'The 100' Roundtable Review: "God Complex"

Meaghan McDonough ‘17  / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Annie Lindenberg ‘19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
The count to the day of reckoning is now down to just 10 days on this week’s The 100 episode, “God Complex.” The episode opens in Beca’s lab where Abby (Paige Turco), Clarke (Eliza Taylor), and assorted crew are preparing to test the nightblood solution on a Grounder. After a failed attempt, they have to decide who they will test next, while Emori (Luisa D’Oliveira) tries everything possible to not be the next casualty.
Back in Arkadia, Jasper (Devon Bostick) leaves on a mission that Bellamy (Bob Morley) is unwillingly dragged into. After retrieving Jobi nuts and trying to get Bellamy to enjoy his last days on Earth by doing “whatever the hell they want”, Jasper convinces him to join for a drink as the ‘end of days’ party gets even more intense.
Finally, Jaha (Isaiah Washington) continues on his mission of finding salvation with the help of Kane (Ian Cusick) and Monty (Christopher Larkin). To get into Azgeda territory to find the hatch which holds the bunker that could save them all, they’ll need the help of Indra (Adina Porter) and Gaia (Tati Gabrielle).
Read on to see Meaghan and Annie discuss this week’s episode, “God Complex.”

What were the most interesting part(s) of the episode?

MM: I had really low expectations for everything related to the lab, but this episode was pleasantly surprising in that regard. Seeing all of these characters—especially Clarke, Emori, Raven (Lindsey Morgan), and John Murphy (Richard Harmon)—have to deal with the weight of possibly taking another life was really fascinating. I think that group generally had the strongest performances and the most interesting dynamics, and they showed it off really well.
AL: I would agree with the moral dilemma presented in the lab being the most captivating part of the episode. I also found Bellamy’s response to Jasper uttering the same words he used to treat as a mantra early Season One an interesting dynamic. Overall, I thought this episode felt a little slow and generally lacking, but there were some genuine moments with interesting character interactions.

What were the least interesting part(s) of the episode?

AL: While I will admit Jaha has become the most interesting he has been to me for around two or so seasons, his storyline still did little for me this week. As much as I find myself interested in their possible solution, I found myself tired by the same story I feel like I’ve seen several times over already. Even Indra, who I usually enjoy the presence of, didn’t add much interest to this plot. The most intriguing part for me is seeing where Gaia fits into the plot moving forward, but generally I found this arc to be slow and lacking.
MM: I couldn’t agree more. Even more weirdly, they tried to fill this section with really action-packed music that didn’t match with what was happening on screen. I feel like a lot of the info we got from this adventure of Kane and Jaha’s could have just been explained in a scene or two without having to go to all the trouble of dragging themselves to the actual bunker. It felt like we spent so much time getting there for how very little was actually explained. I also felt that the parts with Bellamy weren’t necessarily uninteresting, but they felt kind of wasteful since nothing really became of them.

Did any acting particularly stick out – good or bad?

MM: This week, the only acting that really stood out to me was Richard Harmon. I think he has taken John Murphy’s character to places we could have never imagined but in a completely natural way. It was really hard not to feel for him when he first begged Clarke to not hurt Emori, but the switch flipped when his plea turned into a threat. Even though the emotions were kind of extreme, they felt so natural to the character, and I loved how they fed into Clarke’s final decision.
AL: Richard Harmon’s acting was incredibly strong this week. He takes a very conflicting character and always plays him so Murphy feels real and genuine. When he told Clarke if Emori dies, she dies, his desperation and anger were palpable. On top of that, I found Lindsey Morgan’s small moments this week pretty powerful. Her one-liners came off strong and emotional, hitting a sweet spot every time.

Defining moment of the episode?

AL: The defining moment of this week came when Clarke put the needle in her own arm while tying us back to the line, “I bear it so they don’t have to.” In the past, I have been a huge Clarke fan, but recently she just hasn’t felt the same. This moment brought the character back into crystalline focus for me, reminding me who she is and what she would do for her own people.
MM: I have to agree. I don’t think any other moment in the episode clearly altered the plot or our perception of the characters in the same way. Plus, I, too, had missed Clarke making decisions and doing things to try and save her people. I may have thought the set up for it was a little overdramatic, (I’ll explain in a moment), but I really felt it put Clarke back in forefront of the show. Plus, it went pretty far in terms of defining the relationship between her and John Murphy, which has always been really tumultuous but interesting.

Cringeworthy moment of the week?

MM: There were several moments in this episode that I felt were really cringey, but I think the cringiest of all was when Abby couldn’t take the responsibility for injecting Emori with the Nightblood bone marrow. She’s an adult, a medical doctor—she’s supposed to take responsibility. But she’s a coward, somehow too morally superior to maybe risk one Grounder’s life to potentially save the lives of everyone left on the planet? Honestly, I’ve been having a lot of problems with how they have been writing Abby, but this takes the cake in terms of writing that makes no sense. I get that they may be doing it to show how heroic Clarke is, but there are other and better ways to manage that without shafting Abby’s character.
AL: I couldn’t agree more. Abby has felt all over the place this season, and that moment felt unrealistic. The most cringeworthy moment for me, however, was when she smashed the chamber so Clarke wouldn’t be able to be tested to see if the Nightblood worked. I know with Abby still being affected by A.L.I.E. mentally her behavior is erratic, but the whole moment felt uncomfortably directed and awkward. The moment simply felt tonally out of balance with the norm of the show.
Meaghan’s Grade: I just don’t know what this episode did other than further the plot and really highlight how poor the writing for Abby has been this season. I also don’t know why I would rewatch this episode, which is usually a sign that the episode wasn’t great. I’d give this episode a C.
Annie’s Grade: This week felt lacking for me with stories that dragged and arcs that didn’t quite fit together right. It just didn’t offer much of interest, and with some strange and odd directorial choices, I felt like this week was a step back from the quality of last week. I give this episode a C+.