“The Gospel of Josephine” is episode five of season six of The 100.
Kaylee enters the Sanctum and Russell Lightbourne tells her that Rose was killed. But Jade returned with Kaylee’s family. The chips. But Russell wants the truth. There’s a rumour that they were running away. Kaylee says this is a lie. Who told him this? Clarke enters. Only it’s not Clarke; in the previous episode, “The Face Behind the Glass”, Josephine Lightbourne was put into her body. Doesn’t Kaylee recognise her best friend? The one who found her body. Josie’s last memory before she fell was Kaylee’s face. Now, she slices Kaylee’s neck open to return the favour.
Russell and Simone, after Josie has changed clothes, are watching her paint and dance. Josie tells them that Kaylee’s family ran because they were afraid it would be found out that Kaylee killed her. A couple of decades on ice will teach them a lesson. Russell tells her it may be less than that. The people from Earth may have more hosts. It’s Josie’s job to find out how many. Did they ask? Yes; they denied any others. Josie suggests that they may be telling the truth. There’s been no host born in the six years since she died. If they’d let Josie run her breeding program, it would be different. Russell thinks consent is important. Did Clarke consent to giving up her body? Josie tells her father that these people are dangerous. If they discover Clarke is dead, they will burn this world down, like the last one. Russell tells Josie to start with Abby. But don’t let anyone know what they are.
Jordan tests Delilah’s, now Priya’s, memory, then tells Bellamy and Murphy she’s changed. Josie, as Clarke, enters and tells Blythe that playing Clarke will be easy. She promptly starts making mistakes, telling Madi that she can go to school. Gaia speaks to her in Grounder; Josie doesn’t understand. Afterwards, Gaia is worried. Clarke has a bodyguard for being a Nightblood, yet she sent Madi to school. Jordan is asking what happened to Delilah. Gaia tells him they need to respect the locals’ beliefs. They really shouldn’t.
Josie has gone to see her mother, who is trying to find a way of healing Kane with Jackson. Josie hands her a book. It’s about Nighbloods; worthless. Anny read a book by the same author. Josephine Ada Lightbourne. The woman was a monster. Abby starts taking notes, but with the wrong hand, but manages to distract Abby with a more useful book.
Bellamy is trying to get Murphy to help him plan where they can go when Rose’s funeral is announced. Murphy doesn’t want to go. Take Jordan. Where is Jordan? Bellamy thinks he knows. Murphy should come with, because if Jordan gets them kicked out, they will have to play pioneer.
Josie spots them heading to Sanctum. Jordan has already broken in. Murphy and Bellamy find a room filled with skeletons. Jordan is there; he’s doing what Bellamy would have done once. Gaia is also there; she wants to find out why they worship Nighbloods. Then Josie enters. She wants them to leave, because this is Sanctum’s holiest place. However, Gaia finds that all the skeletons are marked with the sign of the Flame, and says they were all Commanders. Jordan finds a secret door to a lab and operating room.
Bekka created the Flame after Apocalypse One. But she must have given the technology to Elegius III before that. Jordan gets onto a computer, and they see Gabriel and Russell transferring Josie, successfully, to another body. The first time they succeeded. Now they know what is going on. What they don’t know is that Clarke is not Clarke – and it seems being reborn repeatedly has turned Josephine into the monster Abby called her. One question is will they work out who Clarke really is before she finds out too much. Another is, is Clarke truly dead? The process does kill the former consciousness, but Clarke has been exposed to technology that, in all probability, and going by how primitive the transfer was, is more advanced than what the Primes are using.
Meanwhile, Diyoza and Octavia get led into a trap by one of the Children of Gabriel they are chasing. Diyoza uses the opportunity to have a chat with Octavia.