“Etherea” is episode eleven of season seven of The 100.
Levitt enters the memory reading room where another operator tells him it’s fixed, though twitchy. A Disciple is waiting to be read. The other heard what happened in the previous episode, “A Little Sacrifice”, and asks if it’s true that no-one is being punished, including for killing Anders. And that the Shepherd gave up his quarters. Levitt says the Key is all that’s important; once the Last War begin, none of this will matter.
Once the other has gone, Levitt starts reading his mind for what happened during the explosion in the stone room in “Welcome to Bardo”. And sees that Bellamy went through the bridge, instead of being caught in the blast.
Bellamy arrives in a forest. Ahead of him are some stone spires. Behind him is someone in white; the conductor. The latter attacks but Bellamy manages to defeat him. Bellamy heads off to the spires where it seems the way out is, but can’t get past a rock face and returns.
The conductor is gone and Bellamy follows a trail of blood to a cave, where the conductor is lying, and far easier to beat now. Bellamy says no-one is coming to save them. The conductor is willing to die. Bellamy has a better idea; they can both survive. Bellamy is more than happy to leave the conductor to die of his wounds, but there’s a way off the planet if they work together.
With the conductor, Doucette, agreeing, Bellamy sets his leg. As Bellamy had badly broken it during the fight. It hurts. As Doucette rests, Bellamy gets water in really big eggs and pine tree sap he hopes will work as an antiseptic like that on Earth. Bellamy is essentially talking to himself, as Doucette is out of it. Bellamy finds Doucette’s pocket book, Shepherd’s Passage.
Doucette finally comes around; Bellamy suggests he says thank you. Doucette says Bellamy is doing it to save himself. Admittedly true. Bellamy has read the book and says its message doesn’t add up; to get piece, fight a war. Bellamy’s people have fought many wars. They bring death and pain and, if you’re lucky, survival, not peace. Doucette says Bellamy’s beliefs are all about him. They’re selfish. Bellamy has seen the words in the book but not truly read them.
Bellamy wants Doucette to strengthen his leg and after a week they set out. They get to the rock face. Bellamy wants Doucette to lift him; Doucette says his leg is too weak. Bellamy should lift him and then Doucette can pull him up. Once Doucette is up, Bellamy shouts at him to throw down the rope. He does. Doucette tells Bellamy to have some faith.
According to Doucette, here on Etherea the Shepherd found what he was seeking, the remnants of a civilisation that had transcended. They are on a pilgrimage of their own. Bellamy says he’s heading for the exit. Doucette believes the Shepherd guides them both. The peak is a long way off and Bellamy isn’t sure the Shepherd isn’t laughing at them.
The way is a long and difficult one, and the Shepherd – ‘Call me Bill’ – has clearly been there before them. Almost the entire episode is spent with Doucette and Bellamy, with nothing on Sanctum and only a little on Bardo, and months of travelling change the relationship between the two. With discussions of philosophy and some weirdness encountered, it all has an effect on Bellamy.