The 100 Season Premiere Review: Sanctum (Season 6 Episode 1)

The 100 has finally returned, and if last year’s Season premiere was a walk in the wasteland, the Season 6 premiere is a harrowing ride through time and space. The 100 Season 6 Episode 1, “Sanctum” packs quite the punch—narratively, visually, and emotionally. 

This episode was burdened with setting the story for an entirely new adventure, as well as opening the door for “Book II” to begin. I’m pleased to report that it does exactly that, while also delving deep into the rich character conflict left over from the previous season. 

BE THE GOOD GUYS

Bellamy, Clarke, and Jordan are very deliberate about the people that they choose to wake up following Monty and Harper’s video message; they initially wake the remainder of Spacekru, likely Bellamy’s choice, and Shaw and Abby—likely Clarke’s choice, a wise one, given their skill sets.

It’s a solid group with enough core characters to inspire deep investment in what happens throughout this episode, while still keeping the ensemble cast limited for the time being. That choice allows for a tighter narrative.  

The reactions to their new situation, the loss of Monty and Harper, and Monty’s dying words is varied. This is exactly what you would expect when dealing with something this monumental, on top of the loss of two members of your family. But above all, Monty’s message rings clear for everyone who hears it: be the good guys.

His legacy is felt through all of “Sanctum” as our heroes try to do exactly that. 

Raven, perhaps, takes the loss of Monty and Harper the hardest, with confusion and anger coming to the forefront of her emotions. She also has the most…interesting way of dealing with those feelings.

The love scene between Raven and Shaw is great, and it’s wonderful to see Raven have a moment of happiness. It’s less wonderful that no one seemed to remember which of Raven’s legs she can’t use. In the cut-away of this scene, Raven is very clearly moving/bending/adjusting her bad leg with the ease of someone who was never wounded.

Because Raven is such important representation for people with disabilities, it’s important to show that her leg doesn’t just magically work when she’s having sex. 

I want to see Raven having moments of happiness and doing the same physical activities we would expect to see any other character experiencing, but I want The 100 to put in the work to show that Raven’s disability does not stop her from doing anything—it just means she does things differently.

“Sanctum” is filled with callbacks to The 100 Season 1, my personal favorite being the way Clarke and Abby anchor the plots on the ground and in space, respectively. Both Griffin ladies are put on the defensive in this episode for their actions in the previous season, and they both face the consequences head-on in true stubborn Griffin fashion. 

It is immediately evident that the conflicts from Season 5 have not gone anywhere, and these characters are still emotionally raw from the things they went through 125 years ago. Many relationships on The 100 are currently in a state of disarray, but the connection between Clarke and Abby may be the strongest it’s ever been. 

Their relationship has always been a pillar of The 100, and I’m thrilled to see the two of them in a place where they completely understand and respect each other. 

Clarke: Go save Kane. 

Abby: Go save us all. 

THAT WAS THE RIVER, THIS IS THE SEA

Bellamy naturally assumes the leadership position for the group that heads to the ground and this time around the authority suits him well. He’s no longer a kid out of his depth, running from his past and trying to protect his sister above all others. This Bellamy has all of the learned experience of assuming that role right out of the Dropship, but now he has the level-headedness and the respect of his team to actually wield that power with grace and intention.

He does an excellent job of making the final call on crucial decisions while also considering the input of those around him.

The opening of the transport door beautifully mirrors the iconic moment from the pilot when the hundred first set foot on Earth. This scene is more poignant while echoing the humor and heart of the original. These characters aren’t kids anymore; they have known tragedy, loss, war, and how difficult it is to wash blood off of their own hands (literally and figuratively). 

Murphy: Monty would know what to say. He should be here.

Bellamy: He is.  

That isn’t where the “Pilot” flashbacks stop. The next time we see the away team, Murphy does his best Octavia impression and dives right into a moon lake. Luckily, there are no irradiated monster fish interested in taking a bite out of him. 

