S02.E07: Long Into an Abyss

[Stinger97]

Abby is willing to do anything to protect her people from an attack by the Grounders; Bellamy persuades Clarke to accompany him to the drop ship, where a dangerous secret comes to light; Dr. Tsing oversees a deadly experiment.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Bellamy persuades Clarke to accompany him to the drop ship, where a dangerous secret comes to light

 

'Cause, ya know, sexy time at the dropship -- now that Finn is too far gone.

 

ETA: There's a preview clip up on SpoilerTV

 

http://www.spoilertv.com/2014/12/the-100-episode-207-long-into-abyss_81.html

 

Jaha seems to think everyone should pack up and walk to the City of Light across the Dead Zone to avoid getting wiped out by the grounders.  Does this mean they are walking back to the deserts of New York ?  How do they know the City of Light isn't filled with .... grounders that will kill them anyway ?

Edited December 10, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[Lila82]

I liked the throwbacks to season one, with Lincoln chained up in the dropship and a battle over running or staying and fighting.  All the characters acting in reverse of past behavior, particularly Finn and Bellamy, but this episode was mostly a snooze.  I don't care about Abby and Jaha's power struggles and I'm tired of the Sky People/Grounders at war.  My favorite parts of season one were the characters trying to eke out an existence, change and evolve from what they knew to create something that worked.  Moments like Clarke and Bellamy arguing about publicly accusing Murphy of killing Wells were compelling.  It is the right thing to tell the truth, but is it really the right thing if it maintains order and eliminates chaos?  I don't have an answer, but I liked the show tackling it.  Maybe I'm projecting because I rewatched "Colonial Day" during dinner, but Zarek gave that great speech about repeating old patterns without adapting to new circumstances.  We never saw the fallout from Kane punishing Abby.  Until Miller's dad spoke up for his son, we didn't hear from any of the other survivors about making changes because they're on the ground.  Rather than Abby idiotically running off to blow up communication towers, she should be trying to run a camp.  We should hear more about the previous social hierarchy, more pushback from the redshirts about the same people being in charge and making the same bad choices.  More than once voice should protest following their previously dead chancellor, who rode a nuclear missile to earth, in search of a mystical City of Light.  I like that the show burns through plot and doesn't hide information to advance storylines, but it needs to slow down from time to time.  "Day Trip" was a great episode because it both moved the plot forward, but also allowed for great character moments.  We need more episodes like those, less of the all action, all the time stuff we've seen this season.

 

It's also a crime how little air time Bellamy has been given.  I love him teaming up with Octavia and how much she's coming into her own, but the man is a born leader. The show doesn't feel right with him lurking in the background.  Poor Eliza Taylor must be exhausted.  She was the clear lead in season one, but the show was structured more like an ensemble.  She's in practically every scene now and carrying the majority of storylines.

 

I call shenanigans on Clarke figuring out Nyko's master plan.  She does not speak Grounder and that scene was ridiculous.

 

Also?  From the way the opening scene was lit, Jaha's beard seemed to glow in the dark.  It was unintentionally hilarious.

 

I liked the little moment of the boys nerding out over the dagger.  Despite the madness, they're still kids.  It's nice seeing them act like it, even Jasper and the cake.

 

RIP Harper.  In the end, she had great hair but never got to hear Jasper talk about the bridge.

[thuganomics85]

Oh, Jaha.  You learned the very hard way that you can't just swoop back in and be Chancellor again.  Seems like some of the folks are still Team Abbie!  I'm sure this is far from over.  Maybe there will an election between them and Kane.  Assuming Kane is still around. Did they Lexa/Grounder Leader, even say what they did with him?

 

So, basically, Clarke figures out that all you have to do is put the Reapers through detox to cure them, so with Abbie's assistance, they are able to save Lincoln.  A bit too easy, but OK.  This is enough for Lexa to agree to a truce, and now an alliance is formed to take on Mt. Weather.  But, I'm sure there will be more fighting and debating.  Ain't going to be that easy. I am warming up to Lexa at least.  I'm a bit worried that 

since the actress was just cast on that The Walking Dead spin-off, it means she might not be around for much longer.

 

Meanwhile, Mt. Weather is still having it's own conflicts.  Jasper, Monty, and crew sneak in, and find out that they were spying on the Former Ark folks, so they know something up.  Meanwhile, the President still wants to avoid killing the 47, because he isn't a complete psychopath, but apparently his son and the doctor have no issues being the one-dimensional bad guys they are.

