Sometimes in life good things take time, and this often applies to the wonderful world of television, especially when season premieres are involved. Returning for its fourth season last night, CW's The 100 comprehensively nailed many aspects of its season opener, titled "Echoes", which was superbly written by showrunner Jason Rothenberg and directed by Dean White.
First up, the absence of any form of time jump was brilliant. I don't have the time to rewatch an entire season before the next one starts, so I was stoked that watching Season 3's two-part finale was more than enough to refresh my memory on what had happened and what could be expected. The aftermath of the City of Light being destroyed was, as expected, the first thing that greeted us. Octavia completed her descent down the tower and rushed to Indra's aid. Blood, bodies and walking wounded were everywhere as the feeling of pain once again became a reality for those infected by ALIE. Clarke and Bellamy arrived moments later to survey the damage for themselves. Bellamy's fears that his sister may be charged for slaying Pike a short time earlier (back in Season 3) soon fell rapidly down his list of concerns as the season's first physical conflict kicked off.
The source of that conflict was none other than Roan. Clarke and Abby discovered the Azgeda king lying dying not far from the tower. Almost immediately, Echo appeared along with a few dozen soldiers. Assuming Roan was dead, she wasted no time ascending to power and throwing her weight around. Threats were made against the safety and wellbeing of Skaikru and Trikru, with much of the episode's plot centered around the outcomes of this.
This conflict was one of my favorite aspects of the premiere. It's not uncommon in television for new enemies and alliances to simply come out of left field at the beginning of a new season, and I had been expecting Rothenberg to adopt this more conventional approach given the nature of this series. Surprisingly, he didn't, and the premiere and Season 4 as a whole will be better off for it. Just like old times, it's Azgeda versus Skaikru. It's the same people, with the same motives. No new names, places and motives. It's simple, clean, and highly watchable, and I'll discuss more on that shortly.
The premiere's B-plot was also simple, clean, and highly watchable. Following on from last season, Raven, Monty, Jasper and Harper remained stationed at Arkadia, having shut down ALIE a short time earlier (back in Season 3). The intensity was substantially reduced, but it's now radiation which is intensifying. Raven discovered that the purpose for ALIE's construction was to protect the remainder of the Earth-based population from some two dozen nuclear mega-reactors which were due to expire in six months. Earth's radiation levels are rising, but the population is safe at present due to their increased tolerance of radiation thanks to the environments they live in.
We didn't survive this long just to let a little radiation take us out.
This will no doubt be one of the season's biggest enduring storylines, but I'm all for it. Unlike the City of Light, a nuclear disaster is relatable and understandable. It can be explained in facts and in reality without the need for a vague and confusing alternate state to aid the storytelling. It also has a degree of realism to it, and Raven even mentioned another Fukishima nuclear disaster prior to the year 2048 as the reason the mega-reactors were constructed. While the City of Light was good on the whole, on paper this is already destined to be better. It's my kind of storyline, and I'm super excited to see how it's told.
So, we have clearly defined sides in Skaikru versus Azgeda, and a clearly defined long term storyline in the threat to the future of the populous due to an impending nuclear meltdown, but what's the conflict between Skaikru and Azgeda going to base itself around? For now, it's politics, and so long as it's done well, I'm ok with that. Though it was a bit corny in the medical science department, seeing Octavia trojan horse her way into the room where Roan was being cared for was cleverly done. Abby and Clarke went to work trying to revive Roan while Bellamy held firm outside as he tried to negotiate a truce with Echo. The most predictable, and poorest moment in the episode, followed when Roan came to just in time to spare his one-time friends. That was quickly made up for when Clarke gave an impassioned plea to Roan to spare her people. He relented, but Clarke had to hand over the Flame to lock that in. The current state of affairs sees Roan remain King, though in his words that's more or less temporary until another Nightblood can ascend to the throne and take the Flame.
I let you live, I'll be dead in six days, not six months.
