In the two most recent episodes of The 100, the Lost meets Lord of the Flies vibe comes into full effect, as the survival of the teens on Earth is threatened by both the dangers of the ground (from genetically modified animals to the mysterious Grounders) and from each other. Earth Skills sees Clarke and the team head out to rescue one of their own, while Earth Kills takes a much darker tone, as good intentions lead to disastrous consequences.
Earth Kills sees Monty and Octavia in a bid to save Jasper’s life, and protect him from the bloodthirsty John, while Clarke, Finn and Wells search for some medicinal seaweed to treat him. Bellamy takes some of his crew out hunting, including the young, nightmare-affected Charlotte, until a cloud of acid fog traps the teens in caves or bunkers, forcing Clarke and Wells to confront their past (told via flashbacks to the Ark), a traumatic death for one of the characters, and for Bellamy’s well-meaning advice to lead to utter devastation.
Bellamy is fast becoming the most intriguing character in the show so far. Initially seen as a rebellious force, the Jack to Clarke’s Ralph in the Lord of the Flies analogy, his character took a sinister turn when he left Adam strung up in a tree at night at the end of Earth Skills, but Earth Kills showed a softer side to him with his treatment of Charlotte. It’s easy to forget with all his morally dubious actions, that Bellamy is at heart a big brother, the only brother in the entire society given the one child rule, and there is some compassion within him. Clarke and Bellamy are, after all, the ones to perform the mercy killing of Adam after he is caught in the acid cloud (poor Adam can’t catch a break!) and it looks like John is the real despicable person that the rest of the survivors need to keep an eye on.
With Earth Skills and Earth Kills, The 100 reveals itself to be a much darker, involving and unexpected show than perhaps the trailers and pilot revealed. Yes, the influences of Lord of the Flies, Lost, and even Star Trek, are blatantly obvious, but are used to the show’s advantage. All that is needed to capitalise on the show’s current success is for either the Ark scenes to become more gripping, or for much of them to be sacrificed in favour of more time on Earth.