SIX REASONS TO WATCH “The 100”!
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1. CLARKE GRIFFIN.
You know how we always complain that there aren’t enough female protagonists on TV? Well, your prayers have been answered. Clarke is the insanely smart leader of a group of teenage survivors. She has managed to save everyone’s lives countless times, make a group of criminal delinquents into a fighting, organized society, and goes above and beyond to save people.
2. TOTAL DYSTOPIA!
If you mix together “The Hunger Games”, “Lord of the Flies”, and “LOST”, you’d get this show. The earth was totaled by nuclear bombs years ago, so the only survivors were people living on a ship in space called the Ark. Well, now the Ark is running out of air, so the leaders decide to send one-hundred criminals (kids under 18 are the only prisoners. If you’re older then 18 and are arrested, they kill you: hence why only kids are sent). They have to test the earth to see if it’s survivable. They think the potentially toxic air is the only dilemma, but they soon learn that rebellions, food and supplies, and some very unhappy Grounders will cause some problems.
3. POC, DIVERSITY, AND FEMALE LEADERS!
There are five groups that we’ve met, so far: the Ark, the 100, the Grounders Part 1, the Grounders Part 2, and the Mountain Men.
The Ark is run by a male POC (Jaha, who I just love so much!!); the 100 is co-lead by a female (Clarke Griffin) and a POC (Bellamy Blake *a thousand hearts after his name*); the Grounders Part 1 is lead by a woman POC (Anya, who kicks MAJOR butt!); Grounders Part 2 is lead by a woman POC; and the Mountain Men is lead by a totally evil, untrustworthy white male.
4. SERIOUSLY AMAZING CHARACTERS.
Clarke Griffin - The queen. The brains of the camp. The moral leader. The healer. The one who tries to save everybody. The wise but realistic one, who does what she can to save and help everyone, no matter what they’ve done.
(POC) Bellamy Blake - The king. While Clarke is the brains, he is the heart. He is the motivator, the one who inspires the people. He is a natural born leader. His character development is the best I’ve ever seen. He starts out only caring about himself and his sister (Octavia), but he ends up looking out for each person in the camp, and trying to protect his people. He is the one who has to make the hard calls, but he has a heart of gold.
(POC) Raven Reyez - A queen. Words cannot describe how amazing this girl is. She restored an old space-pod all by herself so she could get down to earth to be with someone she loved. She is tough, and brilliant, and selfless. She build a bomb out of a tin can. She thinks outside the box. She wants to be loved, and she won’t be someone’s second choice.
Octavia Blake - A queen. She has been hidden and locked up her whole life, and just wants freedom. Her brother (Bellamy) has always kept her safe, and she loves him, but she doesn’t want to be shielded anymore. At first, she is a bit wild and reckless, but her character development is awesome, and she turns into Queen Octavia of the Sky People (you’ll get that later). She loves so easily, and has such a big heart. She wants to help in every way she can, she she kicks so much butt!
Finn Collins - Pacifist. Peace maker. Basically, he was someone who didn’t want violence or war. He just wanted everyone to be happy. He doesn’t see how his actions hurt people, but he didn’t have malicious intent. He just wants peace.
Jasper Jordan - Adorable. Not the biggest or the strongest, but defiantly the one with the biggest heart. He just wants to be helpful. He can’t stand when people are hurt. He loves his friends, and would do anything to help them. He is brave, even while he is scared. And he is stubborn, but eventually sees reason.
(POC) Monty Green - Literally the only person who hasn’t done anything morally questionable or bad. He is the most adorable thing on the planet. And he needs to be protected at all costs. He is funny, and tries to lighten everyone’s mood. He looks out for his friends. He listens to reason, even if it hurts him in the process. He is just so good!
Just incase you weren’t counting, out of the 7 main characters, 3 are POC, 3 are women!
5. MORALITY.
The whole message of the show is the discussion of morals. Where do you draw the line? Does the end justify the means? How far would you go to save your people?
It’s all about the gray area.
Do you leave a girl you don’t know on the side of a cliff to die, so you can go and attempt to save your people from dangerous enemies?
Do you send a murderer into exile where he will either be captured and tortured by enemies / die a slow painful death?
Do you torture a man who is a member of your enemy tribe, who has stabbed one of your friend with a poisonous knife, in order to get information about what medicine will save said friend’s life?
Do you sacrifice your dying in order to save the healthy, or do risk everyone dying?
It makes you question your morals. It blurs the lines between Right and Wrong. It forces you to make the tough choices that could haunt you. It makes you ask yourself if you could be the villain to save the people you care about?
6. THE QUOTES.
“There are some lines your can’t uncross.”
"Salvation comes at a price."
"We are on the Titanic and there aren’t enough life boats."
"Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things."
"Slay your demons when you’re awake, and they won’t get you when you’re asleep."
"I choose to make sure that we deserve to stay alive."
In conclusion, please watch “The 100”! It’s one of my all time favorite shows, and I really want it to get the viewership it deserves. It’s on the CW, Wednesday nights at 9. Season one is available on Netflix and iTunes. Some season two episodes are available on the CW app.
