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The 100 Pandora’s Box Recap-Review

by Evelyn Ulrich

Hope was nearly transparent in Pandora’s Box, as the battles never cease to end.  Families are reunited, but are scarred, and broken.  Yet, the battle for hope and survival for the heroes is never too far from the mind.   Here is the lengthy recap for The 100 Pandora’s Box.  Read at your own risk as it contains major spoilers.

The 100 Pandora’s Box Recap-Review

To Have Hope, Unbox the Evils

Episode 504 Aired May 15, 2018

 

Pandora’s Box, the latest installment of The 100 story, and the end of the season five start was a carefully wrapped package that gave us the ‘gifts’ of crafted narratives.  It exponentially broadened and strengthen relationships, all the while providing merit reason for it.   Then there was reunion after reunion, and a twist that endangers all that.

If you are familiar with ancient Greek mythology, Pandora’s Box is a passage in Hesiod’s text, Works and Days in which an angry Zeus presents Pandora to Epimetheus. She opens a box that let out all the evils-sickness, death, war, pain, and many others.  Only hope is left behind, and to have the hope, you must fight the evils.  This is exactly where the episode fits and streamed the passage through out.

Pandora's Box

The characters become ancient Greek gods and goddesses, the bunker was like the Box, and evil was unveiled.  Eden is the hope.

What about hope?  The 100 always had hope as one of its central themes, but there seem to be very little hope within Pandora’s Box, but does not mean the people were fighting for it.  In fact, the way that I perceived this episode is that in the shadows, there was that flicker.  We just did not notice as much because the events projected sheer notoriety remarkably.  Thus, putting our brains into high-gear to process them.  Yet, without hope, the people on this show wouldn’t have something to fight for.  Just like we wouldn’t have the will the live if we have lost the precious jewel of hope.

Oh, yeah, we got a Bellarke Hug 2.0!

The Song of Blodreina

This season, Octavia has metamorphosed in to her most ominous shade yet, and it heightened to new levels that were dangerously close to madness.  She is the Queen of the Bunker and its people, and they must follow her every whim.  Those who don’t will be eliminated-in the most savage and severe.

When Kane wins the battle in the Pit, Octavia waives his “life card” as he did not earn it.  He was in the Pit to protect his love, Abby-who is battling a pill addiction.  Kane takes the fall for her as she stolen medicine, and stealing is a crime of Wonkru.

But what is the essential core here is not Kane fighting-but the discussion that he had with Octavia.  They’re all guilty and explaining on how they had to do things on the ARK, including being a responsibility to her mother’s floating.  He also informs her that when they came to ground, they were all given the chance, the opportunity to become better people.  The ground was a symbol of new hope, and through trial and error, Kane and the others have become virtuous.

For a while, Octavia was becoming better herself, including fighting for fair justices.  Lincoln was a profound influence as he taught her that despite different upbringings and cultures, there should be peace and unity among factions.   After witnessing his brutal (and graphic) execution, Octavia was beginning to crack, and as season three and four progressed, she became nearly unrecognizable from her season one arc.

I would like to sympathize with Octavia, I really would, and give her the benefit of the doubt as part of her downfall is due to grief, trauma, and anger.  On the other hand, it’s rather difficult to witness what she had become.  I know that if Lincoln were still alive he would not tolerate or approve Octavia’s cursed reign, as he was the ultimate pacifist.  In my perspective, Octavia is tainting her true love and betraying Lincoln.

Pandora's Box Pandora's Box

The Blake reunion was spectacular-as I was anticipating this reunion more so than Bellarke.  The underlying and overpouring love for her brother was shown through her eyes, and the glimmer of the old Octavia was still within her.  For Bellamy, the concern and loss of his baby sister was washed away as he embraced her in tears.  Unfortunately, the happy and emotional moment was short-lived as Bellamy discovered just what Octavia has ruled for the past six years.  The sheer disappointment and hurt is clear and she just blows him off.  Just like that, without a blink.  And to emphasize the point, Octavia completely blamed Bellamy for Charmaine’s take-over.  And he had nothing to do with it.  This trouble between them is not going to be easy to fix, but I still have the hope that Octavia will see the horrendous errors of her ways Additionally, I did not enjoy the fact that Octavia tried to kill Kane in the Pit as the crowd cheered on.  This only adds to the gloom of her persona and a sign that it will only get worse before it gets better.

I always believed that Octavia had the potential to become a domineering and resilient character-that she’d take her losses and trauma and transform into someone who has beat all odds.  But I never thought that she would go down such a dark and twisted path.  I want to know exactly how she got this way, as grief and trauma can only do so much.

Concluding Octavia’s structure in Pandora’s Box is the moment where she was released from the bunker and took in the desolate, destructed environment.  Metaphorically, she was the big fish among little fish in the bunker-a piranha so to speak.  She had her loyal court and her several subjects, and it was almost like medieval feudalism.  Yet, when she stepped out, she was no longer the Queen, the Big Fish; all of that evaporated because she is now in a larger place, and to be Queen again, she will have to fight for it.  According to Octavia though, she believes that she is still the Queen, and those who are loyal to her will follow.  Yet, the belief will initiate major conflict and tension.  And just wait until she is reunited with Echo.  That won’t sit well with her.

Raven’s Tech Spec (And Zeke) and Murphy’s Joyride

Another fun-filled space adventure with hilarious and shocking results happened, and this time, it’s with Raven and Murphy.  I loved and thoroughly enjoyed their dynamic in Pandora’s Box.  Hell, the Raven vs. Zeke in the Code misfunctioning the Galgarin ship’s operations and systems were one of the highlights in the episode.  I may be letting out my inner coder, but I love a great hack.  And the beginning of an exquisite, well-thought-out romance.

