RECAP: The 100 “The Dark Year”

Over the course of this season on The 100, the dark year in the bunker has been alluded to quite often; but in last night’s new episode a startling revelation was made: one that some viewers may have been expecting while many others were not.

The dark year in the bunker found Wonkru, the united clan consisting of the former 11 Grounder clans and Skaikru, the survivors of the crashed remnants of The Ark – led by Octavia Blake – faced with an unbelievable choice. Their protein source – the Hydra Farm – was being infected by a fungus, quickly killing off their food supply.

Once that revelation was made combined with the past knowledge of the Killing Pit, it quickly became obvious what Wonkru ended up becoming – GASP! – cannibals – in order to survive. And the idea stemmed from Abigail and was enforced by Octavia – this choice was what made Octavia into Blodreina.

It was very unsettling, to say the least, watching Wonkru in their underground “cafeteria” eating their “meals” especially once the forced-upon-them decision was made by Octavia and Abby. Watching Octavia tell some of her people, “eat or die,” and then pulling the trigger and shooting her own people if they chose not to eat was gut-wrenching.

Meanwhile in Shallow Valley, Clarke and Madi found Abby overdosed on the floor and Clarke made quick work of bumping her mother’s stomach. Then, of course, McCreary and his men barged into the make-shift hospital, eventually giving Clarke no other choice: get her mother well enough to operate on him and his men or he would kill Clarke and Madi.

Octavia and Wonkru were also on the move toward Shallow Valley – since they were able to cripple the Eye in the Sky – but Clarke gave away that secret to McCreary, who in turn used Diyoza’s playbook – which she inadvertently dropped when escaping from the battle that broke out between the warring sides of the Eligius prisoners – to set up blockades around the only surviving land on Earth. The war was coming in a few days, and something had to be done.

Echo, learning details from Diyoza about her playbook, was able to provide information to Bellamy who relayed that to Octavia in the hope that they could find one safe way in to take over the valley. But, naturally, Bellamy had a condition: he wanted the valley to be taken but for all of them to share in the land peacefully. Octavia claimed that she too wanted peace, but her big brother didn’t trust that was the case.

In the final scenes, viewers were surprised by Raven’s move on Shaw – I have to admit I didn’t see that coming until midway through the episode – and Diyoza along with Kane turning themselves over to McCreary. Kane’s final words to McCreary said it all: “I won’t let the devil into this garden.”

How unsettled were you by the cannibalistic revelation about what happened during “The Dark Year” in the bunker? Or for the matter, Octavia taking down her own people. Do you think Diyoza really told Echo and the defectors the truth about her playbook? What do you think she and Kane have devised in going to McCreary. Please share your thoughts in our comments section below.

The first part of the two-part season finale episode of The 100 will air on The CW on Tuesday, July 31 at 8/7c.

[Photo Credit: Robert Falconer/The CW]