The final quarter of The 100's third season kicked off in spectacular style last night on The CW. "Join or Die" combined a magnificent storyline with season best production quality as the series enters yet another new chapter. Dean White directed the episode written by Julie Benson & Shawna Benson.
Continuity between episodes has been a bit unorthodox in the past few weeks, with the episodes tending to alternate between the Polis storyline and the Arkadia storyline. With last week's episode bringing the two much closer than before, last night's episode did not miss the opportunity to run both storylines simultaneously, which enhanced the viewing experience greatly.
With Jaha making himself known to the fraudulent Commander Ontari, the brutal, yet beautiful opening few moments portrayed how much had changed in very little time in Polis. The streets were covered in blood, and multiple crucifixions were taking place everywhere. The members of the City of Light were well and truly in charge. Pike and Kane were led through the gory scene to Jaha and Ontari, where the first of their attempts to convince Kane to swallow the chip that connects him to the City of Light would be made.
After the title sequence, the first of the episode's excellent flashbacks depicted the initial stages of the plan to send 99 convicted teenagers to the ground six months prior to the present day. Jaha, along with Kane and Abby, called Earth Skills teacher Pike to a meeting where he was instructed to give the teenagers a crash course on earth skills to prepare them for life on the ground. The almighty catch from Pike's perspective is that the kids didn't know of their impending descent, and he wasn't allowed to tell them.
The flashbacks depicted a completely different man to the one we've witnessed wreaking havoc on Arkadia and its surrounds in the middle part of the season. Pike was submissive, and obeyed his superiors completely despite the obvious challenges he pointed out. This decision, which was, in his mind, ridiculous, definitely shaped the way he rose to lead Farm Station when they hit the ground, and later Commander of Arkadia. He saw the way leadership should not be done, so he put himself in a leadership position so he could lead in a way he perceived as superior. While some would argue that developing the character further at this point in the season isn't going to do much, the character was only one gear in the flashbacks machine in this episode. More on that later.
The scenes in the past and at Polis weren't the only things to take place last night. We rejoined Clarke, Bellamy, Monty and Jasper on their quest to hand over the Flame to the sole Nightblood, Luna. Working off Lincoln's sketched map, the quad traveled in the rover for a short time before disembarking and continuing on foot. The filming locations for this part of the episode were very well selected, and it wasn't long before the group arrived at the coastline. After Octavia lit a fire using the same method taught by Pike in Earth Skills class, by accident they discovered that a particular branch gave off a green flame when burned. Lincoln's book confirmed that this was how the Boat People should be signaled.
One of the episode's most important scenes followed not long after. Tired of Octavia's relentless hatred, Bellamy took a walk, and Clarke joined some time later. In Episode 11's review I discussed Clarke's failure to lend Bellamy some wise words on how to deal with the emotional and psychological trauma he had experienced while serving under Pike's command. This time, however, Clarke didn't miss out despite Bellamy's initial attitude.
Spot on, but the best was yet to come:
Clarke nailed it here. While Bellamy may not have wanted to hear that, he definitely needed to. Octavia's forgiveness may be some way off yet, but if Bellamy can forgive himself and come to terms with his actions, that's really all that matters. This was good character development here.
For 'Bellarke' shippers, this is a very good sign, but Clarke and Bellamy have a mission to complete first. Shortly after their embrace here, the Boat People made themselves known. Just like Navy SEALS, they exited the water and ambushed the group. Fortunately Octavia was able to negotiate peacefully, and once they swallowed a potion which rendered them unconscious, the next thing they knew, they woke up in a shipping container, which was perched upon a derelict oil rig.
Moments later, Luna emerged. She looked just like how Lincoln sketched her in his book. Clarke quickly explained that she was entrusted with the Flame by Titus and beckoned her to take the Flame, but she simply said no. The group, Clarke especially, were left stumped. They had taken so many risks for nothing. The silver lining, however, is that the group's interactions with the Boat People are only just getting started, and I'm waiting in earnest to see what will happen next. Nadia Hilker is an exciting addition to the series' guest cast lineup too.
Back to Polis now, where things took a dramatic turn for Pike and Kane. Pike spent much of the remainder of the episode locked up in a cell with Murphy and Indra among others. Indra managed to work the hoop binding her to the wall loose, and set about avenging the deaths of 300 of her Grounder friends by cutting Pike 300 times. While this was surely symbolic and meaningful for Indra, the whole thing fell a bit flat for me, especially given Pike's defenceless state, and the fact that no matter how many times you cut someone, the number of her friends that it would bring back to life equates to five fifths of bugger all.
The shining light from all of this was the added substance it gave to the flashbacks on board the Ark. During Pike's Earth Skills classes, Murphy was by far the most arrogant and condescending "student". In the cell, Murphy ensured he retained his high horse position, refusing to give Pike any credit for his survival to date. He did manage to convince Indra to conclude her cutting ritual though.
