S02.E06: Fog of War

[ottoDbusdriver]

Episode Description:

 

Tensions are running high between Clarke and Finn. Raven finds out that Mount Weather is interfering with their communication systems.

 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Wow -- Bellamy, Murphy, Clarke and Finn sure got back to Camp Jaha in a hurry.  Weren't they near the grounder camp at Lincoln's statue last episode ?

 

According to Clarke's map of Mt. Weather, the Mess Hall is two stories tall -- umm, I don't think so.  And the secret grounder blood-letting lab and the tunnel below it where they dump the bodies is above the dorms ?? And there is one big room that bridges the 2nd/3rd level that connects directly to the mines, and it apparently doesn't even have a door keeping the reapers out.  WTF ?

 

Clarke is still giving Finn the cold shoulder -- I guess murder is little tougher to overlook than Finn thinks.

 

Mt. Weather is radio-jamming everything, and Clarke jumps to the conclusion that the Mt. Weatherites crashed the Exodus ship.  That's a helluva conclusion to jump to, but pretty average thinking for Clarke (she does that all the time).  Of course Raven and Clarke are also assuming that other Ark stations actually have the capacity to communicate -- the other Ark stations comms could have been wrecked in the descent, plus with all the mountains comms range is limited anyway.  Where's Tom Smykowski from OfficeSpace so Clarke can borrow his 'jump to conclusions' mat.

 

"You might get to see again, Dad".  Huh ? Since when has the Mt. Weatherite President been blind ? Did I miss something in the last few episodes ?  Is he just blind in one eye because he seems to be able to navigate around the complex with no problems. Or has he just got glaucoma (a little weed should fix him right up -- that's probably the only thing they aren't growing in Mt. Weather)

 

If Kane and Jaha are in an old abandoned subway station, that means they have to be in New York or Washington D.C. -- my money is on Washington, which still puts them a long way from Mt. Weather (otherwise known as a "day's walk" in The 100 universe).

 

Kane and Jaha get to play Thunderdome -- 2 men enter, one man leaves.  Why did the grounders leave random girl locked in with the dynamic duo ? Of course, random girl is the chief of the tribe, that's why she was left there, to size them up -- it was pretty obvious.  Kane decides to take the honorable way out and kill himself, and this distracts the girl sufficiently that Jaha gets the drop on her.  Only then do the grounders reveal who she is -- and she releases Jaha, albeit beaten up a lot.

 

Where did the brand new teddy bear and fresh flowers in Jasper's box o' stuff come from ?  Are the Mt. Weatherites wasting resources on growing flowers ?  These people need to get their priorities in line.

 

There are dozens of antennas and satellite dishes on top of Mt. Weather, but Raven knows exactly which one is the culprit for jamming their comms.  Sure she does.

 

And Bellamy and Octavia are going to go find a way into Mt. Weather via the tunnels and past all the Reapers to the locked door. Because, they are excellent trackers, or maybe magic. It really doesn't matter at this point.

 

Finn is hilarious -- the mass murdering was ALL an accident, they made him pull the trigger.  And then the acid fog shows up -- just in time for Clarke and Finn to go hide in the sex bunker (where the grounder corpse has been decaying for a few days now -- more evidence of Finn's murderous behavior).  There is no way the sex bunker was that close to Mt. Weather in Season 1. Clarke uses the radio to tell Abby, Raven et al to take cover -- where exactly ?  Oh, they brought air-tight acid fog-proof tents -- WTF ?  This acid fog dissolves stuff on contact, but not the tents.

 

This is the first time that there has been any sign of these bugs before, but Octavia acts like she knows what they are since she is a master woodsman now. And of course they follow the bugs and find a hidden door into the mountain -- how convenient ?  Why can't they be flesh-eating bugs ?

 

After nearly a hundred years, all the tires on those cars in the underground garage would have rotted to dust.  But the hand-cranked electronics are still working.  And the Reapers are lingering nearby.  Hold on -- that garage looked like it hadn't been touched in a 100 years, if the Reapers had access to it why wasn't it stripped of anything usable ?  This show is so stupid.

