But if they decided to kill Wells in the sketching-out process for the TV series, they still never meant for him to be around long.
the showrunner only decided to kill Wells after they'd filmed ep 1 and before filming ep 3 which is well past the "sketching-out process" for the series imo
that's why Charlotte was introduced out of nowhere in ep 3 just to murder Wells (leading some posters to think she was a grounder )
^It did occur to me this episode, too. If Earth is habitable...can they even get everyone from the ark down? Has their population increased from what was originally sent up, or have they managed it somehow? If it has grown, did any "escape/shuttle pods" that they brought up take this into account, the population growth?
Some sort of giant extendable heat shield isn't out of the question if they can bring the whole station down. Their technology IS ahead of ours.
It's a pity in a way it's pitched at teens because it's certainly got potential to be a cracking sci-fi show.
Of course there are some cheesy bits in it, i'd expect nothing less, but for them to actually follow through and actually kill all the volunteers and not have them saved at the last possible second was quite a bold move.
It's a pity in a way it's pitched at teens because it's certainly got potential to be a cracking sci-fi show.
Of course there are some cheesy bits in it, i'd expect nothing less, but for them to actually follow through and actually kill all the volunteers and not have them saved at the last possible second was quite a bold move.
I was surprised at that too. I'd say pleasantly surprised but, well, yes.
It does seem to be pushing, sorry, well over the limits at times. Sorry, Fairdandy, The Ark shouldn't be able to survive re-entry. A structure that size and shape, with no heat shield would burn up. But, like I said, it's over the limits at times.
And no, I don't think the brave 300 knew about the 100 planetside.
Wasn't that grounder your man from Hollyoaks? The cop who got shot? I only ever see it when I'm hungover in bed on a Sunday so not really in the know.
Hey, I didn't say I thought that it was an optimal landing craft, did I? ;-)
Though I don't believe in applying real-world principles of physics to drama, my best guess would be that they would need to significantly cannibalise the Arc to produce their landing craft. So it's all or nothing - they return to Earth by destroying the Arc or they stay there and fix the problem somehow.
Has their population increased from what was originally sent up, or have they managed it somehow? If it has grown, did any "escape/shuttle pods" that they brought up take this into account, the population growth?.
I thought that the population has been managed - a couple are only allowed one child (wasn't the good-looking brunette being hidden, because she was the second child....or am I mixing up my shows?)
They didn't make clear did they, whether the 300 knew about the 100? They didn't mention them at all. Since at no point has it been discussed, the option of jettisoning more people to their possible/probable deaths on Earth presumably isn't available. Maybe the resources are only practically available to get everyone or no-one down at that scale? Maybe The Ark has landing gear
I wonder what Plan B would be if Earth proved untenable? Collonise Mars?
Again, apologies if I'm making up my own version....!
As I understand the story so far, the plan had been to stay in space for a set number of years before trying to return to Earth. However, the Ark's pesky oxygen supply is faulty. They have 4 months to fix the problem, before the supply fails completely, but it will take 6 months to fix it, hmmm - that's awkward!
The Council decide the best way forward is to kill, sorry float, 300 people to extend the oxygen supply long enough to let them fix the problem, so they can carry on as before, waiting for the pre-agreed number of years to pass before they try to return to Earth.
Mrs Clarke didn't like this plan, so pushed for an alternative - Plan B was to send expendable people to Earth, just in case it is already habitable again - I know, what about those teenage criminals who are deemed too young to face proper punishment (floating, I presume), so are locked up, wasting the valuable oxygen. 100 of these teens are sent wearing wristband thingys that communicate back to the Ark if all is going well. If all goes well, then people from the Ark can start being sent back to Earth. However, those little blighters start taking off their wristbands, so the council think that they are dying, Earth is still inhabitable, so they still need to kill 300 people.
Non-council members (ie the general population) don't know that the air supply will fail before it can be fixed, hence the big reveal in Monday's episode, causing many to volunteer to save others they loved.
