'The 100' recap: 'Nevermore'

After a clearly controversial season so far, The 100 has certainly been making waves across its audience. From the death of two very beloved Grounders in two consecutive episodes to their entire Pike arc to the separation of all the delinquents in recent episodes, it’s safe to say the writers have been experiencing their fair share of grief from fans.

What I’m about to say may be controversial but here goes: this episode was the best this season and genuinely has me excited for the rest of the season. Hear me out; yes, their torture of Raven these past few episodes (really, starting from when Finn was murdered in front of her, but that’s another point entirely) has been mostly unnecessary and yes, Lexa/Alycia and Lincoln/Ricky (who both left because of their other shows) could’ve been written off in a less offensive way and yes, I have grumbled right along with the rest of the fandom this season.

But this episode was great! It finally brought all our favorite delinquents (save for Harper and Miller, who I presume were left to be lookout in the cave?) back together for the first time since season two, I believe. Lindsey Morgan, who plays Raven, was nothing short of phenomenal these past few episodes. We’ve actually gotten to see them all have to face their demons and see how they’re actually feeling instead of leaving it up to audience meta to figure out. If you watch any episode this season, “Nevermore” should definitely be it.

Fast & Furious: Ark Drift
Jasper is driving furiously, trying to get Raven away from Arkadia before she regains consciousness and tells ALIE where they are. Clarke pleads for him to talk with her, confused by the events of the last few moments and her mother’s actions. He’s cold to her, still angry about Mount Weather, determined to just find the cave and the others.

In the cave, Octavia is gearing up to leave, antsy to get away from them. Bellamy’s his usual concerned-older-brother self but O’s not buying it. They finally have it out without fists and she finally tells him her feelings about what happened when he joined Pike’s team. As she’s rushing out, Bellamy follows closely behind but they’re stopped at the sight of Clarke and Jasper pulling up in the Rover. As they have no time for reunions, they rush Raven inside, trying to get her in there before she wakes up.

Jasper’s explaining what’s going on back at Arkadia. As he’s trying to explain that Jaha's “chipping everyone” and ALIE’s essentially taken over, Raven wakes. ALIE sees the Flame in Clarke’s hands and immediately realizes that Clarke has what she needs. Before Raven can escape, Jasper sedates her once more. Following Raven’s lead, they abandon the cave for a Grounder camp, on the hunt for the final bracelet.

Reunion Time
Clarke and Niylah finally reunite after their night spent together but it’s less than pleasant. Turns out Niylah’s father was part of the army killed by Pike and the Sky People at the start of his reign. While she’s less than thrilled at their sudden appearance, the gang forces their way in just as Raven’s stirring and, when she tries to fight her way out again, they tie her up.

Clarke and Niylah discuss her frustrations with the intrusion of the Delinquents. Clarke asks Niylah to trust her; though she’s angry, she’s still willing to listen. Niylah agrees to get the wristband for her, but the gang isn’t quite sure what to do after that. Sinclair assumes Raven was hoping to create an EMP but, unfortunately, they’re still in need of some parts. Monty and Octavia set out for the Dropship.

Jasper’s on Raven duty, keeping an eye out for any suspicious moments. As a result, he’s there watching in horror as she dislocates her shoulder to reach the ties, staring at him stonyfaced and reminding him, “There’s no pain in the City of Light.” He anxiously calls for Clarke and Bellamy as the blood drips down her arms at the fact that she reopened her stitches. ALIE takes over and tells them she’ll stop when she gets the chip. Clarke retaliates that if Raven dies, they’ll never get the second ALIE AI. At ALIE’s command, Raven succumbs into submission and Jasper storms off angrily.

Bellamy follows and the two talk about Clarke coming back; Jasper’s still mad but Bellamy tries to get him to understand that they need to work together for Raven. Jasper isn’t in the mood to listen to him either and makes his way outside, tired.

Back in the room, ALIE!Raven is clearly trying to get under their skins. She goes after Clarke first, asking if she sees the faces of all the people she’s killed, reminding her of the people she’s loved most: Wells, Lexa and her father, Jake. In her fury, Clarke slips up, telling ALIE they’re going to “fry her” while Bellamy drags her away. ALIE and Raven realize they’re creating the EMP Raven was hoping to make and ALIE plans an ambush at the Dropship.

Outside, Bellamy patches up the bite Raven gave Clarke and goes to keep watch to give her a break. Finally alone, Clarke apologizes to Jasper for Maya and the mountain but while he’s shocked she’s actually apologizing, he’s not willing to accept it.

