The 100: Bodyguard of Lies
February 26, 2015 10:03 AM - Season 2, Episode 14 - Subscribe
Clarke and Lexa discuss what it means to be a leader while Bellamy works to complete his mission. Jaha? Well...
The city of light plotline is the other big highlight here. Jaha is going off the rails and Murphy's along for the ride because he's got nothing better to do, and it's great.
"Just out of curiosity, how crazy is too crazy?"
posted by vibratory manner of working at 10:09 AM on February 26, 2015 [5 favorites]
"Just out of curiosity, how crazy is too crazy?"
posted by vibratory manner of working at 10:09 AM on February 26, 2015 [5 favorites]
This was the first episode I watched live, I just caught up on this show in the past two weeks, and I don't know how I'm going to make it through the week now.
I loved the Clarke/Lexa stuff, those two actresses have so much chemistry its ridiculous. The scene where Clarke backs Lexa up into the table and the camera focuses on their legs was shot and acted perfectly.
The other thing that was great in this episode was the little moment at the end where Indra tells Octavia that she knew about the missile and was okay with it. There's a moment of indecision on Octavia's face before she joins in screaming with the rest of the grounders that worked perfectly with that her evolution over the series.
posted by hobgadling at 10:45 AM on February 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
I loved the Clarke/Lexa stuff, those two actresses have so much chemistry its ridiculous. The scene where Clarke backs Lexa up into the table and the camera focuses on their legs was shot and acted perfectly.
The other thing that was great in this episode was the little moment at the end where Indra tells Octavia that she knew about the missile and was okay with it. There's a moment of indecision on Octavia's face before she joins in screaming with the rest of the grounders that worked perfectly with that her evolution over the series.
posted by hobgadling at 10:45 AM on February 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
The other thing that was great in this episode was the little moment at the end where Indra tells Octavia that she knew about the missile and was okay with it.
I mentioned before that I didn't want Clarke let off the hook for this too easily. Indra's response was a good way of having their cake and eating it too - I can totally believe Grounders who trust Lexa supporting the fiction. I'm still expecting some awkward conversations with Raven and Bellamy, but the show's doing a good job with this so far.
(Indra is also my favorite adult character by a wide margin, although I expect part of that is sheer delight at seeing Adina Porter getting to kick ass after being so misused on True Blood.)
I loved the Clarke/Lexa stuff, those two actresses have so much chemistry its ridiculous. The scene where Clarke backs Lexa up into the table and the camera focuses on their legs was shot and acted perfectly.
Yeah, I love the way they handled that.
Other stuff:
Guess we know why they call it the City of Light, and I'm even more curious to see who's there now. (It was also good to see Jaha cracking a bit.)
posted by mordax at 1:26 PM on February 26, 2015
I mentioned before that I didn't want Clarke let off the hook for this too easily. Indra's response was a good way of having their cake and eating it too - I can totally believe Grounders who trust Lexa supporting the fiction. I'm still expecting some awkward conversations with Raven and Bellamy, but the show's doing a good job with this so far.
(Indra is also my favorite adult character by a wide margin, although I expect part of that is sheer delight at seeing Adina Porter getting to kick ass after being so misused on True Blood.)
I loved the Clarke/Lexa stuff, those two actresses have so much chemistry its ridiculous. The scene where Clarke backs Lexa up into the table and the camera focuses on their legs was shot and acted perfectly.
Yeah, I love the way they handled that.
Other stuff:
Guess we know why they call it the City of Light, and I'm even more curious to see who's there now. (It was also good to see Jaha cracking a bit.)
posted by mordax at 1:26 PM on February 26, 2015
The kiss. The KISS.
The kiss was actually spoiled for me about a week or two ago, but I was left wondering when, where and why. At the moment, I'm completely mixed on my feelings concerning it over whether it was sincerely done or a slippery skip down fan service lane. My initial thought was that having two attractive young women kiss is kind of the popular thing to do, be it on another CW show, the Arrow or even the relationship between Korra and Asami on Legend of Korra (which was well done). Was it earned?
