The 100 : Fog of War Recap (season 2 Episode 6)

Okay, I don't usually do photo recaps, or episode recaps, but since it's December, which is practically Christmas, I decided to blog something fun. And what could be more fun than lighthearted comments/jokes about a dark dystopian drama? Am I right, or am I right?

So the latest episode of The 100 (Season 2 Episode 6) is titled Fog of War, but could easily have been titled Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (While Leading) due to the outstanding equality on this show.

First up, the episode starts with a reminder of some stuff that's happened, like when the Mountain Men threw a forest rave for The 48 with laser pointers and everything, and the whole scene got wayyyy too wild:

Then there was Clarke's post-party comedown:

We were reminded of Jasper and Maya's attempts to hang out (dystopian dating sucks) and Jasper's clueless offer to replace her blood with his own radiation-proof red liquid gold. Although to be fair, the Mount Weatherians did give him chocolate cake, so they pretty much own his SOUL.

The episode begins two days after the village massacre. The time jump is appreciated, because, seriously, small talk is tough when you've just murdered your neighbors. (Betting that walk back to camp was awk-ward.) 

Here we are, at Camp Jaha (and yes, it is so entertaining).

Apparently the adults brought a bar with them. (Respect). And apparently a currency is already in place. #grownuppriorities 

Clarke's working on another map of Mount Weather. At first glance I thought she'd written "damn", like she was annoyed, and assumed the Ark-ers are mad Facebook users who can't spell. Then I realized Clarke meant an actual dam... my bad.

The crew's just chillin'. You know. Hangin' out.

Finn drops by, cleared of charges. (The Ark's never boasted a reliable justice system.) Avoiding talking about mass murder proves tough, and the mood turns awkward, so Bellamy bails. 

Of course, then Murphy shows up, making things AWKWARDER. Turns out sociopaths don't have rockin' social skills...

Luckily Raven comes over with some game-changing news. But first she makes it clear Murphy isn't welcome at the cool table.

She also tells Clarke the Mountain Monsters are jamming the radios, but all I hear is:

The girls get BUSTED planning an expedition to destroy Mount Weather's communications array thanks to the spying eyes of the mean security lady (creeper). 

We're expecting our dynamic duo to be grounded (get it?) but Mama Chancellor doesn't veto the plan; instead, she says she's coming along for the ride! ROAD TRIP.

Mount Weather Update: Cut to a quick and ever-so-creepy Mountain Monster's power trio convo about sucking The 47's blood. 

I can't even post a pic of Dante's son, who should be wearing a t-shirt that says, "I AM AN ACTUAL VAMPIRE" or Doctor Von Non-Humanity, who desperately needs a psychiatrist, because they freak me out too much.

President Dante surprises us all by proving to be a tad less creepy. Rather than rounding up The 47 like cattle, he wants to try the road less traveled (that would be the dirt track marked Not Violating Human Rights).

While Abby, Clarke, and co are busy trekking to Mount Weather, we cut to Kane and Jaha who are once again facing certain death. (These guys. Deja vu or what?) Today, detention for the Past Chancellor's Club is being held in the subway.

The Grounders take the opportunity to showcase their fashion motto: Go Hard, Go Apocalyptic, or Go Home. These besties know how to make a style statement. (I won't lie; the vibe's a little Single White Male.)

Kane's convinced he's going to actually die this time, but Jaha's all super-chill.

Turns out the Grounders want Jaha and Kane to kill each other, mostly because of this*.

Jaha tries to make friends with Grounder girl Lexa (placed in the corner to let the guards know when Kane and Jaha finish their No Holds Barred tournament to the death) but she's not uber chatty.

Back at Mount Weather, Jasper gets lots of presents. Think Christmas, if Santa were the kind of guy to demand a blood tribute. Dante tries to enlist Jasper's help in convincing The 47 to donate their magic space plasma.

Outside the mountain, Abby discovers Bellamy and Octavia (go team!) have snuck off to find a way into the mountain. She sends security to bring them back. Meanwhile, Finn isn't happy that everyone wants to take his fave toy away from him. 

