**Warning: Possible spoilers ahead**
The 100 stars Eliza Taylor (Clarke), Bob Morley (Bellamy), Devon Bostick (Jasper), Lindsey Morgan (Raven), Christopher Larkin (Monty), Richard Harmon (Murphy), and executive producer Jason Rothenberg were at WonderCon to chat about what’s to come for the Sky People and the City of Light.
The first 13 minutes of upcoming Season 3 Episode 8 “Stealing Fire” were also shown. Clarke, Titus, and all of The 100 fandom are still reeling from Lexa‘s death, but the flame must be passed on and the conclave begins. Clarke, with Murphy in tow, tries to ensure the next Commander will be one that maintains fealty to the 13th clan, Skaikru. She quickly learns Lexa already made all the Polis-trained Nightbloods vow to do so, but an unwelcome appearance by Ontari may disrupt that peace. Meanwhile, back at Arkadia, Kane, Lincoln, and Sinclair must face the consequences of their attempted coup, and Bellamy has doubts about Pike‘s rule.
Other panel highlights:
Lexa
Rothenberg said the reaction to Lexa’s death has been surprising, and he didn’t even imagine it would be so intense. Horrible things happen in every episode but this landed in a different way for fans, especially LGBTQ fans. He usually watches fan reaction videos Friday morning after the show airs and he couldn’t watch them after “Thirteen” because they were too intense. Had he understood the power of that character and her impact on the fans, he would have handled her death differently.
He regrets the way he talked about the Clexa relationship on social media; he wanted to share his excitement about it, but it gave fans an unrealistic expectation that Lexa would walk off into the sunset and have a happy ending. Nobody is safe, it’s just that kind of show.
Yes, the sex and death happened so close together, and that is a juxtaposition that he is uncomfortable with now. Her death had nothing to do with the fact that she just had sex. She was killed because she was trying to change her people, and that’s dangerous. But he does wish he had figured out a way to separate those two events somehow.
Fans have complained that Lexa was an amazing and powerful character and she should have had a heroic death, not one via a stray bullet. Rothenberg said they were trying to make a different point — that life is fragile and someone as powerful as Lexa could die because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If he had done his homework about the trope (and similar death in Buffy the Vampire Slayer), he would have tried to differentiate their execution for creative reasons, but he would still have made the same point with Lexa’s death.
What’s to Come for the Rest of the Gang
Clarke
On dealing with the loss of Lexa, Taylor says Clarke is very good at compartmentalizing and pushing forward in different situations. “But this one is different. This is her love, and it really changes her for good.” In true Clarke fashion, however, she will get through it.
Clarke has been Polis for some time now. When Taylor first read about what was happening in Arkadia and the City of Light, she says her mind was blown. Rothenberg claims Murphy downloaded Clarke on everything between episodes 7 and 8, so at least now she knows what Murphy knows.
Bellamy
Morley says Bellamy has learned some lessons and is going to have to prove himself to earn back some trust. He doesn’t think Bellamy can’t be redeemed, and he still has a lot of assets valuable to the Sky people.
Bellamy’s dark turn is due to the fact his previous experiences with Grounders has never been positive. When they first arrived on the ground, they were attacked. Then Bellamy went to Mount Weather and released a bunch of Grounders that were supposed to help and they abandoned him. Mount Weather was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, and that’s when Bellamy took action. Bellamy also is unaware of alliance conversations that have been had with the Grounders and he’s tired of being mistreated by them, so he sides with Pike. Bellamy’s motto has always been act first, ask questions later.
Raven
Raven was the first character we saw actually reject ALIE. Morgan says we really got to see the hold the chip can put on people, what it can do to one’s mind, and how someone can completely lose control.
Raven is a physically and mentally strong character. Her disability has created a chronic depression, and Morgan says most of Raven’s monsters and obstacles are inside of her and she’s the only one that can get herself out of that hole. The City of Light became a “desperate beacon of salvation and she’s finding it to be an abysmal hell.” We’ll see Raven building herself up to be stronger. She puts her mentality to the test, and her friends come to her rescue. Maybe. Friends like…
Jasper
He’s been suffering some major PTSD since “Maya melted in his arms,” describes Bostick. He’s seen how Raven has forgotten even the good memories of Finn, and while he’s in pain, he doesn’t want to do anything to forget those good memories of Maya. So it’s a bit of a balancing act.
Jasper and Monty are still on the outs. Jasper isn’t aware of the politics with Monty and Pike and the City of Light; his main focus is trying to get over Maya and figure out what the hell is going on with Raven. “She’s acting odd,” says Bostick. Jasper wants to fix the riff with Monty, but they just need a little bit of space. Time heals all.
