So, I’ve had a hard time sitting down to write this because I’m, well, lazy. But…BUT…I’ve also been working on a new The 100 project that’s taken up a lot of my time and energy. And that project is called “May We Geek Again,” a podcast covering The 100. I’m joined by two co-hosts, Shahin and Jo, and we’re having a great time so far. Two episodes are up and if you’d like to give it a listen, you can find it at:

• May We Geek Again on PodBean
• May We Geek Again on iTunes

(Personally, I’d just start with episode 2…our first episode was very long and rabbit-holey at times, so we’re quickly improving our content based on feedback, self-awareness, and scotch…god I hope Shahin and Jo don’t get mad at me for saying this. Oh, who am I kidding, they don’t fucking read my shit.)

Jo, Shahin, and I will be filling the hiatus with all sorts of The 100 stuff, including going through all the seasons again. This is a new venture for the three of us and we’re doing it out of love for the show. No money, no glory. Just love, y’all.

Aaaaaaaaaaanyway, now that I’ve gotten the shameless shilling out of the way, let’s talk season 3. This wrap up is powered by: Monkey Shoulder. This scotch blend rarely gives me a hangover and I need to hang out with stinky nerds tomorrow and play Magic and Hearthstone. But I wanted to imbibe tonight. I drink. I write. I produce letters and mush them together to create words that may or may not combine to convey meaning.

What A Long, Strange, Challenging, Frustrating, Awesome, And Crazy Season It’s Been

And I have written many words this season. So, once season 3 was over, I was kinda exhausted. I needed a break.

Money. Dick. Power.

I needed time to process my thoughts and feelings, and I don’t feel like I’ve gotten there until now. And even now, I’m still a bit shaky as to what I want to say.

Let me level set right now: I love this show. No doubt about it. I can love it and STILL take it to task for some of the decisions that were made this season. I can see the forest through the trees.

Or to make it simple, let me use an arguably bad analogy.

I love my dog Winston. This is Winston:

I know, right? ADORABLE. But sometimes Winston poops in the house. He’s got a lot of poop to poop, you know? So, when he poops in the house, do I throw him in the car and drive him out to a country road and kick him out? Hell no. Because I love him more than words can say. I clean it up and forget about it because Winston is awesome.

The 100 has pooped in the house a couple times this season, but I’m not going to bail because the things that made me love the show are still largely in place. I know, this is a simple and crass analogy, and doesn’t in any way adequately represent what many fans, especially LGBT fans, have felt happened to them this season. But this is my analogy, MY feelings that I’m trying to express, so if you think I’m not doing justice to YOUR feelings, then write your own goddamn blog.

Oh, asshole alert. I may say some salty, non-PC things. I’m tired, y’all. And I’m feeling venty.

So, let’s get into some season 3 critique.

Swinging For The Fences

The one thing I’ll say about this season is it was ambitious. No question. The scope and world-building was very impressive at times. The show was at a point where some heavy-lifting to expand the world needed to be done in order to take it beyond what could have been a safe status quo of repeating a lot of the same beats and themes from seasons 1 and 2. But the world expanded. As did the number of narratives running concurrently.

The grander scope and the sheer number of story lines and characters involved lead to some short-cutting of narrative that forced the audience to make some intellectual leaps to get from point A to point B. Moreover, we had to make emotional leaps. I had to reason my way into feeling sympathetic for a character or go to great lengths to justify to myself why I should still like someone. I had to try and make excuses for characters acting poorly or not acting like themselves. Often times I was confused how to read motivations.

Season 3’s biggest issue was going for plot development over character development. I feel as though many of our favorite characters were sacrificed a little at the altar of moving the plot forward – Clarke and Bellamy being the main victims of tabling well-established characters in favor of advancing the story. Even in the quieter moments, there were issues with how the characters interacted with one another or expressed themselves. There was a strange inauthenticity to actions and dialog at times, and it wasn’t always the plot-centric focus’s fault…Clarke and Bellamy both felt off this season. And Jasper, his reasoning for taking the chip seemed rather sudden, I felt, after he made some serious strides forward.

