It’s been 11 months since the season 4 finale of The 100, which concluded with a six-year time jump. Clarke was alive and well, which means Abby’s experimentation with Luna’s blood yielded the results she had hoped for — immunity to the toxic aftermath of Praimfaya. And even though Octavia and the rest of Wonkru remained trapped in the bunker under rubble, and Clarke’s attempts to contact Bellamy were met with radio silence, Clarke wasn’t alone. She had a young Nightblood companion and was about to encounter the crew of the Eligius.
So, what exactly happened to Clarke after her friends left her? Why haven’t Bellamy and company returned? What’s going on inside of the bunker, and who are these new interlopers? We’ve got a few hints about what to expect when The 100 returns.
Warning: This article contains spoilers about season 5 of The 100.
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Clarke’s Vision Quest
In the season 5 premiere, titled “Eden,” Clarke emerges from the lab and finds the bleak landscape you’d expect following a nuclear holocaust. And while Clarke’s body is able to endure the harsh environment, she still requires the essentials like food and water to live. Her first order of business is to find her way to Polis (or what is left of it) and reunite with her mother and the other survivors. But we already know Clarke’s Plan A falls apart when she discovers the only way in or out of the bunker is blocked.
Clarke’s resourceful, and she catches some breaks early on, but being the last woman standing on an otherwise desolate planet takes its toll. Her salvation lies in a valley that inexplicably escaped the Death Wave. The 100 has a habit of playing fast and loose with science, but it seems we’re supposed to just accept the fact that nature always finds a way. This is where Clarke encounters Madi (Lola Flanery), a fellow Nightblood and survivor. This mother-daughter bond shifts Clarke’s priorities. Her maternal instinct will be in overdrive, and she’s not taking any chances with Madi when it comes to the new arrivals.
The ‘Red Queen’
Life in the bunker promised to be strained under the best of circumstances — formerly warring tribes crammed together for five years. It only takes the slightest match to erupt this powder keg, and it’s up to Octavia to find a way to keep Wonkru from imploding. Octavia instills loyalty to the “unified” clan at a steep cost. Between Octavia, Clarke and Bellamy, Octavia arguably had the most Herculean task in terms of surviving those six years.
Lost in Space
In the premiere, Bellamy, Raven, Murphy, Harper, Monty, Echo and Emori are still on the Ark and cut off from Earth. It’s impossible to go into too many specifics without totally revealing plotlines, but it’s safe to say that in six years, some relationships within the group have … evolved (one breakup, one hookup.) Raven hasn’t been able to find a way to get them back home, and this has caused some tension between her and at least one other member of the seven. They finally catch a break, but the solution to their problem comes with a whole lot of unforeseen complications.
Strangers in a Strange Land
Like everything else in this post-apocalyptic world, the Eligius has a connection to Becca. The seeds for the storyline were planted early in season 4. Eligius is just one piece of a much larger puzzle, which should keep the action going in the sky as well as on the scorched ground below.
The crew and travelers on board the Eligius are prisoners who were considered expendable and therefore recruited as manual labor for the dangerous task of mining. They’re led by Charmaine Diyoza (Ivana Milicevic), a woman who has experience dealing with unwanted visitors. The ship’s crew is a bit out of sorts since they’ve been in cryogenic sleep for the past 100 years, which means they napped through the end of the world — twice. Similar to the juvenile offenders of the Ark in season 1, these people are refugees/prisoners eager to return to Earth, but who have no idea what awaits them.
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Like Clarke and Bellamy and Octavia, Diyoza is all about protecting her people, no matter how unsavory a lot they may be. Diyoza calls the shots, but there is dissension in the ranks, particularly between Diyoza and a young, empathetic pilot named Zeke Shaw (Jordan Bolger) who is the good cop to Diyoza’s bad cop, and Robert McCreary (William Miller), who is everything you’d expect a dangerous, violent criminal to be.
How will the relationships forged since Praimfaya affect the existing bonds of family and friendship? Six years is a lot of time for self-reflection, and not all of the characters emerge better for it on the other side. Everyone has matured — whether or not they’ve grown is TBD.
As usual, the often conflicting goals of surviving while maintaining one’s humanity will be an inescapable conundrum for our favorite characters. As badly as some of them want to play nice, conflict is inevitable. With only a small parcel of land available on the entire planet to sustain everyone, a peaceful resolution isn’t immediately forthcoming. The crew and passengers from the spaceship may have the weapons, but they’re at a disadvantage when it comes to navigating this new world. With mankind on the brink of extinction, it’s in everyone’s best interest to work together.
More 100 Dirt:
Raven possibly develops feelings for someone on the Eligius.
After six years of living peacefully, Madi’s world is getting turned upside down, and she’s no stranger to the history of the original 100, which she learned about from Clarke. Madi sees Clarke’s friends as heroes, which likely means Clarke has shielded Madi from some of their nastier exploits.
At the show’s San Diego Comic-Con 2017 panel, showrunner Jason Rothenberg confirmed there will be flashbacks to help fill in the blanks of what went down during those six years, These will give viewers more insight into the characters’ current mental and emotional states. But the themes of the season are “regeneration” and “rebirth,” according to Rothenberg, so storylines should focus more on moving the characters forward than revisiting their pasts.
Even though Isaiah Washington is no longer a series regular, Jaha’s a big part of episode 2, titled “Red Queen.”
Which couples are still together and who may have split up? How will Clarke’s new role as an adopted mother to Madi affect her relationship with Abby? How do you think Bellamy will react to an even darker Octavia? What are you most looking forward to in season 5? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Season 5 of The 100 premieres Tuesday, April 24 at 9/8c on The CW. Want more news? Visit BuddyTV’s The 100 page on Facebook.
(Image and video courtesy of The CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