Our time with the exploratory team is split pretty evenly between watching the characters struggle with their emotional baggage, and watching them take in the beauty and the terror of the new planet.

Miller is working through his guilt over what he did in service to Blodreina. Bellamy is struggling with his complicated emotions regarding who his sister has become and where she fits into his life. And Clarke is dealing with the fallout of betraying the trust of her friends in the name of protecting her child. 

Forgiveness and second chances are at the forefront of every character’s mind as they each decide what it means to them and what measure of forgiveness they need—it is an act that is as much for the person giving it as it is for the person receiving it. 

Like anyone who has done unspeakable acts on The 100, Miller will have to forgive himself for what he did. This is an arc we’ve seen multiple characters take on this show, and it’s one we never really grow tired of. It’s exciting to see Miller have a plot with that kind of emotional depth. 

Echo points out that Bellamy cannot start over with Octavia without forgiveness. But Bellamy, understandably, isn’t ready to take that step with his sister. We’ve been here with the Blakes before, and Bellamy told us then that forgiveness is hard for them.

The 100 has also told us that forgiveness isn’t necessarily about what people deserve. I don’t think that Echo believes Bellamy should just forgive and forget Octavia’s transgressions, but she does know how important Octavia is to Bellamy. Until he can reach a place where he can give that forgiveness, he’ll just be carrying around the burden of their conflict just as he carried the responsibility for Octavia’s entire existence until they were separated.

Octavia will have to do a lot of work if she wants Bellamy’s forgiveness, and perhaps she will never deserve it. However, Echo knows that that rift will weigh on Bellamy’s mind as long as it is unresolved. His capacity for forgiveness is likely greater than Octavia’s willingness to earn it.  

Clarke: For some reason, Monty thought we deserved a second chance. 

Murphy: Not for nothing, but this is like your fifth chance. 

Clarke: Yours too, Murphy. 

Clarke clearly took Monty’s words to heart. It looks like she has every intention of doing better here, as well as doing the work to make amends with the people that she hurt. She also isn’t going to let them use her as a punching bag either. It’s human to want to stand up for yourself and it’s satisfying to see Clarke do so here.

While Shaw has every right to be angry with Clarke for turning him and Raven in, she also made a choice that ended up saving them in the end. For the audience—or the portion of the audience that loves Clarke Griffin—it’s a little hard to listen to Shaw’s demands, since he wasn’t around for all of the times she was the good guy making the tough calls to save everyone.

However, Shaw’s words ring true: actions speak so much louder than words. That is a message that runs through the entirety of “Sanctum” and, I hope, throughout The 100 Season 6. Clarke’s good intentions are important, but it’s how she acts on them that will allow her to really find a home among her friends again.   

Our heroes don’t get to dwell on the concept for long though, because Planet Alpha decides it’s time to show off some of its more gruesome features. As if on a cue, the planet turns from heaven to hell, with the local wildlife deciding to swarm and attack our little group. Chaos ensues as they are forced to head toward the beacon sooner than they planned. 

Their haste and fear cause Shaw to lose his life. Before filming began for Season 6 of The 100, Jordan Bolger was cast in another show, leading to his departure. Thankfully, Shaw was given a heroic death that allowed him to impart important wisdom and save our heroes. 

Death is to be expected on The 100, and no one is out of its reach. It is, however, disappointing to see yet another black man die in such a grotesque way. It’s a harmful trend, and while there are frequently extenuating circumstances in The 100‘s case, it’s a trend that I’d like to see the show get away from all the same.  

When our heroes finally ascend to the center of this citadel within the radiation fence, it looks like no one’s home. Conveniently, that gives us an opportunity to learn a little bit about these people before we meet them face to face. Not so conveniently, there’s a good reason this planet’s residents are currently nowhere to be found. 

Right now we have more questions than answers about these people, but “Sanctum” does a good job of giving us just enough of a taste of information to make us hungry for more. 

