After the intensity on the Ark in the previous episode, it made sense to focus back on the Exiled.  (Calling them “The 100” doesn’t make sense when the original hundred is now down to 90!)  The body count rises as the Exiled have their first direct encounter with the Grounders, who have the same general level of menace that the Others initially had on Lost.

 

Actually, comparisons to Lost aren’t entirely inappropriate.  The structure of this episode was very similar to the first season of Lost, with the “current” actions by Bellamy being informed by the flashbacks detailing his lifelong devotion to Octavia’s protection.  Of course, it’s not that simple, because Bellamy had to sacrifice much of his own happiness and agency because of his mother’s decision to break the population control laws in the first place.  He really never had his own life; it was always about Octavia.

 

I actually appreciate this level of character building.  Bellamy’s attitude has never really been explained; if anything, while the populations controls have been fairly well established, their relationship seemed a lot more positive.  But now we get a better idea of why Bellamy is such a control freak, and just how much of a burden his protection of Octavia has become.  And yet, he still doesn’t know any other way; protecting Octavia is all he knows.  It would be tragic if Bellamy hadn’t let that bitterness turn him into such a jerk.

 

It would also come across as a bit overdone if it wasn’t so crystal clear that dealing with siblings is actually a unique experience for this generation of the Ark.  This is the only sibling relationship on the show, and sooner or later, I expect some of the Exiled to display a bit of resentment about Bellamy’s decision to place his desire to protect Octavia over the lives of others.  It’s these implications that make The 100 so interesting.  In the space of six episodes, the rules of this society are so well established that the consequences for the characters can be readily explored.

 

The key difference between the bloodletting in this episode, as opposed to the death of the volunteers in “Twilight’s Last Gleaming”, is how the victims were portrayed.  On the Ark, we got to know a couple of the volunteers; as a result, the realization that the bodies were being released to burn up in the atmosphere was a bit of a gut punch.  I can’t say I cared about any of the teens killed in the encounter with the Grounders, and that’s more on the writers than any personal dislike of teenage drama.

 

The love triangle is present, as one would expect given the lead-up, but I think it’s treated a bit better than most teenage drama tropes would suggest.  There is some of that, but I believe Clarke well enough when she points out that it was partially a matter of comfort, considering that she really doesn’t know Finn at all.  That said, I would have found it much more innovative if Finn had actually been killed by the Grounders.  Setting up a love triangle, only to undercut it as a statement to the viewers, would have been a brilliant move.