In addition to The CW's growing DC TV universe that includes Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, the network has also found success in adapting young adult novels like The Vampire Diaries and The 100. Based on Kiera Cass's book series of the same name, The 100 is a science fiction drama following a group of 100 teenaged delinquents on the nuclear bomb-ravaged Earth as they attempt to face the challenges of survival, specifically other factions of survivors.
Although the first few episodes of The 100 may have been the weakest of the series, the show garnered critical attention throughout its first season and has continued to be viewed as one of The CW's most underrated offerings. The 100 has become beloved by critics because of the moral dilemmas presented within the show, forcing its characters to make hard decisions between doing what's right and survival - often shocking viewers in the process. Now, for those wishing to catch up on The 100 before it returns for season 3, the second season will be released on DVD in October along with bonus content like our exclusive previsualization stunt clip of Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) taking down some guards.
The 100: The Complete Second Season will include all 16 episodes as well as special features such as deleted scenes, a gag reel, the show's 2014 Comic-Con panel and some featurettes offering fans a behind-the-scenes look at the series. One featurette, titled Unlocking the Mountain, takes fans inside one of the major locations of season 2, Mount Weather, as the cast and producers discuss the events of the season. The above clip, though, is from a featurette on previsualization stunts from season 2, which includes Octavia's sequence of taking down a couple Mount Weather guards.
The 100 season 2 follows the journeys of multiple characters including Clarke (Eliza Taylor), the leader of the 100 delinquents, as she attempted to reunite her group following the aftermath of the season 1 finale. However, she struggled with her role as the leader since she needed to work both with and against the other factions - the survivors of the Ark space station, the Grounders and the Mountain Men - in order to ensure the survival of her friends. Octavia spent much of season 2 becoming a member of the Grounders and adapting to their way of life, which includes learning the skills of their warriors, as evidenced in the pre-viz clip.
Although The 100 features an extensive cast that includes Paige Turco (Person of Interest), Isaiah Washington (Grey's Anatomy) and Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), the series largely revolves around Clarke and her decisions as a leader, as well as the consequences those choices have on her conscious and those around her. In season 2, many of the other young characters, Octavia, Finn (Thomas McDonell), Bellamy (Bob Morely) and Jasper (Devon Bostick), were also forced to experience morally murky situations that add to the emotional stakes of the series.
Of course, with a number of teenagers at the center of The 100, the show does, at times, succumb to the tropes and stereotypes of TV aimed at a younger audience, like a love triangle plotline in season 1. Additionally, the apocalyptic dystopian future is a landscape that many viewers have grown weary of over the last few years with so many YA-adapted TV shows and movies that are set in a similarly bleak environment.
That being said, the real focus of The 100 was established early on in season 1 and continued throughout season 2: the philosophical question of what lengths a person will go to in order to survive and how that can be reconciled with their character. As Bellamy said in season 1, "Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things." It's this exploration of a morally grey area that has caught the attention of critics and established The 100 as a sci-fi drama akin to Battlestar Galactica with an equally devout audience.
Next: The 100 - CW's Most Underrated Show
The 100: The Complete Second Season will be released October 13th 2015. The 100 season 3 will debut midseason in 2016.