The 100 - Earth Skills - Roundtable Discussion

The second episode of The CW's freshman drama The 100 aired on the CW just a few hours ago. Thanks to The CW, SpoilerTV has access to screeners for several of the season's episodes, so we can bring you a bit more content than we normally can for many of the other shows we cover. Our roundtable discussion for the second episode has questions by Jimmy Ryan, with comments thanks to Babar Suhail, Daniel van der Veer, and Pablo Troncoso Uriarte.

Let's get down to business!

Jimmy: Firstly, how well did you think this week’s episode built on the events in the series premiere last week?

Daniel: There were a lot of things from the pilot that continued throughout this episode or were explored more deeply. Obviously the second episode does not stray off from the big twist at the end of the pilot. The group knows Jasper is alive and is out there so they want to get him back. While this is of course quite a big development, there are other plot points from the pilot that have in no way been forgotten. Jaha is still recovering from the shooting last week. Octavia is treated for the wound in her leg that she got from the water snake. I think it’s good to have this kind of continuity. It shows that the writers have not forgotten the events of the pilot, including these details that may seem minor. This episode definitely built well upon the pilot.

Babar: The second episode carried the story from the pilot very nicely. I particularly enjoyed Jasper’s rescue. The happenings on board the Ark felt really slow to me at first, but they picked up towards the end of the episode.

Pablo: I think it does a good job, however I don’t like that it’s just about finding and rescue Jasper in Earth and making a choice in the Ark, it’s pretty straightforward storytelling and I wish there was more complexity in the plot than that. I do appreciate how well the characters are being treated, in that regard the series is doing a great job.

Jimmy: There was some nice character relationship development in this episode. What stood out most to you?

Daniel: I enjoyed seeing the interactions between the group members of the ‘rescue Jasper’ team. You know each and every one of them has his or her reason to tag along, but basically they are all their because of Clarke. Finn and Wells both come along to protect her, while Bellamy (joined by follower Murphy) wants that wristband off her wrist. Their interactions was something I really enjoyed to see.

Babar: I liked the friendship that began between Monty and Octavia; how she was willing to help him build a radio to talk with the ark. I also liked the chemistry between Finn and Clarke. Their relationship feels natural, which was showcased when how easily Finn understood Clarke’s motivation of saving Jasper. I don’t like relationships which feel pushed which didn’t happen with these two. Adam and Octavia’s relationship was an interesting one and I thought that the scene with the butterflies was very well done. Poor Adam though; being tied to the tree at the end for just kissing Octavia. Bellamy is the apparent bad guy and his interactions with the good guys were interesting to see; how he saved Clarke’s life and how Wells saved his.

Pablo: I enjoy seeing how Bellamy acts around everyone, he’s a very shady character, you can’t tell if he is good or bad so you assume he is both, and that’s great. I also like how organic Clarke and Finn’s relationship feels, it’s a good sign if these two end up together later on. I also appreciate that Monty gets some moments with Octavia, I buy those two as friends.

Jimmy: The 100 have had a good wake-up call thanks to what happened to Jasper, and some unlikely individuals bonded more closely. How do you think this will influence the future decisions made by the 100 as a group and as individuals?

Daniel: I think they now know that there are people out there who are very dangerous. They have a common enemy: the grounders. And hopefully with that, the hostility among the 100 is cooling down. We already saw a part of that when Bellamy saved Clarke. Although he obviously thought about letting Clarke’s hand go, he didn’t have the time to even consider it as he was already helped by the other to pull Clarke up. So I hope instead of killing each other they work together to find out who these grounders are and what they want.

Babar: We saw that the 100 have quickly divided into groups; there are the good guys (Clarke, Octavia, Jasper, Wells, Monty and Finn ), the bad guys (Bellamy and his gang) and others who don’t really give a shit. The interactions and actions of the good and bad guys should be interesting to see in future episodes.

Pablo: I think it will make them more conscious of how they have to act on Earth; they can’t be as carefree as they have been so far, they are getting a sense of what needs to be done, even if everyone is still digging the whole “whatever the hell we want!” concept. So I expect to see the 100 as a more organized group with internal conflicts as the episodes goes by.

