In the fifth episode of the second season of The 100, I know this has become a repetitive refrain, but: WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS SHOW. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The 100.Â
Trigger Warning: For nonconsensual medical procedures.
What the hell. Well, at least I know that The 100 does not plod along. THIS IS SERIOUSLY TOO MUCH.
Lincoln
You know, even if what’s happening to him occurs in a single room, it’s still deeply linked with the story at large. The Mountain Men want to guarantee their own survival at any cost, and that includes maintaining the hellish atmosphere outside of their facility so that no one ever tries to escape. Why would they want? When Reapers and Grounders have free reign outdoors, and a single moment outside could see you meet your death from the “savages” who live there, there’s no incentive to question the safety of Mountain Men’s society. Of course, it goes further than that; the people on the outside are a resource to be exploited, and Lincoln is directly part of that. He’s being changed into a soldier for these people, and I think it’s indicative of how gross they are that he’s called a “thoroughbred.” There’s a long history in this country and others of non-white folks being compared to animals, and this is no exception. Why else do you think Wallace and the others refer to the Grounders as “savages”? It makes them seem less human.
Of course, no one is more inhuman than the Mountain Men.
Many Happy Returns
Seriously, not a single reunion in this episode is happy. Sure, there might be moments of joy as Clarke enters Camp Jaha, but how long do they last? Clarke returns alone, and despite bringing information on the whereabouts of the rest of the 100, the moment is fraught with conflict. Bellamy, Finn, and Octavia are missing; Kane is off to make an attempt at peace with the Grounders, but has no idea that one of their leaders has been killed; Finn and Bellamy are searching for the very person who just showed up in camp.
To top it off, Abby refuses to let any go get Finn, despite that she’s the reason he’s off in the forest, searching for Clarke and the others. I understood that she was in a difficult position here, and I also get why she was so stubborn. She just got her daughter back, and now, Clarke wants to leave. That doesn’t justify the cold treatment she gives Clarke and Bellamy, nor does it wash away her decision to not retrieve Finn. You know, I’d actually forgotten that Abby was made the Chancellor in Kane’s absence, but her scenes in this episode? Yeah, they reminded me of that. Particularly her treatment of Raven. Raven was a lot more sympathetic than I would have been had I been slapped.
Kane
Y’all, he’s the peacemaker in this season. (Or at least one of them.) KANE. THE SAME GUY WHO HAS DONE A MILLION TERRIBLE THINGS IS NOW ON A SOLO MISSION TO BRING PEACE TO THIS WORLD. And for what it’s worth, I found it admirable that he was truly dedicated to gestures of peace. Well, to a point. He did have that guy tied up for nearly a full day. But he gave up his weapons when requested and freed the Grounder, too, and if things had turned out like he thought they would, I imagine that some progress could have been made.
Unfortunately, the man Ark survivors captured? BELONGS TO THE SAME GROUNDERS WHO CAPTURED JAHA. I cannot even begin to fathom where this story is going. JUST… WHAT? WHAT???
Jasper
Look, I wasn’t even a little bit surprised that the “containment breach” in the dorms was intentional. After Jasper and Monty had made it clear that they were going to go after Clarke, it made too much sense. It was a perfect way for Wallace to keep both boys within Mount Weather. Jasper liked Maya far too much to let her die! Which is also painfully tragic because he was willing to drop everything to save the life of someone he barely knew, and yet he was almost entirely uninterested in one of the best people in his whole life. Bless Monty, though. That guy is close as hell to figuring this all out. When’s he gonna get his own story, by the way?
Anyway, here’s to celebrating me being wrong because I WAS SO FUCKING WRONG ABOUT THIS. Perhaps Dr. Tsing really did try to prevent Jasper and Monty from leaving, but her conversation with President Wallace and his son (!!!!) is a million times more fucked up than I knew. Oh my god, Jasper was the first human trial involving one of those from space. AND HOW MUCH YOU WANNA BET THAT THEY’RE GONNA START USING THE 47 NOW ON TOP OF THE GROUNDERS?
What is wrong with these people? Don’t answer that, I ALREADY KNOW WHAT.
Finn
Look, I’m not going to say that I totally saw the end of this episode coming. I didn’t, and it still shocks me to think about it. But I think that this was inevitable at this point as Finn became more and more convinced of a very specific narrative. In his mind, he’d already concluded that these Grounders had his friends; he’d already justified his use of violence and his murder of that informant because it meant that those he cared about were “safe.” He experienced grief and loss in rapid succession. He’d been dropped into a hellish nightmare, and he probably genuinely believed that he was trying to save Clarke and the others.
None of this justifies what he does to the Grounders in that village. Y’all, when JOHN MURPHY, of ALL PEOPLE, is telling you that violence is a bad fucking idea, perhaps your moral compass has strayed just a little bit. Yet Finn is so convinced of himself and then so utterly shamed by being wrong that his trigger finger gets the best of them. Like, I can’t even imagine a more haunting ending to “Human Trials” than this one. Finn guns down countless people, all of whom are innocent, and then he watches as Finn, Bellamy, and Clarke appear on the horizon. He just killed all those people for nothing.
What the fuck is wrong with this show.
The video for “Human Trials” 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!
