The 100: All storylines converge in “The Old Man and the Anomaly”
The 100 has been building on multiple storylines this season, and “The Old Man and the Anomaly” finally starts bringing them all together.
The sixth season of The 100 has been building on a number of separate storylines — from Madi’s Dark Commander problem, to Clarke’s body-snatching dilemma, to Octavia and Diyoza’s mission to find Gabriel. During this week’s episode, “The Old Man and the Anomaly,” these storylines finally begin to converge, something that doesn’t bode well for that peaceful existence Skaikru came to the New World searching for.
Battling for Clarke’s mind
The fight for Clarke’s mind continues during “The Old Man and the Anomaly,” this time taking place outside of her brain. At the beginning of the episode, Josephine is desperate to get Clarke out of her head, enlisting the help of Murphy and Emori to do so. And despite their interest in potential immortality, the pair is obviously disturbed by the fact that their former friend is still in there — and that they’re the ones being tasked with kicking her out for good.
Unfortunately, Murphy’s attempts at immortality are short-lived. Unable to go through with the procedure to get rid of Clarke, Emori tells Bellamy and Echo what Josephine is planning to do, spurring the gang into action with a newfound sense of urgency. And to their credit, the three of them do manage to surprise and trap Josephine — just not before she stabs Murphy in the leg, leaving behind a wound that could be very well be fatal. Let’s hope the cockroach in him is still running strong…
While the group is fighting for Clarke’s life, Madi decides to take a different approach: enacting revenge against the people who “killed” her adoptive mother. And Madi’s descent during “The Old Man and the Anomaly” has been a long time coming. Ever since the Dark Commander began appearing to her, she’s been at risk of becoming as ruthless as Blodreina, and now she has.
Of course, Madi’s actions have a price. Not only do they kickstart a war with the Primes, but Jordan winds up in the crossfire, adding him to the list of people who may not survive the remaining episodes.
On top of that, Madi’s plan to avenge Clarke is almost what prevents her from returning. The Primes immediately put the compound — and the members of Skaikru — on lockdown. Considering that Jackson is a crucial part of the plan to fix Clarke’s brain, Bellamy and Echo are forced to improvise. Bellamy drags Josephine beyond Sanctum’s radiation barrier, accepting that he’ll have to bring her to Gabriel for help.
Gabriel unmasked
And that course of action will bring Bellamy right back to his sister and Diyoza. During this week’s episode, the two of them realize that Gabriel has been right in front of them all along. Every character on the show has a tragic backstory, and Gabriel’s involves being forced into Xavier’s body — even if it goes against all his principles.
Why he’s been playing along with Diyoza and Octavia remains a mystery, although he certainly seems interested in what the anomaly wants with the latter. Not only did the strange green fire call to her, but it healed her arm — making her the only person who’s survived running into it thus far. (There’s also the fact that Diyoza ran in and never came out, but…she can survive anything, right?)
A new face for an old storyline
One storyline that hasn’t quite meshed with the others yet — though it’s coming — is that of Abby and Kane. Abby’s spent the majority of the new season obsessing over bringing her former love back, and this week, she finally succeeds. Of course, Kane isn’t likely to be pleased with her methods. He’s officially taken on a host, making him one of the Primes — and reopening the moral conflicts surrounding survival that the two have been lamenting since the show’s first season.
Kane’s new appearance might also mean we’ve seen the last of Henry Ian Cusick on The 100. That’s definitely the biggest loss from “The Old Man and the Anomaly,” even with so many characters’ lives hanging in the balance.
Next. 10 most used phrases from The 100 and what they mean. dark
The 100 airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.