THE 100 Bats Far Above "The 48"

Article first published as TV Review: 'The 100' - 'The 48' on Blogcritics.

Warning: The following contains some spoilers from the season premiere of The 100.

CW’s The 100 is back for a second season this week. As the premiere episode opens, our cast remains scattered after the chaos of the season-ending battle last spring. Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and forty-seven others have been taken below ground by a group of survivors trying to live much the same way people used to on Earth, hence the title of the hour, “The 48.” Octavia (Maria Avgeropoulos) lies dying from the poison arrow she is shot with, Raven (Lindsey Morgan) is stuck with an unexpected companion, and Bellamy (Bob Morley) tracks a captured Finn (Thomas McDonell) through the forest.

Clarke’s subplot gets the biggest focus, as one might expect, since she is the main protagonist. She wakes up in a white room, confused, not knowing where she is or how she got there. The 100 does a good job of communicating the terror of being in an unfamiliar environment, letting the audience see things through Clarke’s eyes, and only after a bit of action do we find out what’s going on.

Clarke soon meets Dante (Raymond J. Barry, Justified), the leader of the so-called Mountain Men. He and his people are generous, offering the ‘rescued’ teenagers clean clothing and good food. Much of the group is very happy to be there, but Clarke is suspicious, believing the whole thing is too good to be true. “The 48″ doesn’t tell us whether or not Clarke is right, as most smartly-written dramas keep us guessing, letting things unfold in such a way that Dante could be a hero, a villain, or something in between. It will be interesting to see how things with him play out.

Clarke’s story is intriguing, but The 100 is smart to divide its cast because it allows for other avenues to be explored at the same time. Various combinations of personalities can be tossed together, played with for awhile, then remixed to keep the story interesting. For example, Murphy (Richard Harmon) winds up spending time with one of our main group. No one likes him, but by constructing the story in such a way that a beloved cast member is forced to spend time with him, it allows the conflict needed for drama and keeps things moving along. Thankfully, “The 48″ doesn’t end this pairing in a predictable way, either.

What many viewers will be wondering throughout this initial installment is, where are those that fell to the ground from space? Abigail (Paige Turco) and Marcus (Henry Ian Cusick) do show up about two-thirds of the way through the episode. I won’t spoil where they enter or what they do, but one thing is definitely clear: their presence marks a shift in the balance of power. The kids, despite having been back on the planet for only a short time, have their own hierarchy and rules now. Does anyone really think their parents and elders will just join that framework? Of course not. Which makes for another thread I’m anxious to see more of.

Finally, there is one main character who appears to be done in last year’s season finale but is definitely not. I was quite surprised to see this person pop up in “The 48″ and I’m not sure exactly why the writers have decided to keep them. Yet, like most of the other story lines, this one is mysterious enough to draw one in, and I definitely look forward to seeing how the writers get this person out of the corner they’ve written them into.

I’ve striven to tease without revealing, but I found The 100‘s season premiere quite good. It picks back up nicely from where it leaves off, and it begins a number of new plots that should serve the show well.

The 100 airs Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on the CW.

Count to 100

Article first published as THE 100 Review on Seat42F.

THE 100 is the best show currently airing on the CW. I say this confidently having only seen a single episode, and without the first installment having been publicly aired yet. It still hits a few of the basic groaner elements that the teen-focused network always hits, but overall, it’s much more intelligently written and complexly laid out than anything else on that channel. It took a considerable amount of will power to sit down and write this review now, instead of marathoning episodes two through six first.

The premise itself is really cool. Earth was decimated in a nuclear war nearly a century ago, and 4,000 survivors from a dozen international space stations are all that remains of the human race, living in a massive structure in orbit known as the Ark. With resources running scarce, and reluctant to reveal this to the general populace, the leaders of the Ark decide to send one hundred juvenile delinquents down to the ground to see if the globe is livable again.

These kids are picked because they are expendable, criminals locked up for various offenses. The criminal justice system on the Ark has been wheedled down to just two penalties: an internment for minors and death for adults, no matter what the infraction. Hence why none of the away team is over the age of eighteen, though all are nearly that old, meaning a very high percentage of the youth get into trouble and face punishment in this society.

It’s a bleak portrait, one of a crumbling race. I love a good dystopian tale as much as the next person, and there are some nice bits of Battlestar Galactica, a terrific series taking place after mankind is almost extinct, mixed in, including actor Alessandro Juliani. With the stress level so high, it’s no wonder the teens act out, and so this all makes perfect sense in the framing of the enticing tale.

Even better, the politics of the commanders are explored. Current Chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington, Grey’s Anatomy) is hopeful the mission to Earth will save his people, and he’s supported by his doctor, Abigail Griffin (Paige Turco, Person of Interest). But Jaha’s second-in-command, Kane (Henry Ian Cusick, Lost), is much more pessimistic, and plans to start weeding the survivors, writing off the kids entirely.

I wish more of THE 100 centered around the adults. This arc easily makes up the best scenes of the pilot, and all three performers mentioned in the above paragraph are very good. While out of contact with those on the surface, they have to make tough decisions with little information, and the drama gets quite intense in the initial hour. I do wonder how the power struggle, which includes main characters on opposite sides so you know it’ll be drawn out, will shake down.

