The 100‘s seventh and final season has been different, to say the least. The 100 began as a rag-tag group of misfit teenagers who came together to survive a post-apocalyptic Earth. But, with a show taking place on different worlds with far-out technology, there may be many who don’t see the same show when tuning in to new episodes.
While some fans like the changes and fixation on secondary and tertiary characters in season seven, it may not always be easy to remember how The 100 got here in the first place, and why many fans fell in love with the show to begin with.
Every show has its ups and downs and, despite its recent narrative decisions and disconnection from its audience, it’s important to remember why a television show grips viewers in the first place. The 100 doesn’t have to be remembered just for its failed final season or mishaps when tackling its most popular ships and characters.
A show’s legacy can be a complicated and heated subject. While it’s easy to get swept up in the negativity of these changes and a loss of narrative heart, The 100 has lasted seven years, arguably due to the love and passion the fanbase, from every subsection, has given it.
To honor the dedication of the underappreciated fans who put in so much to this show, from fanfiction, analysis, art, charity, community, and more, let’s take the time, in one where these moments are easy to gloss over, to remember at least some of the moments that fueled this love in the first place, in no particular order.
Clarke Griffin’s Bisexuality is Revealed
While Eliza Taylor’s Clarke Griffin seemed to have chemistry with about everyone, from one Blake to the other, Clarke’s bisexuality wasn’t confirmed until season two when she shared an intimate moment with Lexa. No matter what fans may ship (and there are a lot of ships), this moment was impactful and profound, as Clarke became the first bisexual female lead on network television. Not only that, but her story isn’t completely contingent on her sexuality. Rather, it’s one of the many facets of the multi-layered character, providing a representation in a new form to fans everywhere.
Octavia Becomes Indra’s Second
Octavia never felt like she had a place she belonged until she began to find her place with the Grounders, particularly Indra. Over the course of the series, the two developed a deep bond. This all began with Octavia refusing to give up, fighting with one of Indra’s soldiers, foolishly getting up and up again only to get her ass kicked. Despite this, Indra saw Octavia’s determined spirit and agreed to take her on as her apprentice, giving Octavia the beginnings of what the isolated girl sought.
Bellamy Tries to Save Mark and Peter
While Bellamy’s plots often tend to revolve around the women in his life, the times that they don’t only further prove how strong of a character Bellamy is. Initially introduced as the bad boy of the series, Bellamy quickly shaped up to be perhaps the most caring and protective character, never thinking before sacrificing himself to protect and save others. Bellamy’s journey in the arc of “Gimme Shelter” is one of his most emotional moments, taping a radiation suit back together and venturing into acidic rain in order to save two people stranded. He isn’t successful, however, and has an intense conversation with Kane as he struggles to cope with being unable to save Mark, Peter, and Octavia. Bellamy’s heart is one of the stand-out aspects of The 100 and this scene proves the potential this character has when he isn’t used to prop up others.
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For all of its moral questions and heavy material, The 100 is strongest when it focuses on the bonds between the delinquents and the people who become their family. Sometimes this is weighted, from the altercations between the Blakes to the heated admission from Bellamy to Clarke in “Hakeldama.” But, sometimes, the moments of joy shine the brightest, and there’s no better example than when Raven, Monty, Bellamy, Raven, and Miller (with Octavia on horse in tow) take a moment and just sing.
Emori Lands the Rocket
Emori has come a long way since forcing herself to scavenge and steal for her and her brother’s survival. Her journey mainly starts with Murphy, but as she becomes a “grounder in space,” she finds acceptance and a family for the first time. It’s through those people that she allows herself to open up and grow, taking her skills from tech-scavenging to full-on piloting a rocket safely to the ground. This moment of shared celebration with Bellamy is heart-warming and deserved, and symbolic of the woman she has become, with a home and family to boast.
Bellamy and Murphy Save the Women They Love
A moment for Memori, Bellarke, and Murphamy fans alike, Murphy and Bellamy joining forces to rescue Emori and Clarke from the influences of ALIE is one for the books. The 100 loves parallels, and this is perhaps one of its most vocal ones, even if Murphy’s comparison doesn’t quite push Bellamy to assess potential and still unsaid feelings fully. Still, it’s a moment that pushes our characters forward, not only showing the bumpy journey Bellamy and Clarke traverse during season three, but it also shows Murphy’s personal journey as he expands the circle of people he fights for throughout the series.
