First Impressions: The 100 (The CW)

After having read The 100 by Kass Morgan, I was so excited to hear that The CW already had a TV version of the story on the way. The plot of the book is really intricate with so many different characters doing different things at different times and yet somehow all the stories are interwoven and connected. That is one of the things I loved most about the book and I sincerely hope that the new television drama sticks to that as much as possible. 

So the story is that 97 years ago, the Earth was hit by radiation so strong that it wiped out the entire human race. That is, apart from the 12 space stations that happened to be floating above the Earth at the time. These 12 stations joined forces to create 'The Arc' and what is left of humanity has been living on the Arc since then. The problem is, the Arc is dying. They are rapidly running out of resources and so those in charge make the decision to send one hundred teenage 'criminals' down to Earth to test conditions out. These one hundreds teenagers are not really criminals, they have all been caught for some sort of petty 'crime' but laws are extremely strict given how delicate the situation of humanity is. So these one hundred teenagers are bundled onto a small spaceship and thrown down to Earth with no idea of what to expect.

So my first impressions of this new series... 

Given that I've read the book, I obviously had expectations and a vague understanding of what I thought the plot would entail. Had I not had this advantage I think I may have been sorely confused during the first few minutes of the pilot episode. I felt that explanations and character introductions were very rushed and I found it hard to keep up with who was who and who knew who and for what reason etc. Once things had settled down a bit it was easier to distinguish which characters were going to be the protagonists but they still didn't fit together all that nicely. I'm going to assume that this is all just part of the story's development and that the things that have been rushed will be elaborated as the series progresses.

As for actors, there isn't anyone spectacularly talented. That probably sounds rather harsh but that's not to say that the acting isn't good, I'm just saying that it's nothing noteworthy. Most of the actors aren't particularly well known American actors, sure, I've seen a few faces before but for a lot of them this appears to be their 'big break' into television drama. I wouldn't say that there are any particularly noticeable hunks, though I can tell which characters are supposed to be the 'good looking' ones. A lot of people will probably disagree but that's just my opinion. The girls, however, are all beautiful, which is perhaps a little unrealistic given that they've been in a sort of 'prison' for years, but hey that's television for you.

For fans of the book, I'd say that although the basic framework of the television show is based on Kass Morgan's story, the plot line of the two isn't all that similar. The end of the pilot episode is similar to the end of the first book so clearly the story of the book is merely a platform from which the television series has sprung. The character Glass and her story appears to have been removed from the dramatised version so unless if she's going to spring up later, I'd say that we won't be seeing her. This is disappointing as I loved Glass' story and it was nice to see some action happening on the ship. It seems as though there will be a subplot detailing the goings on of the adults on the ship, but this takes a backseat from the drama unfolding on Earth. 

All in all, this wasn't the best debut to a television series that I've ever seen but I've still got high hopes. I believe that series one of The 100 has been booked for 13 episodes so it's not all that long and hopefully it will continue after that. So far, the story and the new world is still being set up but  the foundation for exciting plot developments has already been laid down. This is a unique story that I hasn't really been explored before and the CW usually has good shows so I'd recommend getting stuck into this new series!