 

Finn gives Clarke her watch back -- what has he been waiting for, it's been days since they reunited -- and all is forgiven, including the murdering.  Except not really.  Clarke is getting all pensive about what they have become ?  Aside from murderous insufferable assholes, not much.

 

Of course Raven brought her magical decryption gear with her, just in case, ya never know when you might need it.  Plus, I don't think Raven understands how military-grade encryption really works.

 

The acid fog is a Mt. Weather controlled weapon -- holy fuck !!  Now there's a retcon if I've ever seen one.

 

WWCD -- What would Clarke do ?  Raven knows.

 

Lincoln is now a cannibal -- that's going to be more difficult to come back from than Finn's return from mass-murderdom.  And Octavia shot him -- I'm sure it's just a flesh wound.  Let the Reaper de-programming begin -- Octavia's twu wuv for Lincoln will save him.  But even a gunshot and blow to the head didn't slow down Lincoln, but third time is the charm with the stun baton.  How Bellamy and Octava are going to lug Lincoln's unconscious body back to Camp Jaha I have no idea.

 

Jaha somehow makes it from D.C. to Mt. Weather in record time -- that's even more ridiculous than some of the other crap this episode.  How exactly ?  Did he get a ride on the grounder express from D.C. ?  Heck, the blood on his face from the beating hadn't even dried.  Plus, how were Jaha, Clarke, Abby, Raven and redshirts within eyeshot of the Alpha station -- they are supposed to be by Mt. Weather.

 

You just know the deadline that the commander gave Jaha isn't a hard deadline -- she was just scaring him.

Edited December 4, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[thuganomics85]

I'm trying to remember, but have all the Grounders' chiefs been women so far?  There was Anya, the one played by Lettie Mae from True Blood, and now this new one.  Kind of interesting, if this is all on purpose.  It seems like most the fighters are still male, but the idea that it's always a woman as the chief, could be something new.

 

Raven really doesn't get too upset these days, huh?  She was literally a few feet away from the guy who crippled her (Murphy), and she just told him to buzz off, like he was an obnoxious kid.  Her ability to forgive is outstanding!

 

The Finn stuff really is hilarious.  He totally believes massacring all those villagers was some form of self-defense, and even briefly had Clarke thawing a bit.  But, then, they are forced to go back into the bunker, where she not only see the body of the guy he killed, but that he is still tied up, so she knows full damn well that wasn't self-defense.  He then tries to give her the watch back and tell her he got it from him, because, hey, that's totally excuses the execution.  Oh, Finn!

 

And, the kicker: his actions were the reason why Kane and Jaha were captured and treated like they were.  Thanks, Finn!  At least Kane's attempt at self-sacrifice spared him and Jaha; even if Jaha did get beaten up and sent back to give them a message.

 

This Mt. Weather stuff is just getting crazy.  Now, The President actually wants to be kind of reasonable, and only wants the 47 to give blood if they are willing to, while the doctor and creepy son are all "But, why can't we just force them?!!!" about it.  Jasper and Monty find out what is really going on (Jasper was lucky he fell for an honest person), and are playing along, until hopefully Clarke can bail all their asses out.  Oh, and Mt. Weather created the acid fog.  OK, then.

 

Lincoln is now a Reaper, but Bellamy and Octavia capture him.  Yep, Bellamy really is a new person, because S1 Bellamy would have never done that.

 

So, did Abbie just leave Camp Jaha, Chancellor-less?  Is that psycho blonde solider in charge, while she's away?  I like Abbie, but I don't think I like her as the Chancellor.  Maybe Jaha can resume is rightful place, now.

[Sarahastro]

I don't like how everyone is brushing off Finn's massacre except for Clarke. At least the show is giving us consequences for that, even if so far only Jaha and Kane have had to deal with them.

 

I like that we finally know what the plan for the 48 is -- seems like initially they wanted to introduce them into the gene pool, but now Dr. Tsing (thanks for pointing out that it's Tory Foster from BSG, fellow forum posters) wants to speed things along by draining them and making their people immune to the radiation now. I like the contrast between Wallace, who sees them as kids, and Tsing, who sees them as lab animals, especially since they both seem to have no problem treating the Grounders as expendable.

