Wow. Just wow. Any lesser TV show would have dealt with this crisis different; they would have either destroyed or prevent or redirect the missile. The show even suggest that option when Clarke says they can find the guy giving the coordinates to shoot the missile on a great bit of misdirection. But no; The 100 did what most shows wouldn’t: it let the missile hit the ground.
The 100 is no stranger to tough calls, and it has already made incredibly brave decisions, such as killing Wells, sacrifice 320 people on the Ark, trap The 48 on Mt Weather, killing Finn and make Lincon become an addict to the reaper drug, and that’s just to name the most memorables. All of these choices reflect the show’s commitment to take routes that seem unthinkable, but merely because there is this unwritten belief system that, on a sci-fi show, there is always a way to stop a crisis and that the protagonist will come up with it. Well, The 100 has said “screw that” and continue to surprise us, but I this time they didn’t just say “screw it” they tapped danced on the grave of that belief system.
What makes this particular choice standout from all the others this show has made is that, as Abby says, make Clarke cross the line: she had killed, but there was always a reason to it, even when she killed Finn she did it out of mercy. This time, she let people die in order to ensure their victory, a choice that obviously haunts her as we see her firm, but torn apart, by the end of the episode.
One of the best qualities of The 100 is its moral complexity: what is right and what is wrong? The answer is “it depends”; for some it is whatever ensures survival in the long term, for others is their own moral code. The decision Lexa and Clarke took to let the missile strikes hits moral grey areas not just because of the choice itself, but because they keep the information to themselves; remember the death of the 320 on the Ark? They were given a choice, they were trusted, but here it is chose upon them.
The fact that this show managed to create those discussions show just how much it has matured and become more and more a thing of its own.
So I’m done saying this show is the sci-fi version of GoT with Lost elements on the mix. The 100 has grown strong and well to be recognized as its own, similarities to other shows aside. It has proved, once again, that this show is able to engage in very complicated moral dilemmas and generate thought provoking stuff on a weekly basis.
But the decision making process about the missile strike wasn’t the only thing the episode treated. We also have Mt Weather and the quest for the City of Light.
That being said, the show does make a good use of Murphy this week and the new found grounder - or is there any other name for these people on the death zone? - Emori, as they talk about their lives and what they are trying to leave behind. It seems like this week managed to actually sell me on the notion that Murphy is done being a complete ass and that he actually wants a new life for himself.
It’s not like I’m a fan of Murphy or that I have forgotten what he has done, but it is interesting to see a character that once was a complete jackass doing just what he pleased mistreating everybody else now trying to rebuild himself. There is something fruitful about that particular storyline. Plus, it is always nice to see her new found friend Emori hit in him in the face after threatening his life.
So Murphy’s quest makes the City of Light storyline work, especially since he has Jaha as a counterpart to discuss about faith. But as well developed as it was, everything else is so great that it is just hard to truly dig what is going on here.
Because Mt Weather… along with the main plot of the decision making process of the missile strike crisis, everything on Mt Weather is just so great!
Bellamy is making good use of his cover as he not only is able to pass a gun to Jasper, but he also gets help from Dante Wallace to cause a breach on level 5, saving the lives of his friends, at least for now.
But now, taking it a bit more serious, seeing Jasper letting her die shows how much hardened he has become as the show has gone on: he has always been a little bit more naïve and rash than the rest of the regulars on this show, so seeing him like that just shows how being on the ground and Mt Weather has changed him. And of course, I'm sure we are all happy that he let Dr. Tsing die.
“Rubicon” as a whole is a pretty outstanding episode, with just a few kinks that made it go a bit slowly, such as the City of Light storyline that gets a bit on the way of the more compelling story arcs, but as I said, it is slowly coming to work and I believe it will become better and better. Other than that, the episode will probably be remembered by fans as the moment Clarke crossed the line and decided victory over lives, and that is a pretty impressive thing to take from a TV episode.
Grade: A-
Stray Observations:
-By the way: happy Valentine's Day everyone! Take this review as a little present from me ;)
-Character I miss the most this week: Maya; she had plenty of great stuff to work on last week with Bellamy, so she is missed here.
