Who's Going to Keep Watching?

[Lisin]

This first episode had promise. The plot moved, it was interesting and though I've recently read several scifi books that had similar subjects but I'm in for a few episodes, and if it gets picked up I'm probably in for the season.

[millahnna]

It's got flaws but I like it well enough.  Since it's sci fi, it would have to suck in a very specific way for me to quit.  I quit Under the Dome but am still watching Revolution, if that makes any sense. 

[faceupandsing]

I'll give it at least 4 episodes to find it's footing. The concept is interesting, and I'll keep watching for the arc story lines if nothing else. Hopefully the teenagers can start smartening up but even if they don't the adults will probably keep me tuning in. 

[Joystickenvy]

I like the premise and the unintentionally funny moments, like when the screeching eel was dragging the one girl through the river and the two faced deer, are fun.

Lots of bad acting and bad dialog though. Its like Lord of the Flies meets the Breakfast Club meets Planet of the Apes meets Elysium with a little bit of No Escape thrown in. Hoping it gets better as it settles in.

[Myriad]

Don't know yet, I've only watched the first two episodes so far.  Seeing as I procrastinated on watching the second, it's hard to say that the pilot was a success here.  I was dragged in only because of "Desmond" - shared with a curiosity of what Paige Turco could do besides being Zoe in Person of Interest.  She did not disappoint me at all, very powerful and eclectic actress.  Ian Cusick, on the other hand, I'm beginning to wonder if Desmond wasn't the role of his life and the best he could do.  I keep rooting for him but he keeps disappointing, yet I don't know if it's the actor or the material that is a problem.  Maybe he has this niche where he's naturally good at playing long-haired, rugged loner who goes sympathetically unhinged at times.

I give new shows five episodes before giving up, unless the pilot is so appalling that you'd rather walk with your grandma's prom dress in a bar rather than watching again.

[millahnna]

shared with a curiosity of what Paige Turco could do besides being Zoe in Person of Interest. 

Thanks.  Kept thinking she looked familiar but hadn't gotten around to googling yet.

[Too Late Kev]

I'll keep watching for a while if at least stays the same quality (although improvement would be nice).

I have trouble telling the various stranded guys apart. There's "the guy who's leading" who I think is the same as "the guy whose sister's crime was being born a 2nd child (a la Terra Nova)," and "that guy's friend" and "that guy's other friend" (one of whom is "the guy the sister likes") and "the guy who likes the main blonde girl"...Do you see my dilemma? The only guy I'm sure of (for obvious reasons) is the chancellor's son, who I think is named Will.

Did they have to cast eight million dark haired guys of similar ages? How about some blonds and redheads, some with curly hair, some with short hair?

[millahnna]

I didn't finally learn the name of the guy the sister likes (and I'm so having the same problem but that's an issue I have in general with meh shows) until he was dead.  I kind of felt a bit bad about that; he seemed like a nice guy.

[Stinger97]

Was that Adam? I thought Octavia said that she was his brother, but then she was all pissed off at Bellamy and then he referred to her as his sister. And then I was super confused. Hopefully these kids find a mall somewhere and I can differentiate them based on their clothing choices. 

 

I actually missed the first two episodes, and only sat down to watch the third last night. It took me about 45 minutes to figure out what the hell was going on ("Tons of random lens flare indicates flashbacks!"/ "Being floated means being flung out into space!" / "Earth was these kids' only refuge from the dying Ark!"), but once I did, I liked it well enough. So, yea, I think I'm in for the long haul. 

[prosperity2day]

I love shows like this but everytime I get interested in one of them the network it's on do not  bring it back after the season's finale or they yank it off of TV  and say it will resume in 3 months or they'll  bring it back for a few months and when it's really getting good the networks will pull it and you have no idea how it ended or what.  This is why I will not look at one episode of this show.  I'll be all into it and then it will disappear.  LOL.

The various networks did this with V, Invasion, The Nine, 666 and Under The Dome....I did read Under The Dome was coming back but I'm not holding my breath. 

[CletusMusashi]

One hundred is an insanely huge group to drop down. Not only does it waste a ridiculouslyhuge landing craft, but why would they expect that many people to stay organized and cooperative. One hundred. Who are all kids. And criminals. Yeah, that'll end well. But my biggest problem isn't that it's stupid. it's that, as mentioned, how the hell am I supposed to tell them apart?

I like the skeletal framework of what could have been a coherant plot. I just don't think it's very well written or executed. I'll watch for a bit. Maybe it will get better. Maybe it will get zanier. Or maybe Octavia will show her butt a few more times. If none of those things happen, though, I'm probably out.

