The 100: “The Face Behind the Glass” opens a shocking new storyline

This week’s episode of The 100 gives fans some much-needed answers to their questions about the people of Sanctum—and leaves off on a cliffhanger that opens a whole new plotline.

The sixth season of The 100 has done a decent job of introducing fans to the New World, slowly offering more information about the people residing there with each episode. Last week, fans got a taste of the conflict between the Primes and the Children of Gabriel, but the show didn’t provide much explanation as to why there’s so much animosity between these two factions.

“The Face Behind the Glass” might have answered this question. This week’s episode chronicles what the Primes refer to as “Naming Day.” Naming Day is a celebration surrounding the Nightblood hosts, though the people of Sanctum use it as a means of “unburderning” their sins. This Naming Day ceremony belongs to Delilah, Jordan’s new love interest.

The 100 – “The Face Behind the Glass” – Eliza Taylor as Clarke and Carlo Marks as Cillian. Photo: Diyah Pera/The CW

But while the people of Sanctum insist that Naming Day is a cause for joy, it’s clear that there’s something darker at play here—particularly when it comes time for Delilah to complete the ritual. There’s fear in her expression when the Primes lead her away, and when she returns, she doesn’t seem to remember who Jordan is.

Octavia, meanwhile, learns a few things about the Children of Gabriel during her short captivity with them. It turns out that their leader doesn’t approve of killing the hosts they’re kidnapping—nor do most of the members of the group, even if some disagree. The other interesting piece of information Octavia picks up is that their leader seems to be MIA. They don’t know if he’s alive or dead, but they continue to serve his cause anyway.

Octavia eventually escapes with Rose, the Nightblood girl they kidnapped, and she runs into Diyoza. Sadly, the Children of Gabriel do catch up with them—and Rose gets caught in the crossfire. Octavia and Diyoza agree to team up and avenge the girl, bringing the people of Sanctum the group’s leader and securing themselves a place in the santuary. The two make an unexpected pairing, but it’ll be fun to watch them interact going forward.

The most shocking moment of “The Face Behind the Glass” comes at the end of the episode, though, when fans discover who the Children of Gabriel’s spy within Sanctum is. During the Naming Day festivities, Clarke mingles with a doctor named Cillian, who she later has a short fling with. She realizes too late that his interest in her extends beyond romance and to her Nightblood. He temporarily paralyzes her, intent on giving her to the Children of Gabriel, but Russell and Simone intercede.

The 100 – “The Face Behind the Glass” – Pictured: Eliza Taylor as Clarke. Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW

But if fans thought that Cillian’s willingness to kill himself for the cause or the Lightbournes’ interference would mean safety for Clarke, they were in for a rude awakening. Russell and Simone take Clarke to an isolated part of Sanctum and begin discussing whether they should wait for the next Nightblood host to come along—which will take years—or if they should implant their daughter’s mind into Clarke instead.

They eventually decide on the latter, and with the paralysis still in effect, there’s nothing Clarke can do but watch. They implant a chip inside of her, similar to that of the flame, and when Clarke wakes up again, it’s with the mind and memory of Josephine Lightbourne.

This twist makes sense of Russell’s declaration that “death is not the end” earlier in the season, and it also raises some worrisome questions for fans. If Russell and Simone are to be believed, Clarke’s mind has been completely wiped from existence. “No more fighting,” Russell tells her during her last moments, but we know Clarke Griffin better than he does.

It seems inevitable that she’ll find a way out of this predicament, but how? And how do the Primes plan to keep this from the rest of Skaikru? The next few episodes are going to be interesting.

The 100 airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.