The 100: Season 7 Wrap-Up

I have returned! I meant to have this posted a month or so ago but I lost all motivation to do anything other than the bare minimum. Things have improved a bit so I was finally able to finish. Let’s jump in!

The Good

Leaning into the ensemble. I think of The 100 as an ensemble show despite Clarke and Bellamy being the “central” characters. Seeing less of those two didn’t bother me so much because we got to see more of the other characters. I’d argue that Murphy and Octavia had the best character arcs of the entire series. Both characters learned from their past mistakes and “did better”. I loved that they took the opportunity to develop Emori. I’ve always liked Emori but this season, she came into her own. She had her own arc in trying to heal the abandonment wound in both the Children of Gabriel and herself. Season 7 made the audience care about Emori as much as Murphy cared about her. It was great to get a little more insight into Indra and how she felt about being a leader as well. Diyoza came full circle by preventing Hope from following in her footsteps. I thought Hope and Gabriel were great additions to the show. Although Hope was a major part of Octavia and Diyoza’s arcs, she had a compelling backstory all her own. I loved seeing Gabriels’ personality and love of science come through. He also had strong moral grounding thanks to his experience with the Primes and “conquering death”. It was this moral grounding that compelled him to spurn Cadogan and ultimately destroy the Flame. Levitt was my favorite character introduced in season 7 (minus prequel characters). He interested me from the beginning because he was so different from the other Disciples we met. The differences were presented in a way that was subtle and obvious at the same time. I do have some quibbles though. Jordan was still a bit of a wasted character. For all the talk about how important he was going to be, he should have had a bigger role in the story. Miller and Jackson…well, they got moments but I wish they would have gotten treatment similar to Indra and Emori.

Anaconda. The backdoor prequel pilot was my favorite episode of the season! What I liked about it is that it set up the prequel while maintaining relevance to the current show. I enjoyed learning the origins of the signature aspects of the lore (Trigedeslang, The Flame, etc.). Callie was a nice contrast to Clarke this season with her desire to save all people instead of just her loved ones. Cadogan wanted the same thing but it was for the greater glory of him. I would love to see those first few years after Callie and co split from the Second Dawn bunker. I want to know whether or not Reese started Azgeda! It doesn’t look like the prequel is getting picked up though. Both Rothenberg and the CW have been very quiet. Not even an “in-between” answer. The Coronavirus could be a factor but who knows? It’s too bad because if Anaconda was any indication, the prequel would be a good show.

JR Bourne playing Sheidheda. There aren’t enough superlatives for JR Bourne’s performance this season! He brought life and nuance to a one-dimensional character. He also looked like he was enjoying himself which makes a big difference. I might have been unforgiving about Sheidheda lasting the whole season had someone else been playing him. I’ll get into this more in the next section but I think Sheidheda stuck around a little too long.

Complaint Department

Bellamy. It goes without saying that Bellamy’s death was the biggest blight on the season. It looked like a hasty last-minute adjustment. It likely was and it ruined the season/show for a lot of fans. I could follow Clarke’s reasoning for killing Bellamy but it didn’t have a solid foundation. I think they needed 4-5 episodes minimum to develop the deterioration of Clarke and Bellamy’s relationship to that point. Maybe that was the original plan when the season was being mapped out. We’ll never know. Still, the lack of closure for his character is a black mark. Clarke’s judge for the test should have taken Bellamy’s form. Seeing Lexa again was great and all but Bellamy makes more sense storywise. Clarke reckoning with her greatest failure would have been a brilliant scene! I think it would have been more meaningful for Clarke’s arc too. Even a quick conversation between Clarke and “ghost Bellamy” at the end would have been great. Now that I have seen the entire season, showing almost nothing from Bellamy until 7.11 wasn’t the best idea either. It would have been better to intersperse some of the Etherea scenes throughout the first half of the season. That would have helped to move the story along. Then, 7.11 could have been all about the aftermath of Bellamy coming back with new beliefs. Or they could have taken a page from the Hunger Games and had the events of Etherea be “planted”. If done right, the reveal would have been fantastic!