 

Final scene was suppose to be a big moments, but all I thought was "Not a hard choice, Clarke!"  I dislike Finn enough that I"m all for him being fed to the wolves, if this means keeping the alliance running strong.  But, I'm sure Clarke will find another way.  She still seems to like that crazy bastard.

 

Need more Octavia and Bellamy.  Now that Lincoln has been saved, maybe they'll get more involved with the big story.

[ottoDbusdriver]

It's kind of difficult for Clarke and Bellamy to have sexy time on the dropship if Octavia and a reaper are there.  Just saying.
I like how Bellamy had to tell Clarke that Lincoln had been restrained -- like she couldn't figure that out for herself. 

Loved it though when Lincoln breaks loose (turns out he wasn't restrained very well) and kicks the crap out of all three of them. He even decked Clarke.

 

Also?  From the way the opening scene was lit, Jaha's beard seemed to glow in the dark.  It was unintentionally hilarious.

 

What was that about ?  Did the makeup guys let the interns do Jaha's beard ?

 

I call shenanigans on Clarke figuring out Nyko's master plan.  She does not speak Grounder and that scene was ridiculous.

 

When was Clarke listening to Rosetta Stone: Grounder Edition ?  How about never.  The only one with any grounder parlance would be Octavia when she was prepping for her speech to the grounder commander at the foot of Lincoln's statue several episodes ago.

 

The grounder commander really needs to get some waterproof mascara -- cause it's all over the place.

 

RIP Harper.  In the end, she had great hair but never got to hear Jasper talk about the bridge.

 

No wonder Harper was screaming -- it was bad enough Evil Dr. Tsing was drilling into her hip, but that was the wobbliest drill bit I've seen during a medical procedure.

 

Poor Eliza Taylor must be exhausted.  She was the clear lead in season one, but the show was structured more like an ensemble.  She's in practically every scene now and carrying the majority of storylines.

 

Plus having to carry around her huge boobs.

 

I'm still trying to figure out how, with the Alpha Station surrounded by the grounder army, how Finn and Abby managed to get to the dropship undetected ?  Were the grounders on a smoke break ?

 

don't care about Abby and Jaha's power struggles and I'm tired of the Sky People/Grounders at war.

 

Just what every episode needs -- a chancellor vs. chancellor political death match, fighting for control.  No one cares about this crap.

 

Of course Lincoln was perfectly fine -- despite the fact they had no idea what drugs they were treating him for, a little zap from the shock baton to bring Lincoln back from the dead and voila, he's all good.  One minor nitpick in Clarke's plan -- what if the grounder commander had said no ?  Because the grounders were still hell bent on revenge for Finn's mass killing.

Edited December 11, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[Smug47]

I don't know, you guys, I'm okay with the power struggles*. The Ark people have been shown to still be crazy focused on the old ways and hierarchies, and there were power struggles out the ass in space, so it makes sense to me. Plus, they don't seem to have to worry about security (electric fence) or supplies (Ark scavenging) or even doctors (hi Abby!) so they focus on this petty crap instead. In my opinion, they need to develop a council of some kind with Jaha, Abby, Lt Gaeta, blond security chick, a member of the 47 (Monty!) and a Grounder representative. This "I am supreme ruler until I decide to go somewhere and make you supreme ruler until I am back and then I own you" nonsense has got to stop.

 

*Granted, I have not seen the episode yet.

[Coxfires]

Well, not that I will complain to have a woman be THE badass of the show, but I'd really like them to tone it down a bit with Clarke, and let some of the other kids like Bellamy/Raven/Octavia be the ones to figure out a situation once in a while. I get that this season is all about having Clarke becoming little by little the official leader, even among the adults, but she has to be wrong, fuck up or at least not be the one with the solution once in a while.

 

Other than that, I liked Jaha being schooled, and am also interested in power struggles, like Smug47 said. It is always funny to see how people want to recreate the structure they knew in a new environment, when it can't be applied anymore.

 

I liked the heist, seeing Monty and Miller getting their "criminal past" into action. The heist was fun and engaging. Poor Harper though, first shunned by Jasper and then drilled like a vulger IKEA desk....