-Biggest “Awww”: Raven hugging Clarke. After everything that has happened between these two, it is a nice moment.
-I watched this episode with a friend of mine who studies mathematics and he froze the screen to take a look at Raven’s mathematical equations about the dam. Turns out they were off.
Watch out for that writers! You don’t want to make look Raven bad at math.
-Eliza Taylor keeps proving her awesomeness by trying to sound in control while her body language reveal in how much distress Clarke is. I just can’t believe how much she has improved during the show’s run so far.
-Raven turns the radio into a mobile radio so they can contact Bellamy everywhere: once again, she proves to be essential for the sky people survival.
-Call out to Bellamy’s awesomeness! The way he tells Jasper to give a better fight is already making up for all the times he has been sidelined this season.
-So Cage gave Dante the bone marrow and it seems like he is going to be banished from Mt Weather. It is interesting to see their conflicted father/son dynamic. Cage may be the antagonist, but he truly believes that he is doing the best for their people, I think that is what sells him as a good bad guy for the show. And I love how Dante tells him “It will only cost you your SOULS!”
Memorable quotes of the week:
-Murphy: “Touch me again and I will end you…
In a non delictive way.”
-Clarke: “This is wrong!”
Lexa: “It’s also our only choice. And you know it. You could have warned everyone up there. But you didn't. You said nothing, not even to your own people. This is war Clarke, people die. You showed true strenght today, don’t let emotions stop you now.”
-Octavia: “Grounders don’t give up! We fight. Either you get up and we fight this or you crawl away and die alone like a coward.”
-Jaha: “I believe, this is what they call having faith John.”
-Murphy: “Faith? Nah, I just don’t have anything better to do.”
-Bellamy: “Just tell me how we know this is even working.”
Alarms sounds.
Raven: “I say it’s working.”
-Jasper: “I hope you know just how special you are to us.”
-Abby: “Tell me this wasn’t you! Tell me this was Lexa!”
Clarke: “I wish I could.”
I was very unsure about the City of Light thing but I do enjoy it so far as long as they don't spent to much time with it. Plus I am very curious of what it will be and what kind of people will be there.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the Mount Weather stuff and Jasper actually killed people before (Season 1, he killed the people in the tree, when Clarke was on the bridge talking to Anya). I think it is interesting how many fans want Maya to get Bone Marrow. And I am starting to like Maya more and I would like for her to go outside, I still think there are about 300 more people who didn't have part of it and probably would've helped them, too. I don't know this show really gets my brain going and I think a lot about it.
I think the decision would have ended be wrong either way, just interesting to see how manipulative Lexa was in the decision making. I am still figuring out if in my opinion it was the right decision. I would have probably started a fire like Clarke suggested but done is done. Rest in Peace tonDC.
Forgot about the bridge! You are completely right, I'll make an adjustment to the review accordingly.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing it out :)
Glad to see your thoughts simply on the quality of this show. Some people watch television to make you laugh or watch something fun. My mind gets going with controversy & stellar character development.. The 100 has been producing this consistently throughout season 2 and the quality is just off the charts compared to almost everything on network tv. While the City of Light may not be the most exciting and developed storyline... the behind the scenes pictures have shown that this set was created on a piece of land in Vancouver with dump trucks. The creativity and dedication from the crew is absolutely incredible with what they are given & that deserves praise on its own. & Eliza Taylor man.... I have never watched any tv show where an actor continues to improve so much. And playing such a complex character such as Clarke must not be easy and Eliza has now found another level & has shaped Clarke into something truly special . Great review thanks for it!
ReplyDeleteI actually disagree with you a bit on this one since I think there was a right and a wrong here. Abby was right on this one in my opinion. The thing is that Clarke is justifying doing everything she is doing in order to save the 47 people trapped inside Mount Weather, which by now will be less than that. But how many of her people did she sacrifice in here? She implicitly decided that the lives of those inside Mount Weather were worth more than those people at the camp. To be very practical, why would Kane have to die so that Jasper were to live? Just one example, of course, but you get my point. This war as she claims doesn't have to exist per se, if not for those trapped inside. There would be no alliance or war without those trapped inside Mount Weather. And that is why when your main motivation to act is to save the lives of a group of people you cannot sacrifice other in between.
