In the eighth episode of the first season of The 100, THIS IS SO GREAT. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The 100.
Trigger Warning: For drug use, nonconsensual drugging, mention of torture, suicide.
Goddamn. The progression of this season’s story is phenomenal!!! I just love that we don’t have to wait long for things to be addressed. LET ME TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT.
Bellamy
Like the scenes on the last episode, Bellamy’s story in “Day Trip” (OH MY GOD, THE TITLE IS A PUN) is a chance for him to grow as a character, but in a way that acknowledges what he’s done. Honestly, I’m so used to shows that build up attractive villains that are then never held as accountable as everyone else. (Oh, the fandom wars I could cause by naming them. (Buffy.)) But here, The 100 avoids a common trope by forcing Bellamy to confront his actions in “Twilight’s Last Gleaming.” It would have been easier for him to gather supplies and disappear rather than face the fact that he not only tried to assassinate Jaha, but he contributed to the unnecessary deaths of the 320 killed in the Culling.
Of course, the main reason he comes with Clarke to find the supply depot is to avoid the consequences of the assassination. With Octavia totally against him (and for a good reason), why would he stay? What does life hold for him at the drop site? Sure, he’s the unofficial leader, and people adore him. But his time there is limited. Once those from the Ark arrive, he’s dead. Thus, his plan is reasonable because it’s the only other option aside from death. But the hallucinogenic nuts that he and others eat bring out a paranoid guilt in him. Now, we see how the nuts manifest their side affects in others, but I found it significant that Bellamy hallucinates first Jaha, who taunts him about the assassination, but every person killed in the Culling. The show gives us a sequence that felt a lot similar to a zombie horde, and I think it communicated the guilt brilliantly.
Forgiveness is a complicated thing, and I know that’s one of the reasons I appreciated this episode. It’s not any easy thing for Clarke (who we’ll get to) to do, and it’s even more complicated for Bellamy. The people who could have forgiven him for his actions are all dead. Jaha is alive, but I never once thought Jaha would actually forgive Bellamy. No, Bellamy is going to have to live out his life to earn any sort of forgiveness from those affected by what he’d done. It’s a neat contrast with what Clarke’s dad tells her, too. But it’s also satisfying to watch because this show is so willing to take their characters through these sort of stories! How many people have grown and changed already? IN EIGHT EPISODES???
Clarke
Clarke’s story approaches forgiveness from a different angle: What does it take for a person to forgive someone else? I’m frequently bored (or offended) by stories that try to tell me that people are obligated to forgive others because that ultimately makes the pain and trauma about someone else, almost always the perpetrator. In this case, Clarke’s mother and Jaha were responsible for her father’s death, and now? They all know that he died for telling the truth. If he’d been allowed to tell the populace of the Ark the truth, then would any of this have happened?
It’s Clarke’s prerogative to forgive Jaha and especially her mother, and I appreciate that The 100 does not force Clarke into doing so. While high, her father visits her aboard the Ark, and it’s a touching, sad scene. But even when the man tries to compel her to forgive Dr. Griffin, Clarke can’t. AND THAT’S HER RIGHT! Her mother did something that is, for the moment, unforgivable to her, and Clarke should be allowed to process that pain in her own way and in her own time.
Octavia
There’s a clear morality to this show. I’m not saying that The 100 tells us what is absolutely right and absolutely wrong, because I think that’s not at all what’s unfolding on the screen. The show accepts that actions have ramifications, and that these actions can also address complicated moral conundrums. Lincoln – who is now named! – is a perfect demonstration of that. The 100 were faced with a terrible reality: allow Finn to die, or torture Lincoln in order to save him. Neither option is comfortable, and neither options ends well for every person involved. These people chose to save one of their own at the expense of Lincoln, despite that Octavia maintained that he wasn’t trying to hurt her. (Which brings up a million other questions, y’all!)
For Octavia, it was imperative that she do what she could to save this man, to give him a chance to survive, if only because he did the same for her. Octavia is such a fascinating character to me because she’s experiencing true freedom for the first time in her life. At least all of these other kids had some modicum of freedom on the Ark. She’s had none. So what does she choose to do with it? She helps others. She fights for Lincoln’s right to exist. She is fiercely loyal and dedicated. And in a sense, I see her on a parallel path to Clarke, since both characters think of others before themselves.
BUT I STILL HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!!! Why does Lincoln call himself the Enemy??? Why is he so secretive about who he is and what he was doing? Why does Finn let Lincoln escape??? WHY DON’T WE KNOW MORE ABOUT THE GROUNDERS???
The Ark
This episode was light on the Ark scenes, but HOLY SHIT. I think the video connection to the Ark is a valuable addition to the story, since it facilitates a brand new dynamic to the story between the 100 and the Ark. But there is some SHIT afoot on the Ark, and I’m glad that my suspicions about Diana are true. Well, I mean, I’m not like… THRILLED THAT SHE TRIED TO KILL JAHA. But something about her seemed strange. So why? Why does she want Jaha out? She wanted him dead BEFORE she was even a contender. Kane would have taken her place, and Kane is NOT the same character he was back then. So what would motivate her to do this???
I NEED ANSWERS.
The video for “Day Trip” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
– IÂ will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be seasons 1 & 2 of The 100, Death Note, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