As far as we have seen so far in the 100, Clarke has engaged fairly exclusively in sexual relationships with men (or just man? Finn only?) and shown no other sexual preferences. She has not flirted with other women nor been flirted upon and offered an obvious reaction, good or bad, to that same sex attention. Is the absence of that conclusive evidence that Clarke is heterosexual and not bisexual? No, but also, we haven't been offered any type of glimpse of same sex relationships in the show at this point at all, that I can recall. Nor do I think, though, on the Ark, would same sex relationships have much of a stigma, because its a self contained environment, limited resources, and a carefully monitored population where the number of children one can have is dictated by the government (unless you want a floor child and well, they grow up to be wild things). A same sex relationship, thus, would allow people to pursue fulfilling emotional/sexual relationships without incurring the risk of accidental pregnancy (granted, one would expect the Ark people to have birth control in one form or another). So I certainly don't think culturally Clarke would have any type of background that would object to a same sex relationship.
On the other side of the kiss, we have Lexa. Her actress completely sold the desire that was building within our Grounding Commander to kiss Clarke, be it her eyes or expression. It was like a spotlight blinding everyone in the minute or so leading up to the embrace. The Grounders, in general, definitely exist as an "Other" for us the viewers. They have completely different cultural beliefs and expectations, traditions and ways of life, that we have only been fed piece by piece. Who's to say that same sex relationships are not common and accepted? Who's to say they aren't? We really don't know, but because Lexa has not had a defined relationship to this moment, I definitely don't find her attraction to Clarke to be out of character or fan servicey. Additionally, Clarke represents someone that Lexa does not otherwise have in Grounder society, an equal and an outsider. She's someone can trust, but also someone she doesn't have to fear may attempt to harm her in any Grounder fashion of politics and war.
There is also the aspect of Lexa's character that she's a leader chosen based on the idea that she is a previous leader reincarnated. Have all Commanders been women? What if the previous commander was actually a man? One would assume that reincarnation as a means of selecting a military commander is preferred because specific qualities or abilities are then passed from one leader to the next, and why not sexual preference? Is it wrong to the Grounders if a reincarnated soul acts on the preference of a past life? Can we view Lexas as having two genders? (Right, this is getting into Grounder philosophy...) But to get to the point, even if Grounders may not have many same sex couples, it may be there's an allowance or even expectation that their reincarnated leaders do.
So going back to Clarke and the kiss. It may very well be that the manner in which Clarke pulled away, not in disgust or aversion, but rather, "Look, my boyfriend, who I stabbed to death because he massacred a village of your people, he's still fresh in my mind ....and I'm just not ready to get involved again," is what allows me to accept it. I think if she had just jumped into bed with Lexa, it would have come across as more fan service than not. I'm super glad she didn't.
So right, there's all that. Then there's the rest of the incredible episode that happened.
Thanks to the Mt. Weather folk, we can confirm that our 47 is down to 44. That's a lot more than I expected, unless "44" is just short hand for the surviving kids. I watched on my phone, but was Bellamy betrayed by the security guy who was in Maya's quarters or did they just pick up the radio on their own?
The sequence in which Bellamy discovered the deception and the Grounder army advanced into the fog zone ("the veil") was impeccably delivered with great tension, even if I think it was advertised enough that he had done something to trigger a sabotage of the system. When I heard, "All we have left are the doors...." I immediately mentally added, "...and it would have been nice to have a freakin' missile....!" President Junior is facing the repercussions of his genius plans.
I also loved Octavia's short conversation with her mentor, Indra. One must wonder if the Grounders overall wouldn't receive the truth of the missile attack relatively well given the circumstances. I cannot believe, unfortunately, it's a secret that will remain a secret nor the outing of said secret will not result in some kind of fracturing of the alliance (granted, after the defeat of the Mountain Men). Season 2 cliff hanger!
I do fear that before Lexa and Clarke might strike up a true relationship, Lexa will fall, which will lead to Clarke's assumption of her position.