For the sake of fan service, Lexa's passing was poignantly remembered when Clarke broke down in her mother's arms and stated that she loved her, knowing that she was going to have to give the Flame - her only connection to Lexa - away to Roan. It was also Lexa's truce which Clarke pleaded with Roan to preserve, which ensures that Skaikru are considered a thirteenth clan. The Flame looks like it's hanging around for the time being, so how this story is brought full circle should be interesting. I'm going to go out on a limb early on and say Clarke regains possession of the Flame at some stage this season.
I was particularly curious to get a look at how the characters may evolve this season, and I was largely pleased with what I saw. Early on, Clarke and Bellamy were operating closely together. Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley were both standouts in their portrayals of the lead duo, with the chemistry between the pair being more nuanced and subtle. For once the pair are also sharing the same burden, with one of the key aspects of the season's enduring nuclear meltdown storyline being that it isn't widely known about. If Azgeda find out, Roan won't have any chance controlling his people, and Skaikru will be in jeopardy once more.
Looks like saving the world will have to wait.
It was also great having the Arkadia team in the form of Raven, Jasper, Monty and Harper at the front and center of this too. In Raven's case, her leg looks to be deteriorating. Jasper was on the brink of checking out completely, which was out of character and a sign of yet another stint with an altered mental state. On a brighter note, Monty and Harper made things official which was really good to see.
It's hard to pick which direction Octavia will head this season. Aside from her trojan horse moment her presence wasn't felt significantly. Abby and Kane appear much more comfortable with each other, and Clarke responded positively to that too.
However it was Jaha and Murphy which I had the highest hopes for, but those hopes weren't delivered on. It was Jaha who brought the parasite that was ALIE into his population, but when everyone left that world and re-entered reality, Jaha faced no admonishment whatsoever aside from being spat in the face by a grieving woman and verbally dug at by Murphy. If ALIE wasn't the biggest scam in the history of The Ark or even prior to that, then I don't know what could be. In saying this, Jaha wasn't forgiven either, and with ALIE gone he looks more expendable than previously. Karma may not be far away for him. Time will surely tell.
In Murphy's case, he was there or thereabouts in some of the premiere's bigger moments, but I really want him to get his head out of the sand and become involved with the top level characters. He's got the brutally logical brain and the associated with to make things more dynamic. His invitation to Emori to return to Arkadia with him was interesting, though it may be a way for the writers to fill the hole left by Lincoln in terms of having outsiders living with Skaikru.
The closing scene the premiere left us with was very ominous. A badly weathered woman in the Egyptian desert was incinerated by a swirling wall of superheated gases. It's hard to work out what this is referring to with any degree of certainty, but for now, it's safe to say it's nasty.
In summary, this Season 4 premiere was very good all round. I'm a massive fan of the simplified, more realistic enduring story that looks to be shaping up. Retaining just the two sides in Azgeda and Skaikru for now is also a massive plus. How many of the characters look to be evolving is also satisfying for the most part. Technically, the script was solid, and the acting, directing, cinematography and special effects were also up to a high standard. The score in particular stood out, with a new more complex flavor.
But The 100 is into its fourth season now. It's reached a milestone that's becoming increasingly hard to achieve these days. While this premiere is promising, I still think The 100 is yet to come of age. It's built a better platform than most to do that though. What I hope the showrunners understand is that this series has much more potential outside of its body count, teen romances and fight scenes. The flashbacks this series can pull off are always brilliant, and they're being used too sparingly in the later seasons. The characters aren't getting enough individual moments of reflection or insight as the story moves too fast for it to occur. A few more simple, poignant and delicate touches wouldn't go amiss. The potential is absolutely there - more than most series of its age and caliber. It just has be to capitalized upon.
One more thing. Man, this episode was short. It came in at just under 41 minutes total, including a 1:25 long recap of the last season.
I'll end things there for this review of the Season 4 premiere of The 100. I'd love to hear your thoughts, theories and points of discussion for this episode so please head down to the comments below to share them. The next 3 or so months should be quite a roller coaster. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all back here next week for The 100's second episode, titled "Heavy Lies the Crown". You can find out all you need to know about that episode right here.