 

Bellamy and Raven need more action, if only the screentime eaten away by Finn could be devoted to these 2 characters, that I find both more compelling and better acted, that would be perfect. I just can't manage to care for Finn, whatever he does, be it sweeping his actions under the rug ("it was an accident"? REALLY?) or when he throws himself a pity party. When Lexa requested his head, I was like "Just say yes Clarke!".

 

I try to keep faith in the Show and hope they will go on the interesting road they took last year with the sacrifice of the 320 people and went all the way with it. Please Show, do the same here: kill Finn.

[shrewd.buddha]

As usual this episode was a hot crazy mess with lots of filthy, bloody faces. 

 

Carry on show, carry on .. 

[BooBear]

It's also a crime how little air time Bellamy has been given.  I love him teaming up with Octavia and how much she's coming into her own, but the man is a born leader. The show doesn't feel right with him lurking in the background.  Poor Eliza Taylor must be exhausted.  She was the clear lead in season one, but the show was structured more like an ensemble.  She's in practically every scene now and carrying the majority of storylines.

 

I am sorry but I am really NOT liking this season. That was a snoozefest and sort of felt like a plot we already did better last year.  I miss Bellamy. He has almost no plot at all. We have the poor man's Anya again, and, the various grounders that speak perfect english. I find it hard to believe that the grounders would STILL be banging this drum with regard to the sky people. Truely not one of them thought that maybe they could be allies? I guess I also don't really understand why the sky people are so afraid of the grounders? Don't the sky people have advanced weapons?  Technology? If the kiddies could take out 500 grounders with almost nothing why is Jahar so unwilling to even consider a fight plan? 

 

I fear I don't even understand the Mount weather people... why did they have to do the bone marrow extraction without any anesthesia?  And maybe they want to check that this works on someone first?   Plus, don't they know about the 500+ or so other sky people that landed? Seems like a bad guy for no good reason. If all these people would just talk to each other, things could be worked out.

 

Kill Finn now. I am with the grounders on this one.

Edited December 11, 2014 by BooBear

[roctavia]

I am sorry but I am really NOT liking this season. That was a snoozefest and sort of felt like a plot we already did better last year.  I miss Bellamy. He has almost no plot at all. We have the poor man's Anya again, and, the various grounders that speak perfect english. I find it hard to believe that the grounders would STILL be banging this drum with regard to the sky people. Truely not one of them thought that maybe they could be allies? I guess I also don't really understand why the sky people are so afraid of the grounders? Don't the sky people have advanced weapons?  Technology? If the kiddies could take out 500 grounders with almost nothing why is Jahar so unwilling to even consider a fight plan? 

 

I fear I don't even understand the Mount weather people... why did they have to do the bone marrow extraction without any anesthesia?  And maybe they want to check that this works on someone first?   Plus, don't they know about the 500+ or so other sky people that landed? Seems like a bad guy for no good reason. If all these people would just talk to each other, things could be worked out.

 

Kill Finn now. I am with the grounders on this one.

 

I'm not hating this season, but I do think the characters are doing all sorts of stupid stuff left and right.

 

I agree with others that I'm okay with Finn being a sacrifice for the greater good. I mean, on the Ark any tiny crime was punished with immediate death via floating for adults. This time on the ground has definitely forced these kids to become 'adults'- and seriously, Finn and Clarke have to be pretty damn close to 18 already. Finn murdered a bunch of people, paying for his crime with death in this primitive, complicated society seems reasonable to me. (particularly because this is a TV show and nobody actually dies)

 

I, too, don't get the Mt Weather people... This doctor has totally gone down the lunatic frankenstein path, when there are so many better options. They should have started a breeding program with the grounders ages ago, instead of caging them. I know they mentioned that was the plan with the 47, but if they are scrambling signals and have sent out teams to investigate, they have to know that there are other survivors from the ark. I suppose they could be afraid that they will just take their kids back and say a big FU to the mt weather folks... but they could have also been working on an alliance. If Clarke hadn't seen the room of grounders, making a deal with the surviving space camp would have probably been more beneficial for both parties. Mt. Weather seems to have some technology and better resources than the grounders... One voluntary bone marrow donation per person would have been a lot more reasonable than killing someone by making them do it over and over. Mt Weather is just digging themselves into an even bigger hole, and i'm taking that to mean that none of them are going to make it to 'the ground' alive. All the 47 have to do is create a radiation leak...

