{"id":5653,"date":"2016-06-15T08:00:41","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T15:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5653"},"modified":"2016-06-07T21:54:12","modified_gmt":"2016-06-08T04:54:12","slug":"mark-watches-the-100-s03e02-wanheda-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/06\/mark-watches-the-100-s03e02-wanheda-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘The 100’: S03E02 – Wanheda: Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the second episode of the third season of\u00c2\u00a0The 100<\/i>, LOTS OF PAIN. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0The 100<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

WHEW, THIS IS GOING TO BE A TREK, ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T IT.<\/p>\n

The City of Light<\/b><\/p>\n

I am so confused. SO CONFUSED. I know I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m supposed to be; the show is being extremely coy with this whole plot line. At times, I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s smart; rather than give us everything at once, the writers are revealing the secrets of the City of Light slowly. Unfortunately \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and this is the case across the board \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that means that the writers are filling the space between plot reveals with a lot of really\u00c2\u00a0weird<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0behavior from these characters. Part of the reason I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve enjoyed\u00c2\u00a0The 100<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0so much is that even if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ridiculously dramatic, it was full of characters trying to do their best. They were thrust into terrible situations with no easy solutions, they made the best decisions they could, and then the show dealt with the ramifications of those actions.<\/p>\n

I can still see that in the premiere, but then there are a lot of characters who just do silly, foolish things in order to advance the story. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure why Murphy suddenly trusted Emori after she betrayed them all, but I can excuse that because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a familiar face and Murphy clearly wanted to get as far from Jaha as possible. But once Emori snuck up on Gideon? Yeah, that was just silly. Was she surprised that Gideon fought back? The scene felt designed; it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t felel natural. It was a means to kill Gideon for later purposes. Now, I\u00c2\u00a0am<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0interested in Emori and Murphy because I want to see where they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll go after this. They know that Jaha and Otan are way too far gone to come back, so\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 where to next?<\/p>\n

I STILL DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T GET THE CITY OF LIGHT, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T GET IT AT ALL. So, the backpack device allows Jaha and Otan to access Alie. Is that where the City of Light is, too? How can people\u00c2\u00a0not<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0die there? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing it is some sort of digital city, since Alie can travel into it and out of it, but requires that weird backpack device. I DUNNO, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M JUST THINKING OUT LOUD.<\/p>\n

Mount Weather<\/b><\/p>\n

Now\u00c2\u00a0this<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0was an intriguing plot. Given the set-up for Abby and Lincoln in the previous episode, I find it totally believable that Abby would question her role in Arkadia. She\u00c2\u00a0is<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0spread too thin, and the moral and political challenge of Mount Weather presents her with a chance to do something meaningful and focused. Of course, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a nightmare of an idea. After sneaking into the facility with Octavia, Lincoln, Jackson, and Jasper, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re able to save Nyko. How many others can they save if they modify the terms of the truce to use Mount Weather as a medical facility? IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S A GREAT IDEA, ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T IT? As long as the Grounders are included in it, it could be a way to transform life.<\/p>\n

But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a delicate situation, and given what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening with the Farm Station folks, I imagine this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to be easy to pull off, if they even get a chance to do it in the first place. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also complicated for another reason: Mount Weather represents a terrible thing to a\u00c2\u00a0lot<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0of people. Lincoln reminds them all of this, but then we get to\u00c2\u00a0see<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0what it means to Jasper. IT IS GODDAMN HEARTBREAKING. Yet one of the coolest things about the second half of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wanheda\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is Octavia, who comforts Jasper during his moment of grief. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a beautiful scene that reminded me that these characters were all once very close. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even remember the last time Jasper and Octavia interacted! Yet the scene made sense, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another fine moment in the episode.<\/p>\n

The Farm Section<\/b><\/p>\n

AHHHHHH MORE PEOPLE FROM THE ARK. AND ONE OF THEM IS\u00c2\u00a0MONTY<\/b>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S MOTHER<\/b>. HALLELUJAH. Does this mean Monty gets a story of his own this season? I am hoping it does! Of course, the appearance of the Farm Section folks complicates matters even more because these people have survived the Ice Nation, the most brutal and uncompromising of the Grounders. Thus, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all intensely prejudicial towards the Grounders. I AM SURE YOU CAN SEE THE PROBLEM WITH THIS. Those of Arkadia have managed to maintain a peace with the Grounders because they understand them. The Farm Station folks? Yeah, they HATE the Grounders because all they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever known of them is slaughter. Death. Murder. Torture.<\/p>\n

Oh god, IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S NOT GOING TO GO WELL. I can already see how Pike is going to provide conflict in Arkadia; he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too stubborn to accept that all Grounders aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the same. And I get it! I get that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spent all this time fighting to survive after over 120 of his friends were killed by Grounders. (Assuming Kane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s math is correct.) This world is survival of the fittest in the most absurd sense, and this is how he believes he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll survive.<\/p>\n

Wanheda<\/b><\/p>\n

AHHHHH CLARKE IS SO INTENSE IN THIS EPISODE. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ironic that I wrote about her self-imposed isolation because within minutes of the start of this episode, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back to being violent again. I actually thought she was going to kill Roan, you know??? But the mythology surrounding Clarke at this point in the story is ridiculous enough that I believed someone would nearly drown, nearly get choked to death, and would GET STABBED IN THE STOMACH and\u00c2\u00a0still\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>manage to bring her in. Now, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know much of the Ice Nation beyond their brutality; it sounds like they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve also got an intense mysticism or mythology to their culture, given that they believe that Clarke has some magical power that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll give their leader the power over Death.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s certainly a bit of a twist to the show, which doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t often stray into fantasy. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more of a realistic dystopian world than a fantastical one. So how are they going to address this? What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to happen when they find out Clarke is just one person like them?<\/p>\n

I did want to call foul on that one scene with Bellamy, by the way. The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually check to see if there was anyone else in the subway station. During the video, I tried to argue that he was being impulsive \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which is a\u00c2\u00a0very<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0Bellamy thing to do \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mutually exclusive with being\u00c2\u00a0careful<\/i>. Bellamy is smarter than that, you know? The scene felt like one of those moments where someone does something foolish just to push the plot forward.<\/p>\n

BUT LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S TALK ABOUT THAT PLOT BECAUSE\u00c2\u00a0LEXA<\/i>. I honestly thought Roan was taking Clarke to the Ice Nation. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s far more interesting to me that Roan is a prince in the Ice Nation (!!!!) and that Lexa wanted Clarke to prevent a war from breaking out. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S NOT GONNA WORK, IS IT? Oh god, how is Clarke going to deal with being around Lexa after her betrayal????<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wanheda, Part Two\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a>! 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.<\/b>
\n– I\u00c2\u00a0will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.<\/a>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"