Jaha and Murphy. The mine field was a nice surprise, even if I was kind of enjoying the improvised post-apocalyptic comedy of Mr. About to Be Seventy Different Pieces. The solar panels were actually more than I was expecting and it's going to be intriguing to see what our next "people" of the show turn out to be. They're obviously advanced enough to have drones, which puts them on par or somewhat above the Mountain Men, but maybe not at the same level as the Ark folks. What terrible secret will they have? Is the path to the City of Light the equivalent of John Carter's River Iss? Or will we actually find an advanced and enlightened people?
Raven and what's his name. I don't know how I feel about that, but I'm not against Raven moving on. With the exception of Team Jaha, Raven and Friend, we had no other Sky People appearances. No Abby, no Kane, etc. Are there no security forces from the Ark joining the Grounders in the assault? Are they being sent to the dam instead to turn off the power and open the doors? When will the Grounder "army' inside Mount Weather be freed by Bellamy?
Can't wait for the answers!
posted by Atreides at 1:27 PM on February 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
The kiss was actually spoiled for me about a week or two ago, but I was left wondering when, where and why. At the moment, I'm completely mixed on my feelings concerning it over whether it was sincerely done or a slippery skip down fan service lane. My initial thought was that having two attractive young women kiss is kind of the popular thing to do, be it on another CW show, the Arrow or even the relationship between Korra and Asami on Legend of Korra (which was well done). Was it earned?
As far as we have seen so far in the 100, Clarke has engaged fairly exclusively in sexual relationships with men (or just man? Finn only?) and shown no other sexual preferences. She has not flirted with other women nor been flirted upon and offered an obvious reaction, good or bad, to that same sex attention. Is the absence of that conclusive evidence that Clarke is heterosexual and not bisexual? No, but also, we haven't been offered any type of glimpse of same sex relationships in the show at this point at all, that I can recall. Nor do I think, though, on the Ark, would same sex relationships have much of a stigma, because its a self contained environment, limited resources, and a carefully monitored population where the number of children one can have is dictated by the government (unless you want a floor child and well, they grow up to be wild things). A same sex relationship, thus, would allow people to pursue fulfilling emotional/sexual relationships without incurring the risk of accidental pregnancy (granted, one would expect the Ark people to have birth control in one form or another). So I certainly don't think culturally Clarke would have any type of background that would object to a same sex relationship.
On the other side of the kiss, we have Lexa. Her actress completely sold the desire that was building within our Grounding Commander to kiss Clarke, be it her eyes or expression. It was like a spotlight blinding everyone in the minute or so leading up to the embrace. The Grounders, in general, definitely exist as an "Other" for us the viewers. They have completely different cultural beliefs and expectations, traditions and ways of life, that we have only been fed piece by piece. Who's to say that same sex relationships are not common and accepted? Who's to say they aren't? We really don't know, but because Lexa has not had a defined relationship to this moment, I definitely don't find her attraction to Clarke to be out of character or fan servicey. Additionally, Clarke represents someone that Lexa does not otherwise have in Grounder society, an equal and an outsider. She's someone can trust, but also someone she doesn't have to fear may attempt to harm her in any Grounder fashion of politics and war.
There is also the aspect of Lexa's character that she's a leader chosen based on the idea that she is a previous leader reincarnated. Have all Commanders been women? What if the previous commander was actually a man? One would assume that reincarnation as a means of selecting a military commander is preferred because specific qualities or abilities are then passed from one leader to the next, and why not sexual preference? Is it wrong to the Grounders if a reincarnated soul acts on the preference of a past life? Can we view Lexas as having two genders? (Right, this is getting into Grounder philosophy...) But to get to the point, even if Grounders may not have many same sex couples, it may be there's an allowance or even expectation that their reincarnated leaders do.
So going back to Clarke and the kiss. It may very well be that the manner in which Clarke pulled away, not in disgust or aversion, but rather, "Look, my boyfriend, who I stabbed to death because he massacred a village of your people, he's still fresh in my mind ....and I'm just not ready to get involved again," is what allows me to accept it. I think if she had just jumped into bed with Lexa, it would have come across as more fan service than not. I'm super glad she didn't.
