Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Episodes: 13
Duration: 40 min (per episode)
The 100: Season 1 (DVD) – Series Review
We’ve all seen movies that handle the topic of a nuclear holocaust, as the end of the world always seems to make for a good plot. Once again it seems our precious Earth has been blown to pieces and that nature has once again taken over all that was constructed by man. The remaining forces of humanity launch different space stations in order to keep mankind alive, hoping to set foot back on the blue planet in the distant future. It seems like time has finally come, except they’re not sure their first expedition will end well.
Life is quite hard on the space version of Noah’s Ark, albeit with only remnants of the human race. Due to the very limited living space, every couple is only allowed to have one child and every crime above the age of eighteen is punishable by death. Those who are underage will have the chance to appear before a commission when they come of age, but even then harsh punishments are being given, depending on the crime they have committed. Crude behavior, all in order to keep the human race alive and conserve the lack of space in the makeshift human reserve.
Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor), Dr. Abigail Griffin’s (Paige Turco) daughter is one of those children who have been incarcerated, but somehow she ended up in solitary confinement, whilst the rest could still interact with each other. It seems she either had done something so horrible, or was carrying a secret so big that no one should ever know. When she gets pulled out of her cell out of the blue, even before she turns eighteen, she is afraid as to what will happen to her. When her mother comes to her aid, claiming Clarke and the 99 other prisoners are being sent to earth, she will literally enter a new world of hurt.
When Clarke is shoved onto the drop ship that is about to head to Earth, there are many who see it as an opportunity to throw away their shackles and do as they please, even though the promise that they would receive absolution had been given. During the descent there are those who would rather mess around instead of stay safely in their seats and due to this something goes horribly wrong. During the bumpy ride, those who unbuckled to mess around, get tossed around violently, causing damage to the targeting system, which in turn causes them to miss their original landing spot. Even though the rough landing took its toll, not only by missing the location but also with the lives of a few fellow teenagers, Clarke tries to get the group in motion in order to reach Mount Weather, their original drop zone. Bellamy Blake (Bob Morley) has shot chancellor Thelonious Jaha (Isaiah Washington) in order to snuck aboard the ship and protect his sister Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos), as she was one of the 100 being sent to the ground. His rowdy and ‘motivational’ speeches cause the survivors to try and manage on their own, disregarding the instructions of those still on the Ark. The lack of a way to communicate with ‘home’ makes them even more influential. Other than that, Clarke only finds allies she doesn’t know well or can’t trust anymore.
Whilst Clarke still musters up a small group of people to find supplies in Mount Weather, they will soon find out that they are not the last bastion of humans they oh-so-desperately thought. It seems every coming day will be a test of wits and survival.
As this may sound awfully vague, the first season actually presents you with many different interesting events that would ruin the story, if we dig in too deep. Nonetheless, the pace the story sticks to is just right. You’ll receive the proper information when the time is right and there will always be some action around the corner.
As series and movies have already tried the topic of the end of the world, the theme certainly isn’t a new one. Human nature is often portrayed as brutal, yet loving when the time truly calls for it and ‘The 100’ follows this formula as well. Nonetheless, every episode handles a different situation in a great fashion, not only story wise but also thanks to a great cast. Whilst sounding typical at first, the series will climb to a peak of plot twists to spice things up, making it an original tale of human (almost) extinction.
The cast of The 100 is actually too vast to truly give everyone a chance to be placed in the spotlight here. Overall the series has some leading characters such as the righteous Clarke, who is perfectly portrayed by Eliza Taylor. It’s clear that she doesn’t truly take after her mother, who would rather go after what she desires to get things done. Henry Ian Cusick plays councilor Marcus Kane, who does a top notch job in portraying a man who you don’t know whether to hate, love or admire. Many important, yet supporting, characters such as Jasper (Devon Bostick), Monty (Christopher Larkin) and many, many more all add to a giant whole of great actors.
Character evolution is another great trait of the series, as nearly every character will learn and (d)evolve over the course of the first season. Every character will face its own trials and as a result will come out as a changed (wo)man. It’s fun that the changes aren’t too sudden but that everything happens quite gradually.
The environments used for the series add up to the entire ‘end of the world vibe’ but some get overused after a while. It’s fun to look at a tropical environment, but it’s also quite bizarre that there are as few ruins as the series has to show.
Conclusion
It’s easy to say that the ‘The 100’ tries to do something new with an already overused theme and well succeeds in its efforts. You’ll be treated to a story about hardships as well as hope, love and second chances. Hopefully you can keep up with the many cliffhangers which happen around Mount Weather. Perhaps we need to watch the sky as well for an Ark to wash away all of our troubles.
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