Cram session. Bellamy’s death wasn’t only one thing that felt rushed. I feel like this season had two seasons’ worth of story in it. We had Sheidheda. We had The Disciples and transcendence. These two storylines ran parallel for the majority of the season and it was hard to see where they would meet. As much as I enjoyed watching Sheidheda (thanks to JR Bourne), his arc took time away from the Bardo/transcendence storyline. Sanctum felt extraneous at times. To me, Bardo/transcendence was the core of the season and more time should have been devoted to that. Because of the parallel storylines, transcendence didn’t get a whole lot of depth. For all Jason Rothenberg was trying to do, there needed to be more episodes. The CW wanted more seasons so a good compromise would have been a “half-season” of sorts. 6 or 7 extra episodes would have allowed for more depth in the storylines. The show would have been able to flesh out transcendence and have it mean something more than just “becoming the light”. A two-hour finale might have helped a little. The show deserved it! That would have meant more time to see what transcendence was and to fill in the blanks of how Cadogan created the Disciples. Sheidheda’s arc could have been reduced to 5 episodes too. Indra would take him out in single combat. Then, the show would turn to focus completely on The Disciples and transcendence.

Note on episode order. Looking at the whole season, I would switch Anaconda (7.08) and The Flock (7.09). If Etherea (7.11) had to be a full episode, I would move it to just after Welcome to Bardo (7.05). That way, there isn’t late-season backfill that makes the story feel like it’s not progressing. Some of the scenes would have to be adjusted/moved around but it could work.

How Season 8 Could Have Happened

I’ve been thinking a lot about this! The 100 needed a season 8! Season 7 could have ended like season 3. Instead of humanity transcending, the judge could have told Raven that they had a finite amount of time to prove themselves. The episode would have ended with Raven telling everyone that humanity had x amount of time to do better. Say 6-12 months. Season 8 would have been spent preparing to retake the test and building bridges between the factions. Levitt would become the bridge between the Disciples and everyone else. Murphy and Emori would likely be the ones to bring the Sanctum folks (Faithful and non-Faithful) back together. Transcendence could have a more nefarious element to it too. Clarke could have been on to something when she said the judge was “playing games” with people. Maybe the test and transcendence could turn out to a ruse. The beings could an alien race whose ultimate goal is the “consume” every other species in the universe. A little like The One at the end of the Animorphs book series. Earthkru, the Disciples, and the Sanctumites would have to put their differences aside and come together. We would have been able to see that unfold over the course of a season instead of five minutes. Then, the message of “humanity has to work together or we’re screwed” would have more punch. My wild theory about Levitt being an unwitting agent of the transcendent beings would fit too.

Prize Tally

Half the fun of watching this show was coming up with theories/guessing plot points. I love the feeling of getting one right! Here’s a little list.

1. Sheidheda taking over Russell: I would say I pulled this off the season trailer but that’s not entirely true. Sheidheda’s code had to have gone somewhere and he had an alliance with Russell at the end of last season. I combined that with “Russell” looking possessed to form this particular call.
2. Diyoza dying: Pulled this one off the season trailer! Why else would Hope be pounding on a door and screaming? I think I even got the how just prior to the episode airing. Made sense for the arc but I really felt for Hope there. She got her mom back after 10 years only to lose her for good three months later.
3. Levitt not being a bad guy: I feel like I was the only one in the fandom who didn’t think he was a bad guy. I have written about this at length already but the crux is that he would have been a very sloppy double agent. He was awful at making plans!
4. Clarke killing Bellamy to “stop him”: Didn’t want to be right on this one, especially given the way it actually played out.
5. The Disciples were affiliated with Second Dawn: Level 12 was a dead giveaway.
6. The Shepherd was Cadogan: Again, Level 12 gave it away.
7. Bellamy ending up on Etherea (mountainous planet): Process of elimination.
8. The Flame is The Key.
9. Humanity would fail the test initially.
10. The red sun in Blood Giant (7.13).
11. Gabriel dying: Sad but it made sense for his arc.

I Wanna Be Your End Game

I watch a show for the story first and foremost. Without a strong story, it’s really not worth my time. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the ‘ships! They contribute to character arcs too. There’s nothing wrong with a little romance either 😉.

Memori. Who would have thought that Murphy would be one half of the ultimate love story?! What a grand love story it was! They got together, broke up, got back together, and got engaged. When they met, they were each willing to do whatever it took to ensure their own survival. They admired that about each other and could relate to being cast out in one way or another. This season saw them come together to ensure the survival of strangers/former enemies. They evolved to this point together. Ultimately, Murphy found that life was more than just surviving. Emori was more important to him than life itself. For Emori, her relationship with Murphy showed her that she could be someone who mattered to other people. Until Murphy, no one had been willing to sacrifice themselves for her. Their love for each other was strong and the next logical step for their relationship seemed to be making a family. I thought for sure they would end up parents but alas the transcendent beings took that away.

