In the fifth episode of the third season of\u00c2\u00a0The 100<\/i>, Pike and Bellamy escalate beyond reason, Octavia is amazing, and everything is frustrating. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0The 100<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Trigger Warning: For discussion of ableism.<\/b><\/p>\n
Well, that episode gave me a lot to talk about.<\/p>\n
Pike<\/b><\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a new sensation to be frustrated by this show, and often, that was a way to feel entertained, too. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve enjoyed\u00c2\u00a0The 100<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0because it was inherently about the difficult moral decisions that these characters face, and Pike is certainly not the first character to make stubborn and absurd decisions. Indeed, season one is\u00c2\u00a0full<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0of them, though mostly from the point of view of the teenagers. (Which I feel says a lot about how all the adults are now acting on the show. WHOMP WHOMP.) I want\u00c2\u00a0The 100<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to continue to be challenging, to make me feel like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m watching unique conundrums that bring out the best in a cast of layered, complicated characters.<\/p>\n
For that very reason, I find Pike to be frustrating in a different way. We still have virtually no understanding of who Pike is outside of his militaristic struggle. He is here and in the story to serve one purpose: to push the Sky Crew towards war. I have no idea what his personality is like when he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a war hawk. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what personal stake he has in this conflict aside from some unexplained thirst for violence. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say that he wants revenge for the people who died from the Farm Station; that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a basic but understandable character motivation. However, all those events happened before he ever appeared onscreen. We did not see him or Monty\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother react to them; we did not see them become who they are because of it. We are just asked to accept them as they are, and it feels very weird for a show that is so full of characters who have two full seasons worth of development and growth.<\/p>\n
Pike sounds like a fool. He makes bad decisions that are short-sighted and enraging. He listens to no one else, and the people who surround him are like an echo-chamber, ready to repeat his mantras and his philosophy. He does not come across as many characters in season two did, where they had to make painful, difficult decisions, but we understood\u00c2\u00a0why<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0they were rushing headlong into mistakes. They had emotional motivations that felt plain as day.<\/p>\n
Pike? Not so much. When he talks, he sounds like a writer is sticking words in his mouth, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the same complaint I have for Jaha. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see him as a character so much as I see him as something the writers needed to push the plot where they wanted it to go, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s frustrating in a way that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00c2\u00a0not<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0entertaining.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll give another example.<\/p>\n
Jaha<\/b><\/p>\n
There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a distinct lack of religion and\/or faith in this show, aside from cultural traditions of the Grounders. I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perfectly reasonable\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0interesting for the show to introduce that. Even the timing feels right! After all the horror and the trauma that these people have been through, it makes sense that someone would explore a means for spiritual satisfaction. So I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have an issue with a new element being introduced to the show.<\/p>\n
The problem, however, is that Jaha is written as being deliberately vague in a way that actually hinders his goal. He claims to have found the City of Light, and as far as the viewer can tell, he\u00c2\u00a0did<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0find it. Alie took him there, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen what it looks like, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen how it can apparently resurrect anyone who has died, but only if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ingested one of those tablet things. I think you can guess what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on here from these clues, but the problem I see is that if this place is as great as Jaha says it is,\u00c2\u00a0why the hell does he not just tell them all what it is?<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0Is it a digital paradise? If Alie is an artificial intelligence, and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s making these people the same, is\u00c2\u00a0that<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0why he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being vague?<\/p>\n
All I can see in Jaha\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plotline is a character known for being straightforward and pragmatic being the exact opposite for no apparent reason. In that sense, he feels\u00c2\u00a0written<\/i>. It feels like the writers are saving some big reveal about the City of Light for later, so in order to delay that, they keep Jaha being as unspecific about his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153faith\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as possible. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel natural in the universe, especially when so much of this show has avoided the whole \u00e2\u20ac\u0153miscommunication \/ lack of talking as a conflict\u00e2\u20ac\u009d trope more than most shows.<\/p>\n
But I need to know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on for another reason: Raven. Did this show just magically heal her leg? Just upfront, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of my least favorite story tropes for someone who is disabled, and I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell if that chip is\u00c2\u00a0tricking<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0her into thinking she is better or if it really happened. But Raven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s struggle with her disability was just ended in a matter of seconds, and it has the same affect as Jaha\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s faith: it does not feel natural within the universe. Consequences and ramifications are\u00c2\u00a0The 100<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/i>s bread and butter, and now, Raven has none of them. What role does she play without this struggle? At the same time, I recognize that Raven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plot had become\u00c2\u00a0nothing<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0but her disability, so there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of me eager to see the show give her something else. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to see.<\/p>\n
