In the first episode of the third season of The 100, IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The 100.
Trigger Warning: For talk of alcoholism, grief.
Whew, I definitely missed this show. A LOT. If you’re still curious about why this show got moved up on the schedule, this post goes in to greater detail (and I announce all the coming double features!). In short: I AM REALLY SCARED ABOUT BEING SPOILED FOR THE THINGS THAT SEEM TO REPEATEDLY HAVE BROKEN THE INTERNET THIS YEAR. I’ve filtered them out, but I still get blocked posts for The 100 in my feed. I don’t know what happened, so HERE GOES.
The City of Light
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, JAHA. I suppose I’m not surprised that Jaha, desperate to atone for his sins aboard the Ark, eager to believe in something greater than himself, would be the one to utterly worship Alie. It’s an absurd idea: Alie “saved†the world by destroying it by nuclear fire in the first place, and somehow, Jaha supports this. Granted, this episode gives the audience the sense that we don’t know quite as much about Alie as Jaha does, so perhaps there is some reason he’s so convinced of her perfection.
Instead, though, the show manages to make JOHN MURPHY the audience’s most identifiable character. After being trapped in an underground bunker for EIGHTY-SIX DAYS (!!!), he immediately rejects everything Jaha has to say AS ANY SENSIBLE PERSON WOULD. My god, I honestly could barely believe how likable Murphy was in this episode because… well, remember how he started out??? Yet his resistance against Jaha is refreshing, and I can see how he’ll be a foil to Jaha’s character. That being said, I also have no idea where this story is going. AT ALL. What does Alie want? What work did she finish? Who are those other people? How did Emori know to arrive? What is that weird chip thing that Jaha offered to Murphy???
Life in Arkadia
In the same three-month span, life in Arkadia actually looks nice. Which is a lot to say, considering how awful things were in the last season. But with the peace brokered in season two, they’re all able to settle down and begin to build a life on Earth again. Much of the worldbuilding we see in this premiere is done quickly, and I appreciate that. We see the gardens as a glimpse while Raven drives the armored truck out of the facility; there’s a shot of the map Kane is using to keep track of their search for Clarke; we discover that the items stored in Mount Weather are being catalogued and “sold.†I LOVE ALL OF THESE DETAILS. THEY ARE VERY SATISFYING.
Of course, I wanted to know what all these characters were up to. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. Some of it wasn’t surprising. Abigail is stretching herself too thin. WHO EXPECTED THAT literally everyone, my friends. I was glad that Raven still wasn’t given some sort of magical cure to her disability, though I’m not sure I see a plot for her this season, at least not yet. (She needs some sort of surgery, apparently.) Bellamy has turned into a natural leader, and I loved seeing his acceptance of Lincoln. IT WARMED MY HEART.
I wish I could say the same of Octavia, who is infuriating in this premiere. That’s unfortunate because I LOVE HER CHARACTER SO MUCH. I just find it really off-putting and inappropriate that she’s decided to make herself the judge of Grounder culture. She’s literally an outsider to this community, so it felt particularly cruel that she would dare judge Lincoln for being practical about THE HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE TO HIM. Like… who is she to tell him he’s no longer a Grounder? Or that he’s betraying his people by wearing that jacket? EVERYONE REJECTED HIM, WHAT IS HE SUPPOSED TO DO?
I was frustrated with Jasper, but I also have far more sympathy for him than for Octavia’s behavior. Grief is a messy, confusing thing. It manifests in people so differently that it’s hard to ever pinpoint exactly how a person will react to loss. In Jasper’s case, it’s not shocking that he took the death of Maya so hard. Her death was fucking awful. It was unnecessary, and yet, it still happened. She was killed to free others, but that doesn’t help Jasper to feel any better, you know? Thus, he relies on alcohol to get through the day. He’s combative. He’s reckless. HE SMILES WHEN AN ICE NATION SCOUT BEGINS TO SLIT HIS THROAT. He’s clearly more that just upset! But I don’t know what solution there is to his grief and anger. He needs an outlet, sure, and I actually thought that the scouting trip itself would provide him with some catharsis. He came alive while singing the Violent Femmes! (As one does.) But it’s not enough, and I am interested to see what the show does with him.
Life in the Wild
Oh, Clarke. I thought that she’d be off with someone else, but the solitary route actually makes a lot more sense for her character. The guilt we saw in her in the season two finale still matters, and my guess is that by going it alone, she can avoid hurting someone else. She’s not a leader anymore; she has no responsibilities other than keeping herself alive; and she can minimize her impact on the lives of others. In essence, her isolation is a form of penance and a safety measure.
Of course, it’s not a complete isolation. We discover that Clarke has been surviving by making secretive trips to a trading post run by Niylah, a new character. While we don’t know much about her – other than her appreciation for Clarke for freeing those in Mount Weather – I am still very excited because OH MY GOD, THEY KISSED, AND THEN THEY HAD SEX, AND THIS IS ALL IN THE VERY FIRST EPISODE OF THE SEASON. Bless!!! It’s so great! And fulfilling! AND HUZZAH TO CANONICAL BISEXUALITY AND QUEERNESS AND WAIT. Did Baize and I hear right? Does Miller have a boyfriend???
Anyway, I’m predicting that by the end of the next episode, Clarke returns to Arkadia. SOMEHOW.
The video for “Wanheda: Part One†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards.
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