 

On a side note, the quick travel times are really starting to bug me. Last season wasn't as bad since they didn't seem to stray that far from camp, but this season it's getting ridiculous. How is Jaha already reunited with them?

[Smug47]

I am reiterating my comment on the previous episode: Monty for president! The Mount Weatherites were smart in trying to manipulate Jasper, but they should have made Monty "disappear" first. I kind of dig that the President isn't quite as evil as I first thought him to be, and I'm glad the gradual breeding idea was brought up. 

Kane needs to slow his roll on the whole self sacrifice thing. 

Finn is just nuts. I can appreciate a PTSD storyline, but his turnaround is just so quick (which seems to be the way this show operates) and I get that people do awful things in times of war and uncertainty, but if Clarke just forgives him I'll be pretty mad.

So from the music box, can we take away that the nuclear war ended around the time of Christmas, or is that just a popular song to use?

I like the idea of the acid fog being controlled by the Weatherites. When it rolled up on the group I had a thought that it might be like the smoke monster from Lost, and I thought it was neat that this spec turned out to be pretty true.

The distance errors don't bother me as much, if I don't think about them. In my head, everything is within a 30 mile radius at most to everything else, so I actually have no problem believing that Jaha and Kane are right next door to Bellamy and Octavia and Mount Weather and Camp Jaha and whatever else they throw in there. To me, it's one of those handwave things that progresses the plot, and I'll allow it as long as I get good drama out of it.

I like that Abby is learning to defer to Clarke and Raven, since she doesn't really know what it's like on the ground. The redshirts in the parking garage are prime examples, they know nothing of the Reapers and the threats that are always present. 

I'm digging this new commander chick, and I love the idea that the Grounders make their women commanders. I also love the Grounder language, and how you can hear a garbled English in it when they talk.

[Smug47]

After nearly a hundred years, all the tires on those cars in the underground garage would have rotted to dust.  But the hand-cranked electronics are still working.  And the Reapers are lingering nearby.  Hold on -- that garage looked like it hadn't been touched in a 100 years, if the Reapers had access to it why wasn't it stripped of anything usable ?  This show is so stupid.

I can sort of fanwank this. The Reapers, in my mind, are like zombies in that they are driven by a need to hunt and kill. They aren't like the Grounders, who scavenge things; they only attack people and kill and eat them. Now, why there are a few random Reapers (plus Lincoln) in the parking garage, I don't know. There's got to be a way out, and I guess the garage is near the Mount Weather tunnels, so maybe they were wandering around when they heard the redshirts?

[Bort]

It's funny, the distance discrepancies don't bother me in the slightest. I don't pay attention at all.

I almost didn't recognize Murphy, he had a clean face.

"You might get to see again, Dad".  Huh ? Since when has the Mt. Weatherite President been blind ? Did I miss something in the last few episodes ?  Is he just blind in one eye because he seems to be able to navigate around the complex with no problems. Or has he just got glaucoma (a little weed should fix him right up -- that's probably the only thing they aren't growing in Mt. Weather

I thought that's what Mad Scientist Son (sorry, I can't remember his name) said at first too, but he was referring to outside. "You might get to see IT again." Dad's not blind.

WWCD -- What would Clarke do ?  Raven knows.

Ha, I did the same thing: WWCD? I like how Clarke and Abby are butting heads over leadership and Raven's WWCD? was probably Abby's first wake up call that Clarke isn't being an insolent teen, she's being their leader.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I can sort of fanwank this. The Reapers, in my mind, are like zombies in that they are driven by a need to hunt and kill. They aren't like the Grounders, who scavenge things; they only attack people and kill and eat them.

