Bellamy feels responsible for everyone and when he can’t protect them, can’t save them, he blames himself. Kane tries to take some of the weight off of his shoulders and give him some positive reinforcement, but Bellamy isn’t having it.

Though there’s clearly love between Kane and Bellamy, Bellamy still harbors resentment for the man Kane used to be, the man he was on the Ark. And if Bellamy can’t save Octavia because she doesn’t want to be saved, he won’t allow Kane to save him either.

Don’t give up on the connection between these two just yet, because now that they’ve reached a point where Bellamy can voice things like this it may end up making their relationship stronger in the process.

Kane: Your mother would be proud of the man you’ve become. I know I am.

Bellamy: You floated my mother.

Since Kane essentially adopted the 48-ish remaining delinquents at the end of Season 2 he also has some quality dad moments with Harper. When someone dies from the black rain because she couldn’t help him when they were running into the Ark, she becomes consumed with grief and regret.

Kane: Who you want to be doesn’t always win.

The connection between these two is brief, but it does a good job of bringing home what has always been one of the core themes of this show, especially in this episode: “who we are, and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.”

Kane knows as well as anyone, that sometimes you have to do things that tear at your soul in order to survive.

He reflects this back to Abby over the radio when she seeks his advice regarding her search for a medical solution to the coming apocalypse.

Abby’s always been the kind of person who wants to keep everyone alive. Her role as a doctor and her strong sense of humanity have always driven her to do no harm. Now she has to go against her moral compass and endanger a life in order to find a cure for everyone else.

The conversation she has with Kane is such a beautiful example of how far the two of them have come together. Over the 4 Seasons she’s made him a better man than the heartless lawman he was on the Ark. But it’s because of his past that he can help her with her current problem.

Kane: Your humanity is your greatest strength. But sometimes we need a different kind of strength. We need to survive, then we can all find our humanity again.

Though these two have been apart for several episodes, it’s really lovely to see The 100 writers still putting so much love and care into this relationship.

Speaking of relationships, Octavia and Ilian seem to have stumbled into a cave filled with classic romance tropes. Two grief stricken people who hate each other are trapped in a cave for a long night of soul searching and healing sex. I was strongly against this relationship going in, but the way that Ilian stops Octavia from killing herself in the rain went a long way for putting him back in my good books.

Octavia: Just make me feel something else.

Octavia is such a broken little butterfly it breaks my heart to see her in such a dark place. It’s not the first time that a character has ever used sex to move on and to heal. When she casts her knives into the water it’s a hopeful indication that Octavia is ready to start over. I’m still not 100% sold on a romance between she and Ilian, but I am excited to see where they go from here.

The 100 Season 4 Episode 7, “Gimme Shelter” is positively chock full of truly outstanding acting, the whole cast does a phenomenal job this week, but Luisa D’Olivera stands out as Emori this week. Her performance is so nuanced and layered that the twist at the end is both shocking and perfectly in line with her character.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

• How lovely are the moments between Clarke and Abby in “Gimme Shelter”? I love seeing Clarke as the badass leader she is, but it’s so nice to see her be vulnerable enough to admit sometimes she just needs a hug from her mom too.
• Murphy can cook! I love lighter scenes like this, it really gives an emotional depth to the episode as a whole.
• Can we all just take a moment to appreciate that Clarke got to take a shower and RELAX even if it was short lived?
• Can we take an even longer moment to appreciate the gratuitous shirtlessness all over this episode? [heart eyes emoji]
• Hot take: this might be the best episode of Season 4 so far. Burton and Milbauer are fantastic! Can we keep them forever?

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

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

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