Meanwhile, Monty and Octavia make it to the Dropship without issue but she’s clearly not in the mood to be nostalgic. Monty asks her if she’s really leaving them all and when she reminds him she doesn’t belong with either the Grounders or the Sky People, he reminds her she’s part of the hundred. “Not anymore,” she tells him.

He makes his way in and out of the Dropship with little issue but when he comes back out, Octavia’s gone. Instead, he’s surprised by the appearance of his mother. When he confronts her about turning him in, he quickly realizes she’s become part of the City of Light. She tries to force him to take the Key at ALIE’s suggestion but Octavia comes in and ambushes her. When his mother gets the upper hand and is on the verge of killing Octavia, he ends up shooting her twice to get her off of Octavia, accidentally killing his mom in the process. Still in shock, the two make it back to the car as Monty repeats, “It wasn’t really her.”

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Reyes Scorned
In an outside room, Sinclair is working on the EMP under Clarke’s supervision while trying to keep their spirits up, but he’s worried about the possibility of giving Raven brain damage in the process. Clarke reminds him that Raven was trying to get away from all of this on her own before she was taken over by ALIE.

Raven’s back on her rampage, going after Jasper now. She attacks him, punishing him for his retreat into the bottom of a bottle back at Arkadia. Even ALIE looks surprised at her cruelty but Bellamy cuts in, asking him to leave and not listen to her anymore. When it’s just the two of them, she tries to go after Bellamy. She reminds him of the death of the 320 on the Ark, the fact that he inadvertently got his mother killed, the fact that he’s already taking Clarke’s orders within moments of her being back. Niylah overhears her bashing Bellamy for the murder of the Grounder Army and storms in to attack him, revealing to ALIE their location in the process.

Storming outside, Bellamy is taking his anger out on the nearest solid thing. Niylah follows him and her stony response to his apology is not taken well. They’re interrupted by Monty and Octavia’s arrival, a still shocked Monty brushing by without a word. Now pressed for time, they run to Raven with the EMP and when ALIE realizes they’re going to succeed, she tries to get Raven to kill herself. Unfortunately, the battery they have fails, so Monty and Bellamy rush outside for the Rover’s battery.

On their second attempt, the EMP seems to work as Raven screams in agony before promptly passing out. Suddenly, they’re surrounded by the sound of drones, which prompts Jasper to want to smash the Flame to get his revenge on ALIE. When Clarke cries out that the chip was taken out of (and is a part of) Lexa, she has a realization that she can cut the chip out of Raven’s neck the way it was cut out of Lexa. She slices a line down the back of Raven’s neck and out comes the melted remainders of the chip.

Soon after, Raven wakes up -- and in pain. Though they’re relieved and happy, Monty’s upset at the realization he could’ve saved his mom. Bellamy takes advantage of their ruined mood to remind them they need to move before ALIE and the crew catch up.

Escape from the City of Light
Before departing, Clarke apologizes for keeping Bellamy’s actions a secret from Niylah, hoping to avoid a confrontation. She also encourages Niylah to run herself, hoping to get her away before anyone can catch her.

Bellamy and Clarke finally have a moment to stop and talk as they stand outside Niylah’s abode, waiting for Raven to be loaded and ready for retreat. In a moment eerily similar to their first real interactions in season one, Bellamy asks, “What do you do when you realize you might not be the good guy?”

“Maybe there are no good guys,” Clarke replies. This scene so perfectly reminds the audience of how these experiences have truly changed them since their first days on the earth about six months ago. They’re no longer the young kids led by a rebellious Bellamy and too-innocent Clarke. They’re now world weary, having lived through too many days fighting for their lives after having everything they’ve ever known turned upside down.

Shooting down a drone that’s hovering and hoping to trail them, Octavia seems to have changed her mind about leaving...at least until ALIE’s been taken down. “Then we stop her. We survive together,” Octavia tells her ragtag crew. Though Bellamy and Clarke might’ve been the original leaders, it’s Octavia that seems to be gearing up to become the leader of the remainder of the 100.

In the City of Light, Jaha watches as ALIE loses her signature cool at the realization that with Raven now gone, they have no option but to kill her -- and the rest of them.

Phew. Next week promises more interactions between the delinquents back in a now abandoned Arkadia ... well, what they believed was an abandoned Arkadia. With Pike’s capture, it’s relatively safe to assume that the blockade has been called off, if he made it to the new Commander and she’s willing to follow the ruling Lexa demanded before she died.

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