The 100 continues to unpack strong drama while raising questions about the fate of the U.S. in this dystopia.

In a nutshell, can the greatest crimes, and our greatest enemies, ever be forgiven?

The show finds a novel way of exploring these ideas via drug-like hallucinations.

But more on those visions in a bit.

There are also three important plot points that bear repeating here.

(As always, c’mon be warned that major spoilers follow.

You owe it to yourself to watch tonights episode anyway).

First, the prisoners need to find a way to survive the impending winter.

Their makeshift tents and supplies scavenged from their drop ship simply arent going to be enough.

No Bellamy means no loose ends for Shumway.

Which means Bellamy has every reason to fear for his safety.

Whats interesting about this is not the obvious chemistry between these two (or Lincolns stolen kiss).

Rather, its Bellamys tacit agreement with his sister to set the grounder free.

Clarke and Bellamy discovering a weapons cache in the supply depot is also an important development.

Her moral ambiguity goes out the window though after she fires an assault rifle for the first time.

Like Bellamy and Octavia, Clarke has become less of a one-note character.

As for the aforementioned visions, they allow Clarke and Bellamy to face their greatest fearsnamely themselves.

Throughout the season, these two characters have surrendered vital parts of their morality to ensure the groups survival.

This all came to a head in last weeks episode, which explored the uncomfortable necessity of torture.

But, really, Clarke and Bellamy are the tortured ones, and always have been.

As for Clarke, even a hallucinated reunion with her father isnt a happy one.

Shes carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

And, as she confesses to her father, she allowed someone to be tortured.

Forgiveness isnt about what people deserve, Jake tells Clarke.

Some wounds never heal; they fester, and spread.

Who will save Clarke from herself?

Will it be Bellamy, who has become an unlikely ally?

I just want to point out that Bob Morley was fantastic in this episode.

Because of his performance, I truly felt pity for Bellamy.

Hes caught between a rock and a hard place with no real way out.

Clarke, heeding her fathers advice, offers him forgiveness.

In that moment, even I would have forgiven Bellamys many transgressions.

Like Clarke, he is punishing himself for one too may compromises.

As he points out, his mother raised him to be a better person than hes become.

Marie Avgeropoulos also turns in a great performance.

Like Bellamy, shes come a long way as a character.

I dont think the Octavia of the pilot would have been capable of standing up for an alleged enemy.

I hopeThe 100continues down this path.

Slippery slopes may be dangerous, but they offer important opportunities for rich character development.

And in that regard, Day Trip did not disappoint.

Some closing thoughts:

Bellamy tells Clarke its important to keep your enemies close.

In the same breath, he tells her Miller isnt someone to be trusted.

We lost Dax, Bellamys would-be assassin, in this episode.

Will Miller be next?

And, if so, will it be by Octavias hand?

We finally get to see our first ruins.

We know the Ark is an amalgam of different countries.

Is the country in question among mankinds survivorsor were they left behind to eventually become grounders like Lincoln?

Has anyone else noticed the shuttle docked at the Ark in the shows opening sequence?

Will it play a part in the Arks mass exodus?

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Rating:

4 out of 5