Episode 5 of The 100 is why I watch television. One of the most moving episodes of anything I’ve seen in recent memory. “Twilight’s Last Gleaming,” is humanity at its very best and it’s very worst. This episode is very ark-centric, but doesn’t shy away from the troubles of the 100 on earth. The drama doesn’t feel forced, storylines begin to feel more interconnected and the episode really thrives accordingly.

Last week (which I didn’t review), the episode ended with a really unromantic scene involving Finn and Clarke, and this episode explains why that scene was so important. In an attempt to reach the 100 on earth via radio, Clarke’s mother sends down a pod containing (and also fixed up by) Raven, whom we find is the third party in a love triangle that Clarke is forced to exit after realizing she is merely a side piece. I felt the prepositional irony was believable and not overdone, allowing drama to settle on top. Whether or not I truly feel sorry for Clarke I’ll have to wait and see (still too early in the show to have those empathic attachments), but you realize she is more than just a leader figure and she can get hurt.

Bellamy, self-pronounced leader of the 100, has some exceptional baggage. He shot the chancellor of the ark (whom he believes died), so that he could sneak onto the away ship. He understands that if the ark knows he and the others are alive on earth, the rest would just as well come down and reimprison them (or worse in his case), which is why they originally removed the wristbands. After he realizes the pod was sent down during this episode we find him breaking into it, and damaging the radio. Little does he know how much trouble his selfishness would bring unto the ark.

Oxygen levels on the ark are depleting drastically, and we see the effects it has on individuals, namely a young girl of 9 who, due to oxygen deprivation, is going blind and her father who is willing to do anything to help his daughter. The ark higher-ups casts it’s vote on the matter and sentences to 320 random civilians from section 17 to be excised so as to buy the others more time and oxygen. But as this episode reveals, not all of humanity is completely self absorbed and over 400 volunteer as sacrifice for the others. If this scene doesn’t choke you up even a little, there is something wrong. Seriously. The level of feels. I can’t even. I just can’t.

When the 100 find out that their getting ready to murder over 320 people on the ark, and that they can’t reach them due to Bellamy’s actions, they rally together to make makeshift fireworks (hence the episodes title) out of the rockets on the pod. Unfortunately it was too late. Again, this episode showcases the best and worst that humanity has to offer, and re-establishes that there is no one who is wholly good or bad. Everyone has their reasons for doing things and that’s why this show seems to be so good. If you’re reading this review, please note I was a sceptic of the series at first, thinking that it was merely another young adult dystopian series, that happened to be produced by the CW. But despite my wariness, have no mistake – this is a good show.