The 100 season 2, episode 9 was full of brilliant character moments and defining quotes – most notably from Lexa, our new favorite character.
While The 100 season 2, episode 9 was all about Clarke and her pain at losing Finn, it was also about Lexa and her curious leadership position.
Lexa (brilliantly portrayed by Alycia Debnam Carey) is an interesting character for several reasons, most notably because of her very un-Grounder-like compassion and moral compass.
This week we learned that her empathy with Clarke runs deeper than simply recognizing the other girl as a fellow young leader: Lexa, too, has lost the person she loved, and has learned to shut out love (the best she can) in order to survive.
Related: The 100 season 2, episode 9 recap: She sees dead people
And Lexa, with her brilliant one-liners and astute observations, definitely dominates our top 10 quotes list this week!
As we celebrate the brilliant work done by writer Dorothy Fortenberry (and the entire The 100 writing staff), let’s count down our top 10 favorite quotes from “Remember Me.”
10. ‘Tonight we celebrate our newfound peace. Tomorrow we plan our war.’ – Lexa
It’s a brilliant look into the mindset of the Grounders. Peace is pointless; the only reason this alliance is possible is because the Grounders and Sky People have to unite against a common enemy.
We can only hope that their union allows the people to grow benevolent enough with each other that the Grounders won’t turn on their new friends the moment the Mountain Men are defeated (if that happens).
9. ‘There are no more sides.’ – Clarke
Clarke really, really wanted to believe this. On the way to the Grounder camp they settled down for the night, and Clarke – having already lost so much – was willing to risk everything to prove that Finn didn’t die for nothing.
She demonstrably laid her cot outside, trying to diminish the gap between Us and Them. And while it was only a matter of time before the alliance fell apart (and we’re sure it will again), it clearly helped convince Lexa that she was trustworthy.
8. ‘We’re not so different.’ – Abby
Abby gave words to the obvious parallel being drawn between Clarke and Lexa (and herself) in this episode. Lexa ran her sword through Gustus to end his pain much like Clarke did with Finn, and Abby might also have been reminded of that time Kane shock-lashed her to retain order in Camp Jaha (ugh, still not over it).
In the end, leaders make sacrifices to find order in chaos, and Lexa has probably had to make more sacrifices than any of them. This is where they’ll find their common ground, and – hopefully – their eventual co-existence.
7. ‘Tearing each other and yourself apart isn’t the way to get through this.’ – Kane
Kane had a surprisingly prominent role this week, taking every chance he could to offer Clarke support. He seems to have recognized her as the Sky People’s true leader, in action if not in name, and is stepping back into his advisor role.
After Clarke and Abby’s falling out, Kane steps in as the voice of reason, and gives Clarke some actual solid advice. They need to focus on the here and now, and take their challenges one step at a time. The only way to get through this is to just get through.
6. ‘What you did will haunt you until the end of your days.’ – Lexa
This quote was heavily featured in the promotional material, but was no less impactful when it was spoken in the episode.
It was revealed that one of the reasons Lexa let Clarke get away with killing Finn and robbing the Grounders of their slow execution was because she recognized the pain Clarke will be feeling. As she explained, it’ll be much worse than whatever pain Finn would have endured, and she considers the debt to her people paid.
5. ‘When you plunged the knife into the heart of the boy you loved, did you not wish that it was mine?’ – Lexa
Although Lexa wants to trust Clarke, she’ll turn on anyone in a heartbeat – including her close confidante Gustus, and her new friend Clarke.
And this line, brilliantly delivered, was spot on: while Clarke and Lexa undoubtedly understand each other, some things are unforgivable. Lexa was the one who sentenced Finn to death, and no matter how close she and Clarke grows, neither of them will ever forget this.
4. ‘I think we’re wasting time with politics while our friends are in trouble.’ – Bellamy
Bellamy has been cruelly underused this season, but hopefully that’s about to change when he and Lincoln head off to Mount Weather.
He did get a small character moment this week, representing a side which isn’t being heard over all the talk of making peace. Bellamy is all about action, and though he’s developed a lot since his antagonistic season 1 days, he still doesn’t have time for negotiation.
Bellamy’s plan of action is refreshingly simple: Attack enemy. Rescue friends. Party. As always he’s the perfect contrast to the peace-seeking, sometimes over-analytical Clarke.
3. ‘You don’t want justice, you want vengeance.’ – Abby
Abby and Indra’s curious rivalry continued this week, when Abby called Indra out on her cruel treatment of the Sky People.
She told Kane that she doesn’t believe the Grounders understand the concept of peace, and when it comes to Indra, she’s probably right. The Grounders understand strength, pain and blood – only Lexa seems to be able to sway them towards compassion.
2. ‘The dead are gone, Clarke. The living are hungry.’ – Lexa
Lexa is a fascinating character. How did she – a young, wide-eyed, clearly peace-seeking girl – rise to such a position of power in the brutal Grounder society?
Gustus alluded to Lexa playing a key part in uniting the 12 Grounder tribes, and ominously stated that the alliance would end with her death.
We also learned that Lexa has loved and lost, too: Costia was hers, and she was tortured and killed by the Ice Nation (whatever that is). She’s shut off her emotions – or at least she’s trying to.
1. ‘Love is weakness.’ – Lexa/Clarke
Hands down the best quote of the episode, both Lexa and Clarke echoed the sentiment which has really become a mantra for survival on The 100.
While Abby vehemently disagreed with Lexa, telling Clarke that the pain will subside, Clarke landed firmly on Team Lexa, choosing to follow her new best friend’s example in order to find a way to cope with what must be an unbearable pain.
It was very Orwell-esque (just add it to the 1984 manifesto “War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength”), a contradiction in terms and yet perfectly understandable: to survive in a reality as cruel as the Grounders’, the best way to protect oneself is to stop depending on love and affection.
Although the ever-affectionate Clarke initially denied this, by the end of the episode she let the ghost of Finn go by repeating Lexa’s words. To survive, she must (at least for the time being) let go of her pain, in favor of emptiness.