The 100 season 7 episode 14 review: ‘A Sort of Homecoming’ is too little, too late

This week’s episode of The 100 embraced everything that was great about the earlier seasons of the show. Unfortunately, it felt like too little, too late.

Following the outrage surrounding Bellamy Blake’s death in “Blood Giant,” fans of The 100 were hesitant to dive into this week’s installment, “A Sort of Homecoming.” Imagine how surprising it was, then, that this week’s episode was leagues better than most of what we’ve gotten during the show’s final season. Unfortunately, though, as nice as it was to return to the series’ true form, it did feel like too little, too late.

Perhaps it’s fitting that the show re-embraced its roots during this week’s episode, as Clarke and her friends find themselves back on Earth. Clarke comes through the Anomaly to discover that the portal led them straight to the First Dawn bunker, where Gaia has apparently been since she disappeared episodes and episodes ago. Cadogan ditches the group early on, and Clarke suggests they stay on Earth. (Which is somehow habitable again, but we’ll ignore that potential plot hole.)

Once the entire group is reunited, Clarke makes the bold decision to reveal what transpired between her and Bellamy. This moment is probably the most conflicting of the entire episode because, although the scene is well-acted and has a powerful message, it falls flat. The embrace between Octavia, Echo, and Clarke just doesn’t feel earned. Had the three spent more time bonding this season — or had Bellamy’s betrayal been a bit more absolute — the resolution certainly could have worked. Unfortunately, it just winds up feeling disingenuous. (Also, Echo’s sentiment that they lost Bellamy “a long time ago” just doesn’t ring true … at least not for fans who had to witness his regression in just a few 40-minute episodes.)

Speaking of resolutions, the highlight of “A Sort of Homecoming” is undeniably Indra’s reunion with Octavia. It’s been two seasons and years of time travel since these two saw one another, and it was heartwarming to see them finally begin making peace with what they endured in the underground bunker. (We also get a Lincoln mention, which is nice, because it’s definitely been a while on that front.)

Following Clarke’s confession, the group spends time bonding in the bunker, which is why this episode feels so much closer to the earlier seasons of the show. The more recent episodes have been so fast-paced and plot-heavy that we’ve barely gotten any fun or emotional character interactions — and let’s be honest, that’s what this show built its legacy upon. For that reason, watching Miller and Jackson spend a tender moment together — or watching Niylah, Jordan, and Hope have a bit too much to drink — felt like a breath of fresh air.

Madi also got a bit of her spunk back this week, and it seems she’s the only one Bellamy’s death is truly weighing upon. She chastises Clarke for making decisions for her yet again, and it’s hard not to root for her in this moment. Clarke’s “motherly instincts” have more or less destroyed her character, and it’s nice to see that Madi is aware of it.

The episode’s action truly begins when Madi runs off to get away from Clarke — and Sheidheda agrees to retrieve her for Cadogan. And Sheidheda’s infiltration of the bunker is suspenseful enough, even if his plot armor is getting a little too thick to take seriously. (We love JR Bourne, but come on. How is this guy still around?)

More from The 100

• Why Losing The 22 Episode Season Is Bad For Television Shows
• The 100: Conageddon 3 makes fans’ dreams a reality
• The 100: Conageddon returns to Boston after lengthy hiatus
• The 100: Understanding the challenges of leadership
• The 100: A struggle for the world building of Sanctum

We’d also like to know how everyone conveniently forgot that the Disciples have technology that renders them invisible, but somehow all of our highly skilled warriors let Sheidheda slip right past them. And Gabriel pays the price.

That’s right, we said farewell to another character this week, although at least Gabriel got a decent send-off. (It’s more than we can say about some other characters we know.) We were sorry to see him go, but Gabriel seemed ready to move on during his final moments. And after being alive in so many different bodies, it does make a tragic sort of sense. The traveler’s blessing scene was another emotional return to the show’s roots, and it makes you wonder who else will be getting that blessing heading into the series’ last two episodes.

And things are starting to heat up heading into the penultimate installment, as Madi hands herself over to Cadogan at the end of “A Sort of Homecoming.” To be fair, she’s been through a lot, watching two people die for her in a matter of 24 hours. But she might have inadvertently added more losses to that list since Clarke and the others are now determined to charge in and save her.

There’s also Murphy and Emori to worry about, since the Disciples are the pettiest of petty and send a bomb to the bunker as soon as they have Madi. The final moments of the episode show part of the bunker caving in on top of Murphy and Emori — and if the preview for next week is anything to judge by, it looks like that could have dire consequences for them.

All in all, “A Sort of Homecoming” wasn’t a terrible precursor to The 100‘s last two episodes. Still, it wasn’t enough to recover from the huge mistake of killing off Bellamy — or to make up for the convoluted, way-too-plot-heavy storylines that dominated the majority of the seventh season.

What did you think of this week’s episode of The 100? Sound off in the comments below.