The 100 Season 5 Episode 12 Preview: Predicting The Damocles Downfall
Yana Grebenyuk
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We left off The 100 Season 5 Episode 11 with Octavia and the others all nearing Shallow Valley in anticipation of war.
Meanwhile, Kane and Charmaine planned a different way to win against McCreary with the help of Bellamy, only for them to then go and sell their own plan out. As for Clarke, she chooses to side with McCreary in a confusing way to keep Madi safe.
This now puts almost everyone at odds, with marching Wonkru and the space group both in weak positions. In a way, they were both sold out and for now, their lives are the ones at risk.
Over in Shallow Valley, McCreary is confused why Kane and Charmaine laid out all their cards to him. As for Abby, she went through withdrawal and is now focused on healing the McCreary's prisoners from their illness.
Madi is the one truly against sticking around with McCreary, pointing out that they are on the wrong side of this war.
All of these arcs are meant to come together at some point soon, with Kane and Charmaine "turning" on the space ground possibly being the stepping stone to Clarke joining back with everyone.
This would all have to come together just in time for the marching bunker to end up in Eden, so they would have allies on their side within those grounds.
Now The 100 Season 5 Episode 12 is using the title "Damocles - Part One" and it is the first half of the fifth season finale.
This is when everything will have to come together for that one last battle. The episode will also have to lay the groundwork for the next season, while also wrapping up the many loose ends that appeared this time around.
Suffice to say, this episode has a lot of expectations to live up to. With this half of The 100 Season 5 being frustratingly stagnant, there is only so much time for relationships and plots to be touched upon in the right way.
Going forward, the last episode of the season will have to set up a lot in terms of characters that may not make it and the shocking twist left behind to be explored in the future.
The synopsis for this specific episode is, "In part one of the fifth season finale, Octavia leads her people into war. While behind enemy lines, our heroes must overcome their differences to save Wonkru from extinction."
There is also this very helpful trailer to help arrange our expectations.
This preview may contain some light teases about the twelfth episode, with a specific focus on characters and scenes that have been discussed before or have been included in promotional videos and/or photos.
Proceed with caution if you don't want speculation or a variety of theories, but really, who doesn't like that?
Marching to Explosive Glory
The group from the bunker is the constant here, it has to be.
While we did spend about seven episodes leading up to them planning to march and create a war, they are all finally actually getting to that point.
Related: The 100: 10 Most Important Episodes for Bellamy and Clarke's Partnership
Bellamy doesn't want that though, which he made sure Octavia was aware of before they finished their trip out there. And yet, Octavia is leading her people into war and their inside sources are no longer as reliable.
Before they could count on the space group filling them in, which meant they were included in the plans that Kane and Charmaine were drafting up. Now something changed though, with Kane and Charmaine going to McCreary to share everything they were planning.
All of this is a whole other conversation, but based on the trailer it seems obvious that all the other groups would have to come together to keep this one safe.
It could be argued that they have enough people to pose a treat, but they have the disadvantage of not knowing what they are walking to.
Which leads to every other group that now has to figure out what to do, specifically the space group and possibly Clarke.
Looking forward though, the photos from the final episode of the season spoil at least enough about Octavia's role in all this.
With Madi sporting the familiar Commander outfit while side by side with Octavia, it is safe to assume that some leadership gets swapped around when Madi ascends.
Damocles may be a title for the finale, but it is also a callback to a figure that is featured in an anecdote about the dangers that people in positions of power face.
From day one Octavia was in a place where her faith as the leader was up for grabs. Her position wasn't guaranteed, in fact, it was constantly swaying farther and farther away from her.
The events of this episode dictate the decisions that lead to Octavia handing over her leadership to Madi, at least for the duration of the war if not for good based on how quickly the girl accepts her role as Commander.
This is a shakeup in the last hour before the battle, one that will have to change a lot, but it also questions the purpose.
Clearly, the war will be held off again, although the trailer teases some chaotic reactions and lives lost in the process.
So the final episode of the season begins with Octavia and her people still at odds, in the desert trying to think of their official move.
What does this mean for the show and the proceeding plot?
The season won't wrap up once the battle settles, in fact, if theories about Eden not being anyone's home anymore are true, everything that is happening now is almost useless.
How much of a lead up did this season have for a war that quite possibly just distracts from decisions that will have to be made at the moment because of it?
That is something to consider when everything becomes a mess and Octavia is forced to decide how to approach this war that she was pushing for.
Because the upper hand that they all thought they had, it might be facing some complications that will put plenty at stake.
Related: The 100: Characters Who Deserve More Screen Time
Planning Away While The Others Betray
The space few are still planning away, with none of them having any clue about what Kane and Charmaine chose to go with.
Or at least that is the impression that is given off in the trailer, with all of them picking up on something being wrong. In the moment they are forced to act, but the plan they spent time building up becomes useless in the heat of the moment.