Bellamy: Destroy the world, 200 years later they put you on a flag. See, there’s hope for us yet. 

Eligius III sent families on the mission to Planet Alpha, and 200 years later the people here have shrines and blood sacrifices set up in their honor. There’s also an entire wall of the schoolhouse Clarke walks into filled with photos of what looks like the original members of the Eligius III, all of whom appear to be American (indicated by the flags in their photos). 

The inscription on the wall reads: “OUR ALL FOR THE GLORY AND GRACE OF THE PRIMES”

Who are the Lightbournes? What are primes? I’m sure these are questions we are going to dive into as we get into the mythology of The 100 Season 6. It might be worth noting that the children’s story/warning that Bellamy and Clarke find was written by Josephine Ada Lightbourne. A descendant of the family in the shrine? Or an original member?

Clarke and Bellamy share a tender moment in the schoolhouse as the commiserate over wishing they could’ve given Octavia and Madi better childhoods. They also finally get a chance to talk about all of Clarke’s radio calls during the 6 years they spent apart. 

Clarke: I know it sounds crazy, Madi certainly thought it was. But talking to you every day, even though you didn’t answer, it kept me sane.

Bellamy: It’s not crazy. A little pathetic maybe, but it’s not crazy. 

It is so good to see Bellamy and Clarke back in a place where they can actually talk to each other, joke with each other, and just be themselves without the threat of war or having to choose sides in the face if imminent danger…even if it only lasts a few moments. 

Their friendship has rarely been smooth sailing, but it has always been a core part of The 100. They still have their fair share of unspoken baggage to work through, as everyone does after Season 5, but having those open lines of communication between the two of them is the first step in the right direction. 

“Sanctum” does a really beautiful job of subtly building up tension and clues toward its final climactic moments. The suns get closer and closer together, and the world takes on an orangey-yellow hue. Meanwhile, the agitation builds naturally between the group on the ground as fresh wounds are prodded and poked. But as we learn from Red Sun Rising, there’s a reason for all of it. 

The children’s book is a brilliant way to deliver some pretty important exposition. Here’s what the story says: Trees and plants give us shade, we eat them every day. But when the stars align and the forest wakes, it’s time to run away. For two days, heaven is hell and friends are foes. So few are safe once they’re exposed. 

Emori makes it clear that it’s too late for this little squad, they’ve already been exposed. She and Murphy seemed to approach “kiss and make up” territory on the Season 5 finale, but the Eclipse Induced Psychosis brings out the conflict still buried between them as she comes flying out of nowhere to put an end to The Murphy Show. 

We aren’t in Kansas anymore, folks. Forget worrying about whether the people here pose a threat, the planet itself is the threat. With the air turning our heroes against each other, it looks like Clarke and her friends are about to get the chance to “face their demons.” 

MONSTERS AND MOONS

Up on the Mothership, Raven, Abby, and Jordan may be safe from the toxins released by the eclipse down on the surface, but they are definitely holding their own when it comes to delivering emotional intensity during this episode. 

Raven makes her antagonism towards Abby clear within the first moments of “Sanctum,” and the journey that they take together in this episode is incredibly necessary. 

Abby: Now we get our humanity back.

Raven: Some of us never lost it.

Raven’s anger is understandable, and I’ll go into more detail on her behavior shortly, but I want to expand on this line first. 

Raven Reyes is a magnificent character. Without her, everyone would likely be dead by now. She’s made her fair share of sacrifices and suffered as many atrocities as anyone else on The 100. What she hasn’t had to do, however, is make decisions that require her to sacrifice her humanity for the survival of the human race. 

The closest Raven has ever come to bearing the weight of that kind of decision is when she was briefly put in charge of Arkadia’s rations on The 100 Season 4 Episode 3 “The Four Horsemen” and even then the choice was ultimately taken out of her hands.

