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.
Yeah I think Jaha and co will be gone for 2 episodes at the most, then they might resurface. It'll be interesting to see how they go about it if it's one of the endgames for the finale.
ReplyDeleteSeems like Jaha and Murphy are out until the end of the season or whenever, make more impact for them to disappear until later, and I don't think they are especially needed right now, as Jaha got his point across. Besides their trek through the dead zone, I don't it think adds anything. It feels like Octavia is 50/50 on whose side she will take.
ReplyDeleteBye Blonde Lady Guard.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who is confused with all that "my second"-thing?
ReplyDeleteTris said to Anya in season one that the commander (kind of confusing, in season 1 the commander was a ruthless kill-machine and now a smart strategist) ordered him to attack the 100, that means that Anya was never the commander - but how can Lexa, the commander, then be Anyas second - wouldn't she "degrade" herself by taking orders by Anya?
Overall a good episode, The 100 is really a gem on network television.
I just love the relationship between the sky people and the grounders (Indra/Octavia & Lexa/Clarke & Bellamy/Lincoln) and I'm kind of happy that Jaha is now out for some episodes, he was getting on my nerves in the last episodes.
Surprised to learn that the Ark was already sending out pilot pods down to Earth to check its viability. It could be one of the factors that led to Clarke's dad's discovery that the space station will eventually run out of oxygen.
ReplyDeleteI guess there really was a worrying concern before about the Ark's long-term viability. If not, for what reason then would a Sky Person, as Lincoln told Bellamy, end up on the ground?
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm wondering if they could have been some form of resupply system which would have extended the life expectancy on the Ark, and for some reason that stopped.
ReplyDeleteBellamy said it was for suicide not a mission
ReplyDeleteDoesn't mean that's what it actually was. The leadership would have wanted to disguise a failed mission in some way, shape or form.
ReplyDeleteI like the LexArke team. That works. Just like Jaha and Murphy oddly work.
ReplyDeleteThe gorilla was just so out there. I wonder what else we'll get.
I don't know what they will do with Octavia. I wasn't expecting her to pair up with Indira.
Can't wait to see what happened with Bellamy and Mt Weather.
The City of Lights, I'm sure it exists, but who knows how friendly the people there really are.
Once the Mountain Men use Bellamy's blood and figure out that it works waaay better than Grounder Blood, they'll know about an attack forming against them.
ReplyDeleteWill Bellamy be able to escape by himself or will he get any help via one of the 47?
ReplyDeleteThis episodes was better that the last one, but Murphy and Jaha were the only highlight. I am glad for the fans, that they got an early renewal, but for me the show is loosing it's touch.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who doesn't care for the grounders, the focus is way to big on them. So many new faces, who cares! Lincoln is the only grounder I like, and they made him an addict. Addicts always will be addicts, message received, what a waste of a character. Imo they are neglected the main cast, which is sad. I don't want to see arms ripped off or a grounder eaten, I want to see Raven, Sinclair, Wick , Monty, Jasper, Miller
If anyone can fight this addiction, it's Lincoln. Lincoln has proving how strong he is and not just in physical strength. I'm always drawn back to that quote he made in 2x08, telling Clarke that "We all have a monster inside and we're responsible for what it does when we let it out. I've been a fan of Lincoln's since he first appeared. But I think this was his defining moment for me. And Whittle's performance there at the end when he knew he was defeated and needed Red. It was brilliant. My heart was breaking but my eyes were gobbling up the scene. I can't wait to see how that plays out! Lincoln is strong. I hope he can overcome this addiction. Poor Bellamy. Things are about to get rough for them both! I hope they both survive.
