Tonight's third episode of The CW's The 100 is the episode in which things on the ground and on the Ark grow in complexity. 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 third episode has questions by Jimmy Ryan, with comments thanks to Babar Suhail and Daniel van der Veer. The opinion poll is further down below.
Jimmy: This week’s episode ventured into much darker, sinister territory than the previous episodes, and featured some tough decisions that were made by several characters. How well do you think this was executed?
| Daniel: I really enjoyed this darker episode and think it was well executed. We got to see a very different side of Clarke when she ended Adam’s life. Bellamy couldn’t do it, so Clarke did it for him. Of course you could debate whether it was better to end his life or to let him suffer in pain. Also, the end scene with Charlotte was very dark yet believable. It wasn’t like her killing Wells had no reason; she did it to get rid of her nightmares. She also saw Clarke do the same thing so it wasn’t like her idea came out of nowhere. |
| Babar: I really enjoyed the darker side if things both on the ark and the Earth. Clarke ending Atom’s life to relieve him from the pain was a really powerful scene; it showed how damaged she actually is. I also liked the Charlotte storyline. |
Jimmy: Flashbacks are clearly the best way of telling the story of life on the Ark before the 100 were sent to the ground. Were you happy with what you saw in this episode, or do you think more was needed?
| Daniel: The story told in the flashbacks was an interesting one and I don’t think there was anything else that should have been added. It explored how Wells was involved in Jake’s death, why Jake died and for the first time we saw how the floating process works. |
| Babar: Yes, obviously flashbacks are the best way to tell us about the past events rather being narrated by a character. I was somewhat satisfied with the flashbacks to the events of Jake getting floated. I hope we see the circumstances under which Clarke was arrested in future episodes. |
Jimmy: Two minor characters with what seemed like increasingly important roles in the series were killed off in this episode, which would, no doubt, have come as a bit of a shock to many viewers. What are your thoughts on their deaths?
| Daniel: Atom wasn’t really a major character in my opinion, so his death doesn’t really do anything to me. The way he was killed surprised me though. However, Wells’ death was a real shock to me. When I watched the screener, I didn’t really believe what I saw and I immediately had to see the next episode to confirm if Wells really died. Also because Eli Goree is/was basically a series regular, I wouldn’t expect this kind of death till a season finale. Perhaps his storyline (how he was involved in the death of Clarke’s father) was over, but to kill him off shortly after that was a complete shock! |
| Babar: I didn’t really care enough for Atom so I wasn’t that affected by his death, though the circumstances in which he died were surprising. However, Wells’ death caught me by surprise. After the misunderstandings between him and Clarke were cleared, I dreadingly expected a love triangle to begin between him Clarke and Finn, and I was shocked by his death. |
Jimmy: It’s clear Clarke holds an enormous amount of bitterness and resentment from the events that led to her father being floated. Were you satisfied with the character development of Clarke and others in this episode as we learned a bit more about past events?
| Daniel: Her father’s death is something that has really made Clarke into who she is. Now that she knows, I am hoping she can become less bitter. Of course the legal system on the Ark isn’t perfect, but there isn’t a lot else that they can do. Now that Clarke knows that it was her mother who let her father be executed, she is no doubt going to be very bitter and hateful towards her. It will be interesting to see how she reacts on that, although it’s probably gonna take a while before we get to see Clarke and Abby interact in the present time. |
| Babar: It’s natural for her to be resentful for her father doing what was morally ethical and being floated for it. I am interested in how Clarke coming to terms with the truth about her father’s death will play out in future episodes. |
Jimmy: The introduction of Charlotte demonstrated that the 100 are comprised of a wider demographic than most would have foresaw. Your thoughts on this?
| Daniel: I believe Charlotte is the youngest, and that really showed off. The other characters look a bit older than 18 (although they aren’t), but having younger ones is a welcome change. Not that Charlotte is less like an adult than the older teenagers, because what she did in this episode was not something you would expect from a 13-year old. |
| Babar: I actually was thinking in the that how come there isn’t anyone among The 100 and I am glad they at least introduced one younger character. |
Jimmy: As the series begins to push the boundaries of moral versus law, if you were in the shoes of Jake, Clarke’s father, what course of action would you have taken if you’d been made aware of a critical system failure?
| Daniel: That’s a difficult question. I think people deserve to know indeed, but Abby also has a point that chaos will arise once people know. Ultimately I think I would have done the same Jake did. If people are going to have to die, they at least have a right to know. |
| Babar: I would have went with what’s morally ethical just like Jake did. The citizens of the Ark have a right to know what’s going on about something that directly affects them. |
Jimmy: Do you have any other thoughts you’d like to share about this episode or the series in general?
| Daniel: This was a great episode! I hope (and partly know) that they can keep up with the dark tone that this episode set. Let’s also hope we get to see more flashbacks of The 100 on the Ark. |
| Babar: I really liked the introduction of Charlotte. I hope we few to see stories of a few other of The 100. The flashbacks on the Ark were also really well done and I am waiting for more. |
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!
| Jimmy Ryan | Daniel van der Veer | Babar Suhail |
| Tweet to @SeriesMonitor | Tweet to @veer95_stv | Tweet to @BabarSuhail |
Below is the weekly "What did you think of" poll, which we've combined into this article for your convenience instead of creating two different posts. After you've voted, be sure to share your thoughts about the episode and roundtable in the comments below!
On next week's episode, titled 'Murphy's Law', the fallout from Wells' death divides the colony as Clarke and Finn go on the run, and a new form of justice is dished out. Abby puts everything on the line in order to succeed in her quest to get to the ground, but things don't go according to plan
Thanks for reading and voting! See you all next week for the roundtable of 'Murphy's Law'.
The The 100 roundtable team.