Then the acid fog shows up. And one of the security guys, well...

Abby and Raven are ok though. Somehow.

Meanwhile, Clark and Finn are safe in the bunker, and I don't want to go into it but...

Sometimes the elephant in the room isn't just metaphorical; here The 100 writers opt for an actual corpse. Finn tries to cover up his crime (literally).* 

*Too sad for a picture.

Bellamy, Octavia, and the security guys have taken shelter from the acid fog in an underground car park. At this point, security guy Scott makes a really bad life choice.

Things continue to suck at the bunker (let's not go there). I will say Clarke got her dad's watch back, but as far as gifts go, it was expensive, at a cost of, oh, around 19 lives? :(

Let's visit The 47 at Mount Weather instead.

Jasper tries to get everyone to volunteer to be blood sucked, but they're not excited. Maya decides to be a turncoat and join Team 100. (Sorry, 47).

Instead of just telling the guys what's going on, Maya makes them look through a vent with a slow turning fan. (Never go near a slow turning industrial fan! Horror staple.) They see this:

...proving when it comes to delivery, Maya is the (drama) Batgirl to Jaha and Kane's (drama) Batman and Robin.

Returning to the creepy underground garage (they're always creepy!), the security guys are dead and Octavia discovers Lincoln hasn't survived the fortnight break between The 100 episodes too well...

Back in the subway, Kane decides if one of The Chancellor Club has to die, it should be him.

Jaha stops him, and in desperation, takes the Grounder girl hostage. Not cool!

(Quick cut to Bellamy and Octavia hiding in the underground garage, just to ratchet up the tension.) 

Meanwhile, in a twist, Jaha is disarmed by the young Grounder girl. Reveal! She's the Commander. (Which doesn't explain her disguise-that-made-no-sense. Maybe it was a psychological prop?)

She also announces she's keeping Kane (who wouldn't want to keep Kane?) and sending Jaha back with a message for the Ark crew.

Back in the creepy car park, Octavia and Bellamy agree Lincoln needs a reality check.

Over in the Bunker Of Sad, Clark says the saddest line of the whole episode, "They were unarmed" (in regards to last eps village massacre that no one wants to talk about). Finn's face proves he aint no Murphy; there's an ocean of remorse behind those pretty eyes.

On the Mount Weather front, in an attempt to stay on Dante/Vampire/Dr. Horror's good side, Monty and co donate blood in a hospital set from a sixties scifi movie.

And Dante reminds his son he's no pushover.

Then we cut to The 47, and we're glad to see Miller, as always! I wish Miller and Monty were a gay couple on The 100. They might get more screen time. At least Miller's not dead. (Yet.)

Jasper has a plan that's perfectly in character.

Abby and Clarke and co are heading home when Jaha stumbles out of the bushes, and Abby's face is like WTFOMFGx10.

While most would say, "Don't worry, you didn't eat the wrong mushrooms, I came down in a rocket," Jaha's inner thespian takes over and it's all a bit Shakespeare In The Park.

We learn the Grounders are planning another attack in 2 days. (Although considering how well the last one went for them, I'm not quite sure why they're so cocky...)

Can't wait for next week x

The Art of Opening Credits

In the world of modern television, opening credits have become an unexpectedly complex art form. No longer thrown together by the show's editors, many are outsourced to specialist companies who painstakingly piece together each and every image and effect, before sourcing/commissioning the perfect music to complement their beautifully crafted visual feast.

For a relatively small slip of time, the opening credits of a television show have become increasingly important; instead of merely listing actors' names and the program title, that initial space now attempts to communicate moods, themes, even clues to the seasonal (or series) narrative. It is, in the truest sense, an "introduction" to the program.

Many of today's opening credits are beautiful, hypnotic attempts to lure in and grab a hold of viewers on a kind of instinctive, even subconscious, level; an opportunity to preset the viewers' minds, creating the right kind of frame for the program they're about to experience.