I believe these are temporary road bumps, though, not an indication of future direction of the show. I really think they tried to explore some things, especially with Clarke and Bellamy, that necessitated more narrative and dialog. We know that a lot of stuff ended up on the editing floor because of time constraints. So they gave us what they could, but there was way more there, and that’s what gives me confidence that we’ll see tighter characters next season.

I have a great deal of respect for art that goes big or goes home. Ambition is not a bad thing in and of itself, but it has to be controlled and considered. So I tip my hat to The 100 for swinging for the fences. In many respects, the show came up huge and had some of the most compelling story telling of the series. ALIE and the City of Light could have been a middling diversion, but that story slowly evolved into something I found amazing and spellbinding. It brought up larger issues of free will and what it means to be human, and it felt tonally different from much of seasons 1 and 2. In many ways season 3 was a triumph in expansive and ambitious storytelling, and we should never overlook shows that try to hit that grand slam in order to give us something really entertaining and thought-provoking.

Next Stop: Frustration Station

I want to get my frustrations out here regarding the season and I’ll save the good stuff for later. Yes, there were a couple rather puzzling aspects of this season that had me at wits end at different points in time.

I’m not going to go into great detail about these things because I believe I’ve already covered these issues in previous reviews. As have many others out there talking about the show. But it’s nice to include an itemized list in this wrap up so you know where I’m coming from.

• Wherefore Art Thou Bellamy? – they tried to break Bellamy bad and it just didn’t work. Gina didn’t work as a driver. Nor did Mount Weather. Nothing explains or justifies slaughtering 300 Grounders in their sleep, and it felt like Bellamy took a hundred steps back. And not taking responsibility, blaming others for hurt feelings, and not atoning continues to bother me.
• Wherefore Art Thou Clarke? – they took their “hero” and turned her into a mission-focused robot who never processed her grief, anger, and deep hurt. Others got to dump their grief, anger, and deep hurt on her and she didn’t respond? Clarke’s lack of agency for a great deal of the season made me feel a disconnect from my favorite character.
• Earth 1 Versus Earth 2 – season 3A and season 3B felt very disconnected from one another, like they took place on two different but mostly similar worlds. If you’re familiar with the infinite earth concept in DC comics, you see where I’m coming from.
  • Wherefore Art Thou Lexa’s Lasting Impact? – for someone who was so critical to Clarke and 3A, Lexa got barely a mention in 3B.
  • Working On Her Drawrings – what did Bellamy et al. think Clarke was doing in Polis? Why wasn’t her efforts to make “blood must not have blood” a reality ever brought up? She wasn’t kicking rocks…she was working hard to help her people. Fucking acknowledge her work.
• Did Pike Have Some Super Delegates In His Back Pocket? – how does Arkadia turn from Kane/Abby to Pike so quickly and completely? And somehow just be okay with killing Grounders and turning into a quasi-military state?
  
• Missed Opportunities – I could have dealt with a shit ton more Nia and Ontari. In fact, get rid of the Pike story line and make the non-ALIE conflict be Azgeda versus Lexa and Skaikru
  • Nia was FIERCE – move over Bey, Nia will give you a run for your money. Well, if she was given anything to do and didn’t die after one episode of fierceness.
  • Rapey Murder Princess – don’t even get me started on Ontari. What a waste. She was the exact definition of a plot device. She’s Gina with a bit more screen time.
• Speaking Of Rape – Murphy was coerced into sex by threat of violence/death, and this is rape. Yet this was NEVER acknowledged or addressed. Left up for interpretation? We don’t need this left up for interpretation in our current cultural environment.
• Fridging of Gina – an over-used trope to progress another character’s story line.
• Bad Deeds Go Unpunished – kill 300 Grounders in cold blood? That’s okay Pike, Bellamy and Co., because in a show all about consequences, I guess it suddenly forget to make them pay for their actions. Pike’s death in the end lets Skaikru off the hook.
• Good Deeds Get A “Fuck You” Bouquet From Edible Arrangements – while not necessarily wrapped in the nicest send-off from Clarke (remember “May you live forever”?), she spared Emerson, but Clarke and Co. paid dearly for it later. RIP Sinclair.

