The 100’s John Murphy is known for his cockroach-like ability to stay alive, despite how many times he’s been on the brink of death. But can he come back from last week’s stab wound?
Things got pretty stabby on the most recent episode of The 100, leaving the fates of several characters in question when “The Old Man and the Anomaly” came to a close. Both John Murphy and Jordan Green receive potentially fatal wounds toward the end of the episode, and it’s never confirmed that either of them will live to see the rest of the season.
Given Jordan’s newcomer status — and how depressing it would be for Monty’s child to barely make it through season six, all because his friends couldn’t “be the good guys” — it’s likely that the Primes will revive him. Murphy’s fate, on the other hand, is looking pretty bleak.
The group cockroach, Murphy has seen the brink of death plenty of times before this. But if anyone can perfect a kill shot, it’s Josephine Lightbourne, and she wasn’t playing around when she stabbed him in the thigh — presumably slicing a few important arteries when she did.
When Emori attempts to staunch the bleeding, it’s a futile effort, and it shows just how deep Murphy’s cut goes. The two share a moment during which she tells him, “I will love you forever, even if we die today,” an answer to his earlier proposal that they use the Primes’ technology to become immortal together. (It’s also a really sweet farewell scene, but we’re still hoping it doesn’t come to that.)
Granted, it would be the ultimate irony for Murphy to die after striving toward immortality for the entire sixth season. He’s been determined to avoid death ever since coming unsettlingly close to it during the first few episodes, and plenty of writers would jump at the opportunity to take an obsession like that and turn it on its head.
So it’s very possible we could see the end of Murphy the Cockroach sooner than most of us expected. With the Primes declaring war on Skaikru, they’re unlikely to offer medical aid to Murphy and Emori, especially since the pair aided Bellamy in kidnapping their daughter.
It’s an upsetting way for Murphy’s fight to end, with his redemption arc having backtracked for the majority of this season. But then, the Primes insist that death isn’t the end — although if Murphy were to take a host, Richard Harmon’s tenure on the series would still be over, and there’s no one who can capture the character quite like him.
Let’s hope Murphy’s still channeling his inner cockroach. He did miraculously make it all the way to the Primes’ compound, even if he was half-conscious — and we aren’t ready to say goodbye just yet.
The 100 airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.