The 100 - 'Fog of War', 'Long into the Abyss' and 'Spacewalker

"It's not murder; it's sacrifice."

In the aftermath of the massacre at Lincoln's village, tensions run high, even after Finn and Murphy are cleared of blame by the Chancellor and... whomsoever else might be involved. It's unclear if Abby is just ruling by fiat.

Following a lead provided by Raven, Abby takes a team to sabotage a radio tower which Mount Weather is using to block communication with any other surviving Ark stations (because heaven forfend that a Chancellor remain in the seat of power for more than a week.) Split up by acid fog - the titular 'Fog of War' - the team make a number of significant discoveries. Bellamy and Octavia are attacked by Reapers, including Lincoln; Abby and Raven crack Mount Weather's broadcasts, learning that the fog is a weapon, and choose to leave the jamming active in exchange for this line of intelligence; Clarke and Finn hide out in the bunker of sex and death and realise that neither of them recognises Finn anymore.

The massacre continues to have repercussions as Kane and Jaha seek a diplomatic solution to the Grounder war. They learn of the atrocity in their cell and are given a simple ultimatum: One of them will kill the other with a knife left in the cell; the Commander will negotiate with the other. This provides Kane's moment of transcendence, as he hands Jaha the knife and tells him to kill him, offering himself as a sacrifice, not to atone for past mistakes, but to save their people. Jaha isn't doing as well, and tries to take the Grounder girl who was left to observe them hostage, only to discover that this girl, Lexa, is the Commander.

On Mount Weather, Maya reveals that she believes the radiation leak that nearly killed her was faked, and tells Jasper and Monty about the harvesting of Grounders. Jasper suggests that they volunteer to provide drug treatment until Clarke returns with rescue, but Monty is pushing for escape.

Back at Camp Jaha, its namesake emerges from the forest with a warning: They have two days to leave, or the Grounders will kill them all.

This meeting here is, like, important, yo.

In 'Long into the Abyss,' Mount Weather is looking more like a trap. "We're criminals," Jasper finally accepts. "Let's be criminals." Even as they are searching for answers, President Wallace's son is pushing his father to allow Dr Singh to harvest the bone marrow of the remaining 47; all of it. Wallace refuses, but Cage Wallace and Dr Singh seem to be going ahead anyway, starting with third-tier 100er Harper.

Jaha is arguing for flight into the desert, with a view to finding the City of Light he was told of. Abby is less convinced, especially when Clarke brings the possibility of a bargaining chip - their medicine might just be enough to do what the Grounders can not and restore a Reaper to humanity. Interestingly, while Abby makes what is probably the right call (there is no way that the Ark survivors would survive that desert with two days to prep and evacuate) it is for the wrong reason; she says that she has faith in Clarke, but she seems more to be standing by her daughter than judging on Clarke's own ability. Still, it's a step towards accepting the remnant of the 100 as capable adults. Jaha - who seems to have a dose of the prophesy - tries to take back power and lead another exodus, but Major Byrne goes by the letter of the law and sticks with Abby.

This too is important.

Grounders surround the camp in force while Clarke and Abby struggle to prove their case. Their guinea pig is Lincoln, and despite a very close run thing, it seems to work. Peace in our time... as soon as the perpetrator of the massacre is handed over for death.

Which leads us to 'Spacewalker', in which we learn - among other things - that Finn never actually took the space walk he was sentenced to die for; he was covering for Raven, who was already 18. This is a reminder of the Finn we used to know; the apparent joker who never failed to step up and be a hero when it was needed. Eerily, the flashback - the first we've had in a while - also showed us that an accident while helping Raven get into space cost the Ark the oxygen that doomed those culled in Season 1.

The good folk of Camp Jaha once more display the solidarity for which they are justly renowned, responding to the call for Finn's blood with a defiant cry of 'okay!' Abby resists, and of course the other 100ers are agin it, although from an outside perspective it's hard to support their actions. Kane returns with an offer; he believes that the Commander will accept justice at the hands of the Sky People, which even if they execute Finn as a war criminal (and, as much as people argue against it here, he did massacre a whole mess of non-combatants) will be better than the excruciating death called for by Grounder law.

Bellamy, Raven and Clarke lead team 'Save Finn', and at one point Raven makes it clear that her solution is to give the Grounders Murphy instead. He was there, after all, and he has form. This, and an injury to Clarke, provide Finn with a moment of clarity. He lays out a valiant defence of the dropship, then hands himself over to the Grounders.

Clarke makes one last appeal to Lexa, but it's been made clear that although the Commander is a progressive leader, she is pinned in this by Indra, leader of the massacred village. If she flinches from justice, she will die, and then the Sky People. This leaves Clarke with just one move.

Now, I don't think I necessarily watched this episode in the spirit in which it was intended. While the death planned for Finn was horrific, the general principle that 'he's one of us' - let alone 'he's a kid', which they are otherwise fighting to disprove - is weighed against the fact that he did something unforgivable. Throughout the epsiode, the Sky People try to claim the moral high ground against the Grounders, but they gave that up when Finn committed a massacre of civilians. Some might argue that the Grounders did the same attacking the 100, but I don't think that the Grounders have ever looked at the 100 as civilians. Anyway, it's no excuse to be 'only as bad' as your enemy; not if you want to moralise, and the mealy mouthed posturing to try to save Finn's life did not cut much ice with me, coming across not as righteousness, but as cultural arrogance.

But the core of these episodes has been one word: Sacrifice. Kane names it when he offers his life so that Jaha can negotiate, and that is what Finn and Clarke both choose at the end. Others find it harder to make this choice, although they talk about it. The planned cull in Season 1 was a massacre that became a sacrifice when volunteers filled the roll. Kane is willing to give up himself, but Jaha tries to bargain with the life of an innocent. Abby is ever-willing to let strangers go, but not her daughter.

Not everyone really gets it, however. Dr Singh calls the harvest of the 47 'a sacrifice for the greater good', and Raven wants to give up Murphy, or to kill Lexa and rescue Finn in the confusion, regardless of the consequences.