The 100: What does “Nevermind” tell us about Clarke’s psyche?

The sixth season of The 100 may be all about body-snatching, but “Nevermind” places Clarke’s psyche at the forefront.

There’s never been a shortage of twists on The 100, and the sixth season has catapulted Clarke and her friends into a strange new world full of body-snatching and other bizarre phenomena. There’s plenty to explore now that the crew has landed on Sanctum, but the latest episode of the show places the focus more on Clarke’s psyche than anything else.

And Clarke’s got plenty going on in her mind, something that becomes evident as soon as Josephine starts poking around. Her memories from the past several seasons are buried beneath her guilt, and the animosity she receives from her mind’s projections highlight her own unwillingness to forgive herself for her past decisions.

Blodreina

The first projection Clarke runs into is Blodreina, an interesting choice given how little the two have interacted recently. But even if Octavia and Clarke don’t chat much, the two have more in common than first meets the eye — a fact that makes the former Wonkru commander’s presence in Clarke’s head a significant one. They’ve both done terrible things for the sake of their people, and they’re both on paths to redemption this season. But more than that, they’ve both got a few issues to work out with Bellamy, a fact that Clarke’s version of Octavia points out during their conversation.

Maya

Clarke also runs into a projection of Maya during the journey around her mind, and like Octavia, Maya treats Clarke with disdain at first. To be fair, Clarke’s decisions at Mount Weather did lead to Maya’s death — and, as projection Maya notes, to Jasper’s choice to give up his life during Praimfaya.

These deaths are obviously ones that Clarke has been carrying with her, but something interesting happens during her interaction with Maya’s projection. Eventually, Clarke realizes that she’s in control here — and that’s when projection Maya begins helping Clarke fight off Josephine.

This also marks the moment when Clarke begins to forgive herself for past mistakes, and the change in Maya’s appearance makes that clearer than ever. While the other girl originally has radiation burns all over her — a clear callback to what Clarke caused when she pulled the lever — she later just looks the way she did when she was alive. And this transition takes the focus off of what Clarke did, alleviating her sorrow as well.

Monty

And after Maya, the final projection appears: Monty. The shift from hostile projections to friendly ones is noteworthy, especially since Clarke’s thoughts about herself are undergoing the same transition. Monty’s appearance — and desire for Clarke to keep living — represent her moving past what she’s done. And frankly, it’s about time Clarke forgave herself and tried to do better. Hopefully, the others will follow suit.

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