Bellamy<\/b><\/p>\n
There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a point during his conversation with Clarke \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which was\u00c2\u00a0brilliantly<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0acted, I might add! \u00e2\u20ac\u201c where I began to see Bellamy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s justification for his actions. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unfortunate that something like this didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t happen\u00c2\u00a0before<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0he aligned himself with Pike, as I still couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see how Gina\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death was the one thing to push him towards being a mass murderer. It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hakeldama\u00e2\u20ac\u009d opens with such a horrific and disturbing scene. Pike\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actions are utterly unjustifiable now, and it really doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter to me that Bellamy spared\u00c2\u00a0one<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0Grounder. (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M SO GLAD INDRA IS NOT DEAD I LOVE HER SO MUCH.) He and Pike\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s team snuck up on the sleeping Grounder army \u00e2\u20ac\u201c sent to protect Arkadia!!! \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and slaughtered them, including\u00c2\u00a0every wounded person<\/i>.<\/p>\n
How can someone redeem themselves after that? So that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I was so frustrated with Bellamy up to the scene with Clarke. I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand someone making such a sweeping change in their morality. And yet, there was a moment where the show finally had Bellamy explaining himself in an honest manner. He opens up to Clarke about his distrust of the people who abandoned him and his friends in Mount Weather, forcing them to make the decision that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.\u00c2\u00a0That<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0I understand.\u00c2\u00a0That<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is something that makes utter sense for someone like Bellamy, who thrives on loyalty. So, he has issues with Lexa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s betrayal, fine. He hates that the Ice Queen and the Ice Nation bombed Mount Weather. Also an EXTREMELY valid point. But the writers jump from this to Bellamy slaughtering innocent, sleeping people, locking up all the Grounders who are getting medical care, arresting Lincoln, and then handing Clarke over to Pike.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a stretch. A huge stretch. And I just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get it.<\/p>\n
Peace<\/b><\/p>\n
I still feel very weird about the whole white savior vibe I get from Clarke, despite that I understand that like Octavia, she is an intermediary. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stuck between worlds, and someone has to talk with the Sky Crew and the Grounders. Plus, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s obviously a strong emotional connection between Lexa and Clarke, and Clarke is the main character, so\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the thing. Clarke suggesting peace instead of blood is a bold choice all on its own, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure how that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to work with the world that the writers have built. The main conflict I see is Pike. Even if the Grounders concede to Pike\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hilariously absurd demand of a 15km boundary (NINE MILES IN EVERY DIRECTION, ARE YOU KIDDING ME), there is a 0% chance of that working. Pike has been written as an imperialist. He landed on ground that was not his, claimed it for himself, and is now violently taking and stealing it. (The fact that this was given to a black character makes me feel things. LORD.) I see no peace happening as long as Pike and his army is still operating. Pike will take and take until he has everything.<\/p>\n
So what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the solution? Alie? Another election? Hell, that can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work because we already know that Arkadia has voted against their own interests. (I do wish that were explored more as well, since it would be a compelling story to tell,\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0it would help us understand how a group that was so desperate for peace at the end of season 2 would suddenly reverse their stance.) If Clarke can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t change her people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s minds, who can?<\/p>\n
I did not hate this episode, for the record, even if it sounds super negative. It was entertaining, and OCTAVIA WAS EVERYTHING. Oh my god, even if some of this season\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story frustrates me, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so great seeing her in action. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possible that all of this will come together and make more sense as the show goes on, but this is how it made me feel\u00c2\u00a0now<\/i>.<\/p>\n
The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hakeldama\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> In the fifth episode of the third season of\u00c2\u00a0The 100, Pike and Bellamy escalate beyond reason, Octavia is amazing, and everything is frustrating. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0The 100.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[644],"class_list":["post-5686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-100","tag-mark-watches-the-100"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5686\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\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>
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