In celebration, here are a dozen of my favorite opening credits currently on television (although loving the credits doesn't always make me a fan of the show). Only television shows still in production are included (to narrow the field).*

*Interestingly, shows on cable television generally have a larger budget and greater artistic freedom, so programs on those networks are more likely to make this list, but there are also programs on more traditional networks offering memorable opening sequences.

My response to these examples is also more emotional and instinctive than technical. I've tried to write my reaction as a viewer who's just sat down to relax, and engage.

In no particular order:

Outlander
Firstly, the music. Oh, the music. Such an incredibly appropriate selection. Also, the inference of magic, with all the light and shadow, suggestions of dawn and dusk. We never get to meet anyone's gaze, a very deliberate choice, but we see parts of people's bodies in motion. (Not to mention, guns, knives, historic costumes and props that place the story in a particular period.) Disjointed, but beautifully composed. Even in shadowy shots that hint at a certain uneasiness and the possibility of future violence, there is still light. Overall, a sensual, dreamy atmosphere prevails. 

True Detective
This opening sequence won a Creative Arts Emmy. I actually find it unexpectedly sleek, given the gritty style of the show itself; at first I thought it was almost too slick a pairing for the program, but despite that hint of disparate visualization, there's no denying a moody, minimalist atmosphere is successfully created. The projection and layering make the characters' bodies part of the location. It's almost like our heroes (antiheroes?) are embedded in the setting itself, and since you get that kind of dragged down feel from the narrative as well, it's a very clever presentation of certain themes.

True Blood
Some of my absolute favorite opening credits from recent years. (Show's finished, I know, but am making an exception!) Blunt, sexual, religious, violent, blood and more blood, death and decomposition. Swamps and heat and night and darkness... Utterly perfect for a vampire show set in the south. (Not to mention the choice of film stock.) This clip is a making-of featurette that follows the team behind the title sequence. I think focusing on themes rather than characters was key. Gritty, messy, and extreme, this visual injection is simultaneously seductive and distasteful.

Halt and Catch Fire
I like the red-to-pink-to-red here, as if the mood of the piece is in constant transition, opening credits flickering between passive and aggressive, i.e. threatening and non-threatening, which is the feel I get from the show; as if conversational scenes are prone to switching from chatty to confrontational, and back again. I like how the characters' profiles are literally consumed by shades of tech, as if computer science is obscuring my take on them, and I appreciate the movement forward, toward a goal. Quite simple, stylistically, but to me, thematically spot-on.

The 100
Season two of this show offers a revamped opening sequence. Not what I expected, but the visuals totally work contextually. The show is violent, and emotional, and doesn't back away from investigating shades of gray in the human psyche, but location also plays a very important part in the story, so mapping out the external journey of the characters in this dystopian environment is a solid choice. Obviously there are clues and references embedded here, but it feels like information is flooding you, reflecting the pace of the season. (And the slightly primal, slightly adrenalizing soundtrack is an apt fit.)

Penny Dreadful
A program that feeds on dark and dramatic texts, so cadavers and scorpions were kind of a given... But I like the angles/slant of this opening sequence; everything is leaning, and surrounded by darkness. Even the credits barely make it out of the shadows. White, yes, but not a bold presence onscreen, more struggling to be seen, even. Most of the characters are glancing away, and they all seem troubled. Everyone, and everything, is destined for imminent disaster. That's the feeling the audience can't shake (and the visual of the blood-filled tea cup certainly stays with you).

Game Of Thrones
The great thing about the opening sequence for this series is that it puts aside character intrigues and focuses on what fuels the entire narrative... The power to rule. After all, this is a game of thrones, and the beautifully crafted, unfolding three-dimensional "map" is an intricate reflection of the players in this gruesome, high stakes game. The aerial image is empowering for viewers, as we zoom in and out of various locations. What fans love the most, though, is the way the opening sequence changes each screening to reflect the content of the episode you're about to watch. So engaging.

