Wayward Pines "The Truth"

Phew, what an episode. We finally found out, along with Ben & Ethan, what's "really" going on in Wayward Pines. I admit I started watching the show solely because I'm a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan, but Wayward Pines has given me plenty of other reasons to like it since episode one, & especially after its most recent episode "The Truth" - The things revealed in this episode make this show a must-see for any fellow scifi lovers out there. If you have never watched the show, I recommend checking it out.

Caution:
HUGE spoilers for Wayward Pines ahead.
If you haven't seen the show,
please stop reading here.
You have hereby been warned. ;)

I'm also a huge fan of the CW show "The 100" so I immediately noticed some similarities to that show in this episode. It's similar enough to excite me, but not so similar that it's ripping that show off in any way. So, from where I sit (on the porch in the dark with My Dying Bride blaring from my hubby's laptop), that's a good thing. Side note, I also recommend checking out "The 100" if you haven't. Another great post-apocalyptic show that in my opinion is highly underrated.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. As soon as Ben's teacher revealed the time travel bit, I thought, "Of course! Re-population." So I tweeted it out, & no one seemed to get it. Lo & behold, about 10 minutes later, that is what they revealed they are doing. Attempting to repopulate the future Earth with "normal" human beings. (Which could certainly explain the bedroom eyes Ben's new girlfriend has been giving him, LOL). Some things were predictable, such as Pilcher's reveal, but a lot of the reveals were pretty cool. My favorite was definitely the date on the quarter.

The creatures that humans have "evolved" into, called abbies, seem a little zombie-ish, giving the show even more of an apocalyptic feel & promising some exciting action scenes in the future. & these things aren't like the boring zombies from "The Walking Dead" but more like the speedy rage-infected zombies from "28 Days (& Weeks) Later" (which is DEFINITELY awesome).

But don't forget, even though we now know "the truth" the people of Wayward Pines are still pretty shady. (Need I remind you of the reckoning ceremonies? Come on). So we're more than likely not getting the WHOLE truth (or maybe not even any truth, although I'm pretty sure the abbies do actually exist & that it's probably pretty hard to fake the date on a quarter). ;)

This episode was, in my opinion, the best yet. Not just because of the writing & acting but because of that amazing sequence where we were pulled back & forth between Ben's "orientation" & his parent's simultaneous revelations. As a video editor myself, I really appreciate when the editing is done so brilliantly, so kudos to the editors on that. It really gave the episode even more intensity.

While this episode may have been the best yet, there were a couple of downsides. First, there is very little ethnic representation in Ben's group, or in the town for that matter. & second, the whole episode was kind of one big info dump, & while I loved it, I also wonder if they should have saved at least some of this mind bending info for the season finale. I'm a little worried that the show might not be able to top this episode. They are going to have to pull out something even bigger for the season finale if the show's going to survive the harsh business that is television. But rumor has it that this is just the beginning of the crazy, so hopefully we'll see more epic episodes like this one in the future.

Be The Lightning,

Kylie Jude.

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Review: The 100

So I was going to wait until I had a music video to share, but I decided to go ahead and post a blog on The 100, after that awesome season finale. Mostly because I had too many words in me to post on social media. Regulars might be shocked at how short this one is compared to my typical blogs, but I just wanted to get some of my thoughts out, so I jotted them down here. Enjoy! 

When I saw the very first episode of The 100, I think I probably cried the whole time. Not because it was sad but because it was so beautiful. It was everything I had ever wanted in a series. But as much as I loved the show then, I love it even more now. How is that even possible? Especially now that the characters have left the ark (AKA spaceship) and taken up residence on post-apocalyptic Earth. As a science fiction writer and fan, one would expect the lack of space in season 2 to deter me, but surprisingly, it didn't. While the show lost some of its science fiction elements in season 2, it also gained the grounders (a badass group of warriors) and some cool dynamics between them and the sky people (the ones who came from space). It also lost a character I never liked, which is always a plus. But I think the main reason season 2 was so great was the fact that we got to see the evolution of some of the characters into true warriors. You have to be tough to survive in the world of The 100, after all. 

One of the things I love most about the show is the character arcs. After the season 2 finale, we know Clarke is going to be even more badass next season, having retreated into the wilderness to become some kind of nomad loner. Not to mention poor Jasper, with the loss he suffered in this episode no doubt having lasting ramifications. And I can't believe the difference between Octavia in season 1 and Octavia in season 2. Totally different people. What it all boils down to? War changes people. And it's doing just that on the show. One of the recurring themes, as we heard again tonight from Clarke's mom, is that there are no good guys in war. Everyone has to sacrifice something (or someone) for the greater good. And as Maya said, none of us is innocent. This show has already proven that to be true time and time again, and there's just something so universal about it.

And of course I'm excited that the show will be returning to it science fiction roots next season, as the end of this episode revealed. But with or without the science fiction, The 100 has proven over and over that it is one of the best shows on TV.

I might still post a full fledged blog someday, music video and all, but in the mean time just know that The 100 is an amazing show, and if you aren't watching it, you should be. If you like drama and violence and romance and mystery, you'll like The 100. You might also want to check out the books if you haven't. But be warned that there are some major differences between the books and the show.

Until next season, may we meet again.

Be The Lightning,

Kylie Jude.

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