The 100 Pilot and Episode 1 Earth Skills - E4

[Sally Ann Melia]

The 100 Pilot has perhaps the most brilliant exhilarating five minute opening section I have seen for a long time. The writers have to be given credit for establishing the premise, setting our sympathies firmly with the heroine Clarke player by Eliza Taylor , building a love-hate relationship with her mother Abby player by Paige Turco, then throwing Clarke into jeopardy, namely forcing her into a pod and throwing her off a space shuttle down on a radio-active planet below. Not just jeopardy, but double jeopardy since it is the mother Abby who is sending the pod in desperate hope against hope survival bid, all the time knowing she might sending her only child to her death. So a great set-up with mother and daughter established and imperilled

With this pace of action and sheer quality of the writing I was hooked.

The story starts strong and then keeps you interested with two plot lines telling the story of mother and daughter. The mother on the spaceship called the Ark where the last human survivors of the apocalypse live and the daughter trying to find a new home on the surface of the planet.

I liked the politics on the space station, more than the posturing of young people vying for position on the surface. By episode 1, the series is starting to show its true YA adult credentials as the story takes time to establish some couples amongst the youngsters and also some potential broken hearts to come.

The show also has echoes of Star Trek when the two heroes 'Princess' Clarke, 'Tarzan' Finn (played by Thomas McDonell) and anti-hero 'Bad Girl' Olivia played by Marie Avgeropoulos are accompanied into the woods by 'Sidekick' Jasper (player by Devon Bostick.)

Because Jasper is so obviously the sidekick, you know he is dispensable to the plot. When he gets to kiss the rather gorgeously bad Olivia, you start counting down Jasper's life expectancy in seconds. I won't spoil the story, because it is fast and it will still surprise you. And Jasper was so compelling played by Devon Bostick, that I will be sticking around to see what happens next.

Another reference to Star Trek is the technie food and communications specialist Monty (played by Christopher Larkin , this likeable character has more than a passing resemblance to Mr Sulu the Star Trek navigator and captain.

Still these references to other Science Fiction series, including in the last moments of Episode 1, a visual references to both Mad Max and Planet of the Apes, all this reassures the viewer, and with this series we are clearly in capable hands.

One to watch I think, at least for now.

 

[Mouse]

I thought it was pretty bad. Chock full of cliches, really, really awful dialogue, ridiculously beautiful characters. I watched the pilot and the second ep because I can forgive a pilot ep for being crap, but the second ep was so dull and obvious that I just zoned out.

Mild spoilers follow...

The trouble with it is that it's just not believable. These people have never seen Earth, they've lived their lives, for generations, on a spaceship. And yet nobody has much of a reaction at actually being on Earth. They whoop when it rains and that was about it. Surely, every little thing would be fascinating - the trees, the mud, the wind! But nope. The basement-girl was attacked by a sea monster and she gets barely a scratch - her leg should've been severed. Jasper's speared through the chest but doesn't die - depsite there being no doctors, no hospitals, no medical equipment. Deers somehow survive a nuclear holocaust but have just grown two faces. Butterflies now glow in the dark.

Why are all the criminals teens? Why is everybody so slim and beautiful? I can only surmise that, what with having to kill off the population every now and then, they only kill the ugly people. Why did only twelve nations survive - are these the ones the show is being sold to?? I noticed the Union flag on the spaceship, so apparently the UK is dandy.

It could be good, but for me, at the moment, it's falling short. I might watch the third ep, because there's nothing else on, but it's like Sharknado or Two-Headed Shark Attack. That sort of super-crap. I'm on the fence whether it's so-bad-it's-good or whether it's just bad at the mo.

 

[thaddeus6th]

The criminals are teens because every crime (due to resource limitations) on the Ark is capital, so adults are executed and those below the age of majority are locked up until they're 18.

I have mixed feelings. I like the premise, I think the acting's a little variable and they need to start adding some shades of grey. Clarke's too good. She needs some flaws to add character, (it is like Star Trek in that regard).

The spear-survival was literally incredible (plus he would've probably had a dire immune system, having lived all his life in space). Likewise the snake-thing, which was strong enough to pull her below the surface but also weak enough that it gave her but a flesh wound.

And why didn't they send down some robust communication devices? That was a bit inept.

I'm still going to watch episode 3 and see how things go. I was a bit iffy about Supermodels of SHIELD, and ended up really enjoying that. [On the other hand, I watched all of Outcasts...].

 

[Kylara]

Haha they are all that weird "perfect" attractive that isn't even really attractive anymore - just "pretty people overload". You are right about the premise though - interesting and could have been soooo good. But they just made another angsty teen bleh, much like Star Crossed (also could have been awesome! But reallllllyyyyyy wasn't). The whole saved at the last minute stuff bugs me. The missing blindingly obvious stuff, the whole why would they do anything they were doing.

The blatant flaws of no comms, no signal sending, and the fact that everyone and everything seems to have miraculously survived a nuclear apocalypse. But it was amusing to watch whilst doing other things around it.

Oh and I was super angry at the American style redo the first 5 minutes intro every frickin episode. That was annoying. I have nothing against credit sequences, but Info dump again and again about the same stuff is EARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

[thaddeus6th]

Kylara, you just reminded me of a small thing I forgot to mention. Eliza Taylor, who plays Clarke, is an Aussie. I'm perplexed as to why they made her abandon her accent for a Yankee doodle one. Reminds me of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which stressed all people in the world must join forces to defeat the aliens, and then gave everyone an American accent.