The Leftovers
A stunning example of a beautifully communicated premise. You feel like you're inside a cathedral, looking up, seeing a fresco representation of the characters' suffering as loved ones are torn from them, into the light. The experience feels religious, but somehow blasphemous, and very tragic. The way it's filmed is also slightly disorienting; you feel like you're moving through the air with no real control, seeing other people's stories/suffering from uncomfortable angles. The camera also pans out rather than in, and there's a disconcerting fluidity/inference of depth to the artwork.

Teen Wolf
Aimed at a teen audience, this sequence employs motifs popular in supernatural cinema and television to create a dark celebration of youthful beauty, sensuality, and isolation, while highlighting a simmering potential for violence. Interestingly, it could be argued the male characters are more overtly sexualized than the female leads, which is against type. I also like the use of water/chalk/dirt (or oil?). Simple, but visually effective. Likewise, the understated, hurried music suits. The opening sequence differs a little each season, but each offering stays stylistically similar.

Banshee
I love the Banshee opening credits because in a field of blurry, low-lit offerings, the stark bluntness of this sequence stands out. (The way the letters alternate in size is also a nice touch.) Fans know the spinning lock combination during each season has a certain meaning (but no spoilers here, I promise). The photo evidence is clearly delineated, falling in and out of focus, some pieces degrading, some receiving more screen time than others. You know all the images are clues and pieces that you have to decipher, but it's going to take you time, and it feels a tad Memento... 

Intruders
It kind of surprises me how much I've enjoyed this show. The story just gets under your skin. The opening title captures the eeriness that makes this program addictive viewing, what with the flood of creepy, disconcerting symbolism. (I won't lie, I'm a sucker for a good close-up eye-shot, and that opening graphic is one of the best.) "An unhealthy metamorphosis" is the feel I take away from this viewing experience, and a focus on the fragility of life. My final impression? "We are grey and fragile, something unsettling is happening, and the storm is coming."

American Horror Story: Freak Show
Each season of this program has a different opening sequence to match the changing theme of the narrative, but this one is my favorite, because instead of being overtly scary, the stream of animated characters appears beautifully macabre more than anything else. (I get a bit of a Jan Svankmajer vibe.) The carnival freak show has long been a metaphor for society's fascination with the perceived grotesque, and this opening title feels like a twisted celebration of said legacy; the supposedly "deformed" become uniquely riveting, presenting as powerful and darkly enchanting entities.

The 100

Why this teen-oriented drama from the CW network is the scifi surprise of the season.

The CW network as been dipping its toes into the (futuristic genre) pool with The Tomorrow People and Star-Crossed, both of which, in different ways, have failed to live up to their basic premises (another blog for another day). Third time's a charm, however, with The 100 proving it's got the scifi chops to last the distance.

Just to clarify, everyone reall-y wants to get off this thing.

The tagline for the show is "Survival isn't who you are. It's who you become" which nicely sums it up. The cast includes Richard Harmon (Continuum), Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), Paige Turco (Person of Interest), Australian actors Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley (because Aussies are awesome, although I might be biased), and Thomas McDonell, who played the young version of Johnny Depp's character Barnaby Collins in Dark Shadows.

Aw, let's enjoy the shiny, happy moments inbetween the violence.
You know, all three seconds of them.

To give the briefest of summaries, The 100 is set almost a hundred years after a nuclear apocalypse. Upside, humanity survived, the remnants living on a space station. Down side, air's running out unexpectedly. A hundred juvenile delinquents are jettisoned down to Earth a century or so before the planet's expected to be habitable, just to test the waters. Sounds cruel, but is actually preferable to being "floated", the favoured form of future corporal punishment on the station that sees the accused jettisoned into space.

The 100, 99, 98... would probably be a better title since characters have been dropping like flies (yes, this is a ham-fisted Lord of the Flies reference, in case you were wondering). Death's been a recurring theme on this program. It aint Disney, that's for sure. By episodes five and six I was starting to get fatality fatigue, partly because the deaths are used for maximum emotional and narrative punch. This is some nice writing, notable due to the repercussion attached to each incident (even those that occurred pre-show).

Seriously, these kids aren't messing around.

