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'Hunger Games' meets 'Lost in Space' on CW's 'The 100' "The 100" premieres Wednesday on The CW. By Jacqueline Cutler © Zap2it It's 97 years since people managed to do the inevitable - detonate enough atomic bombs that life as we know it was obliterated. Earth's survivors exist in a hodgepodge of space stations, and 100 miscre- ant youth are shot back to the home planet. What sort of world they will find and what sort they will create is the basis for The CW's "The 100," premier- ing Wednesday, March 19. The dystopian sci-fi show, which is pro- nounced "The Hundred," is believable. Set in the near-enough future that viewers are not required to suspend belief that aliens have taken over, the series begins inside the space stations. After the nuclear apocalypse, 12 nations forged their space stations into one. It is a pretty grim exis- tence. Chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington, "Grey's Anat- omy") is the tested leader, who makes very tough de- cisions that include send- ing his son down to Earth. "It is not a morality tale," Washington says. "It's a cautionary tale. Hey, we can comment on this show and what needs to change. To show the world we have to take a look at how we treat one another, and if we don't, this is what can happen." "It doesn't mean it will prevail, but without it you have nothing but chaos," he says. This show, Washington says, "is a drama pretend- ing to be a science fiction." When you have a bunch of teenagers and a few in their early 20s creating a new society, comparisons to "Lord of the Flies" are inevitable. "I was actually look- ing to do a 'Lord of the Flies'-like story at the time that this studio sent 'The 100' my way," executive producer Jason Rothen- berg says at a press conference. "And it sort of touched all those creative erogenous zones. I love 'Lord of the Flies.' It was one of those books that I could blame for the fact I'm a writer." The pilot sets up two camps: Clarke versus Bellamy, and they need to figure out how they are going to live. Clarke (Eliza Taylor, "Neighbours") is an artist, tough and in juvenile detention, though it's not clear why. It seems no one has to commit too great a transgression to be considered a threat. And punishments are fast and final: People are ejected from the space station, instantly killed in deep space. Clarke is skilled in many areas; she seems to have learned healing arts any sort of leadership. They have to come to- gether and build this new world and do it well even though there is so much to do." Bellamy (Bob Morley, "Home and Away") is slightly older than the oth- ers and has a bit of the bad boy swagger. He has always been very protec- tive of his sister, Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos, "Cult"), because she was essentially illegal. No one is allowed to have more than one child aboard the space station. Octavia spent her life hid- den, and now on Earth is determined to be as free as possible, so she instantly takes risks. The action hearkens back to the adults on the space station, who grow increasingly worried be- cause their progeny are losing the ties that bind them - they remove the ID bracelets that track them. "It is almost like two stories," Morley says. "The adults in their arc and the 100 on the ground. In a lot of parts, it's about human- ity and survival and hope and human intention. It is about survival and band together and survive or fall apart." "The characters are complicated," Morley says. "The writers have written in so much gray, and they take it where I didn't think it would go. Bellamy is such a very strong char- acter, but he is weak in so many other aspects." from her mother, a doc- tor, and exudes a natural sense of leadership. She believes in a more struc- tured society. "She's got it going on," Taylor says of her char- acter. "She's smarter than me, and I'm 25. She is such a cool character to play." Shortly into the 13- episode season, viewers are likely to decide if they are "Team Clarke or Team Bellamy," Taylor says. "They have to lock heads only to see who will have 2 The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • March 17-23, 2014 Say It On Page 2 Of The • Announcements • Birthdays • Memorials • Special Events • Congratulations Advertisements must be paid in advance. Contact us for deadlines and prices. 574-533-2151 or 800-487-2151 ext. 398 C C O O M M S S I I C C B B w w L L N N I I G G 1300 W. PIKE ST. • GOSHEN, IN 46526 574-533-8564 www.MapleCityBowl.com Maple City Bowl at … BUY ONE GAME GET ONE FREE EXPIRES 1-31-2014 COSMIC BOWLING HOURS … FRI. 9:30 PM-12:30 AM; SAT. 1:00-3:00 PM & 8:00 PM-MIDNIGHT 5-31-2014

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