So, that’s a brief run down of the items I found troublesome this season. Some irked me more that others, but these are the big ones. Friendly reminder: I love this show.

The Part Where I Talk About The Lexa Thing, In Which I Learn I Think I Have A Passive-Aggressive Hatred For Public Relations Wonks

So, here’s the deal. When I wrote my review of “Thirteen,” I was ignorant of a couple things. Turns out I was a bit tone deaf. I will not go back and retcon my review because I will stand by what I felt at the time and admit to learning a great deal since then. Yes, there was baiting. Yes, the trope was bigger than I realized. Yes, LGBT fans were absolutely betrayed by the circumstances surrounding her death, including the promise of doing things differently this time, and the show constantly re-tweeting articles that called it “progressive” and gave it kudos for how it treated its characters.

From what was said this weekend at the “Bury Your Tropes” panel in Austin, the writer’s room simply didn’t know how huge the impact would be in the real world. I get that. I do. I in no way will ever believe this was intentional or homophobic, so if you believe Lexa dying was driven by some nefarious agenda, well, I don’t know what to say other than engage your brain, not your biases. People fuck up all the time because they’re unaware of how others will react or the consequences. These are called “teaching moments,” and shouldn’t be used as opportunities to threaten, harass, or call for people to lose their jobs.

Here’s the stuff I have issues with:

• The Trope – plain and simple, this stray bullet shit sucks. Lesbians dying after having sex or getting their moment of happiness sucks. Remove the trope, “Thirteen” was a beautifully written episode. Unfortunately, nothing trumps the timing and method of Lexa’s death. And guess what, I didn’t know this was a thing prior to the episode. I simply was unaware of the trope, but learned about it about .0001 seconds after the episode aired. Now I’m educated.
• The “Riding High on Hype” Social Media Engagement – this WOULD NOT have been an issue were it not for the trope. I see other shows publicizing positive press, but this, now in retrospect, seems crass for The 100. And again, were it not for the trope, this would not be an issue. This was an unfortunate road to hell.
• Pandering to Shippers – this should be the hard and fast rule of every TV show: Don’t pander. Don’t engage. Don’t EVER let a ship name cross your fingertips on twitter. This applies to both Bellarke and Clexa…I’m going to equal opportunity offend here. Let’s be fair, there is a large contingent of reasonable shippers who are rooting for their favorite pairings, but won’t have a hissy fit if it doesn’t happen because it is just entertainment, after all. Then…sigh…then there are the Toxic Shippers who will scream and yell and harass and demand they get their ship. Ignore them. Let the Toxic Shippers stew in their own sweaty, fetid juices over in the corner with all the other dark, dusty ghouls of fandom that feel entitled to get what they want like petulant children. Stick them next to the “all-female Ghostbusters is destroying my childhood memories” degenerates.
• Questionable Social Engagement in Non-Mainstream Channels – don’t seek out minorities and pander to them where they live. DON’T.
• Turns Out, Lexa Didn’t Have to Die – Clarke popped that flame in and out of her neck quite easily, no? Major rewrites would have to be done to explain it, but taking the flame out of Lexa alive could have been done. Banish her, write her off to the nether-lands, or kill her in a way that doesn’t feed into what LGBT viewers have been subjected to for years.
• Radio Silence for Weeks –
  whoever runs PR at the CW should be fired. PERIOD. There was no communication from the show or the network for weeks. What fucking PR wonk decided that was a good strategy for tackling this thing head on? So much healing and understanding could have happened, but some idiot with a PR degree from Trump University let that shit spiral out of control until it was far too late.

Here’s the thing. The Clexa relationship doesn’t align with my sexual preferences (mostly…don’t get me started on my love for Olivia Munn), but I was invested in this pairing, rooted for it, and wanted it to succeed. Because rarely on TV do we get equals in a relationship, romantic or otherwise. They were the two leaders of their people with huge burdens to bear, and no one understand that burden and responsibility and the pressure like Clarke and Lexa. You see how things fell apart when the B teams got called up to make leadership decisions. 300 Grounders died outside Arkadia and Ontari got her murder on in Polis and assumed the Commander position under false pretenses. Heavy lies the head that wears the crown, and pretty much everyone else in the rank and file shits the bed when they get a wee bit of power.