Raven has always been a major player, but she has never been the one bearing the true weight of those decisions. She’s close enough to the others to have been affected by their decisions, and she’s even benefited from them on more than one occasion, but she’s never actually been tasked with that particular responsibility herself—Abby has.

Abby knows exactly what it costs to have to make those decisions; as a council member she was party to it on the Ark, and more-so over the past two seasons she’s come to understand the toll being in that position takes, especially at Becca’s lab and in the bunker. 

This doesn’t make either of them entirely right or wrong overall, it simply gives each of their perspectives context. Without the people who make those decisions and sacrifice their own humanity and peace of mind for the survival of their peers, Raven and everyone else would have died a long time ago. Some people bear it so others don’t have to, and some people show others the way out of the dark—both types of people are needed on The 100. 

Monty Green has been both, and while he was spending the rest of his days making sure his people would survive and have the chance to do better, he pretty much thought of everything. Jordan, clearly having learned a lot about empathy from his mother, notices Abby’s anxiety immediately. Upon hearing Kane’s name, he delivers the exact thing she needs.

But before Abby can save her wounded beau, she has to face some demons of her own. First and foremost: the person her addiction turned her into, and the people she hurt because of it. Abby knows she has unfinished business with Raven, and it’s on her to make the first move towards repairing what she broke. 

Raven’s reactions to Abby read as increasingly harsh throughout this episode, beginning with hostile comments and escalating to threats. But the more I think about the way she behaves on “Sanctum,” the more I realize that her reactions are clearly a trauma response. 

Abby hurt Raven deeply, and Raven has every right to lash out at her, even if it’s hard for us to watch. 

Because she has had experience with addicts before, what Abby did to Raven on The 100 Season 5 Episode 8, “How We Get to Peace” hit her especially hard. The memory of it is still fresh and raw for both women as, in their minds, it couldn’t have happened more than a week ago.

Abby: Raven, I’m sorry. What I did to you with the collar is unforgivable.

It’s precisely Raven’s personal experience with her alcoholic mother that causes her to have zero faith in Abby’s recovery. Maybe Raven’s mother never laid a hand on her, but she did trade her rations for food and she drank herself to death without ever trying to get better for Raven’s sake. That is its own special kind of torture, torture that leaves a person hurt in ways they may never fully understand. 

Raven and Abby care deeply for each other, which is part of why this conflict is so complicated. Raven’s words hurt, especially when she goes so far as to tell Abby to relapse and kill herself (much like her own mother did). Because her mother is the only example of this situation she is familiar with, Raven thinks that Abby is no better. And she thinks the only way for her to get “closure” is for Abby to die. 

Instead of being irreparably hurt by what Raven says, however, Abby only lets it fuel her determination to be better, and to do better with this second chance. 

It’s important that Abby apologized to Raven, but Abby knows that words alone won’t fix everything. In order to earn Raven’s trust back, she’s going to have to prove she deserves it. The only way she can do that is by staying clean and doing right by her loved ones. 

Abby: Never again. 

Abby gives the pills back to Raven by the end of “Sanctum,” vowing to stay clean. She knows that Raven will hold her accountable, and Raven seems genuinely impressed by Abby’s determination. I’m looking forward to seeing these two heal and work together again; they’ve always been a pretty incredible team. 

Ever the miracle worker, Abby manages to successfully save Kane not once, but twice on “Sanctum.” Their reunion is soft and sweet and everything that this Kabby fan was hoping it would be. This might be the most we’ve ever seen Abby Griffin smile, and for that I am thankful. 

Kane recognizes this Abby as the woman he fell in love with, and though waking up must feel like information overload, he’s immediately receptive and grateful for the circumstances they’ve found themselves in. 

Kane: Abby, everything we did, everything that happened, happened so we could get here. 

As leaders of their people, they’ve had to make a lot of difficult choices, and in the bunker they were forced to choose cannibalism over starvation. They’ve done things that they regret and sacrificed their own humanity in the name of survival, but seeing this planet reinvigorates their hope. 