[Artsda]

I liked Jaha being put in his place by Abby. Would like it if Marcus/Abby team up against him. He can't walk in by himself and start dictating orders to those who actually have been there and know what is going on. 

 

They should be punishing Finn for what he did, not letting him walk around freely. So I'm with the Grounders on this one, I guess he could have a plea of temporary insanity but he slaughtered a village including women and children with Murphy being a voice of reason. 

 

So happy Lincoln is alive, I was scared there when they called it. 

[Smug47]

Abby should have let Miller's dad stay with the other parents. We all know that if Clarke still wasn't back and they were evacuating, Abby would plant her ass right where she is and disobey every order given. If David thinks he can protect the other parents and wants to try to get his son back, Abby has no place to make him evacuate. 

Something tells me the Weatherite President is not long for this world. His son will totally kill him in order to live on the surface full time.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Something tells me the Weatherite President is not long for this world. His son will totally kill him in order to live on the surface full time.

 

If the President doesn't come around to his way of thinking, Cage will totally kill him.  However, when the President put down his paintbrush I wonder if that was some sort of symbolic change in his thinking.

 

I'm still bamboozled how a blood transfusion is able to undo all the skin blistering on the Mt. Weatherites.  Sure it might remove some of the accumulated radiation, but grounder blood or sky people blood doesn't have magical healing properties.

[Tippi Blevins]

Give Finn to the Grounders and throw in a damned fruit basket to thank them for taking his crazy boring ass off your hands!

[BkWurm1]

I ventured in to the boards just so I could also express my desire to see Finn handed over to the Grounders.  Best deal ever. 

 

Finn actually tried to compare what he did of free will to what Lincoln did while drugged and conditioned.  Hell no.  Not the same thing at all.  It's very nice that you NOW are feeling a little bad about killing the innocent and defenseless again and again and again even though you had chance and opportunity to stop again and again and again but I'm pretty sure that given similar circumstances, you would do the exact same crazy shit.  

 

Finn is not a case of "we all have had to do things we regret".  He didn't have to do it at all.  I would have been hard pressed to forgive him for killing one innocent but he went on and on and the Grounder's are right.  He needs to be held accountable for his crimes.  Which is why I'm dreading any kind of story line that might try to save him let alone let him off the hook.  This is a deal breaker of all deal breakers. 

 

What are the show runners thinking?  I thought at first it was a way to get rid of the character but now I'm afraid that isn't their plan at all.   

[Hollyoak]

I see a few inconsistencies in Cage’s character. He was concerned with the girl who was outside, dying to get back in. Literally. But on the other hand, he was looking on in glee as Harper or whatever her name is, was getting drilled for bone marrow.

 

Also I was really hoping Lincoln would die.

 

I’ve always liked the show because of its surprises and realism. When Bellamy and Octavia came across Lincoln in the garage--in the episode before this last one--Lincoln charged them so quickly that someone like Bellamy would have immediately shot him. I found it out of character for Bellamy to be sympathetic to his sister and the threat that Lincoln posed to the both of them. He should have said, “He’s gone Octavia We can’t bring him back.”

 

But no, I'm sure they have to keep him around for the love interest. Ugh.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Hollyoak

[WearyTraveler]

I think Cage was not concrned about Harper because she wasn't one of his people.

[bluebonnet]

If the show were smart, they'd go for the realistic drama and have Clarke hand Finn over to the grounders.  She could make a deal that if she hands him over, they have to agree not to torture him and all that other nasty stuff.  Simple execution, that's it.  Or better yet, imprisonment or some situation where he's absorbed into the grounder society as replacement for those that have been lost.  There is plenty of drama in this because making the decision to hand someone over to the enemy is hella dramatic, especially when there is something ridiculous like twu wub involved.  Clarke would have lots of feels.  Then they can move on withe the Mt. Weather plot.

 

Instead, I'm sure they are going to go the manufactured drama route where Clarke is all "no, I can't give this mass murderer away in order to be punished because true love and this avenue tries to hide the fact that the writers couldn't think of enough story for an entire season but we'll get to the mt. weather stuff in 4 more episodes kthanx for watching."  

 

Don't know why I'm complaining.  This manufactured isn't going to get me to stop watching the show.  There's still something so juicy about this hour each week. 

[SourK]

Give them the one you call Finn, Clarke! Give them the one you call Finn.

