So that was an odd episode, wasn’t it? It’s not bad, but it’s not as great as the previous episodes have been. This episode mostly explores characters psyche instead of moving forward with the plot; still interesting stuff happened and the character exploration is mostly quite good, but the execution of the whole episode seemed a little odd to me.
One thing that I was worried about in last’s week episode was the reveal that the grounder (Lincon) does speak English: I think it loses a little bit of its charm when we get to hear him speak, and it’s also a bit weird (to say the least) that he outright went for the kiss with Octavia. While it was evident that he cared for her I can’t help but wonder why, there is not enough context to make sense of this connection they share- other than assuming its love at first sight- and I can only wonder what he is going to do now. I’m at least a bit worried of how this storyline will be treated.
But maybe I shouldn’t worry too much, we know far too little at this point to be really concerned about the direction of that storyline. What I truly struggled with was how everyone was suddenly high and hallucinating all of the sudden; it’s truly weird to watch not just one guy, but near 90 people being high at the same time, and it seems as it was just a plot device to get Lincon to escape.
Bellamy, like any human being, doesn’t always take the best choices, but he’s not a monster- the very fact that he considered himself one is proof of that-, and I like that while the show explored his darkness early on it is now showing us the other side of the coin.
Clarke’s vision of her father was quite predictable and as such it was far less interesting than Bellamy’s trip, but it is important that the show deals with it in order to move forward. There’s going to be troubles with Clarke and her mother, this stuff can’t be resolved just by a vision- and Clarke makes sure not to let go of it-, but it is a step that it is important for the next episodes.
This episode mostly feels like a bridge between the first arc of The 100- the teenagers getting to the ground and exploring Earth- and the second one the show is entering now- the fight against the Grounders and the Ark coming to Earth. As such it is rather slow paced and it has toned down quite a bit, but that’s only for this week I’m sure.
This week’s cliffhanger does energize the whole story overall as our new councilwoman takes down Commander Shumway- who also blackmailed a guy to kill Bellamy in this episode- posing it as a suicide. It was very clear to me that this woman was up to no good last week, but the question remains: why is she doing this?
There is a lot going on with the show right now, so having a break from most of the action is a little bit of a bummer, but things do get done- The 100 have weapons, Lincon is back with the grounders, and the Ark is on its way to Earth unaware of their inner threat. Everything is looking pretty interesting for the weeks to come, but this episode isn’t that much exciting, it mostly set up things and explores some characters minds, and it does a fine job at it, just not as great as the last couple of episodes.
Grade: B
Stray Observations:
-I liked that moment when Dux was about to shoot Bellamy after saying “Nothing personal” and failed because the bullet was damaged. I’ve seen a lot of shows going with the “talking killer” fallacy so I’m glad that The 100 isn’t one of those shows (heck, even my favorite show “Fringe” did one or two talking killers, so this is very refreshing).
-Jasper declares his love for Octavia while being high, things are bound to get at least a bit weird between these two, especially since Octavia didn’t hate that kiss from Lincon.
-I’m very much liking the interactions between Clarke and Bellamy, they are forging a very strong unexpected friendship there, especially near the end when Clarke assures Bellamy that they wouldn’t have survived without him (something I have stated before in the roundtables).
-I didn’t care much for all the Raven and Finn moments this week, as most of the episode it mostly serves as a bridge for what is to come: this is the calm before the storm I guess.
-High Monty is funny, but a bit weird.
-Didn’t you feel at some moments that the whole conversation between Clarke and her father was going in circles?
-Next week we’ll have an attempt of a treaty between the 100 and the Grounders. I think that episode will be quite interesting and intense too!
I love the background of the article.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I really enjoyed the episode. It gave Bob more time to shine as Bellamy. His hallucinations were hard to watch. But really well made. And I loved the moment where he broke down in front of Clarke. I love that she saw THAT vulnerable side to him. Great scene, and so well acted by Eliza/Bob. I'm loving the Bellarke chemistry and dynamic the most. So this was like a dream come true for Bellarke fans everywhere. The episode bonded them on an emotional level.
ReplyDeleteI also don't care for Finn or Raven. Both characters are a bit boring, in my humble opinion. The actors are just not doing much for me. And I don't say this because I'm a Bellarke fan. I say this because I'm not liking the writing for Finn or Raven lately, and I'm not impressed with the acting, either.
