[Episode Discussion] 1.01 Pilot

[tassosss]

The first discussion topic post! How this is going to work, is for those that want to do a rewatch of the show (which includes me), I'll put up a weekly discussion post where you can put reactions, links to old reaction posts, questions, thoughts, squee, joy, headshaking and anything else that strikes you. I'll have a prompting question or two to get things going if you don't know what to say but want to join in.

BEWARE! This is a spoiler zone! Unless someone requests a spoiler-free post for each episode, assume spoilers for all aired episodes through the end of season 2.

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The Pilot episode! Where we meet all of our characters with shining clean faces. What were your first impressions of the show, based on the pilot? Which characters made a good first impression? Who made a bad one? What kept you watching after the first episode?

Comments

[tassosss]

Thanks for expanding your thoughts on Bellamy. That helps me see what you're saying, and I don't think I really disagree. I just rewatched tonight (I was having cat issues last night) so having what you wrote in mind, if anything rewatching makes me disagree with myself. When I wrote that Bellamy not being good at stuff in the beginning I was definitely thinking of some stuff that happens in the next couple eps, which as you point out, they back track his characterization on.

Rewatching also reminded me why I kept face-palming during the first episode, because Wells and Clarke keep trying to logic the group into action and that's not the best approach with this kind of group.

I still think that Bellamy's role as Octavia's sibling would give him skills with managing people, even if not as strong as I suggested before. Even if Octavia was a model child, she'd have good days and bad days, and even the best kids are going to be difficult. I wouldn't be surprised if she did go through a phase of wanting to get out all the time. I can see her mom laying down the law and terrifying her into obedience, but who knows... I guess, dealing with little kids a lot, I see a lot more variation there, and a lot more of a dynamic relationship that pushes Bellamy to grow in ways that other kids wouldn't, and not just because of the secrecy and that pressure, but because he has a sibling. Even if his mom is still there doing a lot and being the prime disciplinarian, olders do help raise their youngers.

The other thing that came out of me thinking about this, was how did Octavia change when she was in Lock Up? Clearly she was on her own, and Bellamy couldn't visit her for some reason (we know there were visiting days, and he would have gone, I'm sure of it, if he was allowed). Here, Octavia is still naive but she's no longer meek. I kind of want that story.

I take your point about Bellamy being really good at taking control of the group in the Pilot, which should take more experience than he has. I hadn't really watched closely before for that. I guess I'm just trying to make the characterization work with what we've got :)

[marina]

I LOOOOVE meta, so my thing when I get into a canon is to make sure I know all the details of that canon - as in, rewatching/rereading everything until I feel I've almost memorized it - so I can be sure my meta is based on what's actually there. Obviously my opinions are totally subjective! But I try to make sure they're based on what was actually there in canon rather than what I remember (a lot of my analysis changed when I rewatched S1, which I originally partially fast-forwarded through). But I totally understand the desire to make exisiting canon work rather than go "oh the writing is just not quite there in this part"! THere's a point up to which I'll handwave, but past a certain point I'm just like "whatever, let's just acknowledge this bit doesn't quite fit" lol. I actually originally remembered Bellamy being unreasonably badass for much longer, but on rewatch I think they started backstracking in episode 3, so only the pilot and the second episode are really "unreasonable" in light of his later characterization.

I'm willing to agree that some of his older brother skills translated to his leadership, but again having grown up in what was essentially a society of juvenile delinquents left more of less to their own devices (early S1 is basically my highschool, part of why I stuck with the show. It's incredibly realistic in portraying how teenagers create mechanisms to police their own society and how "elected" authority figures have to behave in order to stay in power. For example, Bellamy was never a tyrant, he rules by consensus. If the other kids had wanted to topple him, they could have - especially his own lieutenants. One of my best friends in highschool was a Bellamy in that sense, and it's why Bellamy doesn't quite add up for me if you consider he was desperate and came from a very problematic background, so the amount of confidence and competence there doesn't add up) I can't see too much of older-brother skills being relevant here, especially given what we actually see of Bellamy raising Octavia. I guess for me the primary thing is - with Octavia Bellamy was always coming from a place of authority. She knew she had to listen to him, he knew he had the advantage, not just because of their mom but also because Bellamy was physically bigger and smarter and more capable. So yes he could have disciplined Octavia, but they had a pre-existing dynamic where he was in charge to rely on.

On the other hand, if Bellamy had approached someone like Murphy from the same "you know I'm in charge" perspective, no matter Bellamy's size or height, Murphy would have stabbed him. When Bellamy was taking control of the camp, he had to deal with people who were extremely disinclined to listen to anyone who seemed like an authority figure, which is totally different from Octavia and from being an older sibling in general. Again, I think we see Bellamy's older sibling skills much more with Charlotte, where it's more about guidance, protection, comfort. Maybe the only thing I'd think Bellamy did gain from his older brother experience (and incidentally, even though others didn't technically have siblings, I'm sure the other delinquents, especially, had experience at taking care of younger children, when children like Charlotte could be left all alone, surely among the poorest parts of the Ark there were various relationships like Finn who was essentially Raven's brother growing up) is knowing what it feels like when people do see you as an authority. I don't think that's exclusive to being an older brother, anyone who led a gang for example would know what it feels like, but maybe it gave him a greater comfort with that feeling, and of course, it definitely gave him experience on taking care of people and generally being the one people rely on.

Oh man, Octavia change in lock up is so fascinating! My theory is that Bellamy didn't go to see her because he was punished. I mean, he wasn't a minor when they all got caught, Octavia went to prison, his mom got executed and Bellamy... got a job? A shitty job, but still? I think there were additional sanctions on him, among them the fact that he wasn't allowed to see his sister, to prevent him from corrupting or traumatizing her further, perhaps. The system couldn't have looked favorably on two people who deliberately kept a girl locked up under the floor for 16 years.

But yeah, my theory is mostly that Octavia's time in lock up was her essentially facing her worst fear and coming out of it no longer afraid of anything. Her whole life she'd been told the worst would happen if she were found, and here, she'd been found so... the worst had happened. She lost everything, her family, her home, she didn't know a single person in the world, and yet... here she was, still alive. So, if she could make it through that, she could make it through anything, right? What could possibly happen to her now? I think the longing and grief and hardships of lock up keep Octavia from blaming Bellamy or her mom for her situation, but that changes when she actually meets Bellamy, and realizes he still thinks her being kept in a cage 24/7 is not only acceptable but desired, and suddenly she's fucking ANGRY, and so on.