Octavia deals with the consequences of Bellamy and Indra's failed coup, while Clarke and Madi begin to understand the effects of the Flame, and Mccreary extorts Abby by detoxing her, forcing her to seek help from Vinson.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Played with. In her final moments, Becca desperately begged the Second Dawn cult to let her save THEM, as her Nightblood serum could save all of them from the radiation and they could live outside the bunker.
- Beneath the Mask: It is clearer in this episode than in any other this season that Octavia and Blodreina are two different sides of the same person, and that Octavia hates the things she does as Blodreina. Ultimately, though, she chooses to be Blodreina.
- Burn the Witch!: Implied by Becca Pramheda's final memory, which the Flame imparts to Madi. It seems that, after she approached the original surviving Second Dawn cult members, Cadogan had her burned at the stake as a witch.
- Big "NO!": Bellamy when Gaia throws the spear at Octavia.
- Boom, Headshot!: McCreary kills several defectors in the forest this way.
- Death Seeker: Octavia has fully become this, and it shows. First she seriously contemplates suicide, then completely disregards Gaia's attempt to kill her with the spear, seeming disappointed that she missed. Finally, she is the first to start walking into the dessert to make war, after destroying any chance she and Wonkru have of surviving in Polis.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: As McCreary leafs through Dioza's journal, we briefly see a page revealing what Diyoza's original plan was when the prisoners made it back to Earth, before discovering its devastation. She planned to threaten the world with a weapon of mass destruction termed "The Sword of Damocles", and blackmail Earth's governments into giving all of the prisoners pardons and letting them return to their lives.
- Going Cold Turkey: Weaponized by McCreary. He denies Abby her pills until she cures him, both confident that withdrawal will kill her.
- History Repeats: Just as Cadogan murdered Becca to force the Second Dawn survivors to be dependent on him, and remove any chance of them living OUTSIDE the bunker, Octavia destroys the Hydroponics farm, forcing Wonkru to be dependent on her and removing any chance of living IN the bunker.
- Hope Spot: Monty reveals that he has had a breakthrough with the Algae. Not only is it bringing the hydroponics farm back to life, he believes he can now repair the irradiated soil outside of Shallow Valley and make it fit to farm, given a few years. This means that Shallow Valley is no longer a necessity for the survivors.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Vinson gets Abby her pills and takes out her guards by tearing out their throats with his teeth.
- Kill It with Fire: Octavia eliminates Monty's hydrofarm (and any possibility of avoiding war) by burning the entire farm down.
- Mama Bear: Indra. She is determined that if she, Bellamy, and Gaia walk into the pits, Gaia is the one who walks out alive.
- Moral Event Horizon: Discussed in-universe. Bellamy tells Octavia "there's no coming back" from sentencing him (and Indra and Gaia). Her reply indicates she's aware she crossed this awhile ago.
- The Reveal: Shortly after she arrived on the ground after the destruction of Polaris Station, Becca Pramheda approached the survivors in the Second Dawn bunker and offered them Nightblood as a means of survival outside the bunker. Bill Cadogan responded by having her burned at the stake.
- Self-Harm: At what seems to be the peak of Octavia's self-hatred, she looks at a broken mirror and seems to contemplate slitting her wrist with a shard of glass. After a moment, she instead cuts her arm open instead and smears the blood across her face.
- Take a Third Option: Three examples:
- Attempted with Octavia, as she desperately tries to find a way to find a way to keep Bellamy from getting killed in the pit. She tries to have Monty stage a rescue, then tries to give Bellamy pointers on how to defeat Indra.
- Gaia attempts to kill Octavia while she, Indra, and Bellamy fight in the pits by throwing the spear at Octavia during the fight, much like Lexa did to take out Nia and put Roan on the throne. This time it misses.
- Also, Monty. He reveals that he has been able to grow plants in the hydrofarm again, offering Wonkru the option of staying there and avoiding war. Unfortunately, Octavia has other plans.
- That Man Is Dead: Octavia. "You're still trying to save me, Bell. You can't save someone who's already dead."
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Averted. Gaia misses when she throws a spear at Octavia, but only because Bellamy deliberately throws off her aim.
- Visual Pun: Tied with a Call-Back from episode two, when Gaia told Octavia, "The blood of her enemies will be her armor." At the end of the episode, as Blodreina takes over, she cuts Octavia's arm and wears the blood on her face as warpaint, showing that Octavia is the enemy of Blodreina.
- Wound That Will Not Heal: A case resulting in a Handicapped Badass. Indra reveals to Bellamy that the shoulder injury she incurred when Bellamy and Pike massacred her army in Season 3 never fully healed. She and Bellamy still give eachother a hell of a fight.
- Worthy Opponent: After the match is over, Indra and Bellamy compliment each other on their skill.