Raven Restarts Her Heart
Raven is a powerhouse and an inspiration, not only as a woman of color, but also as someone who has a disability. Despite all the things thrown her way, Raven never backs down nor does she give up. Raven’s season four arc is a culmination of all of her best traits, and included a sequence in which an isolated Raven had to restart her heart in order to save herself. This scene was incredibly powerful and reminded the audience how strong and intelligent she was even without ALIE in her head. This moment reminds us why people fell in love with her in the first place. Even through this strength, Raven still expects to rely on herself, so it was a satisfying bonus to see her friends, and later spacekru family, show up for her in the following episode.
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Jasper Rescues Monty
Jasper and Monty was one of the most beloved friendships on The 100. A comical highlight of the first seasons, they brought joy and life to the show and truly showed the two sides to the coin once tragedy struck, showing how it could motivate someone to want to do better, but also cement grief and depression. Still, they were a dynamic duo, and the emotion both characters showed to each other was powerful, from this moment where Jasper saved Monty in Mount Weather, up until Jasper’s death in season four.
Lexa’s True Identity is Revealed
Lexa had a tumultuous relationship with the Grounder-dubbed Skaikru, but she definitely made moods. A character who quickly became a fan-favorite had an introduction that lived up to her hype and made a clear statement as she easily took Jaha down after posing as just a girl in the Grounder prison. This moment doesn’t just include an interesting introduction of the infamous commander but also introduces the idea that, while Lexa will always put her people first, if given the right circumstances she would still give people a chance, even if it’s just an opportunity for them to leave before her attack.
Praimfaya
“Praimfaya” was arguably not only The 100’s best finale, but also one of it’s strongest episodes. While there were many things to love about this episode — the new teamwork, Murphy’s growth, and Bellamy and Octavia’s goodbyes — this episode’s strongest moments center on the love and intense dynamic between Bellamy and Clarke. While not yet romantic on the show (it’s not over until it’s over), Bellarke’s relationship is one of the focal points and very much a part of the show’s emotional heartbeat. This episode’s strength comes from their silent awareness of each other and the tragedy of sacrifice despite the desperation both have to save one another. In the end, Clarke seemingly sacrifices herself for Bellamy, and he tries to live on honoring her memory, but the journey to these moments resonate, as they’ll always be a part of each other’s head and heart.
Octavia Hallucinates Pike
Octavia is a controversial character, with some fans loving her journey and others disliking the character after the events of season three. While she goes further down the hole, ending up as a dictator in season five, it’s in season six when she truly begins to seek redemption, not only through her journey on Penance and Bardo (which aren’t revealed until season seven), but through her experience with a hallucinogenic substance which prompts a vision of Pike. Pike is the perfect vessel for this moment, as her decision to kill him after he murdered Lincoln sent her down her spiral. He offers long-awaited advice and, although Pike wasn’t a favorite for many, this confrontation is what she needed to finally move forward and seek redemption. All fans can find something in this scene, even the ones who don’t enjoy Octavia’s story as much as others.
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I’m in Charge
Clarke Griffin is a protagonist like no other. She doesn’t only make waves as LGBT representation, but she’s a unique lead in other respects as well. She’s not a genius and she’s not a badass with a sword, but she’s a mix of so many other things. Clarke is caring, pragmatic, and confident, but also manipulative, sacrificing, and flawed. One of her stand-out moments is when she stands up to the adults of the show, cementing her in-narrative place as a leader. After all, the leaders of the gone-Ark didn’t quite get it right, and they weren’t the ones subjected to the harsh realities of the ground.
Luna Calms Raven
Sometimes chemistry appears unexpectedly and out of the blue. While Luna was introduced in the third season, she interacted with a wider variety of the cast in season four, with the most significant character being Raven. Raven had an intense journey, the pressure building on her to help find a solution to save as many people as possible. Along with the ALIE residue still inside her, the stress boiled over, leaving an emotional and touching scene where Luna helped share her peace, soothing Raven until she could focus on the task at hand. Since this chemistry wasn’t explicitly written, the potential the two could have had in a deepened relationship still weighs heavily on our hearts.