ReplyDeleteI may be interpreting it all wrong but I think the point of the episode was to show us that Clarke was too far gone, not much differently than the way Finn was too far gone earlier in the year in his search for her.
Just my two scents here ;) But in any case, I do agree on the main point of the review which is how fabulous the episode was!
I loved all of the episode - the Tondc storyline, the Mt Weather storyline and the City of Light one. Each one is unique and interestng in its own way.
ReplyDeleteI honestly almost forgot about how badass Bellamy confronting Jasper was, such a great moment! I'm really glad finally sth is happening at Mt Weather after a season of the kids sitting around and practically doing nothing. All it took was to bring in Bellamy, whom I love more and more with every episode.
I'm really growing to like Murphy. Actually, I've always had a soft spot for him, because, after all, they almost hanged him for nothing and got away with it. Can't really blame him for being pissed afterwards. But he's a really interesting character and I'm glad he got a storyline on its own, I'm really curious about both the City of Light (it's probably not nearly as nice and promising as it sounds) and about Murphy's further development.
I said it elsewhere already, Clarke and Lexa crossed the line and I'm really disappointed in them. Especially in Clarke because not so long ago she wouldn't even consider it and yet now she agreed to it with almost no second thoughts. I know it was a tough call but they might have just sacrificed more lives than there are to be saved at Mt Weather.
I know I'm in minority about this, but Octavia annoys me. She's nothing but this superficial shell of a warrior anymore, we don't see her inside, her feelings, nothing. Also, she should be more loyal to her own people instead of running around with paint or whatever it is on her face pretending to be a grounder. I don't know, she kind of has the same vibe as Arya in GoT for me and I don't like it. To tell the truth, if she wasn't Bellamy's sister I wouldn't even mind her dying in that explosion.
Another great episode, omg it was priceless Jasper saying “I hope you know just how special you are to us.”
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to hear how many people died in from the blast. If it's more than 47 then would it have been worth it, I would argue that she wasn't thinking about the bigger picture. I get she wants to save her friends, but killing so many people, good people, without them even being able to get a choice like the people on the Ark, may not have been the best call.
I keep wondering could Bellamy created a leak (or whatever he did to leak the radiation) even if they knew they had a mole inside mt weather? Clarke and Lexa could have evacuated the area, and Bellamy could have done what he was going to do before anything were to happen or them to find him.
Thank you for your words! I agree with every single of them.
ReplyDeleteThe 100 has done such an outstanding job; given its budget and network you'd think this would look stale and that they'd try to do something that's just entertaining, but the cast and crew have gone millions of extra miles to deliver what's one of the best network shows.
I had no idea about the dump trucks, these guys are amazing!
I hope they get more recognition, they deserve it
I understand your point, but there's a couple of things to consider:
ReplyDelete1-There's not only the 47, but also the grounders locked up in cages, which are likely to be killed off once the 47 are all drained of their bone marrows.
2-The impact of the missile was limited as Clarke and Lexa prepared the troups to go to the woods at the moment the missile was going to be fired. The deaths on Tondc are likely to be big, but not huge, maybe even less than the people trapped in Mt Weather - though we need an official number to make sure of that.
3-Losing Bellamy on the inside means they can't deactivate the acid fog and that they can't get near Mt Weather, while they can strike them at any time.
4- At least on the grounder's side, the war with Mt Weather has been going on for a while, and Clarke has no way to know that they'd be safe from them in the future even if they get the bone marrow they wanted and start walking through the ground.
So I think Lexa and Clarke chose to let the missile strike based on the importance of defeating Mt Weather; on the longterm they are a dangerous enemy, so getting rid of them now means saving the people there and eliminating a threat of future losses.