Though Pike was in a bad way when Indra was done with him, Kane would have swapped places with him any day. For some reason Jaha made it his sole mission to get Kane to take the chip and join his City of Light. With ALIE lurking around the entire time, Kane managed to see through Abby's attempt to seduce him, just like Monty did a fortnight ago when he shot and killed his mother. After continuing t resist the chip, Kane was crucified. Dean White's direction here was outstanding, with the special effects team also doing an excellent job. The nails were driven right through Kane's hands and several inches beyond the back end of the timber frame. It was gruesome but also spectacular to watch.
Kane eventually surrendered when Jaha held a gun to Abby's head. It would be the last time both appeared in this episode in present day, but the final flashback scene which was worked into this scene was a series highlight. Backed by a slow cover of Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", we watched the moments prior to the 100 being sent to the ground. Jasper, Murphy and Octavia boarded the drop ship under their own steam, while Clarke, in a sedated state, was stretched aboard. Her mother bid her farewell and attached the bracelet that she resisted heavily when she was known as prisoner 319 in the Skybox, and which would be a source of division and conflict in the days after her landfall. We also saw Bellamy pose as a guard to get on the drop ship to join his sister.
I for one wasn't expecting to see this little bit of time explored at all in the series, but big kudos to Jason Rothenberg and his creative team for making it happen. As a series ages it becomes increasingly important to the integrity of the story create moments which reflect where the series has come from and how it has grown. As a fan from day one it's also very rewarding to watch these scenes and remember that I was a part of that from the beginning - that I was there watching when the series aired for the first time, and the scenes within it connected to something I'm watching now. Two constant themes The 100 has held on to since day one, and which was touched on by Pike in his Earth Skills class is to keep fighting and to never give up. The flashbacks in this episode drove that home once more.
That's as good a place as any to wrap this review up. "Join or Die" goes down as the season's strongest episode so far in my book. A large part of that comes courtesy of the flashbacks, but the exciting introduction of Luna and the Boat People, along with the excellent writing and direction, set design and wardrobe, helps a lot as well. With just three episodes remaining in Season 3, everything is so well set up for an epic 2 part finale following next week's instalment.
As always, please share your thoughts and theories on the episode in the comments below - it's always really interesting hearing what everyone's thinking. You can check out next week's episode promos and press release here.
Continuity between episodes has been a bit unorthodox in the past few weeks, with the episodes tending to alternate between the Polis storyline and the Arkadia storyline. With last week's episode bringing the two much closer than before, last night's episode did not miss the opportunity to run both storylines simultaneously, which enhanced the viewing experience greatly.
With Jaha making himself known to the fraudulent Commander Ontari, the brutal, yet beautiful opening few moments portrayed how much had changed in very little time in Polis. The streets were covered in blood, and multiple crucifixions were taking place everywhere. The members of the City of Light were well and truly in charge. Pike and Kane were led through the gory scene to Jaha and Ontari, where the first of their attempts to convince Kane to swallow the chip that connects him to the City of Light would be made.
After the title sequence, the first of the episode's excellent flashbacks depicted the initial stages of the plan to send 99 convicted teenagers to the ground six months prior to the present day. Jaha, along with Kane and Abby, called Earth Skills teacher Pike to a meeting where he was instructed to give the teenagers a crash course on earth skills to prepare them for life on the ground. The almighty catch from Pike's perspective is that the kids didn't know of their impending descent, and he wasn't allowed to tell them.
Look at this way. You finally get to teach earth skills to kids who might actually use them.
The flashbacks depicted a completely different man to the one we've witnessed wreaking havoc on Arkadia and its surrounds in the middle part of the season. Pike was submissive, and obeyed his superiors completely despite the obvious challenges he pointed out. This decision, which was, in his mind, ridiculous, definitely shaped the way he rose to lead Farm Station when they hit the ground, and later Commander of Arkadia. He saw the way leadership should not be done, so he put himself in a leadership position so he could lead in a way he perceived as superior. While some would argue that developing the character further at this point in the season isn't going to do much, the character was only one gear in the flashbacks machine in this episode. More on that later.
The scenes in the past and at Polis weren't the only things to take place last night. We rejoined Clarke, Bellamy, Monty and Jasper on their quest to hand over the Flame to the sole Nightblood, Luna. Working off Lincoln's sketched map, the quad traveled in the rover for a short time before disembarking and continuing on foot. The filming locations for this part of the episode were very well selected, and it wasn't long before the group arrived at the coastline. After Octavia lit a fire using the same method taught by Pike in Earth Skills class, by accident they discovered that a particular branch gave off a green flame when burned. Lincoln's book confirmed that this was how the Boat People should be signaled.