Perhaps more than anyone, Kane and Abby come out of the 125 years in cryosleep exemplifying what it means to have a second (or third) chance at life. Abby is recovering from her addiction, and Kane is recovering from what’s likely his fifth or sixth near-death experience. The beginning of The 100 Season 5 found them both broken and ready to give up, but “Sanctum” shows us a couple more in love and more determined to do better than ever before. 

Unfortunately for Abby, Raven isn’t the only one ready to air her grievances. 

For reasons I can only attribute to Niylah’s undying love for Octavia, Blodreina is awakened against both Abby and Bellamy’s orders. Despite the character growth that she showed on The 100 Season 5 Episode 13, “Damocles—Part 2,” Octavia isn’t finished being angry.

It’s unclear why Octavia thinks right now is the best time to confront Kane and Abby, but let’s chalk it up to her social skills suffering from severe isolation all her life. 

The incredible thing about this argument is that Kane and Octavia are both right. Kane betrayed Wonkru, and he got people killed because he trusted McCreary. But Octavia clung to power over doing what was truly best for her people, and she also got people killed because of her own selfish choices. 

Octavia: Am I a monster? Yes I am. Just like both of you, the cannibal doctor and the man she loves even after he floated her husband. 

This argument is a brilliant way to address the conflict between these characters, set up their journeys for Season 6, and take Kane back out of commission for a while to allow Henry Ian Cusick to appear on both The 100 and The Passage. Octavia is going to have to face the fact that some of her actions as Blodreina were unjustified. Abby is going to have to fight to stay clean and save the man she loves. 

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Octavia and Abby are uniquely suited to help each other heal from what they did in the bunker. Two sides of the same coin, they both made the same choice and processed their guilt in opposite ways. I’m excited that it looks like The 100 is going to capitalize on the opportunity to continue using the two of them as foils for each other. 

THOUGHT DEBRIS:

• “Sanctum” has a lot of excellent musical moments, most notably Murphy’s performance to The Waterboys’ This Is The Sea. Shaw’s death and Abby giving Kane CPR also stand out, for me, as moments that are beautifully scored. 
• Becca’s last name is Franco. Shaw met her when the Eligius IV mission was launched. There are at least TWO infinity symbol sightings on “Sanctum”: Becca’s book Seeking Higher Things, and the flags hung throughout the village. These could just be fun details, but The 100 is an expert at hiding bigger meaning in the details.  
• Jordan and Abby have some of the softest interactions I have ever seen and I am excited to see the two of them working together. 
• Speaking of Jordan, his innocent excitement at finally getting to meet everyone is nothing short of beautiful. It’s been five minutes but I would die for him, okay? If anyone could be trusted to deliver a believable performance as Monty and Harper’s son and carry their legacy it’s Shannon Kook. 
• The 100 has jokes again. I laughed multiple times throughout this episode. It’s good to see these characters back in a place where they can be funny.  
• Emori falls into the foliage when they’re running from the swarm. Could that be why the Eclipse Psychosis hits her first?
• Sanctum is laid out like a kaleidoscope. Can we talk about these architecture choices? I always wanted The 100 to hit up apocalyptic Disney World, but I’ll settle for a space castle. What are they growing in those fields? Who chose this aesthetic? Is there a deeper meaning in the way this place is laid out or are the people from Eligius III just really into symmetry?
• Also, HOW did they build all of this? Is everything made from the deconstructed space ship they flew here in? How did they manufacture children’s books? I have questions. 
• Abby doesn’t give up on Kane even when everyone else does. I’m really grateful for the scene where they successfully get him back into cryo because not only does everyone look truly impressed with Abby’s mind and her medical skills, but The 100, a show notorious for its death toll, went out of its way to keep Kane alive. I just want to say thanks. 

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

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

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