Show Snob
Fansided

The CW Conclave: Will Madi pick Clarke or Octavia?

By Catherine Palmer

facebooktwitterreddit

The 100 returns Tuesday with a new episode on The CW that will reveal Octavia’s fate. What will the fallout mean for Clarke’s relationship with Madi?

The CW released a promo for episode nine which reveals, Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) hasn’t succumbed to Bellamy (Bob Morley) poisoning her, at least not yet. I’m betting she’ll survive, but either way, her condition represents a new threat to Clarke’s (Eliza Taylor) relationship with Madi (Lola Flanery) that Clarke may not have fully considered.

A major reason why I decided to tune in this season was to see Clarke as a mother. Though I know she’s always working toward the greater good, I often found it hard to champion Clarke’s actions. Many of the characters have a hard time as well, that is until Clarke ultimately saves the day every time and thereby regains their trust.

More from Editorial

To her credit, Clarke is an effective leader faced with impossible choices, but it’s still difficult to root for someone so hardened, especially compared with someone more willing to see the good in humanity and make compromises such as ironically, pre-Blodreina Octavia.

The tables haven’t quite turned. While Octavia is very far from the person she used to be and the person that Madi thinks she still is, despite Clarke’s warnings, Clarke is as willing as ever to use extreme measures. Nonetheless, I have found myself much supportive of Clarke this season because I better understand where she’s coming from.

It’s difficult to imagine making morally questionable choices for the greater good of society, even though that’s the plot of many of the YA stories my generation grew up with. It’s a lot easier to imagine making morally questionable, even undeniably immoral, choices to protect a loved one.

Clarke’s willingness to cross any line in order to keep Madi safe is actually pretty okay with me. But I’m not sure it will be with Madi, and I’m not sure Clarke has thought about what that could mean for their relationship.

While some fans have complained about Madi defying Clarke, her behavior actually makes as much sense to me as Clarke’s does. She’s a tween given the opportunity to become a part of a community after years of isolation and to work with her long-time idol.

Of course, Madi loves Clarke; and of course, she is grateful to Clarke. However, it’s natural for Madi to want to be more independent and help take back the only home she’s ever known from the space invaders currently occupying it. Madi doesn’t want Clarke to have to save her. Madi wants to be able to defend herself, and I think Clarke understands that, even if it frustrates her.

So how does Octavia factor in? Clarke has given Madi everything, but Octavia is giving Madi the validation and opportunity she desperately desires right now. I’m betting Madi will be upset if she finds out that Clarke tried to have Octavia killed not because of the act itself but rather because she knows that Clarke knows how much Octavia means to her.

Importantly, unlike Clarke, Madi does not believe that Octavia views her as a threat, so she has little reason to abandon Octavia if Octavia lives. I don’t think Madi will abandon Clarke either, but she might not be quick to forgive her.

The one major reason Madi would turn against Octavia is if Octavia threatens Clarke. As frustrated as Madi has been by Clarke trying to protect her, Madi has also gone out of her way to protect Clarke. She joined Wonkru in the first place so that Clarke wouldn’t die trying to get her to safety.

If Octavia continues pushing for Clarke to be executed for killing Cooper (Kyra Zagorsky), Madi will do everything in her power to stop Octavia, which could actually include maintaining her position as Octavia’s second and using it to plead for Clarke’s life.

Next: I Am The Night: Patty Jenkins’ TNT series gets first trailer

I’m not sure how well that would work, but Octavia’s reaction could clue Madi into the fact that Octavia does view her as a threat. After all, Octavia has been working to drive a wedge between Clarke and Madi. She won’t be happy if Madi proves her loyalty still lies with Clarke, who is now a verified enemy of Wonkru.

Bottom line: Madi will choose Clarke over Octavia, but only if she feels as though she has to choose.

Note: The CW Conclave is an ongoing weekly column that will cover multiple shows on The CW.

Home/The CW