One of the episode's most important scenes followed not long after. Tired of Octavia's relentless hatred, Bellamy took a walk, and Clarke joined some time later. In Episode 11's review I discussed Clarke's failure to lend Bellamy some wise words on how to deal with the emotional and psychological trauma he had experienced while serving under Pike's command. This time, however, Clarke didn't miss out despite Bellamy's initial attitude.
Give her time Bellamy. There may be blood on your hands but it's not Lincoln's.
Spot on, but the best was yet to come:
Octavia will forgive you eventually. The question is will you forgive yourself.
Clarke nailed it here. While Bellamy may not have wanted to hear that, he definitely needed to. Octavia's forgiveness may be some way off yet, but if Bellamy can forgive himself and come to terms with his actions, that's really all that matters. This was good character development here.
We need each other, Bellamy.
For 'Bellarke' shippers, this is a very good sign, but Clarke and Bellamy have a mission to complete first. Shortly after their embrace here, the Boat People made themselves known. Just like Navy SEALS, they exited the water and ambushed the group. Fortunately Octavia was able to negotiate peacefully, and once they swallowed a potion which rendered them unconscious, the next thing they knew, they woke up in a shipping container, which was perched upon a derelict oil rig.
Moments later, Luna emerged. She looked just like how Lincoln sketched her in his book. Clarke quickly explained that she was entrusted with the Flame by Titus and beckoned her to take the Flame, but she simply said no. The group, Clarke especially, were left stumped. They had taken so many risks for nothing. The silver lining, however, is that the group's interactions with the Boat People are only just getting started, and I'm waiting in earnest to see what will happen next. Nadia Hilker is an exciting addition to the series' guest cast lineup too.
The minute you give up, you're dead.
Back to Polis now, where things took a dramatic turn for Pike and Kane. Pike spent much of the remainder of the episode locked up in a cell with Murphy and Indra among others. Indra managed to work the hoop binding her to the wall loose, and set about avenging the deaths of 300 of her Grounder friends by cutting Pike 300 times. While this was surely symbolic and meaningful for Indra, the whole thing fell a bit flat for me, especially given Pike's defenceless state, and the fact that no matter how many times you cut someone, the number of her friends that it would bring back to life equates to five fifths of bugger all.
The shining light from all of this was the added substance it gave to the flashbacks on board the Ark. During Pike's Earth Skills classes, Murphy was by far the most arrogant and condescending "student". In the cell, Murphy ensured he retained his high horse position, refusing to give Pike any credit for his survival to date. He did manage to convince Indra to conclude her cutting ritual though.
Though Pike was in a bad way when Indra was done with him, Kane would have swapped places with him any day. For some reason Jaha made it his sole mission to get Kane to take the chip and join his City of Light. With ALIE lurking around the entire time, Kane managed to see through Abby's attempt to seduce him, just like Monty did a fortnight ago when he shot and killed his mother. After continuing t resist the chip, Kane was crucified. Dean White's direction here was outstanding, with the special effects team also doing an excellent job. The nails were driven right through Kane's hands and several inches beyond the back end of the timber frame. It was gruesome but also spectacular to watch.
Kane eventually surrendered when Jaha held a gun to Abby's head. It would be the last time both appeared in this episode in present day, but the final flashback scene which was worked into this scene was a series highlight. Backed by a slow cover of Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", we watched the moments prior to the 100 being sent to the ground. Jasper, Murphy and Octavia boarded the drop ship under their own steam, while Clarke, in a sedated state, was stretched aboard. Her mother bid her farewell and attached the bracelet that she resisted heavily when she was known as prisoner 319 in the Skybox, and which would be a source of division and conflict in the days after her landfall. We also saw Bellamy pose as a guard to get on the drop ship to join his sister.
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| Clarke comes to while on the drop ship, noticing the bracelet on her wrist as she sits next to Wells - Series Premiere. |
I for one wasn't expecting to see this little bit of time explored at all in the series, but big kudos to Jason Rothenberg and his creative team for making it happen. As a series ages it becomes increasingly important to the integrity of the story create moments which reflect where the series has come from and how it has grown. As a fan from day one it's also very rewarding to watch these scenes and remember that I was a part of that from the beginning - that I was there watching when the series aired for the first time, and the scenes within it connected to something I'm watching now. Two constant themes The 100 has held on to since day one, and which was touched on by Pike in his Earth Skills class is to keep fighting and to never give up. The flashbacks in this episode drove that home once more.
The minute you give up, you're dead.
That's as good a place as any to wrap this review up. "Join or Die" goes down as the season's strongest episode so far in my book. A large part of that comes courtesy of the flashbacks, but the exciting introduction of Luna and the Boat People, along with the excellent writing and direction, set design and wardrobe, helps a lot as well. With just three episodes remaining in Season 3, everything is so well set up for an epic 2 part finale following next week's instalment.
As always, please share your thoughts and theories on the episode in the comments below - it's always really interesting hearing what everyone's thinking. You can check out next week's episode promos and press release here.
