Bully the Bully Back

Bullies seemed to be a theme in this week’s Revolution episode 103 entitled “No Quarter”. Every story line we visited involved some story alluding to these playground brutes and how to properly deal with them.

1000 Miles with Miles

In flashbacks back to those weeks and months after the blackout, we see Miles and Bass trekking back to find Miles’ family in Chicago. After witnessing brutality and killing by numerous “bullies” on the road, Miles is frustrated by the state of the world. He is surprised at how quickly things have fallen apart, and that the strong are preying on the weak because there is no one there to protect them any more. Miles makes the decision that due to no police and no jails, the only thing to do is to kill them. This is reminiscent of the lesson he tried to teach Charlie last week about not leaving prisoners alive. I’m sure Miles truly believes that he is saving more lives in the end by killing the bad guys.

 

The military term “No Quarter” means taking no prisoners, even upon their surrender. In modern times, the practice of No Quarter is expressly forbidden and is punishable as a war crime.  However, Miles seems to think that desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

We are obviously seeing the origins of the militia here, as we learn later in this episode that Miles was actually the commanding general of the militia and a founding father of the Republic. However, there is a lot of missing story in between. If the militia’s beginnings were noble, a way to protect the weak and helpless against the strong and vicious, then how did it become the seemingly tyrannical dictatorship that it is now? At what point did Miles leave the militia and Bass, and why?

Danny and the Mean Militia Man

Danny is bullied by Private Richards, the best friend of Templeton, who was killed by Danny during that fateful fight where Danny’s father died. As the theme of the evening suggests, Danny stands up to the bully and uses his wits to outsmart the bully and bully him right back. Creepy Capt. Neville stands back and watches it happen. I think he likes what he sees in Danny, and I smell a new militia recruit in the making.

I Heard it Through the Grapevine…

The grapevine is buzzing with this crucial piece of information: bullies are bad! In addition to our vignettes with young Miles and young Danny, we also hear Charlie, Aaron, and Nora all tell their own bully stories. I will summarize: bullies hurt people and they must be stopped.

 

Meanwhile, to get out of the seemingly hopeless situation the rebels have found themselves in, they  rely on the one-two punch which seems to be the solution to all bullies — the winning combination of bravery plus smarts. Miles fearlessly gives himself up to Jeremy to save the rebels and Charlie. Fear not, as Charlie and Nora use some ingenious trap-setting to once again free Miles and get away without immediate pursuit by the militia.

Bullets are (Not) Forever

This is one way that bullets aren’t like diamonds, they are not forever since each one can only be used once. It’s amazing how much ammo is exchanged in this show considering they are volleying precious gemstones around the place. But the whole speech that Jeremy gives about the scarcity of bullets got me thinking about this post-blackout world and really how difficult the concept of a limited supply of “durable goods” means.

Sure, we all know that it won’t take long to go through all the canned food and other non-durables. You would have to start growing your own food, go back to a more agrarian or trade-based society. But what about those items that would seemingly last a long time, but maybe not forever? There are plenty of scavenged items that would still be necessary but aren’t that easy to just make more of – hammers, shovels, pots and pans. These things last, but will eventually break or wear out over time. Last time I checked, blacksmithing wasn’t exactly a common occupation or even hobby.

Post -blackout, the ramifications of such a drastic and dramatic plunge back into (at least) the mid 19th century would not be all “Little House on the Prairie”. Societies prior to the modern technological age were familiar and comfortable with the world they were living in. They had the skills, the knowledge, and the tools they needed to survive, and these were handed down from generation to generation. We, on the other hand, would have to reinvent “everyday living” and there would be an extremely steep learning curve.

Plea of the Week

Three episodes in and I am still loving the show. I’m finding it a good blend of mystery, drama, characters, and action. Speaking of characters, I have to say that I am surprised by a lot of people’s negative reactions to Charlie. Looking back at this episode, I felt she made all the right decisions. She stood up to Miles at the rebel base and took charge, deciding to stay a bit longer so Nora could continue on with them. When Miles past was revealed, she asked questions and dug for information instead of jumping to all sorts of conclusions. She bravely fought against the militia attack on the base instead of being a sitting duck like Miles suggested. Plus, she’s got wicked aim. My plea of the week is to give Charlie some credit!!