When Lexa died, I felt it and I’ve never felt a character death on a TV show like this ever. “Hold the door” affected me (I have a fucking custom “HODOR” license plate on my car for fuck’s sake), but Lexa dying had me in a funk for WEEKS. Still kinda does. And the fan response, the brigading, and the radio silence from the show and CW further dampened my enthusiasm to where I had to slowly work my way back to being excited to watch the show. Now, I know my feelings pale in comparison to some gay teen out there who saw herself in Lexa and really invested in her character. So many people where crushed far beyond my scope of understanding. But a lot of good has come out of this. People took notice. Things have GOT to change. And I think The 100 will be a part of that change because Clarke still exists and she’s great representation. I will give them ample opportunity to seek higher things.

So, if you read my “Thirteen” review and found me abrasive and tone deaf, mea culpa. And this isn’t a bullshit “I’m sorry you feel that way” apology that seems all the rage nowadays, this is a true apology. I was wrong, dog. My bad.

Now, that being said, I didn’t give up on the show the way others have, and my reasoning is clear: this show didn’t begin and end with Lexa. It DOES have good representation (and perhaps needs more, I don’t know), and does have a strong bisexual female lead. This show has characters who still matter to many others out there, and that’s important to me. This show created one of the best characters on TV in Lexa, let’s not forget this very important fact. And because this show has given us so much, I’m going to give something back in return: my faith. Faith that Jason Rothenberg has somehow gotten it and will do better. Just DO BETTER. Demonstrate you’ve synthesized into your core being what went so wrong with her death, because CW’s PR policy has done you no favors.

But I miss Lexa. I will always miss Lexa. That character and Alycia Debnam-Carey brought something special to the table. She wasn’t the “lesbian” character. She was the Commander and a badass who, by the way, was also a lesbian. Sexuality was never a thing on this show, and I think even its harshest critics need to acknowledge that The 100 treated sexuality – gay or straight – as NORMAL and no big deal. Unlike your Glee’s, and Newsroom’s, and other preachy “message of the week” shows, it treated its characters with respect and equality and didn’t bash us over the head with self-aggrandizing social justice missives like we’re a bunch of fuckwits who need differences highlighted with a big fucking red pen. If you want to affect change and be progressive, then show, don’t tell. Demonstrate how the world should be through behavior, don’t jaw jack about it.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

(During editing, I just now realized the irony of using a .gif from a Ryan Murphy show since I bashed Glee. Fuck it, .gif stays because it’s awesome)

Time To Talk About The Good Stuff, Y’all!

Wow, so that was a lot of saltiness on my part, but I hope I was at least fair and rational in my viewpoint. And now on to the good stuff. Because there was a TON of good stuff, make no mistake about it. I feel like I need to remind everyone that I love this show. I ride or die with this show. So don’t let the first part of my wrap up make you think I’m a hater. I love The 100.

I mean, look. I’m not a professional TV critic, obviously. I have a full-time career that eats up my week. So I write these reviews on nights and weekends and they suck up a ton of my free time. And now I have a podcast revolving around this show. Hey, did I mention May We Geek Again? Go listen to it (guys, I hate shilling and promotion, but it’s a part of the job). So, everything I do is on my own time, costing me my own money and I get no compensation in return.

In fact, if you add up my hosting fees for 3 sites, plus podcasting equipment, AND the bottles of scotch I go through while doing it all, this is totally a losing proposition. BUT I LOVE IT. I wouldn’t be doing any of this if I didn’t really dig this show. I honestly may die trying to write and podcast when season 4 hits, but, you know what, I’m going to try and not die.

No no no no no no. I said NOT die.

Without further ado, let’s get to the good shit!

