The 100: 212 “Rubicon” Review
Reviewed by Owen Bush.
On the last episode of The 100, the action wasn’t secreted or subsided with distracting plot holes or mediocre turns, as the writers fully powered through into the core of the season – the undeniable war that is definitely getting closer and closer between The Sky People and Mount Weather. With this killer episode, I was scared the tension would let off and return to the more diverse scenes that don’t always click with the audience. How wrong I was, as this episode, titled Rubicon didn’t stop pushing the plot forward in every direction (and how glorious it was!).
After Clarke’s rather vicious message being sent off in hope of a bite from Mount Weather for peace, the episode kicks off with the Mount Weather resident finding his way through the dirt in order to reach for air and safety. The scenes definitely gave me anxiety due to the POV directing and the music fulfilling that tension. With this, came the big early reveal from the most venomous character on screen, Cage and it was that they had nearly began to sufficiently harvest The 47 to start living on the ground. Cage has always been a character who has been a little two-dimensional; his villain abilities may be a little generic but they still work well to infuse the audience with hope and desire for the Sky People to destroy the place once wanted by so many.
Perhaps some of the grimiest scenes of the episode were that of the 47 being slowly dragged away from their confines to be sliced and diced into something those at Mount Weather could use – lovely. On a more serious note, the sequences were particularly intense, and will mark down as my favourite moments from the episode. The scale of fear between the first time the guards arrived, to the determination of anger in the second time, only emphasizes the development even throughout an episode for the show. Strength is a key message within Rubicon, and it’s interesting to see the strength that has been gained especially within those stuck in Mount Weather. With this, there’s also the strength of the leader and this episode also symbolizes that development with Clarke, as her limits were seen have never gone any further (she hopes) as the mountain of angst delved into her. As a leader, Clarke’s development has been very subtle and honest, with nothing that would have made it seem too random or unexpected. Her ferociousness has increased massively throughout the process of the seasons and it’s so intriguing to watch her make decisions, with the fear and loudness of troubling decisions causing her to lose her voice and mind, as seen with Finn as well as nearing the end of the episode.
Jaha has been a mixed bag during Season 2 – we’ve had some, let’s say, epic moments with him returning with a blaze of glory (or sand) to Earth, but we’ve also seen his weaker, timid and rather dry alter-ego during arguments with other Chancellors – Chancellor wars really are strong within this season. I was rather thankful that he took a new leap in the story, returning to try to discover the lost City of Light – despite the fact that his decision was a bit tediously stupid, we still forgive him. With his newfound companion Murphy, things got a little murkier as they conquered throughout the marooned landscape. Whilst the scenes weren’t all that astonishing, they did forge together a closer bond between the new, separated group – even if Jaha’s decision making is still very unconvincing.
Bellamy has definitely blundered through many delicious scripts with ease – his character has definitely been offered more screen-time (finally!) and this gives him a chance to explore his inner need for adventure – even if his missions aren’t all that fun or happy. Dante and Bellamy even had a little friction between them whilst they motioned towards retreat – I’m glad it wasn’t all simple and clichéd with their realization that they had to work together, with the mood subtracting from any divine friendliness during most of the team’s scenes. It’s a shame things are slowly falling down for Dante – he has surpassed my original expectations in Season 1 with great devour with his writing being well worked upon, until we have someone who, as the audience, we greatly rely on, and more importantly, believe.
Although slightly minor to the amount of massively energetic plots in the episode, the dynamic between Lincoln and Octavia was a subtle beauty, a gem in a lot of tiresome development between the two. I am definitely glad the writers decided to continue Lincoln’s savaging thoughts for death and gruel, as it makes the now complete pairing seem more realistic, with something that we can relate to; suggesting the morals of wrongs and rights within a relationship and within love (I’m sorry for the cringe!).
Let’s just say, Lexa isn’t the most compassionate of characters. She’s tough as nails, but she deserves to be as the leader of a grimy clan who needs to make lengthy decisions that can cast giant turning points in the story of her people and with this, you can see how she’s slowly moulded Clarke into something similar (although Clarke’s group aren’t as rebelliously exciting). The way the two bounce off each other is rather energetic to watch, and enjoyable all the same, with the dynamic definitely achieving the tension and strain that needs to help balance the concepts of power and peace.
The mounting pressure was finger-biting material; let alone nail biting. It was significantly portrayed and rather definable, the way peace had seemed resurrected, only to be shot down by a clash of goals between The Sky People, The Grounders and Mount Weather. As the rocket flew past, it was insanely dramatic and for the right reasons. Unfortunately, the scenes were dawned upon by the annoyance of Abby – the character was once fierce and recognizable, but has now turned rather whiny and desperate for power. Abby’s words didn’t make sense in their meanings, for Clarke had no other option, making the scenes seem a little forced. Luckily, this was only the penultimate scene, for things were still to get juicier.
With Bellamy in high spirits, things finally got good for The 47 inside Mount Weather – and I mean, really good. Dr. Singh (or Tsing, not quite sure anymore) finally got the brutal death coming for her, and with one bad-ass line rolling through Jasper’s mouth like poison, it was her end – finally. It was a merciless death but it still gained a full cheer from us. Before the ending flared, we were treated to what looked like a near end of Dante, but it seems dirtier waters are ahead for our unfortunate friend, and with the tension thrilling by the second, I’m sure it’s going to be 100% mind-blowing.
Verdict; 8.5/10
‘Rubicon’ grew bold from the epics explored previously, and rummaged through the ever-powerful plots that are soon to be resolved. Although things came across a little shaky during some mediocre montages, the ruthless death and harm was soon to outpace the flaws, causing this to be another sleek, well-paced outing on The 100.