In the second episode of the second season of The 100, Clarke challenges her captors, while the Ark survivors try to determine their next move. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The 100.Â
Trigger Warning: For torture, body horror, nonconsensual medical procedures.
Despite that I knew something was wrong, I DID NOT EXPECT IT TO BE THIS.
Octavia
CAN ONE GOOD THING HAPPEN TO THESE PEOPLE, I SWEAR. There’s something entertaining in watching her transformation here, and I think part of that comes from the fact that Octavia knows she is playing a role. After recovering from the poison, she immediately turns on Nyko, despite knowing that he just did something wonderful for his friend Lincoln. She doesn’t do this out of cruelty, but necessity. She thanks Nyko for saving her, then believably threatens to slit his throat in order to get Lincoln back. She even whispers an apology to him, and I think that is a great demonstration of who she is. She doesn’t want to turn into a ruthless, uncaring person, but she’s also fiercely loyal.
AND THEN NYKO AND LINCOLN ARE KIDNAPPED BY REAPERS. WHAT THE FUCK. They were targeted, too, since the village’s leader (whose name I did not catch) and Octavia were spared. That had to be intentional, right? Right???
Jaha
I can’t believe that I actually said that he was initially hallucinating the baby crying and then I TOTALLY FELL FOR IT. I’m glad that Jaha survives; I found Wells’s inclusion here to be both touching and slightly infuriating. And I think that there’s probably no one single storyline with the most potential than Jaha’s. Here’s the leader who sacrificed himself so that humanity could survive, and now he’s found a way down to Earth all by himself. And apparently, he crashed in a desert in New York City. (I’m still guessing the remains of that bridge under the sand is the Brooklyn Bridge.) Where does he go? How does he survive? How much more information will we get on the rest of the world? I’m hoping that the new opening credits (WHICH ARE GORGEOUS) are another hint that we won’t just be stuck in the Washington, D.C. area.
MORE PLEASE.
Camp Jaha
So, Baize is certain that Kane is going to get worse, but I’m not so sure of that. I can’t deny that we’re seeing elements of his old behavior come out now that he’s in charge. He’s stubborn, forceful, and demanding, but to a point. And I think that there’s something admirable in the fact that he’s willing to plan things out instead of rushing forward into the unknown. If anything, I’d say that’s how he’s changed since his time on the Ark. He’s reluctant for the first time in his life. That being said, he doesn’t have the same emotional stake in this as Dr. Griffin or Nathan Miller’s dad do. They’re much more aware of the need for urgency because their children are at risk of… well, whatever horror they imagine the Grounders have in store for them.
Of course, that’s the dramatic frustration provided by “Inclement Weather.” These people don’t even have the Mountain Men on their radar. How are they going to find the 48? How are they going to deal with the pissed off Grounders who have survived, but had nothing to do with the disappearance of the others? And what of Murphy? Can he actually contribute in a meaningful way without being a backstabber disaster?
Mount Weather
I just love Clarke so much.
Do I think Jasper and the others were threatened by Dante and his staff? No, I don’t. I think the dichotomy we’re seeing here – Clarke versus literally everyone else – is a sign of something more than just the fear that might come from the President. I think that it’s the absence of fear that has made all of these people so complacent. Aside from a few momentary brushes with the outside world, the vast majority of people within Mount Weather have never experienced the kind of terror that the outsiders have. So what happens when the 48 are introduced to the serene, orderly, and structured world of Mount Weather?
They adapt. Easily. And it’s a simple thing to do because it just involves very little effort on their part. They eat delicious food, they socialize with their friends, both new and old, and they stay indoors. That’s not enough for Clarke by any means, and yet she can’t even find a single person to join her on her quest to locate their friends. It’s scary to think of how quickly the 48 came to trust these people, but I get it. I get why any of them would just want a break from it all!
However, my mind went to the same places that Clarke’s did, no matter how many times Dante or anyone else tried to direct her elsewhere. I don’t believe the arrow wound was an arrow wound. I don’t believe practically anything Dante says. How can I? He keeps trying to suggest that Clarke doesn’t understand what she saw; he speaks to her like she’s a child; and HE’S SO FUCKING CREEPY. Look, I’m not expecting anyone to just tell an outsider and a stranger how everything runs. That’s unrealistic and an unfair expectation of Dante. However, I feel like his behavior is suspicious enough to warrant mistrust. Add to that the miraculous healing that one soldier goes through, and you’ve got all the right pieces that inspire Clarke to find out what’s actually going on in Mount Weather.
The “Omelas” reference I made in the last review is appropriate because I knew that there was no way that a society could portray such perfection without some awful secret. And my god, IT’S SO MUCH WORSE THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS. If all the residents of Mount Weather have that shunt, does that mean they actually are resistant to radiation? Can you pass that along via blood? Or does the blood of Grounders simply heal those who are not as genetically advanced as they are? Regardless, that image of all those cages full of humans is one of the most disturbing things this show has ever done. AND ANYA IS THERE, TOO. My god, how long have the Mountain Men been doing this? This has to be why the Grounders were so scared of them.
SO FUCKED UP.
The video for “Inclement Weather” 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.
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