• Everyone Acted Their Goddamn Pants Off – holy shit you guys, does this show have a stellar cast or what? I’ve heaped praise on all these guys throughout my season reviews, but I can’t get over how everyone seemed to elevate their game in season 3. And everyone’s single teardrop game is ON POINT.
  • Eliza Taylor – she was given a more restrained and muted Clarke this season, and had to emote like a fucking champ, often working through a range of complex emotions within seconds. I love this woman.
  • Alycia Debnam-Carey – a “guest star” by technicality only, she played a stoic, strong, deeply-layered character with aplomb. Lexa quickly became iconic, and this doesn’t happen without an amazing actress to bring her to life. That smirk back at Clarke in the finale was everything.
  • Bob Morley – he took a challenging character arc and brought such surprising acting chops that I cannot help but root for Bellamy to come correct in season 4 and make us all love him again. Love Bob. LOVE HIM.
  • Richard Harmon – welcome to being a fan favorite. He became a hero this season and it never felt fake or unearned, and he never lost his edge as Murphy. It takes a lot of talent to make a heel to face turn seem organic and believable.
  • Lindsey FUCKING Morgan – yes, I’m officially changing her name. She KILLED it this season. Killed it. Like rode over my heart, backed up, and rode over it again. We need more Raven all the time in S4.
  • Devon Bostick – brought more to Jasper than I thought possible. I can see why they kept you around after you got a spear in the chest, Devon
  • Christopher Larkin – another pleasant surprise. Cinnamon roll no more, Christopher gave us such hurt and depth with Monty and I cannot wait to see what S4 has in store for Monty
  • Marie Avgeropoulos – quiet, powerful rage and grief, both played masterfully within seconds of one another. Give her more, writers! Marie is ready to make that leap into some deep character shit.
  • Paige Turco – this woman never ages. And she’s amazing. I love the gravitas she brings to the show and she’s made Abby one of my sneaky favs. She brings so much depth to the mother/daughter relationship with Clarke.
  • Henry Ian Cusick – if you read my reviews, you know how much I love sexy beardy Kane. I can’t imagine anyone else playing him other than Ian, who is amazeballs.
  • Adina Porter – strong, vulnerable, fierce. She better be back in S4 or I will sue someone. She brings everything to the role of Indra.
  • Isaiah Washington – I CANNOT WAIT to see his S4 arc. Isaiah plays Jaha like a smooth scotch. And he’s so damn cerebral…this cat goes deep into character motivation, and that’s real artistry.
  • Chelsey Reist and Jarod Joseph – Harper and Miller need to be series regulars, period. We fans love these guys and they’re talented folks…let us see more of what they can do.
• They Never A Miss With A Guest Star – this show knows how to cast its guest stars. If you weren’t a huge Erica Cerra fan by the end of this season, then I don’t know what to say. Everyone was phenomenal. But I do have one thing to express: please bring Nadia Hilker and Zach McGowan as Luna and Roan. PLEASE. We need more, much more. DO IT.
• The Writing – the writing was by and large, amazing. Yes, I already brought up my nitpicks above, but there were so many great episodes and fantastic dialog throughout the season that I’m calling it a win. They keep introducing new and complex themes to dissect and really dig deep into. This isn’t a bubblegum pop show, it makes you really use your noggin. I’m not sure everyone agrees with Clarke’s actions at the end, and that’s the type of show we should celebrate. I’m happy to see many of the same faces back in the writing room. Bring it, guys!
• ALIE – I was skeptical of this story line from the jump. Then ALIE turned Raven and I was all in. This narrative brought so many interesting ideas and themes to this season, along with Cerra’s amazing performance, that I think it was hugely successful. It evolved fantastically, with ALIE becoming more dangerous as Jaha taught her how to take off the training wheels.
• Polis – seeing the Grounder capital, and its politics was very fun and fascinating. I fell in love with the place, as did Kane. Not so much in love with it when the streets ran with blood, though.
• Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting – Lexa’s fight scene with Roan and its ending with Nia having to forcefully take a seat, as it were, was EPIC.
• The Score Was AMAZING – Tree Adams, this season’s composer, killed it, y’all. Don’t forget, the soundtrack is available on iTunes, amazon, and Spotify. It added so much aural gravity to the world building, characters, and events. I’m in love with the Grounder Anthem. The score really elevated season 3 to a new place and I hope he’s back for S4. Oh god, please.
• The Soundtrack Was AMAZING – not a lot of songs from our universe were used this season, but the ones that were fit their scenes like a glove. “Thousand Eyes” by Of Monsters and Men perfectly fit the scene where Raven took the chip and her pain faded away. Still one of my favorite scenes of the season, and probably of the series. I would love more on the soundtrack next season.
• Kabby – look, I may take the piss out of Toxic Shippers, but there are a couple rare ships, few and far between, that almost everyone universally support and run against no opposition. Kabby is one of those ships. Fitzsimmons is another one. And…I believe I’ve run the gamut of ships that everyone loves. It took a long while to get here, since they were basically enemies in season 1, but the journey was worth it. I may have yelled gibberish at my TV when they kissed. And perhaps then passed out. It’s all a blur. Give us more in season 4! Give us more in season 4!
  
