We were told The 100 season 3, episode 3 was going to be a gamechanger. And unlike Echo’s filthy lies, this turned out to be correct.

The 100 is one of those magical shows that just keep getting better and better. I swear I’m not being gushy, they’re not paying me anything; I just genuinely love everything the show is doing right now, even when it’s sad and/or frustrating.

The third episode of season 3 continued to delight and surprise me, both by shaking up the relationships and dynamics, and ruining the characters’ plans. I was definitely not expecting Abby’s Mount Weather plans to be foiled so spectacularly, but this is great: It forces the characters to abandon their Ark-like safety net.

I’m also constantly surprised by just how much care the writers take in developing these characters, without ever losing sight of their beginnings. Bellamy, Octavia, Raven, Clarke, Lexa and Kane are just a few of the many characters who are constantly growing and adapting to their environment, growing stronger and/or growing more frustrated with their lack of agency, and it is immensely satisfying to watch these people try to cope with these impossible situations.

This was obviously a big week for the Clexa relationship, and fair warning: I am 100% on board with the development. Last week I was all about Bellarke, but I don’t think one ship needs to come at the expense of another, and I hope that no matter your preference, you can recognize just how important a step both Lexa and Clarke took in this episode. I’m very, very excited to see how this all pans out.

There’s a lot to unpack this week, so let’s get into it, starting with our A-story (more like A+ story, am I right?).

So… Lexa and Clarke are totally married now, right?

Where last week was a +1 for the Bellarke shippers, this episode saw Team Clexa strike a K.O.. And I’m not going to lie to you, gentle reader, when Lexa knelt for Clarke, I a) gasped, b) waved my hands wildly in the air, and c) giggled like a little girl. Now, you know this better than I: Do I HAVE to pick a side in this Clexa/Bellarke war? Because I like both. Genuinely. And I hope the show runs long enough for both to be explored.

But right now it’s CLEXA TIME! Before the wedding reciprocated fealty swearing, however, Clarke has to do some major soul searching about how strong her hatred of/disappointment with Lexa really is. Deep inside, she knows that under the right circumstances, she would do the same thing Lexa did — hell, Lexa even reminded her that she did. The difference between them, Clarke argues, is that “You had no honor. I had no choice.” In other words: You’re a Slytherin, and I’m a Gryffindor.

And now, here’s the thing about Lexa, which in my opinion makes her one of the best characters on the show: Clarke is right when she says that Lexa wants the Wanheda to bow before her to regain her supremacy and look strong before Ice Nation. Because Lexa wants a lot of things, including Clarke, but above all she wants peace. And she will stop at nothing to reach this goal, even if it means compromising her own happiness. This is what makes her a Slytherin, in the best way.

At a meeting with the 12 tribes, we see exactly how badly Lexa needs to regain respect: The Ice Nation delegate refuses to bow to her, saying that she needs to bow to the Ice Queen instead. But like a hobbit, Lexa bows to no one, and instead kicks him the f*** out the window. The best part of this was how nonchalant the Grounders at the foot of the tower were about the dude plunging to his death. You think Lexa makes a habit of this, pushing people out the moon door on a regular basis?

Meanwhile Clarke bonds with Prince Roan, and there was like a sliver of a second where I thought they were dangling a Roan/Clarke (Roarke?) romance in front of us. But please: A literal prince and princess in a tower, escaping from the evil queen? It’s like the antithesis of what The 100 stands for.

Roan gives Clarke a knife to kill Lexa, but when the moment comes, she can’t do it. “I’m sorry,” Lexa tells her, and it’s all over. Lexa even offers Clarke freedom, but Clarke — finally having come to terms with what Lexa did — wants to go ahead with Lexa’s initial plan.

Woop woop (It’s the sound of the Polis)

Kane and Abby, who are also totally married btw, arrive in Polis. While Abby is skeptical, Kane is amazed by the Grounders’ capital. And so am I.

Polis bears a strong resemblance to a medieval village (see Camelot in Merlin), with the town’s inhabitants setting up their little stalls around the castle — except there are bits of tech and wires everywhere, reminding us that this is in fact post-medieval. Or the Second Dark Ages. Call it what you will, it’s awesome.

Where Abby refuses to taste the Grounders’ food, Kane is delighted by everything (I love him. So much.), which prompts Abby to offer him the Chancellor’s pin. But Kane wisely refuses, saying it’s high time they held an election. But, to my heart’s delight, “No matter who wears the pin, we’re in this together.” (You think Hillary and Bernie have had a similar conversation?)