[millahnna]

I think dropping the kids had more to do with getting rid of a problem that was straining already strained resources.  But I also don't think the show has been too clear about laying that out.  Needs moar Desmond.

[tricksterson]

A bit heavy on the pseudoteen melodrama but if that was an issue for me I wouldn't watch CW at all.  It occasionally verges on So Bad It's Good territiry but so far I like it.  For me the turning point was 

Wells getting killed

because I like the direction it points in, namely that no one is safe.

[kj4ever]

I was about to throw in the towel but now the Grounders have me intrigued.  I want to know more about them and their post apocalyptic life.

[Meushell]

I had a question, and this seemed like the best place for it. Is it worth watching any more?

I enjoyed season 1. Season 2 annoyed me by making Finn and Jaha unlikable, but it was an otherwise a good season. Season 3 destroyed Bellamy and Monty for me.  It also introduced the last minute coming disaster...which just sounded ridiculous.

How is season 4? More to the point, I really don't want to keep watching a show that keeps destroying characters. The writers don't seem to have a good balance in keeping the characters gray. I'm hoping they have improved there. It seems like they should after three seasons. I don't want to watch a show where I'm rooting against everyone or worse, against the "good" guys while rooting for the "bad" guys.

[CooperTV]

26 minutes ago, Meushell said:

How is season 4?

Season 4 consists entirely of failed plans, characterization that makes little sense and interactions that lead nowhere, random character dying for Octavia Blake's development, SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 FINALE

Spoiler

and then it 6-year-time jump in the future after the nuclear apocalypse #2.

Edited May 25, 2017 by CooperTV

[Meushell]

2 minutes ago, CooperTV said:

Season 4 consists entirely of failed plans, characterization that makes little sense and interactions that lead nowhere, random character dying for Octavia Blake's development, SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 FINALE

  Reveal hidden contents

and then it 6-year-time jump in the future after the nuclear apocalypse #2.

Thanks. A character dying for Octavia's development? Didn't they do that in season 3? (RIP Lincoln. :-( ) Well, Season 4 sounds like it's worth passing. I was hoping the writing improved. 

Maybe I'll watch again and just stop after season 2.

[CooperTV]

4 minutes ago, Meushell said:

A character dying for Octavia's development? Didn't they do that in season 3?

Spoiler

They specifically created a character (Illian) for Octavia to beat up, hate, attempt to execute and then have sex with fifteen minutes later (no lie! And it was under duress, after she threatened to kill herself) and then they killed him off via him like, sacrificing himself for her in the battle or something like that, because he thought she was special and amazing. The dude was, of course, a person of color.

Oh, and they made Luna go evil just so Octavia would lecture her on being peaceful and not deserving to live. Octavia, who beat her brother up, cut some person head's off because he was just there and violently bashed some dudes' heads in with a toe in the garden.

Edited May 25, 2017 by CooperTV

[Meushell]

4 minutes ago, CooperTV said:

  Reveal hidden contents

They specifically created a character (Illian) for Octavia to beat up, hate, attempt to execute and then have sex with fifteen minutes later (no lie! And it was under duress, after she threatened to kill herself) and then they killed him off via him like, sacrificing himself for her in the battle or something like that, because he thought she was special and amazing. The dude was, of course, a person of color.

Yeesh. She's been my favorite character from the start. Destroying her was one of my worries. In the last episode of season 3, I got the impression that her killing Pike was supposed to be wrong, a step to the dark side (never mind that he was a mass murderer). 

Thanks for the information. I'll probably just go to the 100 wiki for curiosity's sake. I didn't want to do that before and potentially ruin a good season.

[CooperTV]

4 minutes ago, Meushell said:

Yeesh. She's been my favorite character from the start. Destroying her was one of my worries.

Spoiler

She's your favorite, so you probably would be glad to know that Octavia become the Commander/what constitutes of a Commander rule now that when Nightblood is no longer valued. That The 100's fickle characterization strikes again!

[Meushell]

8 minutes ago, CooperTV said:

  Reveal hidden contents

She's your favorite, so you probably would be glad to know that Octavia become the Commander/what constitutes of a Commander rule now that when Nightblood is no longer valued. That The 100's fickle characterization strikes again!

That's quite a leap. :-)

[CooperTV]

20 minutes ago, Meushell said:

That's quite a leap. :-)

Spoiler

 

After Clarke attempted to take the Flame? Nothing will surprise me on this show anymore!

