As I mentioned in my Arrow review, a funny thing happened on the way to watching my favorite CW shows. Upfronts happened. Supernatural stuff happened (keeping me very busy at The Winchester Family Business). Then vacation happened. I woefully and regrettably not only fell behind of reviewing The 100, but there are a few weeks of unwatched episodes on my DVR. Well, it’s time to catch up.
In sitting down for a little binge viewing, there’s something noticeable when watching these episodes in one sitting. They’re intense. Also, by episode 1.09 they have emotional storytelling down to a science. I can never say I have been bored by an episode of The 100 and now I’m so emotionally invested in these characters I worry sick about them. I cry when they cry. I bleed when…you get the point.
“Unity Day” proved to be one of my favorites, because everyone was on their A game. If I hadn’t fallen in love with Councilor Kane by now, then this week cemented it. Yes, you wonder how such an uptight soldier could pause to give his mother, a religious woman who he’s tried to ignore most of this time, her dying wish of saying the Traveler’s prayer. I tear up over the visual of Kane’s pained face knowing it’s too late for his mother and this is all he can do for her. It’s wonderful to see such a high caliber actor like Henry Ian Cusick on this show. He needs more bits like this. Although, my emotional psyche would be trashed if that happened.
I thought the drama on both the ground and The Ark were very intense, all offering life or death stakes for our favorite characters. The Ark especially was shocking. Because of Diana’s little uprising, in which she failed to kill Chancellor Jaha and had to hijack the Exodus before it was ready, she may have very well killed everyone. It is ironic that such a splinter happened on their day of Unity, because they were anything but unified. Now their shuttle has crashed to earth, with Abby supposedly aboard, and the Ark is without power, maybe for good. It’s looking like everyone will die up there before they even make it to the ground. Maybe. (Shh, I haven’t seen episode 1.11 yet).
On the ground, Finn decides to step things up. He sees peace as the only option for The Grounders and uses Octavia’s new romance with Lincoln as a way to arrange a meeting. Finn seems to be emerging as a prophet like character among The 100, someone who can truly see trouble before it happens. Thanks to his intuitive nature, he knows that engaging The Grounders will only result in death. Lincoln tells him to bring his leader, but he tells Finn it must be Clarke, not Bellamy. He obviously knows she’s the level headed one, and the best person to represent in this setting.
Clarke isn’t dumb though, and gets Bellamy, Raven, and Jasper to follow. I love how Clarke has learned to trust and rely on Bellamy, meaning she has accepted him in the role of leader as much as he’s accepted her. Theirs has turned out to be a comfortable partnership, with both keeping the other in check and covering for the others weakness. It’s been one of the highlights to see as these characters start to evolve. Her instinct to tell Bellamy was the right one, because The Grounders brought reinforcements. Marksmen waiting in the wings, ready to ambush.
I know Finn’s heart was in the right place, but he shouldn’t have been so hard on Clarke. It wasn’t the act of Jasper shooting The Grounders and setting off the war that hurt him as much as Clarke trusting Bellamy more than him. Clearly this because he loves her, and it’s something that Raven is noticing as well. I like how the obvious love triangle though is getting downplayed this week, because there are bigger fish to fry.
In the end it was pretty grim for everyone. The Ark was left dead in the water, dooming all of its citizens, the shuttle crashed killing everyone on board (but didn’t they deserve it?), and the kids are all alone facing a war with The Grounders. Luckily, I got to jump into the next episode without having a week to ponder what’s next.
Episode 1.10 – “I am Become Death” was pretty damned grim, yet I loved every bit of it. The Grounders are playing hardball, sending back a battered Murphy to pass on a virus to everyone. It’s not meant to kill though, only slow them down so that they have the strength during an attack. A few red shirts died anyway, leaving the total count for The 100 at 85, but they’ve faring far better than the charred corpses found in the shuttle wreckage. Is Abby one of them? We don’t know, because leaking rocket fuel pretty much ended that hunt. Good thing Raven knows her rocket technology, huh?
This week was a setup for what’s to come. With three episodes left, the stakes had to get higher and they did. The Grounders were coming and everyone was falling apart. It was a chance for everyone to be a hero, including a newly “seen the light” Murphy. He was there once he recovered helping others through their illness, earning enough good graces to get a pardon from Clarke, who had to urge Bellamy to see it her way. He did, cause they totally trust each other now.
Octavia used her ties with Lincoln to get The Grounders plan, but then had to make a choice to run away with him since he was an outlaw with his people now thanks to the whole botched meeting at the bridge. He talked about there being other people on the other side of the ocean and again I’m intrigued over how many people are still left on earth. Sounds like there’s a lot more than anyone thought. Season two guys, season two. Octavia came back to him, only to tearfully and tenderly kiss him goodbye. She had to stay with her people. It was a very sweet moment and a big sacrifice for Octavia, who clearly has fallen for this grounder. Little sister is growing up!
This show does tend to fall the most flat though when it focused on the teen angst, and Jasper playing up hero after his saving of Clarke got Monty jealous. So much so their little bromance had a little fight. It’s those “ugh” moments that they sacrificed The Ark drama for, and I would have rather seen their saga this week than a pair of normal guys act like five year olds. Of course that paled in comparison to Raven’s little jealousy fit, but at least hero Jasper grew up enough in one scene to tell her that they’re all family now when she said she didn’t have any. They aren’t alone. It’s a comforting sentiment, and that’s probably why the stories told are so compelling every week. When these kids are allowed to act like rational people, their chemistry just sucks you into their world so easily.
It was Finn though, who didn’t fall to the illness, who came up with the idea to slow down The Grounders by bombing the bridge. Raven could make it happen, since they had gunpowder left and some explosive rocket fuel. It involved leaving the bomb on the bridge though and someone taking a shot with a rifle. Raven thought she could do all that on her own as a sacrifice (aka whiny hissy fit), but she got sick and Finn saved her. Bellamy signed himself up for rifle duty to set off the bomb, but then he got sick. He turned to his only hope, Jasper, who also never got sick (my guess is it’s the healing he got from Lincoln earlier in the season). Jasper blew his chance though by missing and then his rifle jamming, so enter other hero Monty, who showed up just in time with a rifle for his best bud instead of staying mad. See, like I said, acting like responsible adults. The bomb went off, the two heroes returned home, along with Finn and a very sick Raven.
Judging by next week there will be huge consequences for their actions. Also a sick Raven finally came clean with Finn. She noticed he hesitated when he volunteered for bomb duty. That means he loves Clarke. Yeah, it didn’t really add up to me either, but hey, it’s not like she was wrong or anything. Oh, and Murphy really is evil. He killed the guy who strung him up in a tree when no one was watching. Looks like he’s there to take everyone out that wronged him. Has he made a pact with The Grounders, or is he just in it for himself? I have no idea, but he’s number one on my death pool by the end of this season.
Coming up Wednesday, I catch up on episode 11 and then watch 12 live! I’ll be caught up just in time for the season finale next week. So look for another two part review next time. I still have no idea where this is going, and that’s a good thing when you’re only a few eps away from the season end.
I just finished episode 10. So far I’m loving this show and your reviews.