Mackson. Their relationship did not get enough screen time! Hell, they didn’t get enough as individuals! I loved what we did get, though. Miller had a tough exterior but he was able to be vulnerable with Jackson. He wouldn’t have told anyone else about what Bellamy’s death brought up for him. We didn’t see it but I think Jackson would have shared what Abby’s death brought up for him. Miller and Jackson shared such a deep connection that they had the same Red Sun Toxin hallucination last season. I called that, by the way 😁.

Jordope? Jope? What is their portmanteau anyway? The awkward teenage romance I didn’t know I needed! It’s funny because I was hardcore against this pairing. My mind was set on them being friends. However, it grew on me. It works because no one else left in the universe can relate to their experiences. They don’t have to explain being born into an environment with no violence or strife. Hope didn’t have to explain her guilt over living life after Diyoza’s death to Jordan. He just understood. That’s important in a relationship. The barriers to vulnerability aren’t as high. I imagine some Degrassi-style drama with this one though.

Levtavia. I hesitated to get on this boat but I’m practically on the crew now! Jason Diaz is the captain. It’s hilarious how much he loves Levtavia! 😁 Anyway, Levitt started out as an Octavia fanboy more than anything. He probably developed a little crush on her but he was mainly fascinated by her life. Being a Disciple is 56 kinds of boring in comparison. Through Octavia, Levitt saw the beauty and the pain of having strong emotional bonds (to be clear, the Disciples had bonds but they were “business”). He got a taste of the pain when Octavia left him bound and gagged but he didn’t stop caring about her or helping her. On Octavia’s side, she came to trust him after he helped her and Hope. I think Anders started to get concerned about Levitt getting too close once he discovered Hope existed. Anyway, Levitt was the first person in a while who saw the good in Octavia. He saw her strength and the love she had for the people she cared about. He admired and eventually loved that about her. Granted, he never made it to her memories of the bunker and Blodreina. I don’t believe that would have changed anything though. He already had an idea that she had “lost her way somewhere”. Even without seeing her split the bunker, Levitt believed Octavia was capable of stopping the Last War. I think that his belief in her helped her believe in herself again.

Extra: A Possible Levitt Backstory

During the IG Live with Fade of the Internet, I asked Jason Diaz if he made up a backstory for Levitt and he said no. He was thinking that it was the same for every Disciple. Well, I have an idea that is a little more fleshed out! There had to be a reason why he didn’t end up being Ryker 2.0. I think maybe he had a little more trouble with emotional/impulse control as a child than some of the others. He eventually smoothed out and became “by the book”, obviously. Maybe Levitt was naturally more compassionate and caring than the other Disciples. I really believe that any other M-Cap operator would not have been as nice to Octavia or Madi. They certainly wouldn’t have fallen in love with Octavia or her adventures. Also, he had a lot of jobs! Most Disciples only had one. If my “Cadogan was inspired by The Giver” theory holds, the Disciple children were evaluated during their time in school. Based on those results, they’re grouped into “scientist” or “soldier” without the pomp and circumstance of the Ceremony of Twelve. I think Levitt was some kind of prodigy which might be why he was able to move up the levels so quickly. He was a little young compared to the other high-level Disciples. Jason starting talking about clones as a way to get Levitt into the prequel so that’s an idea. My wild theory for this season would have made for a cool backstory too.

Final Thoughts

It’s been quite the ride! I discovered The 100 on Netflix 3 years ago. The pilot was peak YA cliché but it was enough to hold my interest. I binged the first four seasons in 3 weeks! I watched season 5 as it aired. However, it was the trailer for season 6 that compelled me to start this blog and engage with the fandom. I loved trying to figure out where the story was going. The 100 saw me through finishing graduate school, a year of unemployment, and the long, bad summer of 2020 which included the death of a coworker. It was a show like no other and I miss it. The cast was a big reason why the show was so great. Not only were they very talented but they clearly took pride in their work. The chemistry was also fantastic. It all comes through onscreen which makes a big difference. For the most part, I’m satisfied with the arc of the show as a whole although some things could have been done better.

Thank you to everyone who has ever read my recaps and to Shannon who always commented.

May we meet again!