ReplyDeleteApart from Bellamy and Lincoln,Octavia is the heart of the show for me. These are my three favorite characters. [Kane, Nyko, Indra, Lexa leading next]. What I love about Octavia though is that she is a warrior. She's been a fighter since the start. Desperately wanting to go in the search to save Jasper back in 1x02 even though she was hurt. And I loved that Lincoln pointed this out last night when Bellamy said that it he [Lincoln] made her stronger. Lincoln saw the strength that she possessed. And last night everyone at Camp Jaha saw it too. Her own people do not see her as a equal, but last night they saw that she blends with the Grounders. She proved herself to Indra. And now Indra is going to teach her how to fight, giving her the chance of being her second. How fantastic is this? Callous Indra (who I adore!) warming up to a SKY PERSON. Who you clearly see she detests. This is amazing. I love it. Indra doesn't see her as a sky person, but a warrior. It's an honor.
Lexa was Anya's second, meaning the elder (Anya) trained the younger to be a warrior. At some point, Lexa was called upon to lead their people. Apparently, that means the former Commander died and his/her reincarnated spirit chose Lexa as the new Commander.
ReplyDeleteI echo your sentiments about Jaha. He says he's looking out for the best interest of "his people" but if that were true then he wouldn't be running away to look for the fabled City of Lights to pursue what *he* thinks is best for all. IMHO he still feels that he is the rightful leader and doesn't seem amenable to any kind of change that he doesn't initiate.
They weren't sending pods down for anything. Bellamy said "suicide by Earth," something he had heard about but never knew really happened.
ReplyDeleteI liked King King, lol! I was expecting a lion or a bear so Ilike that we got something unexpected. It made sense since they were at a zoo. Jason said the gorilla was Mark's idea, the president of the CW.
ReplyDeleteSo many fun pairings. I especially love the dynamic between Lexa and Clarke.
So that new location they tease on twitter. It could be Jaha and his team looking for "The City of Light"? and finding something else?.
ReplyDeleteHow can the people inside help them. Wouldnt they be weak and malnourished for all that time in the cages?. They will fight , i know that but agains an army of men fully with weapons they wont be doing much.
I have a feeling that Indra will try to take over Lexa and her helping Olivia is justa way to have more support when that time comes.
Great review.
Am I the only one who thinks the Commander is developping romantic feelings towards Clarke?
ReplyDeleteThis episode was excellent. Loved King Kong :D
ReplyDeleteThen how was it possible then for them to go down from the Ark?
ReplyDeleteOh, how I wish. Sadly, I don't think Lexa will be around that long either way, which is too bad because I like that character and how she leads the grounder clans. I only say this because I don't see the actor's name in the credits for future episodes. Grrr.
ReplyDeleteWhom are you referring to, the 100 or those who committed suicide by launching a "drop pod" like the one that Raven fixed up and launched herself in?
ReplyDeleteThey already know that the Sky People's blood is better than the Grounders', which was discussed in detail in a couple of the Mount Weather episodes, hence the reason Science Lady wants to harvest the Sky People's bone marrow. She said she would need to harvest the bone marrow of each of the 47 remaining Sky People 8 times in order to treat every Mountain Man (woman and child) so they could finally live outside of the mountain.
ReplyDeleteOr Grodd. :D
ReplyDeleteThe man Lincoln was telling Bellamy about. He said he met a man who dropped from the sky. Surely that was someone who had access to a drop pod from the Ark.
ReplyDeleteBellamy described it as "suicide" based from the stories he heard from his fellow guards but not necessarily means those are deliberate suicide missions to escape from the space station.
For all we know, Ark engineers may have already been holding tests to check the liveability of Earth before coming down with the decision of sending a hundred juvenile delinquents down to the ground.
Yes, I know,that's why I said once they figure out Bellamy's one of the Sky People, they're going to catch on to their plan. They've been watching and they must know that Clarke would have told her people everything. It's not like they'll believe Bellamy just happened to be wandering around the forest for days and never encountered Clarke before being picked up by Lincoln.
ReplyDelete:( I saw a glimmer or something and I was wishing it hadn't been my subconscious
ReplyDeletePerhaps. We will never know until the creators reveal more details. :)
ReplyDelete