The 100

The premise of The Hundred for anyone that missed it is that humanity has been surviving on a space station peering down on an Uninhabitable Earth. Systems are failing and the leader of this space civilization and his board have decided to jettison all of the criminals on the space station (all of them teenagers) down to Earth with watches that send their vitals back to the station. The plan is to find out weather or not the planet has once again become habitable and the station inhabitants can return to Earth, or if they should select a few hundred people to be floated (shot out into space to die) for the sake of the remaining citizens, giving them more time to survive and hopefully find a way to fix their predicament. 

 

In the last two episodes we learned a few things about our group of unlikely hero/survivors and about Earth itself. The first thing was that the group had quickly taken to a Lord of the Flies scenario with one group being the bullies and the second being the more responsible, but less liked group. Secondly we learned that Earth is habitable but that the kids are not alone and that the Grounders, the name for the mystery inhabitants of Earth, might be out to get them. 

 

In the third episode of the series, that just keeps getting better and better, we find the kids trying to nurse one of their own back from the brink of death. If you’ve ever seen Danny Boyle’s The Beach, it’s that kind of situation. Everyone is trying to enjoy their new life of no rules in paradise and the injured kid is setting everyone on edge. The only hope is that Clarke, Wells, and Finn can venture out into the wilderness and find some sort of naturally growing remedy to help their friend get back on his feet, a substance the Grounders had originally used on their victim to keep him alive. 

 

Meanwhile a new threat has emerged on Earth that will remind a lot of people of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. This is a pretty important development considering it’s interaction with the Grounders and the situations that arise when people become separated, or trapped, and conversations about forgetting the past comes to light. I surprised and impressed by how deep the show got as far as the kids coming to understand certain things about rules and responsibilities, even in the most unthought-of of circumstances and the consequences that arise from them playing at being adults among a crowd of well hidden, but ultimately frightened children. No one will see what’s coming as the show begins to cut it’s cast down in the most surprising of ways making it a must see prime-time event in my opinion. I highly suggest tuning in. If you’ve got Hulu, catch up. This is one fantastic show.