 

Except for the organized pickup Reapers that knew enough to go pickup up the dead using the mine cart from the bin at the bottom of the trash chute -- they didn't really come off as mindless zombies, more like unionized zombies with a job to do.  Plus someone had been regularly removing clothing from the bodies and piling it near the trash bin which seems like something that someone semi-lucid would do -- that's how Clarke and Anya got dressed before heading outside and jumping down the dam spillway.  It's all so confusing what's what because the writers forget what they wrote one or two episodes ago.

Edited December 4, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[Lila82]

I would have liked this episode so much better had everyone but Clarke and Octavia condemned Finn.  He murdered eighteen people!  That's that same number of 100-ites that had died by the end of season one. I get them bringing him on the mission as a tracker -- it's the same logic they applied to Abby's medical skills -- but they let him wander about, with a gun, and no actual consequences for slaughtering eighteen people.  They are at war, but there are rules to war and they don't included reenacting My Lai.

 

Harper is so pretty with her hair down!  She also lucked out when it came to dresses; hers was adorable.  Yet...if she can brush her hair and clothe herself like a normal person, what exactly is Maya's problem?

 

Johnny Withworth is what Thomas McDonnell will look like in fifteen years.  So, vaguely vampiresque?

 

Re: Camp Jaha's missing chancellor

 

I'm guessing Lt. Gaeta is in charge.  He's been acting as Kane's second and involved in the big decision making...and doesn't have an automatic rifle. Small favors.

 

 

So from the music box, can we take away that the nuclear war ended around the time of Christmas, or is that just a popular song to use?

 

 

I think it's just a song in the public domain.  This show's budget is supposedly minuscule and there's been a noticeable lack of music this season.  

 

I'm digging this new commander chick, and I love the idea that the Grounders make their women commanders. I also love the Grounder language, and how you can hear a garbled English in it when they talk.

 

 

What exactly happened in the ensuing 97 years that the Grounders stopped speaking their native language and reinstated matrilineal rule?  I'm not complaining about the latter, as the Grounders produce awesome women, but I'm confused how the Grounders lost all sense of their former selves.   Why have they forsaken technology? Why do they live in primitive villages when there are hundreds of empty cities?  Why have they created a new language?  It's not like a nuclear war eliminated people's ability to talk?  So many questions, doubt we'll get any logical answers.

[Bort]

Yeah, this language the Grounders speak perplexes me. Unless someone set out to purposely create another language (which is totally possible) it doesn't make sense for the English language to have evolved so much. Read some books from the early 1900s, there isn't much difference between then and now.

I do like the trend of Grounder female leaders, though. Abby and Clarke might have more success in peace negotiations than the men.

Edited December 4, 2014 by kariyaki

[Coxfires]

I would have liked this episode so much better had everyone but Clarke and Octavia condemned Finn. He murdered eighteen people! That's that same number of 100-ites that had died by the end of season one. I get them bringing him on the mission as a tracker -- it's the same logic they applied to Abby's medical skills -- but they let him wander about, with a gun, and no actual consequences for slaughtering eighteen people. They are at war, but there are rules to war and they don't included reenacting My Lai.

Well, it's not like Bellamy is in any position to criticize, that'd be hypocritical. Raven was pretty pissed at him and didn't cocoon him. Murphy...is Murphy. So, apart from the initial 100, the rest of the people who could judge him just came down on Earth from the Ark. And it is sad to say, but to them, Finn "only" killed Grounders. IMO, Finn wasn't judged hardly by the adults just because they'd rather excuse one of them... It is sad but human.

[TwistedandBored]

I loved Bellamy and Octavia working together. I just love their sibling dynamic. 

Clark and Finn were not heavily featured…thank god!

I also liked Jaha and Kane's scenes. 

So, Mt. Weather created these Reavers…er I mean Reapers. Okay. 

Pretty solid episode. 

[Slider]

Bellamy's storyline this season is crap.  They've taken one of their best characters and made him the background of almost every episode.  Octavia and Bellamy working together was a great storyline, but it didn't give us much.  Everything has all been set up, and then once it's set up? Two days passes and it's more set up.  I get it show; you're fast paced and edgy.  You kill off some of your characters.  There's nothing like you on TV.  That's probably why their ratings are better.

