TV Review: THE 100: Season 2, Episode 11: Coup de Grâce [The CW]

The CW’s The 100 Coup de Grâce TV Show Review. The 100: Season 2, Episode 11: ‘Coup de Grâce,’ was something of a demarcation point, for the character of Clarke (Eliza Taylor), in her evolution towards becoming some historical figure for the ages (at least, that seems to be the impression being laid before me, given the show’s apparent ambitions). Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) had previously made the point that Clarke was practically running the Ark-fallen’s ground game; this episode, Clarke made it official.

Of course, nothing says you’re a VIP like an assassination attempt. A Mt. Weather sniper team made it clear that the Weathermen considered Clarke the head of the Sky People’s half, of the Horizon Coalition. After providing Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) with an opportunity to show off her Grounder chops, the matter revolved around both the value of the surviving Weatherman captive, and the differing approaches to extracting information from him.

This set the stage for a measuring of rank, between Clarke & Abbie (Paige Turco). Abbie seemed intent on reasserting her role, as chancellor, but I wasn’t entirely convinced it was to protect Clarke from her emerging role, as potential martyr. The matter wound up being decided, however, by events inside Mt. Weather.

Bellamy (Bob Morely) had fallen victim to a Trojan Horse play going well off track. Luckily for him, the decontamination procedure was as bad as it got. He even managed to find a potential… friend, while locked away (she spits, though; but it could work). Meanwhile, Maya & Jasper (Eve Harlow, Devon Bostwick) took stock of the disappearing 47, with Maya out to do some out-in-the-open snooping, while Jasper reconsidered not doing anything stupid.

Maya’s wits provided Bellamy with an outlet for his aggression, an escape plan, and an opportunity to both contact Clarke, and receive her new-and-improved marching order. All this while securing a place in his cell mate’s heart, and giving Maya another taste of the brutal realities of the situation.

It seems like cake was just what Jasper needed to get over his gun-shyness, regarding doing stupid things (earned at the end of the pilot). Well, at least he was using his restored power for good; an all-or-nothing confrontation with President Wallace (Raymond J. Barry) producing an outcome Jasper likely wasn’t expecting, but was perfectly consistent for Dante Wallace.

Since having no good deed go unpunished has been a thing, for this series, Dante’s reassertion of his presidential principles was just what 1^st son, Cage (Johnny Whitworth), needed to take that power away. For most Weathermen, it seems, reclaiming the ground was more important than going about it in an honorable way. For Jasper & the other 47, this meant an abrupt closing to their presidential release window.

The coup was a long time in coming, but it would have been braver to have Bellamy undermine Dante’s noble gesture – thus legitimizing Cage’s takeover, further. The Lovejoy kid (Liam O’Neill) scene was contrived; but done more for Bellamy’s benefit, just as Bellamy’s message to the Ark was for Clarke’s.

In a parallel to Cage’s coup, Clarke took the news, that the 47 were already being harvested, as a fresh infusion of Royal Jelly. With Indra’s (Adina Porter) Grounders fully behind her, she forced Abbie to stand aside, regarding her latest plan update; one that required the full, forced participation of Weatherman captive, Emmerson (Toby Levins).

The stage has been set for a massing, at the enemy’s very gates, in order to draw attention away from Frodo Bellamy.

The King is dead; long live the King. The Queen is dead; long live the Queen. The future of the Mt. Weather-Horizon Coalition conflict has been left to a pair of usurper offspring – as has the future of the Horizon Coalition, beyond that. A little more subtlety, to this turn of events, would have been neither expected, nor necessary, I suppose. There remains too much ground to cover (fingers crossed). Let the Children’s Crusade roll forward.

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