So right, there's all that. Then there's the rest of the incredible episode that happened.
Thanks to the Mt. Weather folk, we can confirm that our 47 is down to 44. That's a lot more than I expected, unless "44" is just short hand for the surviving kids. I watched on my phone, but was Bellamy betrayed by the security guy who was in Maya's quarters or did they just pick up the radio on their own?
The sequence in which Bellamy discovered the deception and the Grounder army advanced into the fog zone ("the veil") was impeccably delivered with great tension, even if I think it was advertised enough that he had done something to trigger a sabotage of the system. When I heard, "All we have left are the doors...." I immediately mentally added, "...and it would have been nice to have a freakin' missile....!" President Junior is facing the repercussions of his genius plans.
I also loved Octavia's short conversation with her mentor, Indra. One must wonder if the Grounders overall wouldn't receive the truth of the missile attack relatively well given the circumstances. I cannot believe, unfortunately, it's a secret that will remain a secret nor the outing of said secret will not result in some kind of fracturing of the alliance (granted, after the defeat of the Mountain Men). Season 2 cliff hanger!
I do fear that before Lexa and Clarke might strike up a true relationship, Lexa will fall, which will lead to Clarke's assumption of her position.
Jaha and Murphy. The mine field was a nice surprise, even if I was kind of enjoying the improvised post-apocalyptic comedy of Mr. About to Be Seventy Different Pieces. The solar panels were actually more than I was expecting and it's going to be intriguing to see what our next "people" of the show turn out to be. They're obviously advanced enough to have drones, which puts them on par or somewhat above the Mountain Men, but maybe not at the same level as the Ark folks. What terrible secret will they have? Is the path to the City of Light the equivalent of John Carter's River Iss? Or will we actually find an advanced and enlightened people?
Raven and what's his name. I don't know how I feel about that, but I'm not against Raven moving on. With the exception of Team Jaha, Raven and Friend, we had no other Sky People appearances. No Abby, no Kane, etc. Are there no security forces from the Ark joining the Grounders in the assault? Are they being sent to the dam instead to turn off the power and open the doors? When will the Grounder "army' inside Mount Weather be freed by Bellamy?
Can't wait for the answers!
posted by Atreides at 1:27 PM on February 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
Based on what we've seen so far, I have the working assumption that this is the sort of future where everyone is bi
posted by vibratory manner of working at 3:22 PM on February 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by vibratory manner of working at 3:22 PM on February 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
I am 100% in favor of demystifying bisexuality and asexuality by treating it like the CW handles straight and gay pairings: with young, good-looking stunt actors.
Also, fuck yeah chemistry followed by fuck yeah explosions! Glad Raven finally got laid and forced Bellamy to improvise again. He barely needed any copiloting, and his triumphs were significant.
He and Clarke are the worthiest Ark leaders; honorable mention for Monty, Jasper, Raven and Raven's Boyfriend for being team players who take the lead when they must.
This season is turning out some really good acting compared to S1.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:10 PM on February 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
Also, fuck yeah chemistry followed by fuck yeah explosions! Glad Raven finally got laid and forced Bellamy to improvise again. He barely needed any copiloting, and his triumphs were significant.
He and Clarke are the worthiest Ark leaders; honorable mention for Monty, Jasper, Raven and Raven's Boyfriend for being team players who take the lead when they must.
This season is turning out some really good acting compared to S1.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:10 PM on February 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
"Have all Commanders been women? What if the previous commander was actually a man? One would assume that reincarnation as a means of selecting a military commander is preferred because specific qualities or abilities are then passed from one leader to the next, and why not sexual preference? Is it wrong to the Grounders if a reincarnated soul acts on the preference of a past life? Can we view Lexas as having two genders? (Right, this is getting into Grounder philosophy...) But to get to the point, even if Grounders may not have many same sex couples, it may be there's an allowance or even expectation that their reincarnated leaders do."
