What started off as an unheard of dystopian teenage drama has slowly grown and morphed into an addicting, stunning, and gritty post-apocalyptic epic. If you aren’t watching The 100, I highly suggest you start watching it and start from the very beginning.
Now going into its fourth season, The 100 has come a long way and has mystery and intrigue, complex characters, and dark and realistic storylines. There may have been some rough patches throughout the last season, but the show produced a beautiful finale that more than made up for some of their stumbles.
The 100 returned again to San Diego Comic Con this year and we had the opportunity to sit down with actors Eliza Taylor, Lindsey Morgan, Marie Avgeropoulos, Henry Ian Cusick, Richard Harmon, Christopher Larkin, and executive producer Jason Rothenberg to talk about what’s in story for our delinquents and adults in season four.
Executive producer Jason Rothenberg undoubtedly receives the brunt of the criticism when it comes to the show, but he seems to take it in stride and I loved that he acknowledged that he can’t change the past but can only figure out what worked and didn’t and do better moving forward.
Jason agrees that the past season may have been too dark and could have had more humor in it. For Jason, “character development doesn’t’ always have to be in the positive directions,” which is something I find refreshing in the television world today.
As for the theme in season four, Jason shares that in season four “the world strikes back. The environment starts to break down, animals start behaving in strange and terrifying ways… and it won’t be about stopping it… it’ll be about who survives.”
Jason assured us that there will be new Grounders appearing this season, many of which will play a role in the Grounder-Arker political world. One of the best aspects of The 100 is the incredible and diverse cast and character development that the writers have made integral to the plot and it sounds like Jason realizes this and continues to add more. I’m beyond ecstatic that Zach McGowan was recently upped to a series regular and will be returning as King Roan of the Ice Nation.
Clarke has suffered a lot over the first three seasons and has taken on many burdens. Back for her third appearance on San Diego Comic Con, Eliza Taylor talked a lot about Clarke’s journey and reuniting with Lexa at the end of the season.
Taylor joked that while she is proud of Clarke, she wants her to give herself a break. For season four, Taylor hopes to see Clarke share the responsibility and not take everything on herself as she has done in previous seasons. I couldn’t have said it better myself and hope to see the writers expand on this potential.
When asked about her favorite scene this past season, Taylor settled on her season finale scenes with her close friend Alycia Debnam-Carter, who plays Clarke’s lover Lexa, whom Taylor got along with very well. She was quick to add that the finale was also her favorite episode of the season.
Lindsey Morgan had an absolutely contagious upbeat energy to share as she spoke about her amazement at how far the show has come since day one and the evolution of her character, Raven. Raven is a beautifully flawed and broken character that has had quite the plight during the past two seasons and Morgan thanks the writers for allowing her to flesh our Raven and share the complex character that she is.
When asked about where she wants to see Raven go from here, Morgan thinks that Raven is mentally stronger than she’s ever been considering what she has gone through and survived.
Last season The 100 lost one of its key romantic relationships when Lincoln sacrificed himself to save the love of his life, Octavia and his people. A recurring theme over the past few seasons has seen Octavia trying to discover where she truly belongs and fits in.
Actress Marie Avgeropoulos shared her thoughts on Octavia’s journey and the dramatic slaying of Pike in the finale. Marie claims that we will see Octavia take a really dark turn next season and reportedly becomes an assassin after believing that killing Pike would put a Band-Aid on that hole in her heart. How am I not surprised that this didn’t help.
Many fans were surprised but satisfied to see characters Monty Green and Harper McIntyre get together towards the end of last season. Christopher Larkin, who plays Monty, shares that he was surprised as well, but believes their history and survival together in Mount Weather played a key role in that development.
Larkin was quick to add that he knew next to nothing about what is coming in season 4, but talked about the recurring themes seen in season 3 and what he hopes to see come.
A newcomer to San Diego Comic Con, Richard Harmon, who plays on and off again hero Murphy, was chivalrous and charming to speak with. Murphy’s development has been fantastic to watch and Harmon joked that Murphy is “still an asshole and not a good person, but he does have a good moral compass.” Harmon hopes to see Murphy “continue to follow his own path and do what he thinks is right.”
Richard Harmon was quickly joined by Henry Ian Cusick, who plays Kane, an adult and leader from the Ark. Cusick and Harmon have shared very few scenes together in the past but Cusick confirms that the two will share some screen time in season four. I’m eager to see the dynamic between the righteous leader Kane and morally ambiguous delinquent Murphy.
Cusick talks about Kane’s relationship with Abby, the one adult relationship in the show, and how Kane’s evolution after arriving on Earth has allowed the relationship to come about.
Season 4 of The 100 premieres this winter and will consist of 13 episodes.
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