(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you have not watched Wednesday’s episode of “The 100,” titled “Die All, Die Merrily.”)
“The 100” has never been shy about killing its characters, and on Wednesday’s episode it dealt one of its biggest blows yet, killing off three major Season 4 characters over the course of one hour.
With each clan’s fate in the hands of their champions, Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos), Roan (Zach McGowan), Ilian (Chai Hansen) and Luna (Nadia Hilker) all entered the ring as competitors, knowing only one of them (or one of the other nine warriors) would survive.
Clarke (Eliza Taylor) is concerned about Luna winning, after the formerly peace-loving nightblood declares no one will have access to the nuclear blast-proof bunker if she wins. Clarke tries to approach Roan for help in defeating Luna, but the Ice King has no interest in working with her again after so many betrayals.
Before sending his sister off to her potential death, Bellamy (Bob Morley) tries to amend their estranged relationship one last time — to no avail. She hugs Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) before she leaves, but not her brother. Ouch.
Still, this doesn’t keep Bellamy from trying to protect her, even from afar, especially as he realizes Echo (Tasya Teles) is secretly cheating and helping to take out Roan’s competition.
Bellamy stakes out the battlefield and confronts Echo just as she’s about to deal the death blow to Octavia, attempting to choke the life out of the woman who’s tried to kill his sister twice now, but is interrupted by Roan.
Roan, who was not privy to Echo’s antics, is not impressed with her “help” and banishes her from Ice Nation, letting her know that she will have no place in the bunker with their people even if he wins in the end.
Luckily, Octavia overhears all this and appears to finally acknowledge her brother’s love for her.
The battle rages on on an even playing field now, and we knew it would come down to our core group in the end.
After Ilian is struck by a stray arrow (RIP New Lincoln), Octavia and Roan agree to team up to take down Luna together and then fight it out among themselves.
The trio, now the last ones standing, engage in one last battle but is interrupted by black rain. Octavia takes cover, but Luna, who is immune to the acid thanks to her blood, takes the opportunity to deal the death blow to Roan. RIP Ice Nation.
Finally, it’s down to Octavia vs Luna, or humanity vs. extinction. Luna has the combat training, but Octavia uses her smarts, tricking Luna into a corner before impaling her with her sword from behind. And the survival of the human race is ensured, thanks to the girl the grounders named “Sky Ripper.”
To the victor go the spoils, so Octavia has just secured the livelihood of the Arkers, but as soon as she’s won, she declares she has no intention of keeping the bunker for her people only, and will share it with all the clans.
But of course, there’s one last twist. Clarke didn’t just sit back and let the warriors decide her people’s fate. After chloroforming Bellamy unconscious, he wakes up to find that she had dragged him underground and already moved most of the Arkers into the bunker and locked everyone else out.
This, of course, is a huge left turn for the girl who had been concerned with saving everyone this season, and it’s yet another betrayal of the grounders. Perhaps she has something else up her sleeve…
“The 100” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.