Written by Avani Goswami
Here we are everyone — The 100 Series Finale. It’s been such a wild ride from start to finish. Every season finale is a whirlwind, and this one is no exception.
“The Last War” begins with Raven (Lindsey Morgan), Murphy (Richard Harmon), and Jackson (Sachin Sahel) bringing Emori (Luisa D’Oliveira) into the medical facility at Sanctum to save her life. Murphy tells Raven she has to go to the others and get to Madi (Lola Flanery). She goes, and at this point I am scared for Raven’s life, hoping she won’t sacrifice herself.
Then we see Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) kicking ass for one last time together as they make their way through Bardo, Levitt (Jason Diaz) following behind them. They go to take the test in the Stone room, and we see Cadogan (John Pyper-Ferguson) about to take the test, talking to a transcendent being who takes the form of his late daughter Callie (Iola Evans). While the being is explaining the test to him, Clarke kills him. Well, so much for his transcendence. Now, Clarke’s getting ready to take the test that will either allow humankind to transcend or end humankind forever.
Meanwhile, Raven goes to the bunker, but not without help. She brings Nikki (Alaina Huffman), who’s apparently made amends with Raven, the other prisoners, and the grounders. Then, Raven meets up with Miller (Jarod Joseph), Hope (Shelby Flannery), Jordan (Shannon Kook), Indra (Adina Porter), and eventually Niylah (Jessica Harmon) and Echo (Tasya Teles). Hope and Jordan kiss, which I honestly totally forgot about in the chaos of this finale, and then they all realize they have to hurry to make a plan. Jordan has an idea, and talks about his father, Monty, which makes me realize just how much I miss him. They go through the portal to Bardo, where Jordan makes everyone’s suits visible. There, the crew distract the Disciples by setting up to fight opposite of them, but not actually doing anything. We find out it’s just a big distraction for Raven and Echo to come inside for the others.
Inside, Octavia and Levitt share a moment. Octavia has her Skairipa makeup on which is another bittersweet nod to the past as Lincoln’s tattoo is painted on her face. Then they reveal to Raven and Echo that Clarke is taking the test, which, yikes. Meanwhile, Miller, who separated from the others to get to Jackson, reunites with him on Sanctum. Murphy is stressed as Emori’s lifeline goes flat. Jackson tries to save her, but it’s clear that she’s gone. This hurts me so much. Watching this scene, I’m heartbroken to see Emori go because I love her. But Murphy has the idea to extract her mind drive and put it into his own head, because he’d rather spend time with her, even if just for a few moments, despite the threat to his life.
This is where things get even more heart wrenching. The transcendent being, who takes the form of someone the test taker loves, shows up. And it’s Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey)! Only, it’s not really Lexa, it’s just the form the being takes on. Still, it is so good to see Lexa back again. So, “Lexa” tells Clarke that she failed the test because she killed someone during it. Clarke gets out of the portal and tells Raven she failed, and Raven decides this isn’t the end. She tries to change the transcendent being’s mind. Yes, Raven! When she goes in to appeal the verdict, the being takes the form of Abby (Paige Turco), someone Raven loved. “Abby” says they have failed because all humankind can do is fight, and that they never learn. This is highlighted by the fact that the two groups (the grounders/prisoners and the Disciples) are still poised and ready to strike at one another. Sheidheda (JR Bourne) fires shots at the Disciples, starting a battle. Indra tries to stop everyone from continuing, but Sheidheda claims that he is their leader.
As this is happening, Murphy and Emori are trapped in the mind space together, first arguing and then dancing to the music Miller and Jackson are playing. This is such a sweet moment and one I’m glad we got before the show ended. In terms of Octavia, Levitt, and Echo, the three go out to the battlefield where they try to stop the war. Levitt gets shot, and Sheidheda starts chanting about how blood must have blood. Familiar, anyone?
Octavia and the others, including Jordan and Hope, try to stop Levitt from bleeding. But Echo also got shot and her life hangs in limbo as well. Everything begins to intensify as time is winding down. Indra kills Sheidheda with one of the Eligius weapons. Forming a plan, Octavia runs back onto the battlefield and tells everyone they need to stop, for all mankind. She tells Indra that their fight is over. This causes the Disciples to stop their fighting and realize that there is a way for them to be better. Raven turns to “Abby” and tells the transcendent figure to look and understand that they can and will do better, if only given the chance. And so they are granted that opportunity. They begin to transcend one by one, every living being on earth turning to a glowing ball of light and transcending this realm. This moment feels surreal as they all finally get to feel no pain and get to another plane of existence.
Clarke is sitting with Madi when it happens. One line she says that really sticks out to me is “I know you don’t want to leave me, but you have to go now.” It almost feels like a message to the fans. Madi attempts to transcend, but holds back likely because of Clarke. Then she finallylets go and transcends, and Clarke is alone again. This breaks my heart. She goes to Sanctum where she calls out for anyone alive, and the dog Picasso runs to her. Wondering what’s next, Clarke and Picasso head to Earth, where he runs from her. Clarke chases him and when she can’t find him, she realizes that she doesn’t want to be alone.
That’s when the Lexa-being shows up again, telling her that she isn’t. Clarke wonders why she can’t transcend—I’m wondering this too!—and apparently it’s because she is the only human to kill another person during the test. It’s the price to pay. At this point, I’m not having it and hope that there is some way for her to be with the others. “Lexa” explains that Madi knew Clarke wouldn’t want her to be on Earth, where there’s no one her age or no life for her, even if it means Clarke has to be alone. Clarke asks an important question: they can choose to transcend?
Then, we hear Raven’s laughter. My heart finally feels full as we see Clarke run to the sound of voices. Raven, Murphy, Octavia, and more of their friends are all there waiting for her on the beach. Gaia (Tati Gabrielle), who is missing for most of the episode, is here too. Instead of transcending, they decide to live out their peaceful lives on Earth with Clarke. They can’t reproduce or transcend once they die, but they are together. At the end, we even get a glimpse of the very first episode: Clarke drawing on the floor of the Ark.
I never expected to get this “big happy family” ending from The 100, but I’m glad. Though it’s still sad in many ways, especially considering the fact that the human race is truly over, I’m happy to see them as a family who will grow old together and finally have peace. Thinking of all the characters that died and couldn’t be there, of course I’m sad. Bellamy would’ve fit perfectly into this picture and I’m still upset they killed him off, along with many others who deserved a happy ending. Still, I’m somewhat satisfied with the conclusion the others received. They look so happy to simply be there with each other in the end. This show has always been about fighting to survive, but also about understanding that we are all just people at the end of the day and should not have to fight each other. I’m glad we got to see all of this in the finale.
I’m really going to miss The 100. It has been one of my favorites for so many years and it’s hard to say goodbye. But I’m thankful that I got to experience such a wild journey with so many twists and that we received a pretty happy ending for the characters who are still alive. As the show always says, “may we meet again.”
The 100 Series Finale is now streaming on The CW app.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfmHaACCIzc
