The 100 2x11 Review
Feb. 12th, 2015 10:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaCoup de Grace
Awesome! God, that was amazing. I loved it.
• ♥ Clarke ♥. I feel like I say it ever episode but I love her so much. She is so fucking perfect. Clarke wonders near the end of the episode what exactly her job is and this entire episode was about both showing and telling us exactly that. She's the leader - a position she has taken to like a fish to water - and she's the planner, the strategist. From her very first scene she is in control and giving orders - (watch not to shoot our scouts, mount up, don't kill the assassin) - and it continues through out the episode. And everyone listens to her. She figures out the purpose of their prisoner's reaper device and gives it to Raven to make it a weapon for them (which Raven does.) She comes up with another plan at the end.
• "She's right. Torture doesn't work." - Clarke. This was such a fabulous line. Because see that's not what Abby said. Abby is against torturing him because it's morally wrong. Meanwhile, Clarke - well, it doesn't get results so there's no point is there? ♥ She knows that from personal experience but you know if it worked she'd do it. I have a feeling that neither Kane nor Abby heard the distinction in what was said or followed it to the logical question about how she knows it doesn't work.
• That shot of Clarke walking down the corridor, bookended by Octavia and Indra, followed by Grounders was awesome. Just so - powerful and 'don't fucking mess with me'. I loved her "Don't" to the guard. It was the same in her confrontation with Abby - powerful and not to be messed with.
• The final 10 minutes were remarkable. Just brilliant. There was nothing I didn't freaking love about it.
+ "It's over." - Clarke. Uh, jumping to failure a little quick there! I get that she's frustrated and feeling helpless but it's a little premature to jump to everyone being dead. Still I loved it because Clarke isn't this perfect unwavering being. She does things like jump to murder a helpless prisoner when confronted with the possibility that her people are already dead and giving into despair over her helplessness and uncertainty in knowing what to do. It makes me love her more.
+ I love so much that Clarke went to Raven to have her little breakdown. It says so much that it was Raven that Clarke felt most comfortable to do that with. She could have gone off alone but she went straight to Raven.
+ "No. You don't get to give up, Clarke! You killed Finn and I didn't give up. I'm building a damn tone generator, you do your job!"
"What is my job!?"
"I don't know. To come up with something!
♥ Just - everything about that was perfect.
+ Raven may be pissed at Clarke and bucking at Clarke ordering her to do stuff (which she immediately does regardless) but she definitely still considers Clarke her leader and when Bellamy calls she gives the radio to Clarke immediately.
+ I loved Clarke's expresson of relief when Bellamy spoke to her.
+ "We need a plan that doesn't kill everyone. Please tell me we have one." - Clarke. First, Raven demands Clarke come up with a plan, now Bellamy is relying on her to have one for their new situation. Poor Clarke.
+ I loved Raven's little nod in agreement when Clarke tells Bellamy that Raven will be helping him. I love that things are still tense between them, and they yell at each other but they also buckle that shit down and get stuff done. No personal crap while danger is happening for them.
+ "Trojan horse. Good plan." Bellamy telling her that he likes her plan.
+ I love Clarke asking what Maya thinks about her plan.
+ "I'll come up with something." And then she freaking does! In like the minute between Bellamy telling her what he needed and her signing off with him she has figured out a viable plan of action.
+ "Bellamy? You came through. I knew you would." ♥
+ "You're up." - Clarke. Raven gets a touch of a smile on her lips after Clarke passes over the radio and I loved it.
+ "You may be the Chancellor. But I'm in charge." ♥♥ Clarke so completely in control and unmoving.
+ "People could get hurt."
"Not if you get out of my way."
This bit was great as well. I loved that Abby of course was thinking about other people and the damage that could be done.
+ Okay, see here's the thing. Clarke could have told Abby about what she was planning. She could have called her to the airlock, she could have explained about Bellamy's call, she could have even waited until after 'liberating' the prisoner if she was worried that Abby would try to stop her. But instead she chose to come upon Abby unaware, she chose to force a confrontation, she chose to force her mother to acknowledge her as a leader, she chose to force her mother to back down in front of everyone. And I loved it. I really did.
It was honestly pretty childish in some ways - it very much felt like Clarke lashing out pettily because of Abby's previous attempts to assert her authority and push Clarke back into being a child and follower. The fact that she threw her mom's words about "trusting that I know what's right for us" back at her really points at that. Or maybe she's just appealing to her mom to trust her the best way she knows how but that would be more believable if she hadn't engineered the whole confrontation in public. Of course I can think of many adult characters who would have done the exact same thing and while it had a tinge of petty childishness, it was also a pretty damn fabulous power play. ♥
• I love what the show is doing with Raven/Clarke. Love, love, love. The prickliness between them and palpable tension every time they're near each other is wonderful. That's not to say I don't miss their friendship because I really do but I'm also enjoying this whole stage as well. I think the show is doing an amazing job in showing believable repercussions from Finn's death. Raven's still angry and grieving. She's most certainly not forgetting or forgiving even if she does get why Clarke did it. Clarke is still feeling guilty and now defensive and she's apparently decided to deal with the whole situation by be abrupt and bossy with Raven. Which just makes Raven even pricklier towards her. I loved Raven's "How about you back off." and then their later snappiness when Clarke tells Raven to get on with her job and Raven tells her "You don't need to give me orders, Clarke. I've got this."
Neither are dealing with it particularly well but at the same time they are dealing with it amazingly well. As in I am amazed by how damn professional they are being. Sure, Clarke's being coldly commanding and Raven's being snarkily bitchy but they're doing their damn jobs all the same including working together to get shit done. I adore it. Their final yelling fight was yet another step in their reconcillation and definitely something they needed. Possibly they need a couple more good yelling fights, without being interrupted, to clear the air but it feels like with ever episode they're taking small steps forward.
• I am also really enjoying Clarke vs Abby. You just knew this had to come to head. Despite everything that Abby has seen since they reunited she's still seeing Clarke as her teenage daughter that she needs to protect. She doesn’t want Clarke having to fight a war, or kill people or be a target of assassination. Taking orders from her, especially when she disagrees, is a hard thing to do. It's understandable. She’s reacting to all of that by trying to exert more control. During her first scene she stops the whole group, she tries to get Clarke to follow her lead and tries to take control. Halfway through she tells Clarke: "You are not in charge here. We do things my way." She is very much rejecting Clarke as not only her leader but as a leader in itself. She’s afraid for her daughter (physically and mentally). So of course this would lead to a clash between them because Clarke is a leader now and for her mother to, well, mother her and take back control over her is not sitting well with Clarke. Especially when it gets in the way of Clarke doing what she feels needs to be done. They’ve been having clashes since they were reunited and I was just waiting for the big one. So inevitable confrontation is inevitable. And so very, very enjoyable to watch.
• I loved that in the short Raven/Clarke/Octavia scene we get Clarke and Raven being all harsh with each other but as soon as a distressed Octavia shows up they both change - Raven's voice and expression softens in sympathy, Clarke actually reaches out and touches Octavia as she reassures her.
• I loved Clarke's emphatic "He will" to Raven's doubt. I love how much she believes in Bellamy.
• I'm enjoying Kane as Abby's second. He fits in that position pretty well. Comforting her about Clarke, confronting her when he thinks she's making the wrong decision, acting as peacemaker between Clarke and Abby.
• The whole assassination sequence at the beginning was great. Things I loved about it:
- Clarke riding a horse does things to me. We need more of that.
- Clarke's "Mount up" vs Abby's "let's move out" came off quite different. Abby just sounded less commanding than when Clarke said it.
- Clarke immediately riding to where the shot came from. Because of course that's what she would do.
- Indra letting Octavia fight the Mountain Man by herself and Octavia winning.
- Clark giving Octavia orders and Octavia listening.
• I'm liking Octavia's face paint. She's really embracing being a Grounder. It's a good look for her.
• Maya was awesome. Her finding Bellamy and setting him free was so great. Her "No. I'm in." was completely above and beyond what could be expected of her. I have to give her mad props considering she just watched Bellamy murder someone she knew in front of her even if she was a part of it, or perhaps especially because she was. She also did really great at thinking on her feet in the elevator. I really hope the show figures out a way to save her.
• The Bellamy/Maya scenes were great. I really enjoyed them together.
• The opening scene of Bellamy being processed into the Mountain was really well shot.
• Bellamy killing the guard by strangulation was pretty brutal. I can't even remember - was that the first time he's killed someone so up close and personal? He kept it together pretty well. All I could think of was that scene in the pilot (?) where he could mercy kill the one guy dying from acid fog.
• Bellamy's little chat with the little boy who turned out to be the on of the man he murdered was just a bit much for me. It was a little misstep mostly remarkable because this show doesn't usually make these types of missteps. It was too convenient. Bellamy seeing the class of kids or the kids playing would have been enough. Depending on how things play out TPTB could have Bellamy have a similar moment with the kid in a future episode. Here it just took me out of the episode.
• I was surprised to learn that there was only 382 people living in Mount Weather.
Awesome! God, that was amazing. I loved it.
• ♥ Clarke ♥. I feel like I say it ever episode but I love her so much. She is so fucking perfect. Clarke wonders near the end of the episode what exactly her job is and this entire episode was about both showing and telling us exactly that. She's the leader - a position she has taken to like a fish to water - and she's the planner, the strategist. From her very first scene she is in control and giving orders - (watch not to shoot our scouts, mount up, don't kill the assassin) - and it continues through out the episode. And everyone listens to her. She figures out the purpose of their prisoner's reaper device and gives it to Raven to make it a weapon for them (which Raven does.) She comes up with another plan at the end.
• "She's right. Torture doesn't work." - Clarke. This was such a fabulous line. Because see that's not what Abby said. Abby is against torturing him because it's morally wrong. Meanwhile, Clarke - well, it doesn't get results so there's no point is there? ♥ She knows that from personal experience but you know if it worked she'd do it. I have a feeling that neither Kane nor Abby heard the distinction in what was said or followed it to the logical question about how she knows it doesn't work.
• That shot of Clarke walking down the corridor, bookended by Octavia and Indra, followed by Grounders was awesome. Just so - powerful and 'don't fucking mess with me'. I loved her "Don't" to the guard. It was the same in her confrontation with Abby - powerful and not to be messed with.
• The final 10 minutes were remarkable. Just brilliant. There was nothing I didn't freaking love about it.
+ "It's over." - Clarke. Uh, jumping to failure a little quick there! I get that she's frustrated and feeling helpless but it's a little premature to jump to everyone being dead. Still I loved it because Clarke isn't this perfect unwavering being. She does things like jump to murder a helpless prisoner when confronted with the possibility that her people are already dead and giving into despair over her helplessness and uncertainty in knowing what to do. It makes me love her more.
+ I love so much that Clarke went to Raven to have her little breakdown. It says so much that it was Raven that Clarke felt most comfortable to do that with. She could have gone off alone but she went straight to Raven.
+ "No. You don't get to give up, Clarke! You killed Finn and I didn't give up. I'm building a damn tone generator, you do your job!"
"What is my job!?"
"I don't know. To come up with something!
♥ Just - everything about that was perfect.
+ Raven may be pissed at Clarke and bucking at Clarke ordering her to do stuff (which she immediately does regardless) but she definitely still considers Clarke her leader and when Bellamy calls she gives the radio to Clarke immediately.
+ I loved Clarke's expresson of relief when Bellamy spoke to her.
+ "We need a plan that doesn't kill everyone. Please tell me we have one." - Clarke. First, Raven demands Clarke come up with a plan, now Bellamy is relying on her to have one for their new situation. Poor Clarke.
+ I loved Raven's little nod in agreement when Clarke tells Bellamy that Raven will be helping him. I love that things are still tense between them, and they yell at each other but they also buckle that shit down and get stuff done. No personal crap while danger is happening for them.
+ "Trojan horse. Good plan." Bellamy telling her that he likes her plan.
+ I love Clarke asking what Maya thinks about her plan.
+ "I'll come up with something." And then she freaking does! In like the minute between Bellamy telling her what he needed and her signing off with him she has figured out a viable plan of action.
+ "Bellamy? You came through. I knew you would." ♥
+ "You're up." - Clarke. Raven gets a touch of a smile on her lips after Clarke passes over the radio and I loved it.
+ "You may be the Chancellor. But I'm in charge." ♥♥ Clarke so completely in control and unmoving.
+ "People could get hurt."
"Not if you get out of my way."
This bit was great as well. I loved that Abby of course was thinking about other people and the damage that could be done.
+ Okay, see here's the thing. Clarke could have told Abby about what she was planning. She could have called her to the airlock, she could have explained about Bellamy's call, she could have even waited until after 'liberating' the prisoner if she was worried that Abby would try to stop her. But instead she chose to come upon Abby unaware, she chose to force a confrontation, she chose to force her mother to acknowledge her as a leader, she chose to force her mother to back down in front of everyone. And I loved it. I really did.
