The 100 isn’t known for taking it easy on any of its characters, Clarke (Eliza Taylor) least of all, but at the start of season 5, viewers will see a new side of the survivor. As audiences are aware by now, The 100 is taking a giant leap forward in time, which makes sense after the cataclysmic events of the season 4 finale. That time jump has a profound effect on all the characters in the series, but Clarke most of all, because it finds her in a place where she’s found peace and happiness.
The lead up to season 5 hasn’t been too secretive, especially the rather revealing trailer, which showed Clarke with her surrogate daughter Madi (Lola Flanery) making a life for themselves in an area seemingly untouched by the devastation that’s left the rest of the planet a barren wasteland. That new dynamic means a new side to Clarke, one that sees the character having matured and become fiercely protective of the child she’s come to care so much about.
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During a set visit to The 100 that Screen Rant participated in, Taylor described what’s in store for Clarke in the new season, and how much becoming a guardian to a young girl has changed who she is. Taylor said:
“She's gone through tremendous loss in her life, as we all know. We thought that she was going to be alone toward the end of season 4, but now having this little sidekick that she loves with all her heart, she's found some sort of peace and happiness. I love their relationship, she's a good mom. She's stern with her, though. Madi's cheeky, so she does really have to keep her in line. [Madi's] a very fierce little thing. She's disciplined.”
Taylor says she feels Clarke has slipped into the role of being a mother quite easily, and that relationship will not only have have a big impact on her future, it will help Clark better understand the relationship with her own mother.
“I think [becoming a mother] is something that we're going to explore, the things that you do to protect your own. I think it does help her understand where her mom was coming from and a lot of things that used to grind on her.”
The best part, though, is that there’s a tremendous creative upside to yet another cataclysm befalling the Earth. As Taylor puts it, she and the rest of the cast all get to put a new spin on familiar characters.
“It's surprising because I wonder 'How many ways can we end the world, and then save it again?' And our writers just come up with the most brilliant ideas and this one is probably my favorite because we get to play with the idea of being so many years into the future. So we've all really gotten to reinvent our characters.”
Viewers will be able to find out just how much Clarke and the rest of the survivors have changed when The 100 season 5 premieres tonight.
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The 100 season 5 premieres tonight with ‘Eden’ @9pm on The CW.