The 100 - Survival of the Fittest - Review: "Tough Choices"

Hang on a minute.

Oh right, good, I did just watch an episode of The 100. For a second there I thought King Kong had screened on The CW last night.

I'll get that off my chest first before I go any further. I was expecting some giant mutated lion, not a semi-truck sized ape chasing after Clarke and Lexa after they stepped out for some air, which turned into an all-night escapade.

Though that wasn't the greatest bit of filler action I've seen on television, the one upside from my perspective is that Kongie eradicated Major Byrne, who had served as a thorn in the side of many of the characters, perhaps most notably encouraging Kane to punish Abby early in the season.

Last night's episode was titled "Survival of the Fittest" and was written by Akela Cooper - her first solo script, having co-wrote two prior episodes, and directed by Dean White, his seventh in the series. The hour had some really nice touches, but was a bit short in some areas. It was also devoid of any characters or scenes in Mount Weather, with Abby and Raven taking the night off too.

The hour kicked off with Lincoln and Bellamy as they made their way closer to Mount Weather. Their lack of cohesiveness was on show for all to see as they bumbled their way through to their objective. In fairness, this was their first bit of quality time together - their previous interactions largely centered around Lincoln being tortured, so it's understandable why they were somewhat edgy.

Along the way they discussed Octavia, and Lincoln revealed that he had previously met another member of the Ark years earlier, who he had been forced to kill by his father. Their trip ended with Lincoln succumbing to his former addiction to the red juice while Bellamy was swallowed up by the Mountain Men. Suffice to say that their outcomes aren't particularly optimistic.

If you compared the interactions between the Grounders and the Sky People to a pot on a stove, that pot hit boiling point last night. Bizarrely, Kane attempted to take charge of proceedings (this should have been Abby's job but she was M.I.A) and it was clear that him and Indra don't have any form of chemistry. What ensued was a hectic training session, with Octavia deciding that getting handsomely beaten in a sword fight was a good idea. Her ensuing alliance with Indra as a "second" was something out of the blue, with the creative team pressing on with aligning the character more closely with the Grounders than her own people. You won't find me criticizing that though - I'm interested to see how that benefits both parties in the future.

The storyline that won the night for me was initially the underdog. Of course I'm talking about Jaha and Murphy hitting it off. The duo took a trip back to the drop ship, where Jaha's son, Wells, rests. It's great to see Wells hasn't been forgotten, and using him as a vehicle for the duo's trip to the City of Light was a smart idea. Jaha also recalled Murphy's father, who had met his end on board the Ark for theft of rationed medicines - something he did for Murphy's benefit.

Murphy was a tough sell, and rightly so, as he faulted Jaha's reasoning for sending the 100 to the ground in the first place. In the end, the pair, accompanied by others who seem somewhat loyal to Jaha, left the drop ship in search for the City of Light. I'll take an early punt that the City of Light features in the season finale.

For Clarke and Lexa, their time fighting King Kong wasn't entirely in vain. The duo (so many duos!) debated leadership throughout, and I was proven right with a theory after last week's hour that the creative team are endeavouring to let the characters rub off one another - making Clarke a bit more authoritative and darker, while making Lexa more humane and sensitive to the value of life. Clarke realized that hard choices have to be made, but Lexa learned that playing the long game often works out too.

In the closing moments they realized that a new approach - using an insider to free their people inside Mount Weather - was a more unpredictable plan from the Mountain Men's perspective, with the potential to also be more effective, with reduced risk to the two populations they represent.

While "Survival of the Fittest" sank below the level set by the midseason finale and last week's midseason premiere, there was still some value among the chaos which will come into play as the series closes in on its conclusion. Bellamy looks set to bear the brunt of the Mountain Men's harvesting scheme, with television's newest Queens, Clarke and Lexa, better prepared than ever to lead the charge. There will no doubt be many more tough choices to be made in the coming weeks.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought of the episode in the comments below, and don't forget to check out The 100 on my TV ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com/the100. Next week's episode is titled "Coup de Grâce", which translates ominously from French to "the finishing blow" or "knockout". Check out the promo here and press release here.

Jimmy.

About the Author - Jimmy Ryan

Jimmy Ryan lives in New Zealand. He is an avid follower of drama television and has a keen interest for television ratings and statistics. Some of his favorite shows right now are Person of Interest, Scandal, House of Cards, Orphan Black, The Blacklist, The 100, and Castle. You can visit his television ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com or follow him on Twitter, @SeriesMonitor.

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