Murphy lights a fire that sparks calamitous events in Shallow Valley. The widening schisms forming in Wonkru worsen and may become permanent.
Tropes present in this episode:
- The Chessmaster: Murphy effectively orchestrates the entire riot between the Eligius prisoners with a few choice words and a rock.
- Deadpan Snarker: Murphy, as usual.
- Enemy Civil War: Echo notes that an enemy at war with itself is weaker, and she and others (especially Murphy) turn Diyoza and McCreary's sides against one another.
- Family of Choice: It has been mentioned already this season, but it is made painfully clear here that Clarke's family is Madi while Bellamy's is SpaceKru, and that their first priority is for their family, not necessarily each other.
- Flirting Under Fire: Shaw and Raven actively flirt in this episode, in the midst of plotting a breakout and Raven threatening to kill him if he doesn't comply.
- Gratuitous Latin: The title "Sic semper tyrannis" is a Latin phrase meaning "thus always to tyrants." Historically, the phrase has been accredited to Brutus during the assassination of Julius Caesar, who was assassinated for being a despotic dictator. The title not only plays into the traitorous themes of the episode, but is a Continuity Nod towards Octavia's inspiration for her ways of governance: books by Greek and Roman authors that Bellamy had once read to her. Fittingly, it is Bellamy who plays Brutus. Incidentally, "sic semper tyrannis" is also the state motto of Virginia, where the show takes place.
- Indignant Slap: Clarke delivers one to Bellamy after bursting into the temple and realizing she's too late to stop the ascension.
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Indra mentions the Dark Year and Octavia promptly shuts down the topic, again. Indra apologizes for letting the burden of that year fall entirely on Octavia.
- Let's You and Him Fight: This is, essentially, Spacekru's plan for creating a distraction to escape. Murphy spends most of the episode utilizing his natural turncoat tendencies to spread rumors and dissent between Diyoza's supporters and McCreary's.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
- Bellamy's plan to take Octavia out of commission backfires when Wonkru won't accept Indra as their new leader. This leaves a power vacuum and a whole host of new problems.
- Spacekru find out about Bellamy and Clarke's negotiated peace treaty with Diyoza, and instantly realize their Enemy Civil War plan has put a huge wrench in that plan.
- One-Liner: Murphy has several throughout the episode, often overlapping with Deadpan Snarker, as he instigates the riot (and again when he finds out that he didn't need to instigate the riot.)Murphy: (reverently, admiring the riot he instigated) This is my masterpiece.
- Single Tear: Octavia cries one by herself after she sentences two of the only people she loves in the world - Bellamy and Indra - along with Gaia, to fight to the death in the pits.
- Wham Line: Diyoza telling McCreary that she's pregnant and he's the father gives him enough pause for her to slash his neck with broken glass and escape.
