After seeing The 100 Season 1 Episode 1, I'm not sure whether it's better up on the Ark or on Earth.

Resources are scarce and tensions are high in both locations with death is just one bad move away. At least on the Ark, the rules are known, which increases one's odds of survival.

Well, except for the whole population control killings that likely are imminent.

The Ark is a scary place with strict rules and little to no room for individual choice. One wrong move or decision that goes against the leadership and it's death. They are compassionate enough to not kill kids, but what kind of life can they have if they are simply locked up until they're 18 and then sent out the airlock? That seems like an even worse punishment for the kids and their families.

With the Ark dying, 100 locked up kids get a reprieve by being sent to Earth to find out if it's inhabitable. The decision to send 100 problem makers and rebels to Earth was a questionable one. Didn't the leaders ever read Lord of the Flies? Or, perhaps they expected turmoil and didn't care.

The 100 were sent to be guinea pigs. All the leaders need to know is if Earth is inhabitable. If the kids die, so be it. They were on borrowed time anyway. What the leaders didn't plan for was the communication system to fail. They are left with the bracelets and vital signs as the only proof that Earth is or isn't a survival plan.

As the 100 landed on Earth, the natural leaders stepped up, but with very different plans. Clarke has more knowledge about what's going on because of her parents' work. She was locked up because she wanted to make the resource problem on the Ark public along with her father. He was killed and she was put into isolation to keep the secret.

The Chancellor's son, Wells, got punished on purpose to get sent down to be there for Clarke. He was responsible for turning her father in and for getting her locked up. He's immediately a target because of his father. He stands his ground, but doesn't have any allies with Clarke out looking for food.

Bellamy snuck onto the transport to be with his sister, Octavia. He has his own agenda and gathered supporters. He's a rebel and will do anything he can to make sure the people on the Ark don't come to Earth. He doesn't trust the Ark leaders, so he encouraged eveyone to remove their bracelets so the scientists on the Ark think Earth is killing them. 

While Bellamy's support for freedom makes sense given that the 100 had all been locked up for years, it's not the way to survive. If the rain hadn't started to come down, they could well have died of dehydration. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how quickly his anarchist philosophy shifts to a more fascist one. The attack on Wells was just the beginning of Bellamy taking control and having his followers obeying him.

Clarke's smart and her ability to map is a crucial one. Even though she's nicknamed "Princess," those on the quest to find Mount Weather came to respect her. She's determined and wants to survive. As uptight as Clarke presents herself, Finn is the opposite. Their interaction brought a lightness to the serious tone. Is romance in the fresh Earth air?

And, Octavia's just fun. Though, her decision-making abilities became suspect when she jumped into the water.  With the radiation contamination, I feared it would hurt her. It wasn't the water necessarily that was a threat, instead it was a huge ass water snake creature that attacked her. That was scary!

Jasper stepped up and saved her. Despite their lives being at risk, that moment cut the tension. They all started having a bit more fun. When it came to crossing the river, they decide the repel across it. Jasper went first and made it. They were euphoric and made it to Mount Weather.

Just as the fun in the water was short lived, this enthusiasm was abruptly ended when Jasper was hit by a spear to the chest. Did you gasp? I did! They aren't alone. And, it doesn't look like the bipedal creature was a monkey. Did humans make it through the nuclear radiation? Has another creature evolved? 

They are not alone! 

The politics on the Ark are intense and that has carried down to Earth. If Clarke and that group don't get supplies back to the ship soon, turmoil will ensue and some of the deaths indicated from the bracelets will be real. Bellamy already shot the Chancellor, what would keep him from silencing anyone who questions his authority? He's the man with the gun.

On the Ark, the Chancellor woke up just in time to save Abby from the airlock. The battle between the top leaders on the Ark will be just as intriguing to watch as what's happening on Earth. I just hope Abby realizes or at least considers that the 100 are removing their bracelets. She's not stupid and sudden death without any change in vital signs is suspect.

After one episode, I'm sold. The tension felt authentic both in space on and on ground. There are two worlds unlike our own to explore and to be revealed. With only 13 episodes, the story should unfold at a fairly quick pace which will keep us on the edge of our seats each week.

It's a dangerous world. Survival is not a forgone conclusion, but death is....

Who would you befriend on Earth first?

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.