  ……….I think I passed out again.
• Bad Moon Rising – she was teased for three seasons, and we finally got to see Luna! And boy, she’s a different kind of cat. A peaceful Grounder who likely would have become Commander instead of Lexa. We only got about one episode of her and her Riggies, but I think everyone wants to see her back on season 4. She’s too intriguing a character to not revisit.
• It’s All So Pretty! – season 3 looked really good, y’all. Expanding the world brought us new visuals, but I really feel they did some great camera work. The show evolved and improved in many ways this year and looks less and less like a standard broadcast network show.
• Back to the Beginning – seeing Becca and watching the destruction of the earth was powerful stuff. Moreso because of Becca’s reaction to what she unintentionally caused. I never thought the show would revisit the reason for the whole premise of the show, and it was awesome!
• The Adventure Squad Reunited – this show is at its best when the Adventure Squad is working together, and 3A lacked that energy. 3B quickly woke back up and got back to the basics of what makes the show click – the relationships between the delinquents.
• Lore and Mythology – who ever would have guessed that the mythology and lore of the Grounder beliefs would have its genesis in Becca Pramheda, the destroyer of worlds and first Commander? It’s safe to say that Becca (and her legacy) is the most important figure in the world from 2052 on.
• Rebel Leader Kane – Kane never got a second go-round as Chancellor after giving up the position in season 2. He’s come so far, learned so much, and even though he’s not officially Chancellor, he fought hard to lead his little group of rebels. His evolution into the type of leader and man he wants to be continued…lets see it extend into season 4.

I’m sure there’s a ton of stuff that I’m forgetting to mention. There was a lot to love about this season, but it was a mixed bag at times. I don’t know if it’s necessarily better than season 2. And to be honest, season 1 holds a warm place in my heart and I think I love it more than most people, especially episode 3 onwards. Season 2 is probably the best of the series so far in terms of how far it went to challenge its characters and the notion of what people are willing to do to survive. It had some very meaningful moments that were truly amazing. I’m going to need a bit more distance from season 3 to really examine it further in the context of the whole series.

Season 4 Hopes And Dreams

So, what do I want to see from season 4? Gosh…to be honest, to me, the possibilities are wide open. We know we have ALIE’s claim of a nuclear power plant melt down, so that’s an issue that has to be dealt with…if you take this claim as the truth. But what else could happen? Here’s my take. I’ll refrain from any wild theories because we know how those all turn out for me. SIGH. #LampGate2016