 

Side note - The geography doesn't really bother me. 

[shapeshifter]

I loved Bellamy and Octavia working together. I just love their sibling dynamic.

Best bit this season, for sure.

I also liked Jasper's girlfriend's natural looking hair.

Everything else: Meh.

[FurryFury]

Here I am, playing Dragon Age: Inquisition like mad for the last 2 weeks, and one of the first lines in the episode is "Looks like the inquisition's over". Why, Bellamy, it is! Thank you for noticing!

 

Anyway, I didn't like this episode that much, but it was still better than most of s1. Lincoln was predictable, redshirts dying in the tunnel were predictable, Maya was predictable, and I still have no idea how Jaha got to that Grounder camp (and yeah, the girl with them being a spy was also predictable). Holy shit, even Kane offering to sacrifice himself was predictable! No surprises in any of the storylines. 

 

Well, at least Clarke's not forgiving Finn just yet. Please, show, let her do it when he's dying, no sooner. I mean, him dying would also be predictable, but I really feel like the show's getting a bit too crowded with characters, and I would vastly prefer anyone else getting Finn's screentime. 

 

Bellamy/Octavia tag-teaming was nice. Always loved that relationship. And we got Raven/Abby, too - also a relationship I like. Bellamy and Clarke got a long meaningful look, so I'm continuing to be sure their hook up is in the works (maybe season finale?)

[marcee]

Still loving the crap out of this show.

 

So, to fanwank all the issues:

 

Language: My guess is, after the nuclear war, factions of people survived and there was infighting. Since all of those factions spoke the same language (English), they had to create their own to keep their enemies from understanding them. If I had to guess I'd say the Grounders speak one language while other factions (Mountain People?) speak other languages or dialects.

 

Preserved cars/tires: It looked like that garage was pretty well sealed from the elements - heavy doors, metal and concrete. It was probably the most stale air in the history of stale air. I can't imagine anything was disturbed in there for decades. It's possible if they kicked a tire for a few minutes, they might get it to fall apart...but without any destructive forces acting on them I see no reason why they wouldn't retain their shapes. According to the internet (which, as we well know, only ever tells the truth) it takes an very long time for tires to decompose; tires are even used to build reefs, apparently.

 

Reapers/Zombies: Two theories on that. 1) Maybe brand new Reapers are probably more like what we saw Lincoln as...crazy, hungry, destructive, zombie-like creatures. It's possible after some time adjusting to this new lifestyle, they become more 'aware' and are able to perform tasks like collecting bodies in carts and stacking clothes. or 2) Perhaps there are different kinds of Reapers. As we've seen, this is an experimental procedure. Obviously the EVIL! Mount Weatherians have been adjusting and fine tuning their methods over time. Maybe the initial Reapers were more "human" and the EVIL!Scientists have been actively devolving them.

 

Reapers in the Garage: Bellamy, Octavia and redshirts found the garage because they were looking for a way into Mount Weather; it may not have been a highly trafficked entry or exit but apparently it was close enough for someone to find the connection. The Mount Weatherians obviously dump the Reapers into the caves and they wander. They're probably drawn to noise - and when redshirt A started playing that music and it echoed through the quiet, empty garage and probably into the underground caves, the Reapers came sniffing around.

 

I don't care about Finn. I enjoyed Lady Commander and pointed out to my hubby that all of the leaders so far have been women (kickass women, no less) and I find that very refreshing. Looking forward to more. I hope this show does well enough to stay on the air, it's really one of my favorites - even with all the stupidity and CWness.

Edited December 6, 2014 by marcee

[driedfruit]

Bellamy's storyline this season is crap.  They've taken one of their best characters and made him the background of almost every episode.

 

His character has become very disappointing. It could be that he's the next Wells and they don't want to invest too much before getting rid of him. 

 

I also liked Jasper's girlfriend's natural looking hair.

If Clarke or Raven were running around with a similar nest on their head, it would be understandable. But Jasper's girlfriend lives in a place with shampoo/conditioner/hairbrushes...looking at how neat the 48 at MW look, it's hard to understand why that girl doesn't have neater hair. 