There's been a backlash against teen-focused television drama in recent times, probably as a result of a slight prime time saturation. Personally, I can see the allure of teen characters in terms of narrative. Teenagers are often volatile, impulsive, unpredictable, and these are all helpful traits when trying to create believable dramatic scenarios.

Teens are also at a point in life when they're in flux/deciding their place in the world, a set-up that offers a lot more scope for adventure than a settled married character might believably pursue. Obviously exceptions exist, but I think in general there's more avenue for immediate chaos in a teenage character's experience of the everyday world than the average adults.

You'd look tired too if you'd copped a spear through the chest.

A kind of emotional honesty is also at play since an element of innocence is still present. In summary, I don't discriminate against teen television because I feel scoffing at teen characters is perilously close to scoffing at science fiction as a genre; both practices embody tired attitudes and lame attempts at ennui that are, frankly, just embarrassing.

I'm also a fan of programs that work within a specific set of guidelines. It's one thing to celebrate and enjoy shows from cable stations (here's looking at you Game of Thrones and True Detective) that are allowed a creative freedom I'm sure is giddy for the writers, but it's another to appreciate the work of writers who are keeping to specific network requests, classification requirements, and time constraints.

A doctor and a mechanic. The female role models are pretty solid.

The 100 is suitably dark for a post-apocalyptic program, aside from some restraint due to timeslot and budget. I've very much enjoy seeing how this is handled because (to reiterate), it takes a certain skill to work within very particular boundaries. 

On a side note, I'm also not a fan of predictive science - I've seen many critiques of the conditions on Earth post-apocalypse, notably the resulting mutations in the show, and honestly, I'm fine with a guess, even a (probably) inaccurate one. Let the storytelling breath, people!

A good time in history to consider vegetarianism.

I find it kind of hilarious how many people complain about the way the teenage characters act on Earth. One thing audiences always seem to underestimate is how individuals react to high pressure, unfamiliar situations. Incredible stupid decisions seem par for the course in this scenario. I'm enjoying watching The 100 discover the downfalls of a lawless society, or the dangers of large water bodies, even the unexpected alliances and yes, romances. (Hey, if you could die any day, why not?) And let's not forget they're the product of an insular society with a very different ideology. In summary, cut the storytellers some slack.

Octavia grew up under the floorboards (the space station version of them) due to a one child policy on The Ark which her mother was executed for breaking. Unfortunately life on Earth's proving no Sound of Music experience either.

Technically, I really like the way it's edited together and some of the shots are beautiful. The forest location is stunning. The special effects are good quality, especially for a program on a smaller network. Occasionally the modern tracks of music super-imposed over scenes can be jarring, and the teens are slightly too clean, but that's more an (arguably) necessary side effect of commercialisation, especially since I'm guessing product placements proving problematic.

It's not a party without a budding sociopath, am I right?

Tension rises every episode, especially when the air on The Ark (that's the name of the space station) begins to run out a lot faster than expected. If the deaths on the ground got to you, wait for the cullings in space. The 100 isn't holding back any punches as the season unfolds. I'd originally heard episodes 5 and 6 are harsh, but apparently toward the end of the season the intensity picks up. (At this point, that sounds difficult to imagine.)

To clarify, the story splits between two narratives - the one on The Ark, and the one on the ground. Both scenarios involve power struggles that will impact a lot of lives. It also means the show splits between the teen-focused storylines on the ground and the adult storylines in space.

Abby finds it tough to trust Kane. Possibly because he's tried to execute her twice, and also maybe because he executed her husband, then imprisoned her daughter (but hey, I'm just making wild guesses here).

Mostly I'm enjoying The 100 because it's displaying narrative elements that embody the best kind of science fiction; the structure of possible future societies explored, ethical grey areas examined, the (often unexpected) repercussions of both noble decisions and selfish needs addressed. Basically humanities greatest traits, and its most deplorable ones, put under a microscope.

This scene is chilling.

You can't really ask much more of a television program. I'm definitely entertained, and in for the whole season. Fingers crossed it gets a second outing x