s01e02: "Earth Skills" ... or "Jasper Lives Thanks To TV Science"
s01e02: Earth Skills
From the publicity materials for the Warner Bros. DVD release:
“After discovering that Jasper may still be alive, Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia, Finn and Monty set out to locate him and are shocked at what they find.”
As I tried to be clear in my review of THE 100’s pilot episode, the program’s launch seemed largely muddled in writing and execution by trying to do far too much in far too little time. I’ve always been of the opinion that the challenges of bringing a conventional drama alive get exponentially more difficult with added weight of Science Fiction; these added dimensions of science, setting, and circumstance may’ve been too great a challenge for its forty-two minutes, but the state of this fragile union improved marginally with this second hour, one aptly titled “Earth Skills.”
From the publicity materials for the Warner Bros. DVD release:
“After discovering that Jasper may still be alive, Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia, Finn and Monty set out to locate him and are shocked at what they find.”
As I tried to be clear in my review of THE 100’s pilot episode, the program’s launch seemed largely muddled in writing and execution by trying to do far too much in far too little time. I’ve always been of the opinion that the challenges of bringing a conventional drama alive get exponentially more difficult with added weight of Science Fiction; these added dimensions of science, setting, and circumstance may’ve been too great a challenge for its forty-two minutes, but the state of this fragile union improved marginally with this second hour, one aptly titled “Earth Skills.”
With character introductions out of the way, scriptwriter and show-developer Jason Rothenberg is free to flesh out these young men and women a bit more; and this gets done principally via conflict. So much of good drama is predicated on personal, physical, and psychological battling between the characters, and Jasper’s fate presents the Earthbound youth with their first real opportunity to show their mettle not only for the audience’s sake but also to one another. This narrative is paralleled by the circumstances of what’s going on in the space station high above, granting Paige Turco, Henry Ian Cusick, and Isaiah Washington to recover from their equally ill-paced first hour.
The obvious big development to “Earth Skills” so far as the ongoing mythology of the show is concerned is the realization that the prisoners are not alone. Not only are they not alone, but they might very well be vastly outmatched by what on its surface appears to be little more than a spear-throwing civilization, one that knows the terrain as well as what awaits our young heroes in the days ahead. While certainly predictable, this expansion serves to deepen the mystery of this brave new world once left behind, and it forces these fledgling Adams and Eves to confront what may be their deepest unstated fear: do they have the skills needed to merely survive?
Furthermore, seeds planted in THE 100’s first hour took no time in taking root as power struggles back at the camp are starting to look more like the Hitler Youth on steroids. Bellamy is clearly intent on establishing his street cred as the ‘One True King,’ and he’s willing to stop at nearly nothing to bring others on board with his plan of detaching everyone’s monitoring bracelet in exchange for a seat at his table. While some of quick to join him in what looks to be a futuristic take at LORD OF THE FLIES, Clarke and her closest few keep preaching about democracy.
To be honest, this is where THE 100 started to grow a bit darker very quickly over the largely sugary concoction that was the pilot episode. Instead of kids with mild raging hormones hell bent on taking Earth for themselves, viewers were now treated to conversations about power and what’s necessary to lead, especially in the absence of any good choice much less a great or obvious one. Instead of two disparate factions taking up residence in the same camp, it starts to look like there may be room for more, even if the third option means siding up with the bully only when it’s convenient. Isn’t that what we do now? Isn’t that a very human reaction to what may be a very inhuman development?
It’s a smart commentary for a show only into its second episode and one that came about entirely unexpectedly.
The obvious big development to “Earth Skills” so far as the ongoing mythology of the show is concerned is the realization that the prisoners are not alone. Not only are they not alone, but they might very well be vastly outmatched by what on its surface appears to be little more than a spear-throwing civilization, one that knows the terrain as well as what awaits our young heroes in the days ahead. While certainly predictable, this expansion serves to deepen the mystery of this brave new world once left behind, and it forces these fledgling Adams and Eves to confront what may be their deepest unstated fear: do they have the skills needed to merely survive?
Furthermore, seeds planted in THE 100’s first hour took no time in taking root as power struggles back at the camp are starting to look more like the Hitler Youth on steroids. Bellamy is clearly intent on establishing his street cred as the ‘One True King,’ and he’s willing to stop at nearly nothing to bring others on board with his plan of detaching everyone’s monitoring bracelet in exchange for a seat at his table. While some of quick to join him in what looks to be a futuristic take at LORD OF THE FLIES, Clarke and her closest few keep preaching about democracy.
To be honest, this is where THE 100 started to grow a bit darker very quickly over the largely sugary concoction that was the pilot episode. Instead of kids with mild raging hormones hell bent on taking Earth for themselves, viewers were now treated to conversations about power and what’s necessary to lead, especially in the absence of any good choice much less a great or obvious one. Instead of two disparate factions taking up residence in the same camp, it starts to look like there may be room for more, even if the third option means siding up with the bully only when it’s convenient. Isn’t that what we do now? Isn’t that a very human reaction to what may be a very inhuman development?
It’s a smart commentary for a show only into its second episode and one that came about entirely unexpectedly.
In the meantime, tempers flare aboard The Ark (aka the space station) as Dr. Griffin’s doctorly deeds put her in a dire predicament as the cost of saving a single life causes those around her to question her fitness to choose. Henry Ian Cusick plays Counselor Marcus Kane largely as a formulaic baddie here; he’s convinced that the only way to do right by his people is to sacrifice any and all lives necessary, even if that means jettisoning the station’s only physician for her slavish obedience to a Hippocratic Oath. That’s the parallel I mentioned above – as above, so below – and only a last ditch reprieve saves her from the vacuum of space.
As for Jasper?
Well, his story is one of those plot twists that rarely if ever pass the dreaded Smell Test but is allowed to happen because it’s likely going to lead the audience and characters into darker confines. Suffice it to say, Jasper’s alive, and that spear to the chest really left little mark on his hairless sternum. Is it bad writing … or is there some otherworldly science involved?
Looks like you’ll have to tune in next week to find out.
Link to next episode review: "Earth Skills (aka Earth Kills)"
As for Jasper?
Well, his story is one of those plot twists that rarely if ever pass the dreaded Smell Test but is allowed to happen because it’s likely going to lead the audience and characters into darker confines. Suffice it to say, Jasper’s alive, and that spear to the chest really left little mark on his hairless sternum. Is it bad writing … or is there some otherworldly science involved?
Looks like you’ll have to tune in next week to find out.
Link to next episode review: "Earth Skills (aka Earth Kills)"