That being said, however, I think if I was in Clarke's position I would have risked it and gone with the start a fire alternative, as an excuse for the meeting not to take place while looking for the guy giving the coordinates to try avoid future strikes. But that may have been a truly risky move as it could have got Bellamy caught at the simplest mistep.
So it's really not easy to call it a right or a wrong; I think Abby is right too, but I don't think Clarke necessarily took the wrong choice; should things have gone awry, they could have lost everything
If Bellamy caused the radiation breach before Cage launched the missile the whole episode may have ended quite different, it would have been a much happier ending so to say, but that's not how this show rolls.
ReplyDeleteThe next episode will be truly interesting: we are going to see the consequences of the missile strike and there'll be lots of talks about wherever the right or wrong choice was made. That's something awesome about this show; it always generates a lot of deep discussion
Yep, it was truly awesome :)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't go as far as say Clarke went about it without hesitation, she was pretty against it until the moment she came to realize she had no choice. I mean, she had, but that's how she saw it. I think Abby is right when she says they both crossed the line, but what if the line had to be crossed to win? And if so, do they deserve to win after all? I like that the show is popping up all these questions. I honestly think that this will haunt Clarke even more than killing Finn, because that was a mercy kill, but here the people were sacrificed for the longterm victory.
ReplyDeleteI think Clarke's initial idea of making a fire is the way I would have approached the situation, but that may have backfired too, who knows?
Another interesting thing to notice is how much Lexa is influencing the way Clarke sees the world and the decisions she makes. On one hand she has become a really firm leader, but on the other hand her moral compass has lost its north. So where will Clarke end up? We can't know, and that's the best thing about it.
I already wrote my thoughts on Murphy above, so Octavia: I think she just wants to become strong after being trapped that much time in the ark and honestly a bit useless in the first half of season 1. She sees the grounders as strong people and after spending a lot of time with Lincon it just became a part of her. She is on both sides, the grounders and the sky people, so it is really interesting to me to see which side is she swaying and how she tries to harden and better herself
Agreed. It's absolutely possible that the numbers don't add up right now but they very well could be in the future. I've seen several places including some of the writers' tumblrs stating questions such as... If Cage & his soldiers got to the ground would they try & play nice with the grounders and sky people. NO! Him launching this missile proves he will stop at nothing for what he believes is rightfully his. Not just getting the ground, but claiming it. Mt.Weather is no longer just a rescue mission for the 47 & the grounders in cage. The war is much bigger than that and the threat could be long lasting unless they are defeated... which in the promo Clarke states she wants all the mountain men dead. Assuming she's not talking about the innocent&children and just all the soldiers&Cage/Dante.. That is what could possibly need to be be done for safety. I don't know what I do have done in Clarke position. But its not simply sacrificing tondc over Bellamy&the47 its much bigger than that. And also Clarke may have 'tried to justify' her actions... but ever single episodes since Finn's death we've seen her losing it during times which I am certain will come to a head before the finale is over. I'm having difficulty seeing people judge Clarke's decisions when she's human & even if she did make the wrong judgemental call.. there is still story to tell & we will so obviously see this affect her more than just justifying her actions
ReplyDeleteI also thought about the innocent and the children when Clarke said she wants to kill them all; she knows they are there, will she be willing to kill them as well?
ReplyDeleteWe can judge Clarke all we want, but the great thing done with her character is that she feels incredibly human, beyond a TV character per se, and that's been both due to the strenght of the script and Eliza Taylor's outstanding performance
It hit me what Lexa said, that Clarke subconsciously knew they were gonna do it that way, that's why she didn't storm in there telling everyone to leave asap. That's why I said almost no second thoughts. Of course she did seem opposed and shocked at first, but yeah, subconsciously she might have felt it was gonna happen from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right about Octavia wanting to be strong and take the situation into her own hands after her miserable life on the Arc, but the way she does it still annoys me. Also like I said, I wish we could see more of her inner struggle, like we see the insides of Clarke and Bellamy.