• Another Nuclear Threat – this is not my favorite cliffhanger/big bad because I like human antagonists who have motivations and agency to affect the world and its characters. But, assuming this threat is real, I could see some unforeseen twist involved. Is there someone behind these meltdowns? Is there more to this story? Is there a bigger threat looming? Bigger than their skin melting off? What’s bigger than that, you ask. Well, I don’t know…maybe giant mutant Kaiju?
• Giant Mutant Kaiju – YES PLEASE, I’M GLAD I THOUGHT OF IT, YOU’RE WELCOME THE 100 WRITER’S ROOM. I’ll forgo the consultant’s credit/fee for all the following:
  • Sexy Beardy Kane body pillow
  • Clarke body pillow
  • Emerson body pillow
  • Roan body pillow (sans shirt please)
• Is ALIE Still Around? – we know Clarke shut down ALIE’s City of Light, but do think there’s a copy of ALIE still in the mansion that Clarke and Co. can access and ask for advice? I would love to see Erica Cerra back as ALIE and working WITH the humans to solve their problems. Oh my god, please. I would make some unholy noises if I saw Erica Cerra back on The 100.
• ALL KABBY ALL THE TIME – okay, maybe not all the time, but I want to see this relationship unfold. It would be nice if SOMEONE could be happy. I want my Kabby to be happy and to GET SOME.
  
• Bad Moon Gonna Rise Again – I’m pretty certain Luna will be back. You don’t introduce her only to ghost her for the rest of the series. And also Isaiah Washington welcomed her to season 4 in a tweet, which he quickly deleted.
• Squad Goals – let’s hope the Adventure Squad stays together this season as much as possible. I’m also okay with breaking them into teams. Then them facing off against each other in flag football.
• An Emotional Reckoning And Responsibility – Clarke has to be allowed to grieve her past actions and Lexa’s death in order to regain some of her swagger. Clarke needs to stop allowing folks to dump on her. Bellamy has to admit to Octavia his part in the shit show at Arkadia. No more Hugs Of Forgiveness. Let’s see some real emotional heavy-lifting by both Clarke and Bell.
• Oh, By The Way, This Happened – it’d be super cool if Clarke told people she had a relationship with Lexa. And all the shit she tried to accomplish in Polis on Skaikru’s behalf.
• Little Bad? – so, the nuclear meltdown is the “big bad” (presumably) that has to be dealt with, but we know something or someone else will rise to muck up the works. Could it be Ice Nation? Jaha? Hell, even Octavia or Jasper? Maybe Macallan’s rise to dark power will happen. I’m just going to assume he plunged to his death when trying to scale the Polis tower.
• Raven Sciences the Shit Outta Things – Raven is one of the last known scientifically and technically apt people remaining to help solve this nuclear problem. She’s going to science the shit out of it.
  
• Flame On! – so, the flame is still in play, so we have to assume it can have some sort of impact in S4, right? Perhaps Luna stops being so angsty and takes the flame? Someone needs to wrangle the Grounders and get them on the same page with Skaikru if everyone is going to survive this nuclear threat.
• To Infinity and Beyond! – is going back to space a possibility? I don’t see it, as the STEM minds and resources available seem to be rather limited at the moment. But I’m keeping the door slightly open.
• New Faces – I can see new characters being introduced next season, but I’m thinking what if a whole new faction of people is discovered…or makes their presence violently known? Like a non-Grounder people who perhaps are more technologically advanced and therefore more dangerous?

Guys, season 4 is starting filming on August 2 and the writer’s room has been in full swing, apparently doing nothing but coloring and eating ice cream. Proof:

And hoarding Kane body pillows, the deepest of all cuts. Scalawags!

Apologies And Corrections

Let’s get Kurt Cobain back in here. Looking back over my reviews, I see I made some errors, so let me address them.

PTSD – I said that Jasper, Bellamy, and Clarke are suffering from PTSD. A commentor said that only really Jasper has full-blown PTSD, while others on the show demonstrate some signs, but it’s important to understand that not all hurt and grief is PTSD. The more you know!

Manpain – I used this term in a previous review. An unrelated discussion about this term popped up on the subreddit for the show and it gave me pause. I think there’s a nasty strain of “feminism” that likes to dip its toe in misandry and uses derogatory terms and tones to debase men. In much the same way some men will use the phrase “oh, she’s on the rag” to insult women and explain away or dismiss an emotional response.

