Twilight's Last Gleaming

I think this show is underrated, it takes a few episodes to get good, but it got good by the end of episode 3, great by episode 4, and this is the point where the plot really starts moving forward, alliances are questioned, morals are made more grey, and so many interesting things happen to make it worth watching, can't wait for what's to follow.

Raven arrives to Earth, but Bellamy is on a fight against Clarke and Finn to arrive first to her, as he's afraid of the Ark knowing they are alive. But on Raven's chance to contact back with the Ark the lives of many up there depend, as Kane's plan to sacrifice 300 people has been approved. With lives on stake, will they be able to overcome Bellamy?

"The 100" continues to surprise. If in previous episodes they hadn't been afraid of killing off some characters we were starting to care for, while also keeping the tension and not making the series a gore-fest, in this new episode is a fight against time, with many more lives at stake than till now.

Of course, the show can't make us care about 300 people in just one episode, but they go the route of fleshing out some of the people we didn't know till now. One, two scenes, that show they are human as all the protagonists, and giving them the chance to shine makes the threat that hangs over their heads something we will care about. They are not faceless anymore.

Oh, and Finn has a problem, as he now has Ark-girlfriend and Earth-girlfriend. It's pretty obvious some tension will be rising in future episodes between them three.

And just in case we didn't have enough, it ends on a magnificent (even if foreseeable) cliffhanger.

This begins the whole Clarke raven Finn love triangle which is beyond too teen drama for me and it runs through most of the season and it takes a bit out of each episode with it, the episode is good but it started a major misstep and made season one weak for it

Plot In A Paragraph: A plan to contact the Ark is put in motion after Raven (Lindsey Morgan) crash lands on Earth. Meanwhile, Abby (Paige Turco) exposes Kane's (Henry Ian Cusick) plan to reduce the population of the Ark.

This episode was utterly heartbreaking at times, Bellamy (Bob Morley) shows the lengths he is prepared to go to to, he will literally do anything to protect his sister, and she was aghast at why he had done in order to follow her down "I didn't ask you to do that!! I didn't ask for any of this" Chancellor Thelonious Jaha (Isaiah Washington) prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice alongside his people. Deplorable Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) is still a cartoon villain with silly hair though.

The dynamic between Bellamy and Clarke (Eliza Taylor) is the main focal point of the show, he is not the selfish prick he seemed to be in the first couple of episodes and through his love for his sister and hints at back story we are seeing there is more to him and his actions. There scenes are the best acted ones, they play well off each other.

The anticipated Clarke, Finn Raven love triangle was quickly brushed over with Clarke removing herself from the equation "I was around, passibly cute and now it is over." I was expecting it to be much more prolonged and drawn out.

I found the way certain people on the ark volunteered for death very touching!! Especially the Dad who was doing it for his daughter. 3 solid episodes in a row.

Twilight's Last Gleaming is a standout episode from the first season of The 100, marking a significant shift in both the tone and stakes of the show. As the Ark's dwindling oxygen supply becomes a dire issue, the tension mounts both in space and on Earth. The episode does a great job of balancing the desperate situation aboard the Ark with the growing conflicts among the 100 on the ground. The choices made by the characters feel weighty and consequential, particularly when faced with life-or-death decisions.

One of the strengths of the episode is how it explores the ethical dilemmas of survival, especially through characters like Jaha and Abby on the Ark. The emotional weight of sacrificing lives to save the rest of humanity is handled well, adding depth to the drama. On the ground, Clarke and Bellamy's leadership continues to evolve, laying the foundation for their complex dynamic in future episodes.

While the episode excels in its emotional and moral complexity, there are moments where the pacing slows down, and certain side plots feel a bit underdeveloped. However, the powerful final moments, with a decision that will change everything for the characters, more than make up for it.

Overall, Twilight's Last Gleaming pushes the narrative forward with a sense of urgency and delivers a solid balance of character development and suspense.

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