I also presume that they don't know about the 100 being sent to Earth, otherwise they would have to know why they have been sent, which they don't (see above point!)...
Hey, I didn't say I thought that it was an optimal landing craft, did I? ;-)
No problem, I think we're all OK with a slight bending of physics for TV.
They can cannibalise all the now-unoccupied parts of the space station and jerry-rig some heatshields, make some wings so they don't have to use heatshields all the way, and knit all the dead people's t-shirts together to make a parachute to get some drag from the upper atmosphere so they don't have to use all their fuel on retro-rockets.
And then use propane gas cylinders and drainpipes to fire cabbages at the bad guys.
Though on the part about the upper atmosphere, the answer to their air problems is to get a really long bit of hosepipe, drop it out of the side and attach it to a really powerful hoover.
I know this is a sci-fi show but is it even remotely realistic to have so many people volunteer to be gassed???
Surely it would be far more likely to have the general population of the Ark start rioting
It was also far too much of a cliche to the (presumably single) father of the little girl who was going blind be one of the volunteers
They'd been on that station their whole life. Their parents, too. How many of those that volunteered had simply given up and had no hope for the future? They're essentially caged rats...except even for caged rats there's the chance to escape or be set free to a better place. How many of those on the station TRULY believe they're getting back to Earth? Most of the leaders don't even believe in it, and the only ones we've seen of the civilians that believe are some religious cult. It didn't convey this much the 100 landed; especially since this would be like some magical dream for them getting back to Earth.
They'd been on that station their whole life. Their parents, too. How many of those that volunteered had simply given up and had no hope for the future? They're essentially caged rats...except even for caged rats there's the chance to escape or be set free to a better place. How many of those on the station TRULY believe they're getting back to Earth? Most of the leaders don't even believe in it, and the only ones we've seen of the civilians that believe are some religious cult. It didn't convey this much the 100 landed; especially since this would be like some magical dream for them getting back to Earth.
Surely at least some of the general population would be thinking along the lines of "I bet the leaders want to kill off some of us just so they can survive for a bit longer... well stuff that for a game of soldiers, I'm going to kill some of them"
if the show wanted to prove it was daring it would have made more sense to kill Wells at the end of the season when he's a significant character instead of so early on when no one really cares one way or other
If they waited until the end of the season, it would be too late. Doing it early means we have the suspense of knowing major characters can die for the rest of the season. It made the killing of the 300 volunteers more tense, for example, knowing the show was dark enough to do something like that.
So....300 people would rather just lay down and die than chance their luck on Earth?
As others have said, the 300 didn't know that was an option. I believe most of them still think their children are alive and well in the confinement block.
For me it's another example of how the space station characters are awful people. Especially the doctor, Clarke's mum. She just does what she likes. She used too many resources to save the chancellor, not out of altruism, but to manipulate the political system in her favour (because she didn't like his successor). She traded more medical resources for spare parts for her lander project. She let those 300 die without full disclosure on the 100. She has no respect even for the chancellor she saved.
The only decent one, for me, is the second-in-command that we're apparently supposed to hate. He's usually right, and even when he's wrong, he has good reasons. He was honest about not wanting his boss to join the 300, which shows that when he was angry with the doctor for saving him, it wasn't because he wants to be in charge himself, but because he knows that using more medical resources for the elite is a slippery slope.
I
For me it's another example of how the space station characters are awful people.
If it boils down to it I don't think many of the 100 ( although there are only 94 left) are really that likeable with the possible exceptions of Jasper (the guy who got speared) and his friend the tech-nerd.
If they waited until the end of the season, it would be too late. Doing it early means we have the suspense of knowing major characters can die for the rest of the season. It made the killing of the 300 volunteers more tense, for example, knowing the show was dark enough to do something like that.
As others have said, the 300 didn't know that was an option. I believe most of them still think their children are alive and well in the confinement block.
