For five years, The 100 has shown us fascinating characters, gripping story-lines, and some of the most intriguing relationships on television.
It is hard to imagine that the same characters we saw crash on earth years ago are the same ones we see today. With new and old relationships being formed over the past five seasons, The 100 has thrived on its ability to flesh out some of the most interesting dynamics.
No one knows the impact of time more than Bellamy and Clarke. From what started off as hate has turned into a dependence. Instead of making the viewers watch a played-out power struggle for years, we have been able to witness the two leads lean into each other rather than out.
It’s when a relationship finally seems to be coming to a big milestone in which it is thrown in a blender. With heartfelt moment after heartfelt moment in the season 4 finale, it looked like Bellarke fans were finally getting what they wished for. But in perfect The 100 fashion, the world was ending and Bellamy and Clarke were given yet another hurdle.
A six-year long hurdle to be exact.
With new relationships coming out of the time jump, the once co-leaders were faced with a whole new perspective. For the first time in a while, there were more important relationships out there than between the two of them.
Clarke, for all intents and purposes, became a mother to a young Nightblood, Madi. Apart from her love for Lexa, Clarke has never cherished anyone more than her adopted daughter.
For someone who has such a tumultuous relationship with her own mother, seeing the choices Clarke has made as a mother herself was beyond interesting. The lengths she went to prevent Madi from ascending as the new commander was questionable, at best. But it wouldn’t be the show it is without Clarke making a few hasty and rash decisions here and there.
We have seen time and time again how far Clarke will go to protect the ones she holds dear. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think we would see Mama Bear Clarke and honestly, the surprise revelation has been so much fun to watch.
While Clarke had her hands full raising a child in Eden during the six years, Bellamy was finding solace in Spacekru. More specifically, Bellamy was finding comfort in his new girlfriend, Echo.
We all can have our own opinions about whether Echo has been redeemed enough to be with Bellamy, I know I do, but regardless, the relationship has kicked its way through season five and is still alive. While I wasn’t completely shocked that those two would get together while stuck in space (I was personally rooting for Raven and Bellamy), no one was more shocked about his newfound romance than Octavia.
Octavia or Blodreina, whichever you prefer, had the biggest transformation going into season five as the newly crowned commander of Wonkru. We see bits and pieces of what made Octavia go from being the girl under the floor to the ruthless leader who would let her brother die in the pit if need be. Whether Octavia’s actions are defendable is up to you, but there is no argument that the decision to let Bellamy uprooted the Blake siblings’ relationship forever.
“My sister, my responsibility” once held so much meaning. Now, it seems like Bellamy’s responsibility lies with his new Spacekru family rather than his old, blood family. In Bellamy’s defense, Octavia sort of went off the deep end in season five (understandably so, I mean The Dark Years would mess anyone up).
What baffles me is that Octavia can forgive Bellamy for practically being the reason behind Lincoln’s death, yet Bellamy can’t seem to get over her past wrongs? He will forgive Clarke, even after she chose to let a bomb drop in Tondc knowing full well that Octavia was there, but he can’t forgive his own sister?
But it’s these complex relationships that make The 100 so compelling to watch. Not only do you see the characters you love wrestle with what is right and wrong, but you start to too. It’s not always black and white, even more so in this post-apocalyptic universe.
The last five season has put our favorite characters through the ringer. I can’t even begin to imagine to what season six will have instore.
We still have a little over a month until the next season premieres, but luckily, we have some tidbits of information thanks to a few of the series stars. At a recent con, Bob Morley and Eliza Taylor teased how the new planet introduced at the end of season five will shake things up for Bellarke.
Speaking to IBT, Bob Morley shared that the two characters still won’t be 100% on the same page. While they will still depend on each other as they’ve done in the past, there will be both good and bad moments between the two.
During one of her panels, Eliza Taylor used the word “strong” to describe their relationship in the upcoming season. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it sounds more encouraging than not.
As for the other dynamics in the show, one unexpected relationship is apparently going to spice up in season six. Richard Harmon, who plays John Murphy, noted that Clarke and Murphy are going to be “very important” in the new season. Whenever Clarke and Murphy share the screen, it is never a disappointment so for their dynamic to have even more significance is exciting.
At the end of season five, a tittle card read “End Book One”. Book two is going to be a whole new world – literally. I have a feeling that the characters we grew to know and love along with the relationships that came with them are going to be completely different in season six.
I don’t know about you, but season six can’t come soon enough. Are you looking forward to season six? Let us know in the comments below!
The 100 season six premieres April 30, 2019.