I’ve come to the conclusion that using derogatory terms to eyeroll and hand-wave emotions and reactions away is not suitable for EITHER gender, nor does it express the desire for equality (except in our desire to equally insult one another) in a way that builds EVERYONE up rather than tearing others down. Using “manpain” as a way to dismiss how a man is reacting to something (regardless of the effect on other characters or how other characters are expressing or not expressing their emotions) is bolstering the ridiculous idea that men aren’t allowed to feel or outwardly emote. They should just “man up,” right? Which is another horrible phrase that re-enforces the notion of hyper-masculinity, and hyper-masculinity never leads to problems, does it?

The “straight white men are bad” trend is really troublesome and just the flip side of the idea that women are the lesser sex. How does one claim to be seeking equality while negating a person because of their identity? Let’s stop using terms that make us look petty and dismissive.

Cannibalism and LanternGate2016 – I had two theories that never came to pass and I apologize for not being more awesome and getting these right:

• Farm station ate people – a bunch of us on the subreddit believed there was something very hinky about Farm Station, their backstory, and their undying loyalty to Pike. There is still a contingent of us that put stock in this theory (kanibalkru) and we will go to our grave believing Farm Station ate people while stuck in Azgeda territory. Don’t stop….believin’…..
• LanternGate2016 – I was SO CERTAIN my theory that Clarke stashed the flame in the lantern back at Niylah’s trading post, only to have my theory dashed all to hell in the very next episode. And I proved some good proof to back up my theory. I was feelin’ mighty smart and fancy coming up with this one. So, fuck me.

I probably won’t stop coming up with or believing in crazy theories for season 4. It’s part of the fun about watching the show. And those theories will probably all be wrong. Because it’s what I do.

Straight Pimpin’

Each and every one of you should be watching 12 Monkeys while you patiently wait for The 100 to get back. I keep pimping this show like mad because I’m crazy about it. The show just had its best episode this past week (“Lullaby”), which was a great homage to Groundhog Day, even giving it a meta mention or two, and it made me feel all the feels.

Oh, and watch UnREAL on Lifetime. It’s a fun, psychotic watch. MONEY. DICK. POWER.

Miscellany

• My ship, Slarke (soap + Clarke) is in limbo heading into season 4. Eliza Taylor has made no mention of it at the OZ comic con. I fear they may not push this ship that I demand happen.
• I miss Breadheda, y’all.
• I’m not fucking kidding about those body pillows. Lately, my back as been acting like a violently-shaken can of Pringles, and I could really use something to wrap my arms and legs around while sleeping. This is strictly for my health. #SaveMyBack2016
• This hiatus sucks dick. This is me:
  
• Thanks to everyone who has been reading my reviews! I love all y’all.
• “Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside.” – Lin Manuel Miranda. Shit needs to change. This can’t be the way we live anymore.
• Hey people who like sounds entering your ear holes! I have a Spotify playlist, which is music from and inspired by The 100. You can find it right here and marvel at my musical tastes. I keep it up to date with anything featured on the show.
• Thanks for sticking around and reading this review, folks. I’m doing this for the love of the game, I’m just here so I don’t get fined, I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can be, I’m giving 110%, defense wins championships, I have a lot of hustle out there on the field, I’m taking it one game at a time, I’ll be happy with whatever team drafts me, OH GOD please don’t let the Browns draft me, I’m ready to take it to the next level, I’m all hustle out there on the field, I’ll be back faster and stronger next season, and finally: MONEY. DICK. POWER.

FINAL VERDICT!

Season 3: 8.0 out of 10 nuclear reactors burning your face off 

There are some The 100 bloggers you should absolutely be reading, and I offer them up for your enjoyment; I have no affiliation with any of them, save for being a fan:

• Jo Garfein – doing some great intellectual lifting when analyzing the show, and check out her The 100 podcast with AJ Mass, also found on Scifi Mafia at this link.
• Erin Brown – unfairly beautiful writing. Like seriously, stop being so good.
• McKenzie Morrell – recapping her damn face off and great interviews with the cast!
• Toni_watches – piss your goddamn pants funny photo recaps.

If you’re a fan of the show, join us on Reddit for deep discussions, wacky shenanigans, Trigedasleng lessons, and clan flair! It’s the least toxic place you can find right now for The 100 fandom. Mods got that shit on lockdown.