For me it's another example of how the space station characters are awful people. Especially the doctor, Clarke's mum. She just does what she likes. She used too many resources to save the chancellor, not out of altruism, but to manipulate the political system in her favour (because she didn't like his successor). She traded more medical resources for spare parts for her lander project. She let those 300 die without full disclosure on the 100. She has no respect even for the chancellor she saved.
The only decent one, for me, is the second-in-command that we're apparently supposed to hate. He's usually right, and even when he's wrong, he has good reasons. He was honest about not wanting his boss to join the 300, which shows that when he was angry with the doctor for saving him, it wasn't because he wants to be in charge himself, but because he knows that using more medical resources for the elite is a slippery slope.
I fully agree with you. But you forget her other awful act; turning her husband in. Then releasing the bloody message herself! Let's face it, she went on about the good in people AFTER they decided to end their lives, but to her the most obvious outcome would have been riots and a lot of death.
If it boils down to it I don't think many of the 100 ( although there are only 94 left) are really that likeable with the possible exceptions of Jasper (the guy who got speared) and his friend the tech-nerd.
Wasn't there 100 originally in the prison, but then Wells got himself arrested, and that other dude snuck onboard. So didn't we start with 102? 6 have died haven't they? Even if Wells was counted, the other guy wasn't.
If they waited until the end of the season, it would be too late. Doing it early means we have the suspense of knowing major characters can die for the rest of the season. It made the killing of the 300 volunteers more tense, for example, knowing the show was dark enough to do something like that.
where's the suspense when viewers didn't even consider Wells to be a major character or cared enough to be upset when he was killed?
at least the deaths of the 300 volunteers had a purpose as it showed how desperate conditions were on the Ark
killing Wells out of the blue (and conveniently his murderer too) just to play the trite GoT 'anyone-can-die' card was pathetic and lazy writing imo
Don't get me started on the conveniently available 2 foot long rockets that launch in perfect synchronised fight from a bunch of metal girders hastily erected on wooden poles and capable of breaking orbit.....
Also, what is powering the pod? It seems to have limitless power from somewhere.
The 'rockets' were the fuel tanks from Raven's shuttlepod, the metal girders stripped from the 100's dropship. They didn't break orbit, just got above cloud cover.
The pod doesn't actually use much power - most of the kids are outside around campfires, I'd assume in 200 years we've got a bit better with solar power and batteries than we are now, or maybe it turns out Cold Fusion wasn't a crock after all!:p
Wasn't there 100 originally in the prison, but then Wells got himself arrested, and that other dude snuck on board. So didn't we start with 102? 6 have died haven't they? Even if Wells was counted, the other guy wasn't.
if The100 refers to 100 people landing on the ground then it WOULD work cos of the 1/2 seat-belt removers dying on the way down.
The 'rockets' were the fuel tanks from Raven's shuttlepod, the metal girders stripped from the 100's dropship. They didn't break orbit, just got above cloud cover.
The pod doesn't actually use much power - most of the kids are outside around campfires, I'd assume in 200 years we've got a bit better with solar power and batteries than we are now, or maybe it turns out Cold Fusion wasn't a crock after all!:p
Something about this show is a crock, but I don't think its cold fusion.
Wasn't there 100 originally in the prison, but then Wells got himself arrested, and that other dude snuck onboard. So didn't we start with 102? 6 have died haven't they? Even if Wells was counted, the other guy wasn't.
Surely there were 100 seats on the descent ship? We know they all had to be strapped in so there's no "sneaking on board" in the sense of being a stowaway.
if The100 refers to 100 people landing on the ground then it WOULD work cos of the 1/2 seat-belt removers dying on the way down.
That's not what I meant. It was announced there was 100 prisoners in the scheme, and we're led to believe Wells joined after he heard about it. Bellamy snuck onboard, so he wasn't counted. Whether Wells was counted as one of the 100 by those on the station is unknown. So we have 101-102 setting off from the station. Though I'm going to say 102.
