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The 100: Long Into an Abyss

Jasper: “And they said we wouldn’t amount to anything.”

If you are a smart adult, especially a parent, there comes a time when you realize that your child or children in general are much smarter than you thought or gave them credit for. Finally, in this episode Abby shows us that she is a smart parent. She has figured out that Clarke knows this world much better than any of the Ark adults and being stranded on this dangerous world has given her some leadership skills.

I have always found it odd that the parents on the Ark were willing to let their children be imprisoned and later executed. What kind of a society do you have when sending 100 children to the surface of a potentially dead planet is a good idea? Mount Weather isn’t much better. At least some of those in leadership positions are willing to disregard the humanity of the 47 – not to mention the Grounders. Even when ‘sacrificing’ one of their own, Dr. Tsing and Cage (Dr. Cylon and First Douchebag – I love these names a la Mark) choose a young person. Why not an older person? The ‘uncivilized’ Grounders seem to be the only society that values their young and the skills and intelligence they can bring to a situation.

That’s why I enjoy this show. Push all the teen romance crap aside and you have an exploration of the different ways that humans can organize themselves under stress. While the Ark looks like it is closest to a democracy it often is more like a military dictatorship. The ways of the Ark have been replicated on the ground with people reporting to their station commander, civilians being largely herded around by the military. Chancellor Jaha still acts like he is running the show even though he messed up royally and hasn’t really been around. Abby gives orders and expects them to be obeyed. You could say that they are under an unusual situation but it was the same on the Ark.

Mount Weather has become an insular society run by heredity. They are an elite bunch who live literally off the blood of others. They seem a happy, co-operative bunch but as Arlo comments, they have been corrupted by their choices. Their concrete coffin is well stocked and well run and they use their technological power to take what they want. All this seems to have made them a bit mad. Remind you of any great colonial power – ever?

The savages – the Grounders, seem the most civilized of the bunch. They are militaristic but as a group. They value the young, the elders, those who can’t protect themselves, even as they all prepare for an on-going war. They seem to at least have honour. For example, I can’t imagine them sending 100 of their young off to check out the viability of a dangerous valley. While the comparisons with current groups and history are pretty transparent, I still enjoy how they are all wrapped up in a story about marginalized teens having value, oh and also romances.

It became clear in this episode that it is those undervalued, marginalized kids (along with a teen commander) who are going to save the day, unless some stupid, power-hungry, sure-they-are-right adults get in the way.

Bits and Pieces

Dr. Tsing is obviously a psychopath. Sending that girl out to die was awful. Cage is in some ways worse. He pretends he’s doing what he must while being just as evil. Ps. won’t someone miss her?

Octavia is becoming quite the badass but I felt sorry for her every time she had to subdue Lincoln.

Clarke is a fast learner and very adaptable (another reason teens are a good choice in new situations). She guessed what the healer was saying.

The Ark people already have a stockade.

I enjoy how the kids can still be kids sometimes. Jasper with the sword was fun.

Will Clarke be able to make the difficult decisions that Lexa would make without even flinching? Will she be able to give them Finn?

Quotes

Jasper: “We find the truth.”
Monty: “How do we do that?”
Jasper: “We’re criminals, right? So let’s be criminals.”

Octavia: “You can’t protect me from this one, big brother.”

Clarke/Nyko: “Yu gonplei ste odon.” (Your fight is over.)

Harper: “Why can’t you watch the hall?”
Jasper: “I’m the mastermind.”

Lexa/Heda: “You’re the one who burned 300 of my warriors alive.”
Clarke: “You’re the one who sent them there to kill us.”

Cage: “This is our world. We deserve this.”

Commander: “Deliver me the one you call Finn. Our truce begins with his death.”

8 comments:

  1. Some of this review is a response to/building on the review of the previous episode 'The Fog of War' by Mark Grieg, although his was much funnier.

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  2. ''Your the one who burn't 300 of my warriors alive''
    ''Your the one who sent them there to kill us''

    I knew immediately that Lexa and Clarke would have excellent scenes.

    Too many great moments in that one scene even from Indra and Lexa's big bodyguard.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXR3LqGDhiQ

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  3. Nice review. I always get excited when I see a new review for The 100.

    Olivia? I think you might have meant to say Octavia?

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  4. Go, Abby! It's about time. I loved Abby versus Jaha. Woo hoo!

    Arlo (I can't remember the Mount Weather president's real name and I bet anyone who doesn't watch Justified is confused :) is already using Grounders as blood bags. Not using the sky kids too is an arbitrary line and the way he looked at that flower, I'm sure he's willing to cross it. If Dr. Cylon weren't doing that already.

    Somebody really should clean out those burned skeletons around the drop ship. It completely screws up the curb appeal and is bound to keep pissing Grounders off.

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  5. Thanks for the heads up anonymous. I have fixed Octavia's name. Not sure why Olivia was stuck in my head.

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  6. I thought the scene between Arlo and Cage gave some very nice shading to the dilemma faced by the people trapped inside Mt. Weather and the way they are weighing which moral compromises are necessary to save their people. I appreciated that they allowed Arlo give voice to how wrong it would be to return to the surface by sacrificing the 47. They aren’t complete monsters.

    That said, the temptation of being above ground does seem like it might eventually wear down Arlo’s objections to using the 47. He is on the slippery slope already, as Billie notes. He’s already compromised his soul by allowing/accepting the sacrifice of the grounders to keep his own people alive --- choosing to think of them as lesser beings, no doubt (aah, colonial powers!). And while the 47 seem more like the Mountain Men then the grounders, these kids aren’t really “his” people in the end.

    At least the grounders aren't letting this Finn thing go. Whew.

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  7. So the Mountain Men are keeping the Reapers dosed with drugs all the time to keep them savage? Sounds like a logistics nightmare, rounding up murderous cannibals every now and then just to keep them murderous. But I'm glad curing Lincoln was that simple.

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  8. All I have to say is: Yes! For God's sake's give them Finn!

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