The main characters of THE 100 were separated in a major way at the end of season 4, with Octavia and Abby joining a large group of grounders in a bunker underground; Bellamy, Raven, Monty and Murphy heading up to the ark with some grounders; and Clarke remaining back on the ground, prepared to sacrifice herself so that her friends could get to space. But Clarke didn’t die and now she has a young girl, Maddie, that she is looking after. She’s also been out of communication with her mother and friends for over six years and, as we saw, there is a group of mysterious new people hovering in ships in the sky, coming down to the ground.
The cast, including Eliza Taylor (Clarke), Bob Morley (Bellamy), Marie Avgeropoulos (Octavia), Lindsey Morgan (Raven), Richard Harmon (Murphy), Chris Larkin (Monty), and executive producer Jason Rothenberg came to San Diego Comic Con to talk about season 5. In addition, we got a few extra tidbits from THE 100 press room, so read on for more about the upcoming season.
Reinventing the Show. We pick up six years and 7 days down the line when THE 100 returns for the fifth season. One of the coolest things about a time jump is that the writers can show this new chapter of the character’s lives and how they have changed, Rothenberg said. Major changes make sense given what everyone has been through but we will see that the characters are still the people we know and love, even if they’ve grown in some cases or devolved in others.
The New Guys. The arrival of the prisoners on those mysterious ships is the primary story for the season. They are definitely from Earth and in a time before the first apocalypse — which means they had been in cryo-sleep for 100 years. Now the planet has been destroyed twice and there is just a “Garden of Eden” that Clarke has been living in and there won’t be enough room for everyone, Rothenberg teased. The new group will also be led by a strong female character that we will meet.
Reunited, But Butting Heads. All three “crews” are very different when they return. One thing that will be fun and interesting is that the main group of characters used to work together well overall. But now they’re going to bump heads with each other even more thanks to their leadership styles. For example, Octavia has what Rothenberg says is “one of the coolest stories we’re going to tell”. She is “full-on” he hinted without saying more. Bellamy has become a leader on the ark in his own right. He has fulfilled Clarke’s request for him in the finale when she asked him to lead with his head and heart. He’ll be a more heroic and “holistic” Bellamy. Clarke, meanwhile, is going to remain a badass who is in charge, but now she has the dynamic of looking after a child. Her relationship with Maddie is very much a “mother-daughter” relationship and her priorities have changed. Her “crew” is now that child and what’s good for Maddie might not necessarily be good for someone else. It sounds like that’s going to cause a lot of conflict.
Mother Clarke. A lot has changed for Clarke in the six years that have passed, according to Taylor. Despite having gone through a lot while originally on the ark, she went from a kid dropped on Earth in the series premiere of THE 100 to becoming more mature as the years have passed. She’s now a 24 year old woman on the show and Taylor is looking forward to playing a more “maternal and simplified” character. Clarke’s only real responsibility is now to this young girl, Maddie. And while Clarke will still always be in survival mode, there is more care and softness she’ll be displaying towards Maddie.
From Sky Person to Grounder. Things have flipped for Clarke with the arrival of these new people from the sky. In essence, Clarke is “the grounder now”, according to Taylor. When the 100 kids first arrived from the sky the grounders originally reacted out of fear and tried to defend themselves. Now Clarke is reacting much in the same way, which may lead her to “react violently” out of sheer fear from the newcomers. Rothenberg said that Bellamy will help Clarke see that they have to do things differently now from when they were coming down from the sky because all Clarke wants to do is protect her home.
Did Murphy Grow? Life on the ark has been more about the day-to-day living for the characters as opposed to a never-ending fight for their lives. That’s not necessarily Murphy’s style, unfortunately, which means we might see more of a “regression” for him, according to Harmon. But expect to see/learn more about what happened on the ship. Harmon teased that in the premiere there’s a lot of experiences that are alluded to even if the writers don’t outwardly reveal everything that happened. It’s likely going to take a while for us to fully learn what happened to everyone, but it sounds like it’s coming — whether through flashbacks or through the characters themselves discussing it. Rothenberg also hinted at flashbacks, saying “we will come to understand how all of them became the characters we will see in the premiere”.
Raven’s Guilt. We’re going to see that Raven has struggled a lot with guilt in the six years that have passed. She and her friends managed to make it to the ark solely because Clarke sacrificed herself (at least that’s what her friends believe). And everyone came back to save Raven, which eventually led to Clarke’s death. Raven has spent many years trying to repay Clarke for the sacrifice she believes she made for her.
New Dynamics in the Ark. Morgan is most excited for Raven to develop relationships with both Echo and Emori. After all, Raven never really had much interaction with grounders because she was always preoccupied with “space stuff”. But allowing Raven to develop a friendship with two women from a very different world than she came from will be interesting.
Sheriff Octavia. In season 5 you’ll see what Octavia’s plan is to keep the peace and how she reprimands others “in her special way” for people who try to step out of line.
Echo’s New Role. The actress who plays Echo (Tasya Teles) will be a series regular in season 5), which means we’ll see a lot more of the character.
Other Tidbits. We’re going to see an interesting new dynamic develop between Murphy and Raven, according to Rothenberg. Rothenberg also wouldn’t hint at the state of relationships for the people who made it to the ark. He just said that some people “break up” but can also “get back together”.
THE 100 will return midseason on The CW.