 

[dippydee]

If you'd asked me a few weeks ago I would have said no, but the last two episodes have been messy and ridiculous in a fun way so I'm on board for next season.

I really hope they focus on the core group as a group for a while though before needlessly splitting them up every five minutes.

[Solace247]

So, if I read all the recap comments right, the earth is hardly affected (in any lasting way) yet again after a world-wide nuclear meltdown? Nature found a way? What is the point in having an end-of-world scenario, if it costs you hardly anything? (Including cast members?) This is exactly why I scoffed at the S3 cliffhanger, because I knew they'd kill off new cast members and keep everyone else in this 'anyone can die (but don't)' show.

[CooperTV]

16 hours ago, Solace247 said:

So, if I read all the recap comments right, the earth is hardly affected (in any lasting way) yet again after a world-wide nuclear meltdown?

Earth is hardly affected because there was a time-jump of six years in the season finale, lol. The time-jump like a getting out of jail free card for every plot-point the writers couldn't untangle.

[Solace247]

6 hours ago, CooperTV said:

Earth is hardly affected because there was a time-jump of six years in the season finale, lol. The time-jump like a getting out of jail free card for every plot-point the writers couldn't untangle.

It's such a weird way to go about constructing your show (or seasons for that matter). You introduce the most inescapable problem (prior to its final season) and the solution was always going to be hiding out in your crazy Uncle's doomsday bunker. What's next? And will the solution be just as unimpressive?

[CooperTV]

45 minutes ago, Solace247 said:

What's next? And will the solution be just as unimpressive?

The penalty mining colony is coming down to Earth now, and there will be blood, and in the end Clarke/Bellamy/someone else will kill those people on the mining colony ship and everyone's gonna be sad and angsty. This show went all the way over to Battlestar Galactica, so I expect Bellamy in fat-suit after six years and the main characters throwing their medicine into the sun or something.

[Solace247]

1 hour ago, CooperTV said:

The penalty mining colony is coming down to Earth now, and there will be blood, and in the end Clarke/Bellamy/someone else will kill those people on the mining colony ship and everyone's gonna be sad and angsty. This show went all the way over to Battlestar Galactica, so I expect Bellamy in fat-suit after six years and the main characters throwing their medicine into the sun or something.

Haha. I loooooooved BSG (until the Final Five™). I think that's why I'm not enjoying The 100's take as much anymore. There are too many BSG 'inspirations' that BSG just did better (fat suit aside). What you say in jest regarding the mining colony is exactly what I'm afraid WILL happen. I really dug the grounders,  but the show got ridiculous both with their portrayal and the repetitiveness of Skaikru's 'wars' (that never came) with them. I don't have much faith that the interations with the miners will be treated any more uniquely or nuanced. Same dance, different faces--a message at the core of BSG that, yet again, was intentionally done (better).

ETA: Do you think we'll get a Tom Zarek, since last year we got Gaius and HeadSix?

Edited May 26, 2017 by Solace247
Random thoughts

[CooperTV]

34 minutes ago, Solace247 said:

ETA: Do you think we'll get a Tom Zarek, since last year we got Gaius and HeadSix?

Except it would a hot lady for Clarke to flirt and have tense war diplomacy with. Because of course!

[piequinn35]

Nooo, even if the commander doesn't have the flame anymore, Clarke would want the flame in her to reunite with Lexa, bring back Lexa!

[ParadoxLost]

On ‎5‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 10:49 AM, dippydee said:

If you'd asked me a few weeks ago I would have said no, but the last two episodes have been messy and ridiculous in a fun way so I'm on board for next season.

This is exactly how I feel.  Most of the season plodded along and wasn't particularly interesting.

But the last two episodes were delightfully ridiculous with enough sappy character moments to keep me happy.  It was a bit lighter (in the face of impending doom) like Bellamy and Clarke were cut loose from Grounder and Ark politics and back to just trying to keep themselves and their friends alive.

I guess there was enough hints that they might be resetting to the original premise with a twist or freaky Friday switch that I'm happy to give next season a shot.  Maybe it will lose its way like the last couple seasons but it was good enough to try again.

[Solace247]

6 hours ago, CooperTV said:

Except it would a hot lady for Clarke to flirt and have tense war diplomacy with. Because of course!

Why didn't I think of that? It's happening Coop!

[Solace247]

On 2017-05-25 at 10:49 AM, dippydee said:

If you'd asked me a few weeks ago I would have said no, but the last two episodes have been messy and ridiculous in a fun way so I'm on board for next season.

I really hope they focus on the core group as a group for a while though before needlessly splitting them up every five minutes.