There is no way of telling what Charmaine decided to do, mostly because she is playing chess with herself and only she knows the extent of her next move.
But for now, the space group aren't meant to be clued into what is going on. Maybe this is because they were betrayed, or maybe because they need to be given the illusion that they were.
Regardless, if they are seen struggling in the trailer then this must be real to some extent.
Which is where Clarke comes in.
This would be the opening for her to reconnect with them, or at least to appear in their time of need.
She is on the wrong side of this war, something she has already come to understand. Maybe from there, they will need to have her connect with the others, them coming together to save the others.
This means there will be reunions, but how exciting could that be?
Things aren't as bright as they were in The 100 Season 5 Episode 4, with the memory of who Clarke was for them now being smudged away with what she has done since then.
Some people are already angry, with Echo making an off-handed comment about handling Clarke as if that is even realistic notion.
Still, tensions are high and Clarke appearing may make for some awkward and obviously strained interactions.
Obviously, this is where the mention of the Echo and Clarke scene comes up, which it being emotional but also maybe aggressive.
No matter the hope that was instilled at the beginning of the season, these two aren't friends.
They don't know each other and there is no lingering memory now for them to bond over.
So whether they talk about Octavia, Madi, Bellamy, the weather, or just facing off, it all will be very strange.
But this is what war will do, it will cause the strangest of interactions for the bigger picture.
And yet, as mentioned during The 100 Season 5 Episode 11, no matter the decisions that Clarke has been making, she is still the lead.
Any character that is written in opposition of her, especially with someone like Echo who is still struggling to transition to one of the "good guys" for some fans, is not going to be favored.
So even if Echo is positioned in a way where she could have the majority support, chances are Clarke will still gain that five times over.
Related: The 100: Season 5 Character Death Watch
Clarke may have messed up but she has to have friends again by the finale based on the synopsis, which means there will be some friendships solidified along the way.
Maybe not Zeke and Clarke strike up a quick friendship while they wait on word about those marching?
This would all have to happen after Clarke sends Madi off, right?
If Madi is with Octavia then there has to be some awareness from Clarke's side. It is possible that the one photo we got of them is Clarke coming to terms with what Madi has to do, allowing herself to risk everything in the name of the flame in her head.
From there, Clarke could decide to find a way to help from within, which is where she finds the people she once knew.
Second Thoughts and Confusing Motives
Again, there is no strategy that is spelled out in the trailer about where Kane and Charmaine go from here.
What is clear though is that Kane and Abby are at odds.
Ever since the flashbacks into The Dark Year, there was an easy assumption that Kane knew about what Abby did.
But the from-script-to-screen scene released after The 100 Season 5 Episode 11, made it obvious that Kane still doesn't know that their cannibal lifestyle came from Abby nudging Octavia until she wouldn't back down.
This has to be a strain for their relationship unlike anything else before that, specifically because forcing your loved one to eat human flesh is considered a deal breaker in some relationships.
Kane and Abby can make it through everything, but him seeing her feeling better after the withdrawal will have to take a back seat.
Again, there is no indication that Abby shares any of this with Kane and that is why he isn't looking to reconnect with her again just yet.
But if there was something to put them in this position, Abby choosing to come clean in every single way is a big factor.
While all of this is maybe explored. it is McCreary that is in the position of power with Charmaine. She may have another plan up her sleeve but at what cost?
Related: The 100: Best New Relationships of Season 5
And how much is McCreary not expecting that very same thing?
He can't just trust what they say, not after everything that happened.
So from here on out, poker faces are a must but they have to be really good if either of them gets out of there in one piece.
Stray Thoughts
- This is the obligatory request for more Pilot Mechanic because they smushed faces and now they are obligated to do that in every episode. They also can't leave each other's side, although I don't make the rules on that one.
- The bindi is back and it is still a problem.
- Will the others find out about what happened in that bunker? There isn't much time, in fact, there isn't any time right now. But characters like Bellamy should know about the fact that everyone at people. If we have to live with that knowledge then so do they.
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The fact that Monty and Harper stayed behind can either be a good thing or it is a very bad thing. Considering the fact that Monty (and Harper by extension) are probably most at risk to not make it, is this the end for them?
Was Bellamy talking with Monty by that campfire meant to signal their last memory with one another? It is a beautiful moment but obviously, the possible implications aren't great.
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Bellamy and Clarke need to reunite already. Their relationship was sacrificed into the volcano of plot-related purposes, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't still weigh on all of us.
Those two need to see one another again and then have a scene that feels like the equivalent of ripping a bandage off a painful wound. Make it painful and emotional and promising of something better moving forward because The 100 can't function if they risk Bellamy and Clarke's connection again for the sake of a plot that didn't move much anyway.
Don't forget The 100 is airing at a new time, Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.
