This is the second episode of The 100, and I really am enjoying the complexity the characters are showing. This show isn’t about just surviving on earth after a nuclear apocalypse; it’s about how our morals and our need for survival can clash. It is about young people figuring out who they are and how to stand for what they believe is right.
After Jasper was severely injured by a grounder (those who survived on earth), the rest of the group hears him scream and have hope he’s still alive. He’s been taken by the grounder as he’s no longer on Mount Weather. Their mission is to find and bring him back to the camp grounds.
As the group is making their way back, Wells is trying to survive the chaos that has erupted on the camp grounds, all thanks to Bellamy. A few minutes into the show and we get to see a huge inner struggle for Wells. Everything that Wells knows are rules. He believes in the law and justice. Wells is one to reason and dialogue before getting into any physical altercation. Surprisingly so, he can defend himself pretty well when it boils down to it. It’s going to be interesting to see Wells explore the limits of his ethics and morals throughout the season; with all the unknown that is left to be discovered, Wells will need to make many choices where he defies everything he once knew about himself. The fact that he is in head over heels in love for Clarke will most definitely be a factor that pushes him to do things he’s never done before.
Bellamy meanwhile is the epitome of an instigator. He has an almost eerie obsession with being in command. Admittedly he does have incredible leadership skills as he has increased the number of prisoners who have taken off their tracker bracelets as the day goes by. Bellamy’s character makes a strong point throughout the episode: there may not be any rules but people will always look for someone to lead and follow. Bellamy knows this and the motivational and manipulative speeches he gives are able to trigger every emotion in the 100. He incites them to rebel, yet they quickly conform under his dictatorship. He knows how to get into people’s head and already he’s getting under Wells’ skin as he insists that Clarke will never notice him as she’s too busy with Quinn. There’s only one person who threatens Bellamy, and that’s Clarke.
She is fierce and not intimidated by anything that crosses her path. She just saw a friend get a spear violently thrust through his body and yet she’s recruiting others to go find him. Clarke is able to convince Bellamy to go as part of the rescue crew for Jasper so that the rest of the 100 can respect him. Quinn and Wells of course wouldn’t let Clarke go alone. When they finally find Jasper’s location, Clarke falls into a trap just as Bellamy is able to grab her arm. As she’s there dangling, you can see in Bellamy’s eyes that he contemplated letting go. Quinn noticed too.
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They’re able to rescue Jasper who has been tied up in a tree almost looking as some kind of ritual. As they’re untying, they encounter some unexpected guests, mutated black panthers that are pouncing through the grass straight to BellamyIt’s actually Wells of all people who pulls out the gun that belonged to Bellamy and shoots the panthers down. He saves Bellamy’s life. That, Bellamy says, will get him noticed by Clarke.
Up in the ark, we see the council is becoming greatly divided. The Chancellor has seen that Wells’ vital signs indicate he is supposedly dead.
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This makes a great moment for Kane to step in to try to take advantage of the Chancellor’s weakness. Kane insists on more population control, which means killing people before more people die, according to him. Abby meanwhile refuses to accept they’re all just simply dying. A space mechanic helps Abby come to the conclusion that they’re just kids taking off the tracking bracelets simply because the ark told them not to. The Chancellor has given Abby ten days to try to prove that the 100 are okay, and the human race can survive on Earth. She turns to the help of this intelligent space mechanic, Raven, who agrees to repair a shuttle to take down to Earth. We see at the end of the episode that somehow she is linked with Quinn. Raven mentions that she will go with Abby because she has someone she cares for down in Earth too. The link to Quinn is because of a pendant that she has on a necklace and that Quinn has too. Hence, Raven is Quinn’s girlfriend?! This is going to get interesting. We love Quinn and Clarke, and although nothing has happened, the attraction is evident.
Octavia is in this episode once again, just being her typical sassy, rebellious, flirty self. This time, she has put her eye on Atom, Bellamy’s trusted assistant and Octavia’s personal chaperone. The chaperone quickly crosses the line. What I did enjoy is that briefly we got to see another layer to Octavia. She was hidden under the floor for 16 years before she was arrested. Octavia’s crime was basically just being born since her mother was only allowed to have one child by law. It makes sense now why she’s just so curious to explore the ground and explore everything in life. She hasn’t really interacted with others, she wants love and attention. We can see her innocence when she kisses Atom for the first time. It revealed that she just put on the sex appeal as an act. She has no idea what she’s doing, she wants to try it all and live in the moment. Hopefully throughout the rest of the season, she’s able to show that there’s more to her than just a pretty girl.
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Unfortunately, Atom’s mistake by mixing business with pleasure is costing him greatly. Bellamy catches them kissing in the forest. He takes Atom and with his posse ties him up hanging from a tree. Bellamy doesn’t like to be disobeyed. Atom just probably became bait for the grounders.
As the episode closes, we are able to get a close-up shot of the grounder. It’s not looking good for the 100. This guy/thing/creature adapted to an apocalypse. The grounders have probably seen so many unimaginable things. Without any other human interaction in the past 97 years, they’re going to be hard to befriend or defeat.
The grounders are capturing our attention for future episodes. But the characters’ choices and growth are keeping us glued to this show.
What did you think of this episode?
Which character is winning you over so far?
Watch The 100 Wednesdays at 9PM ET on the CW.
6.5/10
Gif credits to:
Tumblrs- The 100 Daily http://the100daily.tumblr.com/
The 100 Source http://the100source.tumblr.com/
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