Deep down Clarke really thought there was no other way out, but until the end of the episode she kept looking for alternative routes to go about this, so I don't think she was all in, even when she was sure it had to be done. There's little that can be done about the subconscious, what keeps Clarke from being an actual monster is how conflicted she was about the whole thing and how she desperately tried to find a solution, even when there was a side of her that already came to accept the idea of letting the missile strike.
ReplyDeleteI think there is room to improve the way Octavia's storyline is treated, though I haven't had any troubles with it. I think her inner struggle may have been pushed a little due to the exploration of all the other storylines, but I still like the way she has come from the pilot to now; seeing her path to become a warrior is far more interesting and fruitful than the way she was in the beginning.
My prediction is that Lexa is the one that may once again want to sacrifice the innocent like she did with tondc but Clarke will learn from this experience. The synopsis for the following 2 episodes have stated tension between the two & I am praying Clarke will stand on her own without influence from Lexa and find a better way. It would make sense in her development. But if the writers push Clarke to a literal breaking point I really wouldn't be surprised either. She does feel so human I agree & I love it. But to me a breakdown seems inevitable even if she manages to find the best way to take down Mt.Weather.
ReplyDeleteI already posted but I have to ask ya'll... Did anyone else find the pacing/ time sequence of the episode questionable. When Clarke&Lexa enter the subway station it is light out. After they enter & decide to leave it is still light out when Octavia is watching the perimeter and comes across Lincoln. Then it is dark out when Clarke & Lexa are mere inches from the entrance of tondc. What exactly were they doing in the meantime? I believe Clarke would have justified her actions of letting the missile hit but I just cannot believe that she would leave Octavia & Kane to die for strategic decisions. If Clarke had seen Octavia or Kane instead of Abby in that moment are we seriously supposed to believe Clarke wouldn't have grabbed & pleaded with them to leave as she did Abby... She would have grabbed them, so why wouldn't she have tried to find them before? I believe she would have.. or possibly did. Plus Jason tweeted something about "Clarke did not know where Octavia was" does that imply she did look for her? Because THAT would make sense to me. Just like Clarke tried to find alternatives such as finding the shooter at the last minute. Clarke would have been able to justify leaving Octavia & Kane if she tried her best.. just like she justified closing the dropship with Finn&Bellamy. Leaving Octavia and Kane to keep a secret just seems completely out of character for me which is why I question if there was an actual error with the episode. I don't care how hardened Clarke's experiences have made her. It just does not add up.
ReplyDeleteThat is definitely true, but I suppose that's what makes it great. The show doesn't want to take the easy route of the "happy ending" and instead takes the more complex route that will have more consequences.
ReplyDeleteYep, if it took those exits it wouldn't be as impresive as it is
ReplyDelete"I believe this is what they call having faith John" kinda made me think of LOST...
ReplyDeleteThere are hundreds or thousands of grounders in Mt. Weather. And there were barely any sky people at Tondc.
ReplyDeleteAlmost no seconds htoughts? She spent the whole episode trying to think of another plan. Even after they left the village she came up with the idea to find the guy and redirect the missilie. She fought against it until the last second.
ReplyDeleteI don't like how the writers make it seem that to be a Grounder, you have to be violent. Like with Octavia punching Lincoln for no good reason. They also make it seem like Grounders have to be emotionless. Lexa, Indra, Anya....and now Octavia is becoming cold.
ReplyDeleteShe wasn't oppsed just at the beginning, at the end after they left she say they could find the guy and redirect it.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just about saving the 47. It's also about saving the Grounders there and also about defeating Mount Weather. If they don't win this war, Cage will kill all of the 47 and Grounders, they will come up to live on the groundm and take over all of them. This wasn't to save the 47, but to ultimately win the war.
ReplyDeleteFinn really would have no room to judge as he killed 18 for no reason. Lexa and Clarke had a reason.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just 47. It's also all the Grounders locked in cages. It's also to win the war and stop the threat for good. So it will be worth it.
ReplyDeleteFinn was delusional when he killed all those people. He had a serve PTSD at least.