Edited December 6, 2014 by driedfruit

[BooBear]

His character has become very disappointing. It could be that he's the next Wells and they don't want to invest too much before getting rid of him.

Yes, someone should wake me when he gets a plot again. It is very disappointing. If I was Bob Morley I would complain.  He was arguably the lead last year. Now he so isn't.

[FurryFury]

I hope to see Bellamy in a bigger role after the show is done with Finn, which I still feel will happen in season finale or around that time.

[driedfruit]

I hope to see Bellamy in a bigger role after the show is done with Finn, which I still feel will happen in season finale or around that time.

Isn't this season most likely the last? In any case, Finn isn't getting great material either. They should kill both of them off since the cast is so bloated right now. 

[FurryFury]

Isn't this season most likely the last?

 

Why? Reign and Jane the Virgin get worse ratings, and Hart of Dixie is probably toast anyway.

 

They should kill both of them off since the cast is so bloated right now.

 

Seriously? I'm not Bellamy's biggest fan, but he's OK. And if you are thinking they'll kill off both of the heroine's potential love interests, you're just kidding yourself.

Edited December 7, 2014 by FurryFury

[driedfruit]

Why? Reign and Jane the Virgin get worse ratings, and Hart of Dixie is probably toast anyway.

 

Seriously? I'm not Bellamy's biggest fan, but he's OK. And if you are thinking they'll kill off both of the heroine's potential love interests, you're just kidding yourself.

There's a lot of talk of The 100 getting potentially cancelled. If not, great. I don't watch any of those other shows.

 

I like Bellamy, but his story has run its course. If we get another season, I'm sure they'll keep him around to tease shippers. But if this is the last, it would make sense to cut the fat to make more time for tying off loose ends.  

[FurryFury]

There's a lot of talk of The 100 getting potentially cancelled. If not, great. I don't watch any of those other shows.

 

I also don't, but I follow the ratings. The 100 isn't out of danger zone, but it's very stable and generally has better ratings than both of them. Although it does lose more % of its lead-in, so this may be a problem.

 

I like Bellamy, but his story has run its course. If we get another season, I'm sure they'll keep him around to tease shippers. But if this is the last, it would make sense to cut the fat to make more time for tying off loose ends.

 

I do think he could be given a story, though. It's not like each character only gets only one potential arc.

Edited December 8, 2014 by FurryFury

[Tippi Blevins]

I laughed when Finn pulled that sheet over his murder victim. He was like a guy who was slightly embarrassed he hadn't tidied up his pad before his girlfriend came over. 

 

I love that the commanders so far have been women, but it makes me miss Anya even more.

[driedfruit]

I do think he could be given a story, though. It's not like each character only gets only one potential arc.

 

There is so much going on, so many hanging threads, and Bellamy doesn't fit in anywhere. Unless they totally reboot the show like they did at the end of season one, I can't see how his character will be relevant any time soon. The only option would be a solo survival mission, but we already got enough of that with Jaha. 

 

I'll take your word on the ratings.

[Lila82]

Re: Bellamy's arc

 

Finn and Jaha are really the only characters with arcs at the moment; even Clarke's story is plot-driven.  We're not seeing a huge amount of growth at this point, but rather demonstrations of the changes to her character based on her experiences in season one.  It's much of the same with Bellamy, and while it's neat to see proof of how much they've learned from each other and their past decisions, their characters are static.  Hopefully season 2B will provide more character driven and allow the characters to do more than react to the situations around them.

[driedfruit]

Finn and Jaha are really the only characters with arcs at the moment; even Clarke's story is plot-driven.  We're not seeing a huge amount of growth at this point, but rather demonstrations of the changes to her character based on her experiences in season one.

 

I don't agree with this. Clarke's arc is about growing into a leader in a greater sense than just leading a bunch of teenagers, and we're watching it happen through her influence over her mother and her interaction with Dante. We're more than likely going to see an extension of that with the grounders. Her storyline is cooking very nicely.

Edited December 11, 2014 by driedfruit