I do still think it's worth a shot, despite some problems. The basic premise is good and I think there's potential there. The first episode or two is always a prolonged intro, and although some aspects could be better I'll definitely keep watching for another few episodes to see how it develops.

 

[Mouse]

The criminals are teens because every crime (due to resource limitations) on the Ark is capital, so adults are executed and those below the age of majority are locked up until they're 18.

Ah. I was clearly engrossed.

Haha they are all that weird "perfect" attractive that isn't even really attractive anymore - just "pretty people overload".

Don't get me wrong, I love pretty people, it's just... eh. I can't help but feel if it was a British show we'd have a better mix of characters - not only looks-wise but personality too (take Misfits, for example). Some humour wouldn't go amiss either.

Kylara, you just reminded me of a small thing I forgot to mention. Eliza Taylor, who plays Clarke, is an Aussie. I'm perplexed as to why they made her abandon her accent for a Yankee doodle one. Reminds me of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which stressed all people in the world must join forces to defeat the aliens, and then gave everyone an American accent.

And the guy who plays the bad guy council bloke (Henry Ian Cusick) is Scottish (and was Desmond in Lost, yay!) but you can still hear he's Scottish beneath his reasonable (I think) American accent.

I'll probably watch the third ep, to be honest.

 

[ratsy]

I watched the first episode because it's on netflix and I was bored one day. I have a hard time enjoying any tv shows these days so it was no surprise that I didn't like it. I figured I could maybe eventually give it another try but why bother. There are good shows like House of Cards and Homeland that I haven't finished yet.

It was just so expected...and the cast had no chemistry. I can forgive a lot if there are some redeeming qualities in characters and chemistry. But each character seemed so one-dimensional.

But, if anyone thought this was bad...give Witches of East End a try.....hahahahhaha

 

[Kylara]

Ah I must be a lot ahead then, I think I may be right in the last couple of episodes if not finished already. It gets, umm interesting, but the cliches stick around unfortunately.

I always get grumpy when people have to ditch accents for no reason. The ark is supposed to be made up of 12(?) nations, but everyone is American. Yay.


Also WHY DON'T THEY GROW PLANTS ON THE ARK. Excellent CO2 to O2 exchange right there, and instead of shoving "criminals" out into space, why not just kill them and turn them into mulch - plenty of nutrients they are wasting. It just seems like someone devised it who doesn't really have a basic founding in space station/ship/anything sci-fi plans. Recycling is much better than trash chuting everything. Including why on earth can't they make new clothes. Silk worms or cotton would mean you could make new stuff. You can even make fabric fibre out of recycled plastic. Anyways, rant over.

 

[Mouse]

Ah I must be a lot ahead then, I think I may be right in the last couple of episodes if not finished already. It gets, umm interesting, but the cliches stick around unfortunately.

Heh, maybe I will stick with it then!

Also WHY DON'T THEY GROW PLANTS ON THE ARK. Excellent CO2 to O2 exchange right there, and instead of shoving "criminals" out into space, why not just kill them and turn them into mulch - plenty of nutrients they are wasting.

True. They even did that in The World's End film!

 

[Sally Ann Melia]

Good tyo see everyone's talking.

I must say I had missed the fact that they were all good looking, maybe with age all of youth looks beautiful.

But yes the story is pleasing on the eye. I watched it with my 10 and 12 years olds, and they lapped it up. Though we all groaned at the kissy kissy bits.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I won't spoil it, but the fourth (I think) episode followed a great ending to the third and was a cut above the previous ones. Not flawless, but rather enjoyable.

 

[VALIS13]

After most of the negative reviews on here, I'm glad I missed it.

I also have a problem with everyone being beautiful (S.H.I.E.L.D. Tomorrow People etc.) but maybe that's because I am a hideous monstrosity who makes Sloth from The Goonies look like George Clooney.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Supermodels of SHIELD is a bit of a serial offender in that regard.

 

[Abernovo]

Sorry, given up on this.

It has some good things. There's a slight Battlestar Galactica feel on board the Ark space station that could be good, but it isn't given space to develop. On Earth, though, the plot is too much of a dumbed-down Lord of the Flies, without engaging characters to redeem a well-trodden path. The cliched indigenous inhabitants don't help either - I'm expecting a 'noble savage' character to appear at some point.

Plus, a little niggle that the Ark is supposed to be the remnant of the Earth's population, but the culture is completely US, without any nod to anywhere else on the globe. No proportionality in the ratio of survivors, then?

A pity, because there's a lot that could be done with this story, but there seems to be a lack of imagination in the writers - or perhaps in the corporate suits behind it.
Grade: D. Must try harder.

 

[thaddeus6th]

The mono-culture does grate a bit.

I'm going to keep watching. Hopefully this'll be like Agents of SHIELD and not Outcasts, when watching more proved wise rather than foolish.

 

[Abernovo]

Aargh! I so want to like this programme, Thad. I haven't seen Agents of SHIELD but I might give it a try, if it's on. I've noticed a fair crossover in our tastes in the past, so...

 

[thaddeus6th]

I always thought you had good taste

More seriously, Agents of SHIELD took a little while to get going. It's never outright bad but much of the first half was so-so. The second half was much better.

 

[Mouse]

I did watch ep four and agree it was an improvement. It's still poo, though. Was that woman called Nigel??

Also, I don't understand why there's so many white people.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Ha, yeah, that did amuse me ('Nygel' to be pedantic. I often watch shows with subtitles on).

I quite liked Clarke's morality being wrong and Bellamy's more autocratic style proving correct.