 

When was Clarke listening to Rosetta Stone: Grounder Edition ?  How about never.  The only one with any grounder parlance would be Octavia when she was prepping for her speech to the grounder commander at the foot of Lincoln's statue several episodes ago.

 

It made Clarke seem weirdly observant, but I was okay with that part. The show made a big deal of showing us that Anya said those exact words in front of Clarke several times, always in a situation where she or someone else was about to die (and once in a situation where she killed the other person to put him out of his misery). So, I'm willing to buy it the way it was presented -- that Clarke didn't know what the words meant, but she knew they meant someone was about to die. So, symbolicially, this is showing us that, because Clarke was able to make an alliance with Anya, she learned something about their culture that ultimately helped her to save Lincholn, and create peace between their people.

 

As for her plan to save Lincholn... yes, it took electricity to do that, which is something the Grounders don't have, but, up until that point, it seemed like her solution was "literally stand there and do nothing except some chest compressions, and hope he's just okay when he wakes up." I'm not sure why she was so confident that that was going to work.

 

I did think it was a cool moment, though, when Abby suddenly had the idea to use the electric whip/cattle prod as a defibrillator instead of a weapon.

[Bort]

I did think it was a cool moment, though, when Abby suddenly had the idea to use the electric whip/cattle prod as a defibrillator instead of a weapon.

I guess so, but I thought the electric wand was rather obviously telegraphed with its close-up usage earlier in the episode. Very Chekov's Gun, I was expecting it to come into play for that exact purpose in the end.

[shapeshifter]

...Kill Finn now. I am with the grounders on this one.

And send his bone marrow to the Weatherites. Heck, with all the mayhem all the time that the Weatherites are monitoring, can't they just pick up 47 fresh road kill Grounders and Sky people instead of wasting the potential of their Sky people guests as genetically robust mates for procreation?

[Smug47]

I guess so, but I thought the electric wand was rather obviously telegraphed with its close-up usage earlier in the episode. Very Chekov's Gun, I was expecting it to come into play for that exact purpose in the end.

They took so long to use it, too! I was waving my hands and everything, shouting "use the stun gun already, dammit!" And no, they sat there for like five minutes doing chest compressions and looking at each other dramatically. I mean, jeez.

[BigBlueMastiff]

 

One voluntary bone marrow donation per person would have been a lot more reasonable than killing someone by making them do it over and over. Mt Weather is just digging themselves into an even bigger hole, and i'm taking that to mean that none of them are going to make it to 'the ground' alive. All the 47 have to do is create a radiation leak...

Also, you can't just share bone marrow, it has to be carefully matched.

 

 

Give them the one you call Finn, Clarke! Give them the one you call Finn.

Please, please let them kill him.

 

Add me to the list that wants to see more Bellamy and Raven, let them do something!

[roctavia]

Also, you can't just share bone marrow, it has to be carefully matched.

 

 

Yeah.. I have the same issue with the whole blood thing... that's not how blood transfusions or even dialysis work... both blood and marrow have to be very carefully matched, and even with a good match, there is still a huge chance of rejection. But this is one of the science things that this show is taking huge liberties with...

[kieyra]

To be fair, it takes huge liberties with all of the science things.

[driedfruit]

Add me to the list that wants to see more Bellamy and Raven, let them do something!

 

Yes to this. These two are easily the most interesting characters on the show, and they're criminally underused. I would be fine with a romantic sub-plot with them if that's what we need to get them forefront.

[allthatglitters]

Ok, just caught up. But I'm sorry, wtf are the Ark leadership on? There is a mass murderer standing around throwing his opinions out there together with Clarke and co. The person that caused this attack to happen. And in this case there was no mistake, it was either a psychopathic orgy of NBK mayhem, or he is certifiably crazy. Either way there is no way he should be "one of the guys". He should be arrested and detained and prosecuted by the Sky People themselves. That would at least show the Grounders they took shooting defenseless old men and children as unacceptable. But now its too late for all that. But if the smallest misdemeanors in the Ark justice system meant a freezing suffocation in deep space, mass murder should no doubt reach the capital punishment level, even on Earth.

 

Not that the Grounders are any less civil. It seems they would be willing to slaughter innocents as well. (Why are they so angry?). But why throw it in their faces by simply dismissing this war crime as nothing on Finn's part. Appalling that Abby and Jaha would not even acknowledge the crime and/or the criminal in their midst.

Edited February 14, 2016 by allthatglitters