The only weakness readily discernible in this part of the show is the unequal way in which the law is applied. That would never stand in such a fragile balance, as the civilization teeters on the brink of anarchy. It’s necessary for the story, as presented, to break these rules, but one wishes the writers had come up with something a little more brilliant.

The stuff on Earth is a little weaker, mainly because it plays into the CW’s formula of having children act like grownups, and some of the personalities border on unrealistic. Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor, Neighbours), Abigail’s daughter, is our plucky hero, determined to succeed, noble and compassionate by nature. She is joined by the chancellor’s son, Wells (Eli Goree, Emily Owens M.D.), who got himself sent down on purpose to protect Clarke, feeling guilty for his part in what went down with Clarke’s recently executed father. There’s also wild, reckless Finn (Thomas McDonell, Suburgatory), but he quickly fills the role of nice guy putting on a front, making the girls swoon, and not causing any real mischief.

While these three teens are good, others are less certain. Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos, Cult) is tasting freedom for the first time, having been imprisoned all her life just for being illegally born, though she has a better disposition than her brother, Bellamy (Bob Morley, Home and Away). As justifiable as the chip on his shoulder is, Bellamy shouldn’t throw in with creepy John (Richard Harmon, Continuum) as he does, as that spells nothing but trouble for them all. John and Bellamy don’t exactly enact The Hunger Games, but they do establish a (less violent) rule of those on the planet, and that will serve up the tension needed in the story.

I do think some of the stuff the kids encounter is pretty cool, including some unexpected changes on Earth, and a journey fraught with hidden dangers. As much as the adult section is superior, the younger generation shows promise, and as the talent hones their acting chops, they could hold their own on the show in a year or two. Yes, I know the youngsters are the ones referred to in the title, but in the premiere, at least, the mature players hold just as important a role.

For now, the worst parts I can see of THE 100 are still as strong as the better elements of most of the CW’s fare, and the scenes that are amazing raise it up. I’m not saying it would dominate on another network, though it could get by on any of the broadcast ones or even SyFy, but for the CW, it’s at the top of the pack.

THE 100 premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on the CW.

"Driving Miss Dalia" lands Tessa in Suburgatory

     ABC's comedy Suburgatory begins its 2012 run with "Driving Miss Dalia." Tessa (Jane Levy) passes her driving test, but Dalia (Carly Chaikin) doesn't. Again. So Dalia pays Tessa to drive her as she stalks her dream guy, Scott Strauss (Thomas McDonell). Sadly for Dalia, Scott is more interested in Tessa, which makes Tessa feel guilty, until Dalia talks down to her driver just a little too much. Meanwhile, George (Jeremy Sisto) is confused by Noah's (Alan Tudyk) want to keep him from joining the country club.

     "Driving Miss Dalia" is the first episode with any significant plot for Dalia, and that's OK. Looking like plastic, her character is about as interesting as the semi-durable material, too. Sure, this episode does allow Dalia to exhibit some personality and emotional reaction. But it's not enough to make her layered or spur any need to have her on screen. It's hard to tell if this is the actress's fault, or just the way the writers and directors would like to use her. Either way, it fails. Other series have done characters of Dalia's type before, but rarely has one been so completely boring. If there is never another Dalia story in Suburgatory, that would be quite all right.

     Tessa, on the other hand, continues to be the fan favorite that is easy to root for. Of course she should have Scott, as she is far more deserving of him. Her ill feelings at coming between Dalia, someone Tessa doesn't care for in the slightest, and "her" man only endear her further. The fact that Scott chooses Tessa, and Dalia has so little respect for Tessa, makes the pairing fine. Perhaps Dalia does feel slightly betrayed, but more likely the reaction of disbelief is the overriding main focus, so there's not even a problem for Tessa there. Tessa does nothing wrong.

     The Noah / George plot in "Driving Miss Dalia" is confusing at first, but then, brave and realistic. As Noah says when they fight, he loans George a toy and then gets mad that George plays with it. Noah acts like a spoiled child in his attempts to block George, but then again, so do plenty of people from time to time, especially in Suburgatory and places like it. Even best friends can make mistakes, treat each other poorly, and not want the other one around from time to time. Noah is being selfish, but his correction, including paying the membership fee George really can't afford, make up for it. It's not a dynamic seen often on TV, but it is in real life, so Suburgatory deserves credit for addressing it, and executing the story well.

     A little less believable is the way the country club treats George. He is dinged from membership by Jocelyn (Arden Myrin, MADtv), yet is allowed to join on George's family plan. He makes several scenes, including a wrestling match with the naked Noah, which should also be enough to deny his joining, and possibly even get Noah kicked out himself. The only explanation is that Noah holds some serious sway over the club or its board that it not talked about in the series. Otherwise, why would George be allowed to get away with such antics, and still be accepted? Not to mention, be allowed to be listed as a son on Noah's plan, something that is a very obvious falsehood.

     The only real complaint about this episode? Not enough Dallas (Cheryl Hines), who should have more scenes every single week with George! Their chemistry is amazing!

     For the most part, Suburgatory grows more sure of itself, and is more enjoyable each week. With a weak start, this could not be predicted, but it is fast becoming a must-see of the current season. Hopefully, this trend will continue.

     Watch Suburgatory Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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