Clarke Vouches for Bellamy
Clarke and Bellamy went a long way between the pilot and the finale in the first season. “Day Trip” is one of their best episodes, showing Bellarke saving each other, in more ways than one. This culminates in a moment where the two who seemed unable to stand each other become allies and friends. Clarke vouching for Bellamy to Jaha solidifies this growth and cements their place as co-leaders, partners, best friends, and more, which continues to be one of the primary drive force and core relationship of The 100.
Murphy Takes the Radiation Medicine
Almost all of the delinquents had a troubled past and Murphy is no exception. After falling ill, his father stole medication to save him, which resulted in his father’s death and a devolving relationship between Murphy and his mother. While Murphy began as a selfish character, he grows over the series and goes so far as to steal medication (a situation similar to his own), to help save Luna’s people who were suffering radiation poisoning. This moment is a stand-out moment for Murphy as he attempts to help people he has no emotional stake in, showing his heroic potential.
Gratitude Problems
Clarke and Roan was always an interesting dynamic. Add in a Bellamy who had just recently made-up with Clarke and, somehow, that dynamic turns comical. For characters with such heavy tasks, it’s a breath of fresh air to see Roan snatch and fling Clarke’s gun away and then subsequently for Bellamy to appear and shoot him in the arm. Just to make sure. Thankfully, this was not the last of the trio as they also went on a trip in season four. Roan was a treasure, gone all too soon.
I Would, If I Had Any
Emori exists for people who have ever been ostracized or cast out for who they are. Born with a mutation, she was kicked out of her clan and driven to do harsh things in order to survive. This doesn’t decrease her self-love. While she struggles with the fear of never finding a home, or becoming too comfortable in one, she never tries to temper who she is and serves as an inspirational moment in which she doesn’t view her mutation as something to fix or change, a sentiment powerful for people with disabilities everywhere.
Gabriel Sacrifices Josephine for Bellamy and Clarke
The 100’s season six seemed to climax too early with the infamous CPR scene in its tenth episode. With a season that seemingly focuses on how Bellamy would go to the ends of the Earth (or Sanctum) to not lose Clarke again, he was able to save her thanks to newcomer and fan-favorite Gabriel. Gabriel has an epic love story of his own, complete with murder, passion, and defying odds, not unlike other stories on The 100. While Bellamy and Clarke previously were paralleled to other romantic couples, it was never quite like this. In a glaring comparison, Gabriel decides to let Josephine go, ending her life to save Clarke’s. This is juxtaposed as giving up his love story to give Bellamy and Clarke a chance to have theirs. Fingers crossed!
Clarke Realizes the Truth
Wells may have only been on The 100 for a few episodes, but he had an impact. As Clarke’s childhood best friend, the two were at odds at the beginning of the series due to Clarke’s perceived blame directed at him as a result of her father’s death. However, Wells was not guilty, but let Clarke believe he was for her sake. The emotional moment where Clarke addresses this proves how invaluable of a friend he was to her and how much of a good guy he was. This beautiful scene, unfortunately, makes the loss of him shortly after much worse, driving Clarke’s emotions and head space throughout the subsequent episodes. Another one gone too soon.
Bellamy Supports Octavia
The Blake siblings perhaps have the most rocky relationship on The 100. But with that also comes an intense sibling bond, unique as they are the only siblings on the show. Additionally, Octavia struggles heavily with belonging, having spent her entire childhood in hiding as her existence in and of itself was a crime. She still struggles with this on the ground and, even though Bellamy had a tendency to be overbearing from Octavia’s point of view, he came to support her and accept that she had to leave, even if that was difficult for him as a pseudo-father figure. Still, he expressed that when she was ready to come back, she would always have a home in him.
Clarke Mercy-Kills Finn
Clarke saving Finn of the pain he would endure at the hands of the Grounders was a pivotal moment for The 100. Not only was it heart-breaking and proof that Clarke was willing to go to extreme lengths. Clarke’s actions proved that not only was she was a cutthroat leader, but still a teenage girl with an immense capacity for love. Finn’s death marked a change for the show, showing how dark it could go, causing many viewers to have an “Oh, shit,” moment. This was the moment that The 100 became more than just a teen show on The CW, and raised the bar with regards to the potential that The 100 could reach, even if doesn’t always, causing the need for this very list.
What are your favorite moments from The 100? Let us know in the comments below!
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