Zeke was intrigued by Raven’s skills, I mean wouldn’t anybody be?  Yet, Raven wasn’t going to allow herself to lose at this little game, and to prove it, she flips Zeke the “Bird.”  It’s not what you think, it’s a raven graphic blinking in the coding background. It tells us that Raven is not one to mess with, but for Charmaine this will not be an option.

Pandora's Box

Speaking of Charmaine, Raven scoped out some interesting information about her.  She learned that she was a three-time decorated Navy SEAL and the most wanted criminal in the world due to terrorism.  Hmm, another sinister layer peeled about the great Diyoza.

Murphy has been drifting through space, (pun intended, strengthens the plot) the entire time he has ben up there, and his purpose was to keep Raven company.  And that he did.

By the way, was it comfy in that ice pod, Murphy? I don’t know if this foreshadows anything, but it sure was hilarious.

The Tenderness of Kabby

It’s very apparent that this man (Kane) will do anything for her (Abby).  Right now, Abby is battling a powerful drug addiction, the result of losing her daughter, the overwhelming and unnecessary brutality in the bunker, the guilt of the ARK, and just the dim life enveloping around her.  But she is not alone.  She is not alone.

Many of us have encountered an addiction, and we all know its monstrous effects.  We become chemically, emotionally, mentally, physically, and soulfully dependent on our addiction, hoping and believing that it will erase the trauma, or at least, substitute the pain.  Realistically, addictions do not erase; they only exacerbate.  Therefore, many of our loved ones and family break apart from us, because they don’t want to be drowned in our issues, though it is not our fault.  On one spectrum, they’re not to be blamed because who wants to cope with negative forces?  On the other, when one loves someone so incredibly, devotes their wholeness, they are going to join in the fall.  No matter how destructive their own lives will be as the effect.

Kane literally placed his own life on the line for Abby, and considering this, there is no obstacle that will stall him when it come to Abby.  His battle in the Pit was a visual of Abby’s addiction, and he was fighting against it, so she can be free.

The underlying love that he has for this woman is one of the purest and strongest, and she reciprocates it for Kane.  She made a vow that she will kick her dependency on the pills and it will be a war on its own, but Abby is one of the most determined on the show, and she will prevail.

Reunion Round-Up

Pandora’s Box was not just about democracy, and the instigation of battles-both mental and combatant.  It also provided the long-awaited reunions for several of the characters.   And each one was just as feel-y as the next!

Let’s start with Raven’s and Clarke’s reunion.  Although the two women didn’t meet face-to-face, it was just as joyous and relieving as a physical one.  Raven’s tears indicated that she was truly disbelieved, and in shock as they all assumed that Clarke was gone.  It brought tears to my own eyes, as I know that this is a very special friendship and the two have overcome barriers.  I just can’t wait until the reunion is an actual hug.

Then Murphy joked about his reunion with Clarke.

“And they call me the “cockroach.”  Nope.  You are still the reigning king Murphy.

There is nothing deeper and doting than the bond of mother and daughter.  Abby believed that she had lost Clarke forever, and to lose a child before the parent must be the worst thing in the world.  You could hear a thousand and one hearts breaking simultaneously and tears cascading when Clarke reemerge and embraced Abby.  Few words were exchanged between them, but sometimes the words cannot express the love.

Fast-forwarding to Clarke hugging Kane and Octavia, then to Bellamy and Miller.  And Clarke still has to reunite with Echo, Emori, and Harper.

And you can all bet that Octavia will not be too thrilled when she sees Echo for the first time in six years.

If you all thought the Bellarke reunion in Sleeping Giants was top notch, you have not seen a complete reunion of these two!

It was a very impactful and open hug.  To put it in a descriptive point-of-view, it was something out of a dream; something that aligns all your senses, but you don’t want to wake because then the dream will be gone forever.  So, it is only logical to you want to hang out to that dream for as long as possible-because it could disappear within an instant.

Pandora's Box

That is what the Bellarke 2.0 reunion hug felt like.  A dream.  Bellamy simply couldn’t believe his eyes that Clarke was there in his presence, and to touch her again when he felt like he never will again, was surreal.  As for Clarke, she knew that he’d come back, even got Madi excited about his return, but Clarke never thought she’d hold him again either.  At least, not like that.

It will be amazing again to see them working side-by-side together.

 

Pandora’s Box did offer hope, but to reach it, we have to ward off the evils and try to make things better.

 Bonus Bullets

  • Charmaine is becoming more of a conflict, and she may have taken a shine to Octavia as she told her, “Nice war paint.”
  • Did they have soccer matches up on Galgarin?
  • McCreary scares me. And that guy who shot the big gun at Octavia.
  • The big gun is not used to kill people, but to blow up space rocks.
  • Don’t read Ovid if you are going to use the text literally.
  • How come we didn’t get a peek at the other Spacekru peeps and Madi? I would like to see them babysitting her.  They’re probably telling her all the stories from space and the ground.
  • Again, where is Niylah???
  • And Jackson?
  • Indra is probably not liking Octavia’s behavior.
  • “The hostage-taker and his girlfriend.” I had to rewind a few times to make sure that I heard that correctly.   Did Charmaine meet Echo offscreen somewhere?  If she did, did she do something to her?
  • What was the “Dark Year” and why is it mentioned so much?
  • Shit is about to get more real, yo.

Did you enjoy Pandora’s Box? What did you think of the episode?


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