Big things for me in this finale: Raven gets to save the day, Lexa gets to go out like a warrior, Pike and Ontari die, Bellamy rejects Pike, strong thematic conclusion, and interesting crisis moving forward.
Raven is the hero of this season in a huge way. Raven is the one who first found a way to fight ALIE after taking the chip, and was also the only one able to infiltrate her code. It's been so frustrating for me to see Raven getting hurt or tortured in almost every episode this season, and I sincerely hope the writers recognize how much of a default that's been for them while they're writing the fourth season. Even if Clarke is the one to pull the klllswitch, it's Raven who provides the path.
LEXA!!!!!!
I'm so glad Lexa came back in this finale, and got to go out fighting to protect the girl she loves. Her death infuriated much of the gay-friendly viewership earlier in this season, to the point that
the showrunner was forced to pen an apology to fans for it. It's very cathartic to see Lexa come flying back into the plot in her full armor, wielding her swords, and saving Clarke. She and Clarke got to have a few tender moments, Clarke finally states that she loves her, and we see Lexa go out in the blaze of glory that she deserves. I'm literally still getting tingles writing about it right now.
Pike and Ontari were terrible villains this season, and did not connect with the nuance and character development of this show. The surveillance society bits with Pike were poorly executed and severely backtracked on the development in the relationship between the 100, the Ark survivors, and the Tree People over the first two seasons. Ontari also brutally murdering everyone in her way stripped the various tribes of their nuance as well. Both of these characters needed to go for us to move forward, and having Octavia kill Pike the way she did fit her character.
Octavia almost blows their entire plan to get Pike killed, and while this is a tactical mistake for her, she doesn't have much else to live for. The man she loves is dead, and now she presumes her mentor is dead as well. All she can see at this point is retribution, and Pike deserves it. I've been really uncomfortable with the way the show seemed to be trying to contextualize Pike in the second half of the season and present him as more sympathetic, but having Octavia kill him moments after he saves her and the fighting seems over is perfect. He could not be salvaged.
Speaking of salvaging characters, it's more than late for Bellamy to reject Pike, but at least they're trying to bring him back into the fold and acknowledge how much they PINEAPPLE up his character earlier this season. I am quite glad that he doesn't play any pivotal role in saving the day here.
The scene at the killswitch also helps to bring a strong thematic finish to this season. "You don't ease pain. You overcome it," is a nice way to complete the season and finish off the City of Light plot. I've praised this show at bringing a sense of consequence to the actions taken by the characters. Seeing everyone break down in severe remorse at what they'd done under ALIE's control exemplified that in a meaningful way, and I was glad that they positioned Jasper and Jaha in the final Lexa scene as the two big avatars for the trauma that's pushed people to this point. What many of these characters did in surrendering their free will to ALIE was run away from all the consequences of their decisions instead of dealing with it and setting positive goals forward.
Lastly, I like the crisis for the fourth season. I did not want to go out on an uncertain note about what would be coming next. It gives me great relief to know that the writing team at least has an idea for what they want to tackle next. I'm excited to see how the people of this world deal with a man-made ecological disaster in the next season. That should provide some fresh terrain for the show to build on and get us past the enemy of my enemy is my friend nonsense that has plagued this third season.
I was uncertain if I'd continue to watch the 100 after the first 9 episodes of this season, but this finale hit the right notes to keep me invested. This show is at it's best when it's moving at breakneck speed, and this was a strong, action-filled finisher with enough thematic weight to keep me having fun.