The 100 is hurtling towards its conclusion, which means the endgame is in sight, but what were the priorities heading into the final season? Well, The 100’s showrunner, Jason Rothenberg, has explained what took precedence when it came time to break the last chapter of the show’s seven-season story.
For showrunner Jason Rothenberg, filling in blanks that were created earlier in The 100’s run was one of the major elements that the drama wanted to address as it finished its run. On tying it all together, Jason Rothenberg told The 100’s Comic-Con@Home 2020 panel:
We definitely started the season wanting to make sure that we didn’t leave anything on the field, meaning there were certain unanswered questions over the seasons that we wanted to answer, and since I know people are seeing this after I think the first ten episodes have aired, you already have seen the prequel so you know that that episode kind of fills in a lot of blanks. Why was the bunker empty when they opened it in Season 4? Just being one sort of question that I always had that we needed to answer this year. And also the ending of a story is the moral of that story, and we really wanted to say something with this season, which I think when people do get to the end and see how the story ends, they’ll perhaps come to look at the whole series differently. We’re not just saying people are awful and will do anything to protect their loved ones and kill anybody who’s taken their stuff, which is unfortunately a big part of human nature. We’re kind of making more of a statement about that without getting into too many details because I don’t want to ruin it.
What does this mean for The 100’s ending? Jason Rothenberg mentions his desire to make a statement with the conclusion of The 100, which he has alluded to before. Humanity might have taken some tough hits during the drama’s run, but Rothenberg promises there is more to be said on the topic. After all, there are characters on the show that have embodied the elements of human nature more than others.
For instance, Murphy has come a long way since the beginning. Having had his desire for self-preservation tested, he's experiencing personal growth and has chosen a more heroic path in the process.
It'll be interesting to see how certain characters’ endings express what The 100 is trying to say with its final season. Interestingly, Richard Harmon’s idea for closing Murphy's story was used, which is a pretty big deal. Of course, there are other critical journeys taking place besides Murphy’s on The 100. Jordan is also going through one, as the final season trudges forward. And of course, there's also Bellamy’s storyline.
Fresh off of the carnage The 100 recently dealt out, time will tell how all of the things the show prioritized will take effect. But with The 100 aiming to resolve mysterious plot points hinted at in the past, it should find favor with longtime viewers.
For those wanting to avoid how Lost sidestepped resolving all of its various mysteries during its final bow, this should be welcome news. It won't be an easy task, as The 100 had a lot to check off its list -- all while prepping its prequel spinoff. So let's hope for the best!
New episodes of The 100 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Following the conclusion of the sci-fi drama, this fall’s premieres will debut. To watch all of the loose ends currently untied on The 100 check out past seasons on Netflix. They are there with content arriving in 2020.