Monty
Monty is always the solid friend you can count on, and that has not changed. It was nice to be able to air his grievances toward Jasper, but that only resulted in them parting ways. Larkin says, “Monty put his heart on the line, and Jasper put it under his heel and crunched it into a million pieces.” The ball is in Jasper’s court, but they’re both a little preoccupied with other things at this point.
Larkin asks the audience, “Who hates my mom? Raise your hands.” Pretty much everyone raises their hands. Larkin counters with the fact that before he came to the ground, Monty had a loving relationship with his parents on the Ark. Now that his father has been killed, his mom is alone on the ground, and if Monty turns against her, she has no one. He’s very conflicted and always wants to do the right thing, but that’s not always black and white. Hannah, you have a good son.
Murphy
How many more times will Murphy get beat up this season? Harmon states, “Consistency is the key. So you’re guaranteed a few more times.”
Murphy has once again been thrown in the fire at Polis, and that’s not anything new to him. Since day one on the ground, he’s gone from one bad situation to another. He’ll analyze the situation to see what he has to do to survive, and he’s got a pretty good track record for that. Rothenberg adds that Murphy has somehow found himself to be the only person who knows everything, and as a result, he’s bcome an accidental hero.
As for Murphy’s Bonnie and Clyde relationship with Emori, Rothenberg admits, “Murphy is in love.” He’s always been taking care of Murphy, and for the first time in his life, there’s someone he cares about outside of himself. Harmon agrees and would love to see Emori again and teases that storyline isn’t quite wrapped up yet.
The Next Commander
Season 3 Episode 8 potentially sets the world up for the worst case scenario new Commander. Rothenberg is quick to note that Ontari isn’t the Commander yet, as she doesn’t have the flame. The process is that one initiate must kill all the others (no rules), then they ascend. The flame is put into the next Commander and he/she receives the memories and spirits of all previous Commanders. But it’s not a straight path, so we’ll see how that plays out.
Chip Happens
A.L.I.E. wants everybody, and Jaha and A.L.I.E. are on a mission to chip everyone left on Earth. They smartly went to Raven first because they knew if they could convince her, others would start lining up. What they didn’t count on was her tenacity and strength of mind, and now A.L.I.E. has to figure a way around Raven’s free will. Everyone will be tempted, says, Rothenberg, and we’ll see who succumbs.
Morley asks if the chips are flavored. Morgan claims hers was BBQ, and Morley states, “I’m a salt and vinegar type of guy.”
Singing in Cars
The first episode of Season 3 had a scene with Bellamy, Raven, Monty, and Jasper driving a Jeep and singing Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the sun,” and the cast all claim it was strange, in a good way. Rothenberg says if there was ever going to be a time to have a light moment, that was it, just some kids driving in the woods. Morley was excited about it because they had a car and didn’t have to walk, but he’s quick to point out he didn’t sing. Larkin can’t wait to sing more and claims Morley wasn’t singing because he never learned the words.
Favorite Scenes
Morley morbidly likes the scene where he was hung. He lost his voice, which was a nice touch for the scene. His doctor thought he had the flu (bird flu, specifically, as he had just gone back to Australia for Christmas), but he assured the doctor that it was because he was hanging from his neck, as people do.
Bostick liked the Jasper and Monty fighting scene. There was a lot of tension there that need to be aired. It was emotional and they got to cry and hug each after. (Real hug on stage follows).
Morgan enjoyed filming a scene where she spat in Murphy’s face. Unfortunately no one got to see it because it was cut. When she asked how much spit should be spat, Jarmon said “all of it.” Laments Morgan, “That’s probably why they cut it, it was too much.”
Taylor loved shooting the Season 1 finale outside Mount Weather when she realized Lexa had betrayed her. They had been outside shooting for hours, and the scene was immersive, real, crazy, and emotional. Clexa fans, pay attention – Taylor also loved shooting the Lexa kiss because “she’s a babe” and it was something she had never done before on screen.
The Cast Embraces Their Characters’ Flaws
When asked if they could change anything about their characters, Rothenberg pointed out that a lot of times the negative characters aspects are what audiences hate him for writing, but they are also the things the cast loves most as actors. Everyone agrees, though Taylor does have one suggestion — “Can I smile next season? Just a little bit. People don’t know what my smile looks like.”
On Their Fans
Taylor says The 100 fandom is amazing and fantastic, and they’re quick to point when they disagree with the things she says. Taylor went from 5K to 300K followers in a very short amount of time, while Rothenberg claims, “I went the other way.” Everyone agrees that it’s great to have a socially active fan base and to be able to make an impact on people.
The 100 airs Thursdays 9pm on The CW.
Read all our WonderCon coverage here.