Jimmy: Clarke and Wells are the only two on the ground to truly understand the purpose of their presence on Earth. Considering the opinions they share are a minority, is there something else they could be doing to get more of the group to support their intentions?

Daniel: The problem is that they have already been rejected by the rest of the group because they are children of the counsel. They are yelling at the others but that doesn’t really help. They go against Bellamy but he has too much support from the rest of the group. I think the only option they have is to work with the people that are already on their side, and then convince Bellamy of their purpose on the ground.

Babar: With Bellamy around to easily manipulate the others, I don’t think there is much Wells and Clarke can do to convince the others. And Wells being the chancellors sons doesn’t help, either.

Pablo: I think they are being too intense, which is why most people don’t seem to like them. Wells is in a bad place as son of the Chancellor of the ark, so I don’t think he can do anything at all to be listened, but Clarke should try to talk to people one by one, generating a word of mouth of effect so she could be listened. You can’t convince a mass to do what you think is right, you go one by one and soon your voice is louder and louder.

Jimmy: The Council couldn’t come up with a decision regarding further lifesaving measures. How do you think this is going to impact the future of the Ark?

Daniel: It’s going to be a race against the clock. Jaha has already set Abby’s deadline, so she is now desperate to prove that the 100 are still very much alive.So there is a huge amount of pressure on Abby to find that evidence in order to ensure the Ark’s future. Whatever she may or may not find will impact hundreds of lives on the Ark.

Babar: The council has to make the ruthless decision of killing hundreds of innocent people to “save the human race”. With them coming to a stall, it’s up to Abby to prove that there is another way to save them all. However, if she doesn’t come through, more people will have to die than originally planned.

Pablo: Time is running out, so the council is bound to get anxious. Councilman Kane doubts Abigail way too much, so he is probably going to make her life hell. He is convinced lives are to be taken and he is going to do everything to make that happen; he’s not doing it for being evil, he truly believes that’s what is need to be done and why the future of the Ark seems rather bleak; his conviction to do good may be their undoing.

Jimmy: Abby is growing desperate to prove that the 100 are not dying, and she’s enlisted Raven to help her get to Earth. How do you think this will play out?

Daniel: Abby and Raven are obviously very much at risk for what they’re doing as they might get floated for it. And even if they do succeed, chances are they never survive the landing. And considering they make it to Earth, what will happen to them there? Will they find the 100? Will they be taken by the grounders? They pretty much put everything at stake so chances are it is not going to play out well for them.

Babar: Abby is desperate. She is not willing to believe that Clarke is dead and she wants to prove that earth is habitable. Going to the earth is the only way she can think of right now to prove that the kids are alive. However she and Raven will be in trouble when Kane gets a hint of this.

Pablo: Badly, very badly for them, but very interestingly for the show. Most of The 100 don’t want to be found, so even if Clarke keeps her wrist band things are going to look bleak and that will only make the decision of killing people of the Ark easier to take, the last resort will probably become their only choice as hope is reduced farther and farther.

Jimmy: Lastly, do you have any comments regarding the technical performance of the series, such as writing, special effects, and camera work?

Daniel: Not really. I like everything so far and I know it will only get better. Of course there are always flaws or plot holes, but I don’t consider them major. Nothing that disturbs me.

Babar: The cinematography is really good. Loved the scenes with the butterflies. The writing is good so far, I hope that continues.

Pablo: My only problem with the writing is the whole taking something from point A to B, it’s pretty straight forward and halfway through the episode you know it won’t have anything more to it than that. Yet the acting is surprisingly strong and as The 100 tries mashing up characters together they find out some really good dynamics. I think the technical aspects of the show are working really well, the writing for the episode wasn’t the strongest, but overall it was a good episode.

That concludes the roundtable for episode 2 of The 100. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below! If you're curious about something, or want to pick our brains for spoilers, follow us all below and send us a tweet!

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On next week's episode, titled 'Earth Kills', it's flashback fantasy as the storyline grows some depth by going back in time. There are some unexpected deaths on the ground as Earth proves it's just as deadly as its inhabitants. Jasper's fate is also revealed.

Thanks for reading! See you all next week for the roundtable of 'Earth Kills'.
The The 100 roundtable team.