In a reenergized final season, The CW's blockbuster sci-fi series wastes no time getting down to business.
It's hard to imagine it all started with a group of attractive teens and twentysomethings crash-landing on Earth to Imagine Dragons' sweet sounds. The CW's high-concept sci-fi survival series The 100 has defied expectations at every turn, ditching pop songs in favor of epic scores (though the teens and twentysomethings remained hot, as is the CW way), sending its characters through multiple apocalypses, and fearlessly tearing through the ensemble cast with a knack for heart-wrenching deaths and character betrayals to rival Game of Thrones. With one last season to wrap things up and bring the series to a fitting if a little cutesy 100 episodes. The 100 goes all-in on the sci-fi trappings for one last frenetic, break-neck paced adventure.
If you need a refresher, Season 7 picks up after one of the most dramatic cliffhangers yet. That is, what exactly happened to Octavia and Bellamy, what exactly is the anomaly, and what exactly is Clarke going to do about the disaster on Sanctum? Oh, exactly where did that pesky warlord Sheiheda upload to once the Flame died? Some of these issues are answered explicitly in the first four episodes of Season 7, while others are hinted at, and some are plainly the riddles around which the season will be built. But it's abundantly clear that, in the tradition of The 100, none of the answers are simple.
The sixth season also represented a significant shift in the arcs of our main characters. Sure, The 100 has had its fair share of heartbreaking character deaths in the past, but by ultimately killing off Kane and Abby for real, the show ignited a thematic evolution that has been building for seasons. Because no matter how many hard choices Clarke had to make in past seasons, no matter how many triggers or levers she pulled or pushed, she always had her mother to fall back on. Her mother, an ethically ambiguous and very determined woman in her own way, was a key builder of the damaged society in which Clarke and the other 100 were nurtured. Those architects, however, are no longer alive. Kane, Abbey, and Jaha; the show's "parents" have long since passed away, leaving our heroes to step up and, ultimately, truly become the architects of their own new civilization. Can they actually do better?
Season 7 gets off to a shaky start with a dialogue-heavy setup episode that's clearly focused on set-up but frustratingly inactive until the very end. Fortunately, The 100 Season 7 continues at a breakneck pace, combining world-building with thrilling action, a solid embrace of all the wonderful possibilities sci-fi narrative has to offer, and another set of impossible odds for Clarke and company to overcome. The characters are attempting to build a house of cards with a deck that has already been lit on fire, and the writers continuously sprinkle gasoline on flare-ups that put the heroes to the test in the search of excellent drama.
This includes some interesting new obstacles for all of the favorites, and Season 7 is quicker than any season in recent memory to achieve a balance in the story for most of the key characters. Eliza Taylor's as Clarke has been the series' anchor for the whole run, and as the character deals with her mother's loss, Taylor gets to show off her versatility early and frequently. A particular mention should also be made to the costume department, which has continually updated the character's iconic looks to complement both her character journey and the different sci-fi subgenres introduced in each season.
What I can say about Season 7, in general, is that, more than ever, it's not only Clarke who has to make terrible decisions. Every character is compelled to pull their own personal lever, putting them in a position where they must make a split-second survival decision that puts their beliefs to the test. Some of their decisions may astound you.
At the same time, The 100's ambition in genre storytelling continues to amaze and excite. As usual, it swings for the fences, plunging into a new sci-fi subgenre that reframes the show's mythos. If there's one legacy The 100 will leave behind, regardless of how the final season turns out, it's as a production that embraced the genre designation rather than avoiding it. And, in the process, discovered a method to perpetually remake itself through courageous pivots and large, bold swings.
I was sad to discover that The 100 would be ending so soon after the Season 5 finale altered the game, and Season 6 never quite lived up to the promise of the voyage to a new planet. The Primes turned out to be yet another adversary with whom our heroes could not reach an agreement – much like the Grounders and Mountain Men before them – and it all came down to destroy or be destroyed. The 100 is constantly creating interesting new environments, yet the characters keep making the same stupid decisions.
I'll admit, I want a happy ending, and with all the sadness and grief these people have had to cope with over the years, I wasn't sure where this series was heading. So it made me pleased. Do I suppose Wonkru, Eligius prisoners, and the Disciples would all abandon battle so quickly? No, most likely not. Do I believe Bellamy had to die for this? Also no.
Overall, I don't think it's weird that this very sci-fi show suddenly became supernatural/spiritual towards the end. There were definitely difficult periods in this season, as there were in the series overall. But, honestly, I'm simply relieved that Clarke, Raven, and Octavia can finally be happy. And I'm grateful for all of the seasons we've had with them.
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