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The 100 The Chosen Recap-Review

by Evelyn Ulrich
The 100 The Chosen

The 100 The Chosen was filled with emotional turmoil and heartache.  It also mirrored just how will people would save their loved ones, even putting their own lives in danger.   Here is my recap-review of The Chosen.  *The following review will provide spoilers from the episode.  Reader and viewer discretion is advised.*

 

The 100 The Chosen Recap-Review

I Want To See The World Through The Eyes of A Child

Episode 412 Aired May 17th, 2017

Evelyn Ulrich

 

The 100 has proven itself out of this world again with The Chosen.  Written by executive producer Aaron Ginsburg, and Wade McIntyre, it is an artistry piece on screen with a hauntedly beautiful narrative, and superior sequencing.  The ultimate choice is made by what is correct, or what we believe it should as the human race.  That alone can drop a bombshell, because there are many different trails of where the outcome will lie.

We start off with everyone running in a frenzy state, panicked, and all running towards the bunker’s core.  A child, Ethan is broken away from his father, but is luckily he is reunited with him.  Niylah is part of the group as well, and makes it.  Murphy is also reunited with Emori.

Octavia is a total badass throughout The Chosen which greatly plays up her dynamic arc.   Who knew that girl who was hid under a floor for most of her life would be the Grounder Queen?  Well, now Octavia is bringing her full momentum to the table, and she stands by it.  Although the position of being a leader weighs heavy, Indra guides her on the subject.

“Nobody leads alone,” Indra had said.

But Octavia is not all hard.  When Niylah is in distress over her place in the bunker because a few Skaikru don’t want her there.  She has every right, just like everyone else.    Octavia witnesses the actions, and swoops in and saves her friend.  Niylah is grateful and will never forget what Octavia has done for her.  Continuing on, Octavia gives the ultimatum to Skaikru.  They must choose 100 people by midnight, or they will all die.  And now, the real difficult decision making begins.

Clarke, Bellamy, Abby, Kane, and Jaha are circled around in the tech room, discussing on how to pick 100 of their people out of the 364.  Children under sixteen have an automatic spot.  Jaha is naturally upset about this, but for now there is no other choice but to have a life lottery.  It is a hard pill to swallow, but needs to be done.  Bellamy volunteers to save Raven from the lab, and Clarke decides to go with him.  Day trip 3.0 with a highly dangerous flair.  With only 23 hours before the death wave to consume everything in its path, Abby tells her daughter that she is one of the good guys, and no choice is correct.  It is a very touching and loving mother/daughter moment, as if they’re not going to see one another again.  Murphy and Emori are coming along too, but to seek passage in the lighthouse.  So, two people became four.

Speaking of the Day Trip 3.0, the gang is on their venture to save Raven.  Along the way, Clarke tells Bellamy that she is sorry that she has hurt him, and just he semi-forgives her.   Because pointing a gun and threatening to shoot you is not cool.  Nein, nein, nein. (No, no, no) Well, the gang hits a literal bump in the road, and crashes into a tree, smashing the rover.  Oh, fuck.  Turns out that it was a Grounder trying to take over and wants the suits.  He just appeared out of nowhere, and Bellamy was blindsided.  Soon, the group is struck with even more Grounders, and they are trying their best to battle them off, but no success.  This is the one time where the guns would have been allowed, as much as I don’t like them.  Yet, an unforeseen heroin arches with perfect aim, and slashes them all.  It is Echo!  Yes, Echo!  The gang is bewildered at her arrival, but grateful.  Without her, they would not have stand a chance.  She hopes that saving them, they’d reciprocate by saving her.  If you truly understand Echo, and I get why many despise her, you’ll know that all of her actions are done for the survival of her people, even if they’re not tangible to others.  This is trait that every character on The 100 has relation with.   Every.single.one.

It seems like everyone is safe, then more trouble pursues.  The seal of Emori’s helmet has cracked, and now she is being exposed to the radiation.  Of course, Murphy is very distraught, and goes after Echo for the suit.  Bellamy blocks him, saying that it would not do any good.  So, Clarke takes off her helmet and gives it to Emori.  If she needed a time to see if the Nightbloods would work, now is the time.

But, the gang still need to get Raven, but the Rover is smashed.  However, a sliver of luck is on their side as Monty and Harper are driving that way.  Monty and Harper are just rays of sun, and so they pick them up.  However, they soon learn that they are not going to Polis, but to the island.