That's some twisted thinking, dude. Yes, all grounder leaders have been female so far. Remember Anya? No, Lexa is not a male soul doing what a man would do. Sheesh.
posted by travelwithcats at 3:16 PM on February 27, 2015
That's some twisted thinking, dude. Yes, all grounder leaders have been female so far. Remember Anya? No, Lexa is not a male soul doing what a man would do. Sheesh.
posted by travelwithcats at 3:16 PM on February 27, 2015
That's not what I said, actually. If it came across that way, then I'll try and clarify. First, we haven't seen enough Grounder culture to know for a fact all the leaders have always been women. Second, my inference was also that a male leader could exhibit female traits (assuming behavior is gendered in Grounder society) and could have a sexual relationship with another man, when otherwise same sex relationships might be frowned upon. I.e., reincarnated leaders are given license by society to engage in same sex relationships when it might otherwise be taboo. Third, if it wasn't clear or I failed to include it (I had to rewrite part of that comment), I also stated or intended to state that Lexa could just be a woman into other women.
That's my intended speculation, soooooo yeah. There ya go.
posted by Atreides at 4:03 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
That's my intended speculation, soooooo yeah. There ya go.
posted by Atreides at 4:03 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hooray for the kiss! Next on my wishlist: Jasper/Monty. C'mon, you know they'd be so good together. They're already smouldering whenever they look at each other.
And after that, hmmm. I can see Jaha and Marcus having some good long cries together, and maybe reeling Jaha in from his death wish. Which is basically what the City of Light quest is for Jaha — a continuation of his need to nobly sacrifice himself for the good of his people. He doesn't talk about the City as somewhere he wants to go, he wants his people to go there. And if, like Moses, he dies within sight of the Promised Land, I think he'd be okay with that.
Wow, I was not expecting to go there. Anyways, back to Lexa and Clarke...
I'm cautiously optimistic about how the show will handle queer relationships from here out. They did all right by me with the kiss. But they could still easily end up invoking the dead lesbian trope if, after Lexa dies, the show goes back to all heteronormative relationships.
It's also pretty rad that The 100 has come to the point where I'm excited about the relationship drama, instead of rolling my eyes at it.
posted by Banknote of the year at 4:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
And after that, hmmm. I can see Jaha and Marcus having some good long cries together, and maybe reeling Jaha in from his death wish. Which is basically what the City of Light quest is for Jaha — a continuation of his need to nobly sacrifice himself for the good of his people. He doesn't talk about the City as somewhere he wants to go, he wants his people to go there. And if, like Moses, he dies within sight of the Promised Land, I think he'd be okay with that.
Wow, I was not expecting to go there. Anyways, back to Lexa and Clarke...
I'm cautiously optimistic about how the show will handle queer relationships from here out. They did all right by me with the kiss. But they could still easily end up invoking the dead lesbian trope if, after Lexa dies, the show goes back to all heteronormative relationships.
It's also pretty rad that The 100 has come to the point where I'm excited about the relationship drama, instead of rolling my eyes at it.
posted by Banknote of the year at 4:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
And, Atreides, I don't think we know enough about either Grounder reincarnation beliefs or gender roles to meaningfully speculate on how the two tie together. I'm gonna go with Occam's razor and say that Lexa is simply a woman who romances other women.
But, since you asked, we have seen one male Grounder in a leadership position. Tristan showed up at the end of season 1, on orders from The Commander. He bossed Anya around during the finale and got burninated by the drop ship's engines.
posted by Banknote of the year at 4:57 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
But, since you asked, we have seen one male Grounder in a leadership position. Tristan showed up at the end of season 1, on orders from The Commander. He bossed Anya around during the finale and got burninated by the drop ship's engines.
posted by Banknote of the year at 4:57 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Apologies Atreides. We know so far that there are 12 clans of Grounders. Lexa was second in command to Anya and took over after her death, so they both belong to the same clan. Luna is another female leader that was mentioned by Lincoln previously (different clan). So far all high positions of power have been portrayed by women.