I watch this show constantly expecting every single character to be speared at any time, so my excitement whenever characters get to have these moments is always tempered by just a tinge of terror. To be honest though, that only makes the sweet moments sweeter.

But when Clarke and Abby reunite, it’s not the tearful celebration Abby imagined. Clarke convinces them to become the 13th clan, telling her mother, “This is our Unity Day. You can be the 13th station, or you can be the 13th clan.”

And look, I didn’t name this review after the Red Wedding for nothing. This is all very, very Game of Thrones… but like, back when Game of Thrones was actually really good and you still cared about what happened to the characters, you know? I believe in you, The 100. You won’t arbitrarily burn a kid on a stake just to wring a reaction out of your audience, right?

Unfortunately, Lexa and Clarke’s plans for peace are shattered by an overzealous Bellamy, who really needs to stop taking the words of pretty girls at face value. Doesn’t he know what show he’s on?

The Wedding Crashers

Well… so much for the Farm Station. After having lived in Mount Weather for only a week, they’re all blown to pieces, leaving only Raven and Sinclair (SINCLAIR!!!) alive.

I’m honestly pretty bummed that Gina died. We knew she would, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon. And I definitely didn’t expect her murder to be a stab-by-stab recreation of Game of Thrones‘ brutal slaughtering of Robb Stark’s wife! Jeeeez.

But while I’m sad for Gina and the other casualties, I’m not sad Mount Weather is gone. It seemed too convenient that the Arkadians would just hole up in there, and I’m glad the show is still denying its characters the easy solution.

It was also great to see Raven in action, although damn, show, give the poor girl a break. She gets a much-needed psych eval from Sinclair (SINCLAIR!!!), who rightly surmises that she’s refusing to let Abby fix her because she thinks she deserves the pain. But it’s more than that: Raven doesn’t believe she can be fixed. She’s broken. Luckily she got a heroic moment this week, saving Sinclair (SINCLA– why yes, I’m a Battlestar Galactica fan, why do you ask?), but it doesn’t look like the odds are in her favor at all this year.

A few key players were luckily out of harm’s way during the second Mount Weather massacre. Even though it was so obviously a set-up, Bellamy takes stupid Echo at her stupid word when she says the summit is a trap, and they sneak into Polis. (Now, to be fair: In a way I guess she did save his life, leading him, Octavia and Pike out of Mount Weather. Not sure if that was Echo repaying an old debt, or at the Ice Queen’s bidding.)

They arrive in the throne room just in time for Bellamy to shout “I OBJECT!” But it’s too late, Clarke has already promised herself to Lexa…’s alliance. Bellamy and Lexa fight over Clarke (literally) and Clarke chooses to stay with Lexa (literally). Hey, I’m just recapping here.

Bellamy, Abby and the others go home, leaving Clarke as a representative of Skaikru. Alone in the throne room now, Clarke warns Lexa, “If you betray me again…” and Lexa responds, “I won’t.” And then:

Lexa bows to Clarke, and tells her, “I swear fealty to you, Clarke kom Skaikru. I vow to treat your needs as my own and your people as my people.” She’s giving Clarke the most important thing she has: her superiority. For obvious personal reasons, Lexa doesn’t want to be above Clarke, she wants them to be equals. Partners. By bowing to her in private, she’s not bowing as Heda before Wanheda, she’s bowing as Lexa before Clarke. This isn’t a moment that requires an audience, and it’s not a ploy to win allegiance or respect. It’s a private moment, and for these two people, that’s infinitely more significant.

tl;dr: Clarke and Lexa have now both bowed to the other, and I’m pretty sure that’s how you get Grounder-married.

Of course then stupid Echo returns to her stupid Ice Queen who swears to kill Lexa, so who knows how long that happy union is going to last? Still. Right now Skaikru and Trikru are miraculously on the same side, seeking vengeance for Mount Weather together.

It’s the Grounder-Arker alliance the characters have been fighting for since season 1, so let’s enjoy it while we can.

For your consideration

Next week on ‘The 100’ season 3, episode 4

Next week’s episode is titled “Watch the Thrones” (which may or may not be the show’s way of telling us to watch Game of Thrones? That would fit the theme).

Check out the intriguing promo below:

What did you think about The 100 season 3 episode 3 “Ye Who Enter Here”?