ReplyDeleteWhile Clarke made this decision straight. I know this is a war and there is greater good behind this but as said this was more about her change and how different she would do 20eps ago.
I completely forgot about the grounders in the cages.
ReplyDeleteFor Clarke it was about saving her friends, at first. For the grounders is about fending themself from a long time enemy that caged their people and turned some others into reapers.
ReplyDeleteAt this point the war against Mt Weather is not just a rescue mission, but eliminating the threat. If the Mountain Men walk into the ground they will still be an enemy, and they are most likely going to fight the grounders and the sky people.
So this isn't just a rescue mission, at least not anymore, and the decision made was so they could win a war to eliminate a long term threat.
I believe letting the missile strike wasn't the way to go, but doing differently may have risked the whole thing. If I was on Clarke's shoes I'd start a fire, but wouldn't it be suspicious that it started just when Mt Weather decided to launch a missile strike? Granted, it could have been an accident, but I've seen enough shows in which it can be told when the fire was caused on purpose. I'd have taken that risk, but the minimun risk in terms on not letting them find Bellamy was letting the missile strike. And through the episode Clarke looked for alternatives, but none of them were less risky; maybe if she had more time she would have come up with something, but as things were at the time, she didn't come up with anything she let the missile strike.
It's attrocious, but it is not necessarily the wrong way to go about winning the war. The question remains: do they deserve to win it now?
Well... since they (the writers) are the ones making the rules, I'd say they don't make it "seem" that grounders are violent. The grounders ARE violent and emotionless (sort of), that's the whole point. That's who they are. They're not supposed to be loveable. Remember in season 1 they were the kids' main enemy. They killed a lot out of the 100. They are violent and dangerous and just because the sky people have a truce with them, doesn't mean they're now gonna become anything else. I'm actually surprised how quickly everyone went on to love the grounders and forgive them for everything they did in season 1. At this point, the grounders have killed countless sky people and the 100 have killed countless grounders. Up until the previous episode, the mountain people did not kill any of the 100 and yet everyone is hating on the Mt Weather people (only few of whom are actually dangerous) and loving the grounders (most of whom are dangerous). Gotta love the logic of this show's fans.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all of that, my opinion of Octavia stands. She's way too eager to become a grounder whereas she should be loyal to her own people.
That's was my favourite quote of the week. And his look as he said it was priceless.
ReplyDeleteBut the fact that the "friends" are dead strengths the alliance.
ReplyDeleteI thought the b!tch doctor's name was Singh? Oh well...Regardless, I'm glad she's capital D-O-N-E-Z-O! Bwahahaha!
ReplyDeleteI was like "Oh sh!t! Oh sh!t! Oh sh!t! Oh sh!t! Oh sh!t!", just every emotion of glee and happiness you can never imagine feeling until seeing the look of that witch doctor's face.
Boom!
Clarke had too many things on her mind. But thankfully the sci fi gods allowed the show to let certain characters wonder off long enough not to be among those hit by that missile.
ReplyDeleteYet again, this is The 100 saying F-U to sci-fi conventions. I love it! :D
And Singh responded: "NAAAAAAAAAWWWWW!"
ReplyDeleteIn a way, her people have always seen her as an outcast, being the one-half of the Arkers' sole pair of siblings. There's not much of a place she could be a part of unless she works hard to earn it.
ReplyDeleteRe: Octavia. It could have been worse for her, had the show stuck with Octavia's drug addiction in the first book. But I love that they sort of incorporated that part of her original character trait and transplanted it into Lincoln, and now she's the one telling him that he's stronger than some addictive drug.
ReplyDeleteI really need to get my hands on the book! I've wanting for a while, I'm really intrigued by how much the two versions differ
ReplyDeletehahaha yes I do agree with you. It's tragic that it happened... but really all the people complaining about Clarke and the missile have to question how much less effective the episode would have been if the missile DIDN't hit. This is why we love this show. For it going there. You can say its sad & tragic but you can't say that moment was part of many brave moments that makes the 100 such a brave & exciting show. Luckily its just television lol so I don't feel horrible for it happening in the story.
ReplyDelete