 

16 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

This is exactly how I feel.  Most of the season plodded along and wasn't particularly interesting.

But the last two episodes were delightfully ridiculous with enough sappy character moments to keep me happy.  It was a bit lighter (in the face of impending doom) like Bellamy and Clarke were cut loose from Grounder and Ark politics and back to just trying to keep themselves and their friends alive.

I guess there was enough hints that they might be resetting to the original premise with a twist or freaky Friday switch that I'm happy to give next season a shot.  Maybe it will lose its way like the last couple seasons but it was good enough to try again.

Kudos to you guys for having hope after a couple of enjoyable episodes. Even if this show pulled off a masterpiece episode, I couldn't conjure up the faith for another season. For me, the bad more often than not, outweighed the good. I gave them two seasons to turn out something akin to season two, but I continue to be underwhelmed. I will, however, look to your comments next season--I can't help myself.

[ParadoxLost]

1 hour ago, Solace247 said:

 

Kudos to you guys for having hope after a couple of enjoyable episodes. Even if this show pulled off a masterpiece episode, I couldn't conjure up the faith for another season. For me, the bad more often than not, outweighed the good. I gave them two seasons to turn out something akin to season two, but I continue to be underwhelmed. I will, however, look to your comments next season--I can't help myself.

The thing is, I've never been overly invested in this show.  Its easier for me to ignore a bad (or string of) episode and find delight in the kind of ridiculous parts and nostalgia for the parts that I used to really enjoy (certain character interactions) when they reminisce. I think I figured out early on that they were going to assassinate every character and it was better to ignore it and take each episode on its own.

[Solace247]

16 hours ago, ParadoxLost said:

The thing is, I've never been overly invested in this show.  Its easier for me to ignore a bad (or string of) episode and find delight in the kind of ridiculous parts and nostalgia for the parts that I used to really enjoy (certain character interactions) when they reminisce. I think I figured out early on that they were going to assassinate every character and it was better to ignore it and take each episode on its own.

I hear ya. I take a similar approach but instead of watching every episode, I skip eps or huge swaths of scenes I could care less about. At this point I haven't watched the last 3 or 4 eps. When would you say you realized they were going to assasinate everyone?                                          

[ParadoxLost]

18 hours ago, Solace247 said:

I hear ya. I take a similar approach but instead of watching every episode, I skip eps or huge swaths of scenes I could care less about. At this point I haven't watched the last 3 or 4 eps. When would you say you realized they were going to assasinate everyone?                                          

I've been burned by enough shows that I was cautious from the first episode.

Initially because the casting and characters  made me think of the show as Gossip Girl in Space.   That show taught me that when characters do bad things to each other there will be much hand waving and unearned reconciliation because this is an ensemble show.

Then, early on it also became clear that the show was intended to be the CW's version of Walking Dead/GoT.  They were working very hard at edgy, daring, and no one is safe.  Which in TV is like a unicorn.  In season one and two a goat was running around with an antler on its head.  In season 3 someone yelled 'hey its a goat'.  Every show has characters that are safe until the final act.  Those characters are Teflon and will have a token redemption if they go one atrocity too far.  And shows only escalate the shocking twists.  This is a show where in the first few episodes, Bellamy convinced everyone to let the Ark believe they were dead in hopes they would die on the Ark so he wouldn't get caught for "killing" Jaha.  Clarke was doing mercy killings a few episodes in too. 

I'd say up until Finn murdered a village ( wave hi to OUAT), it was only 100% certain that Clarke was made of Teflon.  But once Clarke had to kill Finn to save everyone, then it was clear that Bellamy was also Teflon because there is always one non-disposable love interest (sorry Lexa).

But up until then I would say it was all foreboding.  I wasn't sure that every character was going to suffer character assassination until Clarke nuked Mount Weather.  OUAT  taught me a couple of things.  First being that when a main does a very bad thing, a show will move everyone to the lowest common denominator so they still look fantastic by comparison. 

The other OUAT lesson being that good character traits developed and relationships formed will be reset for plot.  This is the 'whoops. I just realized this show has another season' or for soap viewers 'Why can't you just write a happy married couple and create drama some other way, damn it' syndrome. 

So the parts you aren't watching, I watch but don't dwell on (can't even remember a lot of it).  I watch for the character and relationship moments that they do sprinkle in that makes sense.  But mostly this season I watched to see how they'd get themselves out of the death wave because they wouldn't just lock everyone in a bunker and do a time jump.  They actually surprised me a few times in that Octavia is the grounder savior/leader not Clarke and Nightblood only worked for Clarke.  And I find the idea of Bellamy and Murphy strapping their asses into a rocket and shooting themselves into space surprising and delightful enough to keep watching for the crumbs of goodness and snark the show will dole out next season.