But what is this?  Clarke is getting sick?  How could she?  She is a Nightbloods.  Monty quickly fetches out the suit that was intended for Jasper.  Aw, poor Jasper! There does not seem to be enough time to mourn his death, as death is to be expected on the show.  While death is a very prominent aspect, the loss of grief is a weak spot.  It might just be that I can’t handle death very well, and I happen to be a mournful one.  However, death of certain characters push the narrative forward.  At the moment when death occurs, the process is rather quick, (Jasper was not though), and we are angry, naturally.  But, as time continues on, we understand why and how the story evolves or revolves around it.  In perspective, characters often become more resilient and ignited after the death of a loved one.

Back to Arkadia, things are getting quite raw and compressed as people listen for their names being drawn out.  This is not your typical state lottery-no happiness or wealth fulfillment is being touched.  Instead, the polar opposite is reflected-as families are going to be departed by a simple call. At first, Kane draws out the names, but he notices Jaha stepping off to the side.  He hands the job over to a tearful Jackson, and sees what the former chancellor is up to.  Kane finds out that Jahar is planning on throwing the Grounders out by sleep gas, and reclaiming the bunker.  I must say that Jaha has done everything he believed that was the right way to save his people.  Some actions are questionable because of the substance, because it seemed unlikely.  In surviving, everyone has a different approach or tactic, and many of us cross that invisible line of morality just so we can have our loved ones safe.  Jaha feels like the Ark members are his family, as he had presided and connected with the people for many years.  Though the delinquents may have a totally different opinion of Jaha (I can’t blame them, as I was a bit of a teenager myself), many of them survived his experiment, as weird as that sounds.  But, I think the main root of his determination to save his people is Wells’s motivational speech to him back in season two.  It really mattered in the moments of the present-that Jaha is trying so hard to go by the words of his beloved son.  He wants to be the hero that his son needs him to be, and honor his memory.  Which drives me to my next point.

We see not only the kids and Bellamy (I can’t bring myself of calling him a ‘boy’ or ‘kid.’), have such strong emotional binds and conflict, but the close loving relationships between parent and child is en masse.  A Guard Major by the name of David Miller has given the best gift to his son, Nathan- giving up his chance to be drawn so that Nathan could get a second chance at life.  Let’s reflect upon this for a moment.  Here is a man who loves his child so unconditionally, so much that he erased his own life to give Miller his.  It was the heart breaking of the heart-breaking moments.    I was in tears, naturally.  I can’t imagine what’s it like to be ripped apart like this, by this evil that people created nearly a hundred years prior-especially when it is your child and your family.   Let’s hope that it will never come to that.     When Miller’s name is called (Nathan), he does not want to be departed, but David encourages and says that he will rebuild the world.  Yes, he will David.

Another example of parental devotion is Hardy-the man who was angry about the whole lottery ordeal, and wanted to team up with Jaha to kick the Grounders out.  Many thought that Hardy was crazy and belligerent, but I can fully understand his viewpoint.  His acting out was not only for him, but his young son, Ethan.  Yes, that cute little boy at the beginning of the episode.  It is apparent that Hardy does not want to be separated from Ethan.  Realizing that there is no choice in the matter, he asks Jaha if can watch over his child if he does not make it.  This was another heart breaking, as parent and child are separated.  I can only hope that Jaha will keep his promise.

Kane has talked Jaha out of the gassing of the Grounders, but has used the gas on their own people, so they can select the “ones.”  With the pivotal and zoom-in perspectives of director Alex Kalymnios, and the melancholy score of Tree Adams, it is a scene cemented in our minds as we watch with flowing tears.  I don’t cry, as I can’t physically express grief as easily, but I did let it all out.  I just did not let it all out just for this piece-but for all the hard losses I have endured myself.  It was a slingshot to release that grief and build up a sense of relief.  That it is okay to express emotions, that it is okay that it does not make you any less of a person by doing so.

Octavia walks in, ready to shoot the Skaikru if they did not make their obligation.  Instead, she surveys the area, and the Grounders does not have to slaughter.  Jaha and Kaha come out in gas masks (scaring the crap out of me), and both are tearful.

“This is how we save our people,” Kane says.  It’s the Culling all over again.  To select the Arkadians who will live, they use Clarke’s list.  How horrifically depressing.

Meanwhile, the squad arrives at Becca’s lab where Raven is waiting.  How cool was it though that all seven released their helmets simultaneously?  Anyways, when Clarke tells her that they’re not going back, but up, Raven is a bit surprised.  Clarke leads her through that they will have food and water once they can get the systems running on the Ark, (Plus, another classic one-liner from Murphy) and use the oxygenater from the lighthouse.  Raven is sure to do it, with everyone’s encouragement.   In full Raven Reyes fashion,

“The death wave can kiss my ass.”

 

That finishes my review of  The 100 The Chosen.  Tomorrow night will be the season four finale, and you don’t want to miss it!


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