2 then died on the descent. -2
Bellamy's friend got euphanised. -1
Wells was murdered. -1
The little girl suicided. -1
A couple, girl and boy killed in mist. -2
New girl arrived from the station. +1
7 dead, 1 addition.
So the count left on the ground is 96, maybe 95 depending on whether Wells was 100 or 101.
Surely there were 100 seats on the descent ship? We know they all had to be strapped in so there's no "sneaking on board" in the sense of being a stowaway.
my thoughts too incl carefully calculated/rationed oxygen supply enough for 100 only
+ in the book Wells and Bell are on the official list of 100 delinquents sent to earth so none of that 'sneaking on board' malarkey ;-)
Comments
the showrunner only decided to kill Wells after they'd filmed ep 1 and before filming ep 3 which is well past the "sketching-out process" for the series imo
that's why Charlotte was introduced out of nowhere in ep 3 just to murder Wells (leading some posters to think she was a grounder
yup that was Ricky Whittle
Some sort of giant extendable heat shield isn't out of the question if they can bring the whole station down. Their technology IS ahead of ours.
It's a pity in a way it's pitched at teens because it's certainly got potential to be a cracking sci-fi show.
Of course there are some cheesy bits in it, i'd expect nothing less, but for them to actually follow through and actually kill all the volunteers and not have them saved at the last possible second was quite a bold move.
I was surprised at that too. I'd say pleasantly surprised but, well, yes.
Hey, I didn't say I thought that it was an optimal landing craft, did I? ;-)
Though I don't believe in applying real-world principles of physics to drama, my best guess would be that they would need to significantly cannibalise the Arc to produce their landing craft. So it's all or nothing - they return to Earth by destroying the Arc or they stay there and fix the problem somehow.
I thought that the population has been managed - a couple are only allowed one child (wasn't the good-looking brunette being hidden, because she was the second child....or am I mixing up my shows?)
Again, apologies if I'm making up my own version....!
As I understand the story so far, the plan had been to stay in space for a set number of years before trying to return to Earth. However, the Ark's pesky oxygen supply is faulty. They have 4 months to fix the problem, before the supply fails completely, but it will take 6 months to fix it, hmmm - that's awkward!
The Council decide the best way forward is to kill, sorry float, 300 people to extend the oxygen supply long enough to let them fix the problem, so they can carry on as before, waiting for the pre-agreed number of years to pass before they try to return to Earth.
Mrs Clarke didn't like this plan, so pushed for an alternative - Plan B was to send expendable people to Earth, just in case it is already habitable again - I know, what about those teenage criminals who are deemed too young to face proper punishment (floating, I presume), so are locked up, wasting the valuable oxygen. 100 of these teens are sent wearing wristband thingys that communicate back to the Ark if all is going well. If all goes well, then people from the Ark can start being sent back to Earth. However, those little blighters start taking off their wristbands, so the council think that they are dying, Earth is still inhabitable, so they still need to kill 300 people.
Non-council members (ie the general population) don't know that the air supply will fail before it can be fixed, hence the big reveal in Monday's episode, causing many to volunteer to save others they loved.
I also presume that they don't know about the 100 being sent to Earth, otherwise they would have to know why they have been sent, which they don't (see above point!)...
They can cannibalise all the now-unoccupied parts of the space station and jerry-rig some heatshields, make some wings so they don't have to use heatshields all the way, and knit all the dead people's t-shirts together to make a parachute to get some drag from the upper atmosphere so they don't have to use all their fuel on retro-rockets.
And then use propane gas cylinders and drainpipes to fire cabbages at the bad guys.
Though on the part about the upper atmosphere, the answer to their air problems is to get a really long bit of hosepipe, drop it out of the side and attach it to a really powerful hoover.