By the way: Season 2 confirmed :D!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! Eliza and Bob have proven to have an incredible chemistry over the course of this season. Great things to come for sure :)
ReplyDeleteMade by the awesomeness of Jimmy Ryan ;)
ReplyDeleteI too love the Clarke/Bellamy dynamic. I love how slowly they're developing it too. I hope it's not ruined by romance. It will probably go there eventually, and I'm fine with it, I just hope it's done right and not as a reaction to how popular the pairing seems to be.
ReplyDeleteClarke's hallucination of her dad did go in circles a bit but I think that was the point? She doesn't know how she feels about her mother, her hallucination couldn't tell her anything she didn't already know. It was a visual representation of what's going on in her head which is apparently a lot of going around in circles.
It was great to see a visual representation of Bellamy's guilt too. We knew from small hints before that he wasn't completely unaffected by all his actions but to see just how much it's eating him up was interesting. Things seem to have been eating him up long before they even got to earth. It was good to have Clarke see some of that too. Up until now only the viewer has gotten to see the other side of Bellamy. I thought it was interesting she told Finn she trusted him. She obviously trusted him already or she wouldn't have asked him to come with her. She might not have liked him, she might still not like him, but she trusted him even if she didn't know it.
My one problem with the show, at the moment, is Raven. They seem to have sidestepped the triangle for now but they still managed to bring her character down a peg or two in my estimation. She seems clingy and jealous and not at all like the cool lady she was on the ark and in her first few days on Earth. They either need to spend more time demonstrating the deep connection she and Finn share or they need her to be more assertive and independent of him. As it is I'm not liking her, which is a shame because I loved her at first.
For an episode that seemed to not have a lot going on and was focusing on character stuff they actually managed to move the overall plot on quite a bit. Even on the Ark where they spent all of two minutes they managed to get a major plot point or two going. That's good squishie.
I feel like Bellarke is already in the works even before the huge fan response. I mean, there was no other explanation for that "shooting lesson" moment when Bellamy touched her shoulder and got all awkward. He stuttered. I mean, that's a "romantic" sign right there. I can't imagine that being viewed in the platonic sense.
ReplyDeleteI think a Bellarke romance is developing naturally and at a good pace. They aren't rushing with them. They are building trust and honesty between them. Letting them see each other at their worst times. Letting them grow closer and bond in a genuine and real way.
It's rare to see that on tv these days when couples really don't get much development and build up. I like the way that the writers are handling this in a beautiful way.
Their chemistry is honestly too good to waste for just "platonic" mates. You don't see that type of chemistry on tv these days, either. So I do hope they take advantage of it.
What I love about them is that they will always have the "pull/push" relationship even once they'll get together. They will argue and disagree because of who they are. That dynamic will always be present.
I haven't been THIS excited about a pairing in a long time. I'm happy there is a season 2 on the way!
No, I agree that it may have been the plan all along to have them slowly, very slowly, develop into something romantic, and I am fine with that so long as it happens naturally and in a believable way. I would hate if they started speeding it up or throwing extra scenes in here and there just to get "shippers" into a tizzy :)
ReplyDeleteSo far they've gone from hating one another and disagreeing on everything to sharing a begrudging respect for one another and now taking the first steps towards actually trusting each other. It's all been natural and believable so far and as long as it continues this way then I'm not worried about where they're going with it.
I don't think having good chemistry has to mean a pairing hook up. Their chemistry works for their antagonistic relationship as well as it would for a romantic one. Them having two opposing world views and being at the centre of the group keeping order gives great potential for story telling. If they can keep that and have then hook up too, then great!
While I want Bellamy and Clarke to happen, I do want it to be well developed and happen really slowly. Thankfully the first season had been shot and finished before it started airing and hopefully, like the writers have been saying, the gang will have to worry about survival before love in Season 2 as well! :)
ReplyDeleteThis episode was literally nuts ;)
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, you're right: it was a bit of a slow episode. It got interesting as it further progressed but nothing significant really happened. It did set up some interesting storylines though, so I am curious to see how that will turn out.
I am so excited about The 100 getting confirmed a season 2:D
ReplyDeleteI was implying he got weird over his own hand because he was high on the nuts. Were you paying attention to the episode at all? Almost immediately after that he went outside and was full on hallucinating. You could see through the rest of that scene that he was blinking a lot and acting not quite like his normal self. The nuts were starting to kick in so it's not impossible to think that his weird behavior was partly down to the nuts.
ReplyDeleteYour comment there is quite frankly rude. I didn't say you were wrong or that it wasn't because of Clarke, I said I read it a different way.