Honestly, a six year time jump is way more promising for a reset than just pulling some inexplicable character turn around for the sake of plot.  At least there are six years of experiences to make whatever happens next potentially plausible.

[Solace247]

On 2017-05-28 at 10:17 AM, ParadoxLost said:

I've been burned by enough shows that I was cautious from the first episode.

Initially because the casting and characters  made me think of the show as Gossip Girl in Space.   That show taught me that when characters do bad things to each other there will be much hand waving and unearned reconciliation because this is an ensemble show.

Then, early on it also became clear that the show was intended to be the CW's version of Walking Dead/GoT.  They were working very hard at edgy, daring, and no one is safe.  Which in TV is like a unicorn.  In season one and two a goat was running around with an antler on its head.  In season 3 someone yelled 'hey its a goat'.  Every show has characters that are safe until the final act.  Those characters are Teflon and will have a token redemption if they go one atrocity too far.  And shows only escalate the shocking twists. 

The escalation is one of the reasons I've fallen out of love with the show. The reveal of a second nuclear apocalypse at the end of season three was so disappointing for me after the prior disappointment of ALIE. I assumed very few of the bloated cast would die in such a "high-stakes" situation and my assumption was right. Each "escalation" seems to cost less lives (of course there are thousands of deaths offscreen, but who cares?! Not our characters.) Now, I'm not one to revel in a death count or champion 'anyone can die' shows, but if fallout from such a "high-stakes" story is minimal, it looks like fodder for a cliffhanger and that's about it.

On 2017-05-28 at 10:17 AM, ParadoxLost said:

... OUAT  taught me a couple of things.  First being that when a main does a very bad thing, a show will move everyone to the lowest common denominator so they still look fantastic by comparison. 

The other OUAT lesson being that good character traits developed and relationships formed will be reset for plot.

Yeah, I have never seen such a long-running merry-go-round as OUAT. I got hyped for the DarkSwan season... shouldn't have. A MAJOR case of the marketing materials being waaay better than the actual product. If you're going to have a character go bad, just commit. The lame-ass and heavy-handed 'redemption arcs' where characters are given just the right lines to say to th character in need if redemption is annoying.

On 2017-05-28 at 10:17 AM, ParadoxLost said:

So the parts you aren't watching, I watch but don't dwell on (can't even remember a lot of it).  I watch for the character and relationship moments that they do sprinkle in that makes sense.  But mostly this season I watched to see how they'd get themselves out of the death wave because they wouldn't just lock everyone in a bunker and do a time jump.  ... 

Honestly, a six year time jump is way more promising for a reset than just pulling some inexplicable character turn around for the sake of plot.  At least there are six years of experiences to make whatever happens next potentially plausible.

The character moments would be fine if half of them made sense, but our characters are seldom in proximity with one another that often when they are, their lines to one another skip a lot the build up. Monty with Clarke came off as weird to me, but then so did Monty's whole story last year. I've never liked Jasper, so him dispensing his newfound 'wisdom' to everyone was worth an eyeroll or two. Clarke's arcs never look like they have a beginning, middle, and end. They always 'culminate' in whatever the finale requires. I wonder if the Bellamy arc was always going to take up as much narrative space or if damage control dictated a special focus on a number of anvilicious moments? 

I too, watched to see how they'd ride out of the end of the world--turns out with a bunker and a rocket. Wow, I guess.

Anyhoo, interesting getting your thoughts.

[marys1000]

I keep reading articles about how good this is and twice I've tried to get through episode 1.  I've always liked sci-fi and fantasy.  They are all just so annoying I cant.  I must be too old or something.  

Edited April 3, 2018 by marys1000

[CooperTV]

2 hours ago, marys1000 said:

I keep reading articles about how good this is and twice I've tried to get through episode 1.  I've always liked sci-fi and fantasy.  They are all just so annoying I cant.  I must be too old or something.  

You should start from episode 3, probably.

[Taryn74]

2 hours ago, marys1000 said:

I keep reading articles about how good this is and twice I've tried to get through episode 1.  I've always liked sci-fi and fantasy.  They are all just so annoying I cant.  I must be too old or something.  

Ha ha I felt the same when I first started watching.  (I'm in my mid-40s, so I get feeling like this must have been meant for a younger crowd)  It gets better.  It gets much better.  None of them stay annoying twits for long.