The 100 Review: Keeping The Peace

by Nick Hogan Published Feb 26, 2016

The 100

“He really believes he’s doing the right thing.” “Everyone always does.”

The 100 is a masterpiece. It must get old to read these articles week after week and reading only about how I love this show. But I can’t help it. It’s extremely smart, it sets up lots of dominoes that fall in various ways throughout the shows multiple seasons. It’s compelling, violent, and terrifying. It also explores humanity from a distance in a way that’s inexplicably poignant. Though much has changed about the world and humanity in this dystopian-era, much has remained interestingly and horrifyingly constant.

This week on The 100: Pike and his close followers, now including a reluctant Monty, decide to take a grounder village because it has the best farmland. Kane sends Octavia to warn the village before they arrive, but the plan backfires (literally). Raven, experiencing no pain after receiving Jaha’s “key”, causes Abby to become suspicious. Alie searches the Ark’s computer system for an updated version of her own software. Clarke comes face to face with the last Mt. Weather survivor.

This episode, “Bitter Harvest”, was one of those aforementioned episodes that was setting up lots of dominoes. This was certainly a compelling and dramatic episode, but more than anything, lots of different and interesting plot threads were introduced or expound upon. I’ve never been more interested, for instance, in the “City of Light”. Alie and Jaha have felt like more of a side-show to me until this episode. Alie was looking for an update for herself, which has to mean something. And we found out that there was a 13th Space Station? And it just happens to be where Murphy is being held and beaten up? It jumped from least to most interesting over the course of this one episode. I appreciated, also, that they made Raven happy again. Lindsey Morgan really got to flex some of her acting muscles in this episode and it was awesome. She’s fantastic.

In other dominoes, I can see Bellamy and Octavia slowly building toward a face-off. For now, Pike is blaming Kane for their problems, but sooner or later he’s going to make Bellamy choose between his path and Octavia. Selfishly, I hope that Bellamy chooses his sister, but you really never can tell with this show. But I love this show for its wild unpredictability. A battle between these two could come to a head or shift in infinite ways.

Speaking on the unpredictability of this show, I had completely convinced myself that Clarke was going to kill Lt. Carl Emerson. I was sure she was going to, and then she didn’t. It’s very special how this show can constantly keep me on my toes. I really enjoy watching Clarke and Lexa and their dynamic. They have dialogue, but they can say so much without saying anything at all. Eliza Taylor and Alycia Debnam-Carey can elevate the whole show through just one smolder, and it’s this exact thing that sends fans into a social media frenzy every Thursday.

Each week sends out another engrossing story about war versus peace, and the shifting moral compass that people are using. There are people that choose different sides for extremely different reasons (Bellamy chose vengeance, Monty chose his mother), and there is never a black and white answer in The 100, which is what makes it so special. Personally, I can’t wait for these dominoes to fall.

What did you guys think? Did you enjoy this episode? What do you think’s coming next? Let us know!!

The 100 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on the CW