Surely it would be far more likely to have the general population of the Ark start rioting
It was also far too much of a cliche to the (presumably single) father of the little girl who was going blind be one of the volunteers
They'd been on that station their whole life. Their parents, too. How many of those that volunteered had simply given up and had no hope for the future? They're essentially caged rats...except even for caged rats there's the chance to escape or be set free to a better place. How many of those on the station TRULY believe they're getting back to Earth? Most of the leaders don't even believe in it, and the only ones we've seen of the civilians that believe are some religious cult. It didn't convey this much the 100 landed; especially since this would be like some magical dream for them getting back to Earth.
Surely at least some of the general population would be thinking along the lines of "I bet the leaders want to kill off some of us just so they can survive for a bit longer... well stuff that for a game of soldiers, I'm going to kill some of them"
As others have said, the 300 didn't know that was an option. I believe most of them still think their children are alive and well in the confinement block.
For me it's another example of how the space station characters are awful people. Especially the doctor, Clarke's mum. She just does what she likes. She used too many resources to save the chancellor, not out of altruism, but to manipulate the political system in her favour (because she didn't like his successor). She traded more medical resources for spare parts for her lander project. She let those 300 die without full disclosure on the 100. She has no respect even for the chancellor she saved.
The only decent one, for me, is the second-in-command that we're apparently supposed to hate. He's usually right, and even when he's wrong, he has good reasons. He was honest about not wanting his boss to join the 300, which shows that when he was angry with the doctor for saving him, it wasn't because he wants to be in charge himself, but because he knows that using more medical resources for the elite is a slippery slope.
If it boils down to it I don't think many of the 100 ( although there are only 94 left) are really that likeable with the possible exceptions of Jasper (the guy who got speared) and his friend the tech-nerd.
I fully agree with you. But you forget her other awful act; turning her husband in. Then releasing the bloody message herself! Let's face it, she went on about the good in people AFTER they decided to end their lives, but to her the most obvious outcome would have been riots and a lot of death.
Wasn't there 100 originally in the prison, but then Wells got himself arrested, and that other dude snuck onboard. So didn't we start with 102? 6 have died haven't they? Even if Wells was counted, the other guy wasn't.
where's the suspense when viewers didn't even consider Wells to be a major character or cared enough to be upset when he was killed?
at least the deaths of the 300 volunteers had a purpose as it showed how desperate conditions were on the Ark
killing Wells out of the blue (and conveniently his murderer too) just to play the trite GoT 'anyone-can-die' card was pathetic and lazy writing imo
The 'rockets' were the fuel tanks from Raven's shuttlepod, the metal girders stripped from the 100's dropship. They didn't break orbit, just got above cloud cover.
The pod doesn't actually use much power - most of the kids are outside around campfires, I'd assume in 200 years we've got a bit better with solar power and batteries than we are now, or maybe it turns out Cold Fusion wasn't a crock after all!:p
Something about this show is a crock, but I don't think its cold fusion.
Surely there were 100 seats on the descent ship? We know they all had to be strapped in so there's no "sneaking on board" in the sense of being a stowaway.
That's not what I meant. It was announced there was 100 prisoners in the scheme, and we're led to believe Wells joined after he heard about it. Bellamy snuck onboard, so he wasn't counted. Whether Wells was counted as one of the 100 by those on the station is unknown. So we have 101-102 setting off from the station. Though I'm going to say 102.
2 then died on the descent. -2
Bellamy's friend got euphanised. -1
Wells was murdered. -1
The little girl suicided. -1
A couple, girl and boy killed in mist. -2
New girl arrived from the station. +1
7 dead, 1 addition.
So the count left on the ground is 96, maybe 95 depending on whether Wells was 100 or 101.
my thoughts too incl carefully calculated/rationed oxygen supply enough for 100 only
+ in the book Wells and Bell are on the official list of 100 delinquents sent to earth so none of that 'sneaking on board' malarkey ;-)