Also, we know that Lexa had a girlfriend, Costia.
posted by travelwithcats at 6:16 PM on February 27, 2015
Also, we know that Lexa had a girlfriend, Costia.
posted by travelwithcats at 6:16 PM on February 27, 2015
No apologies needed, I was totally going fully into the deep end with theoretical Grounder philosophies on reincarnation, sexual orientation and the acceptance of same sex relationships. I guess it's indicative of how fascinated I am by the setting and the players!
I also completely forgot about Costia. If I had remembered that, it would have short cut my own thoughts to just "Lexa digs other girls."
posted by Atreides at 7:03 AM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
I also completely forgot about Costia. If I had remembered that, it would have short cut my own thoughts to just "Lexa digs other girls."
posted by Atreides at 7:03 AM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Must have missed the Fanfare for this a bit ago! Oops!
Okay, I lOVED this episode. Everything about it was amazing. That kiss was amazing. I liked that the tension built this episode and wasn't an obvious drawn-out thing. I loved two powerful women together. Also, Bellamy is just kicking ass and taking names! I loved the "Oh Shit" look on the Mountainmen's faces when they said their fog was down. So good. And Jaha's messiah complex is great and I can't wait to see what's on the other side of that water.
Still, this show keeps getting better. I went into it expecting close to nothing, but it wows me. They really thought out the culture behind each group of people and what they've had to do to survive. Cannot wait until next week!
posted by Crystalinne at 9:47 PM on March 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Okay, I lOVED this episode. Everything about it was amazing. That kiss was amazing. I liked that the tension built this episode and wasn't an obvious drawn-out thing. I loved two powerful women together. Also, Bellamy is just kicking ass and taking names! I loved the "Oh Shit" look on the Mountainmen's faces when they said their fog was down. So good. And Jaha's messiah complex is great and I can't wait to see what's on the other side of that water.
Still, this show keeps getting better. I went into it expecting close to nothing, but it wows me. They really thought out the culture behind each group of people and what they've had to do to survive. Cannot wait until next week!
posted by Crystalinne at 9:47 PM on March 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
After all the setbacks, drama and biding of time in the last few episodes it's nice to have an episode ending on a high note. The mountain men having nothing but their doors left, that kiss, even that silly boat - everything left me with a feeling of joy and optimism for a change.
... so naturally I expect the next two episodes to be devastating.
posted by bigendian at 11:00 AM on September 6, 2015
... so naturally I expect the next two episodes to be devastating.
posted by bigendian at 11:00 AM on September 6, 2015
Having so much fun with this, all on my own, half a year after y'all... Indra is so hardcore: stop pouting and don't second-guess our leaders, your job is to stick that sword in people and not die quickly. Small correction to the above; Lexa doesn't take over after Anya, she was Anya's second (ie just a scrub) which meant it was surprising when she was discovered to be the next incarnation of The Commander, but she was Commander before Anya died (leading to her getting a new second, the little girl that Clarke couldn't save?).
posted by Iteki at 4:53 AM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Iteki at 4:53 AM on October 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hahahah, the Reaper joke about "we don't serve Grounders here" followed by, "I will take his staff and BEAT YOU WITH IT." Followed by another bad joke and being BLOWN UP FOR IT. Damn, this show.
"Tell me what level of crazy is too much for you." Yes, Jaha has become Crazy Religious Pilgrim, oh my.
GO RAVEN, GET IT GIRL. She does get laid the most on this show--too bad she usually (okay, two out of three) ends up depressed afterwards.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:36 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
"Tell me what level of crazy is too much for you." Yes, Jaha has become Crazy Religious Pilgrim, oh my.
GO RAVEN, GET IT GIRL. She does get laid the most on this show--too bad she usually (okay, two out of three) ends up depressed afterwards.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:36 PM on February 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
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Clarke flashing a lot of different emotions in sequence when Lexa actually did kiss her was great.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 10:07 AM on February 26, 2015 [5 favorites]