It was honestly pretty childish in some ways - it very much felt like Clarke lashing out pettily because of Abby's previous attempts to assert her authority and push Clarke back into being a child and follower. The fact that she threw her mom's words about "trusting that I know what's right for us" back at her really points at that. Or maybe she's just appealing to her mom to trust her the best way she knows how but that would be more believable if she hadn't engineered the whole confrontation in public. Of course I can think of many adult characters who would have done the exact same thing and while it had a tinge of petty childishness, it was also a pretty damn fabulous power play. ♥
• I love what the show is doing with Raven/Clarke. Love, love, love. The prickliness between them and palpable tension every time they're near each other is wonderful. That's not to say I don't miss their friendship because I really do but I'm also enjoying this whole stage as well. I think the show is doing an amazing job in showing believable repercussions from Finn's death. Raven's still angry and grieving. She's most certainly not forgetting or forgiving even if she does get why Clarke did it. Clarke is still feeling guilty and now defensive and she's apparently decided to deal with the whole situation by be abrupt and bossy with Raven. Which just makes Raven even pricklier towards her. I loved Raven's "How about you back off." and then their later snappiness when Clarke tells Raven to get on with her job and Raven tells her "You don't need to give me orders, Clarke. I've got this."
Neither are dealing with it particularly well but at the same time they are dealing with it amazingly well. As in I am amazed by how damn professional they are being. Sure, Clarke's being coldly commanding and Raven's being snarkily bitchy but they're doing their damn jobs all the same including working together to get shit done. I adore it. Their final yelling fight was yet another step in their reconcillation and definitely something they needed. Possibly they need a couple more good yelling fights, without being interrupted, to clear the air but it feels like with ever episode they're taking small steps forward.
• I am also really enjoying Clarke vs Abby. You just knew this had to come to head. Despite everything that Abby has seen since they reunited she's still seeing Clarke as her teenage daughter that she needs to protect. She doesn’t want Clarke having to fight a war, or kill people or be a target of assassination. Taking orders from her, especially when she disagrees, is a hard thing to do. It's understandable. She’s reacting to all of that by trying to exert more control. During her first scene she stops the whole group, she tries to get Clarke to follow her lead and tries to take control. Halfway through she tells Clarke: "You are not in charge here. We do things my way." She is very much rejecting Clarke as not only her leader but as a leader in itself. She’s afraid for her daughter (physically and mentally). So of course this would lead to a clash between them because Clarke is a leader now and for her mother to, well, mother her and take back control over her is not sitting well with Clarke. Especially when it gets in the way of Clarke doing what she feels needs to be done. They’ve been having clashes since they were reunited and I was just waiting for the big one. So inevitable confrontation is inevitable. And so very, very enjoyable to watch.
• I loved that in the short Raven/Clarke/Octavia scene we get Clarke and Raven being all harsh with each other but as soon as a distressed Octavia shows up they both change - Raven's voice and expression softens in sympathy, Clarke actually reaches out and touches Octavia as she reassures her.
• I loved Clarke's emphatic "He will" to Raven's doubt. I love how much she believes in Bellamy.
• I'm enjoying Kane as Abby's second. He fits in that position pretty well. Comforting her about Clarke, confronting her when he thinks she's making the wrong decision, acting as peacemaker between Clarke and Abby.
• The whole assassination sequence at the beginning was great. Things I loved about it:
- Clarke riding a horse does things to me. We need more of that.
- Clarke's "Mount up" vs Abby's "let's move out" came off quite different. Abby just sounded less commanding than when Clarke said it.
- Clarke immediately riding to where the shot came from. Because of course that's what she would do.
- Indra letting Octavia fight the Mountain Man by herself and Octavia winning.
- Clark giving Octavia orders and Octavia listening.
• I'm liking Octavia's face paint. She's really embracing being a Grounder. It's a good look for her.
• Maya was awesome. Her finding Bellamy and setting him free was so great. Her "No. I'm in." was completely above and beyond what could be expected of her. I have to give her mad props considering she just watched Bellamy murder someone she knew in front of her even if she was a part of it, or perhaps especially because she was. She also did really great at thinking on her feet in the elevator. I really hope the show figures out a way to save her.
• The Bellamy/Maya scenes were great. I really enjoyed them together.
• The opening scene of Bellamy being processed into the Mountain was really well shot.
• Bellamy killing the guard by strangulation was pretty brutal. I can't even remember - was that the first time he's killed someone so up close and personal? He kept it together pretty well. All I could think of was that scene in the pilot (?) where he could mercy kill the one guy dying from acid fog.
• Bellamy's little chat with the little boy who turned out to be the on of the man he murdered was just a bit much for me. It was a little misstep mostly remarkable because this show doesn't usually make these types of missteps. It was too convenient. Bellamy seeing the class of kids or the kids playing would have been enough. Depending on how things play out TPTB could have Bellamy have a similar moment with the kid in a future episode. Here it just took me out of the episode.
• I was surprised to learn that there was only 382 people living in Mount Weather.
