The Season 5 premiere answered many of the questions we had, but raised many more, but that bodes well for the future of the series. The premiere episode, Eden, was just how I knew the rest of the show to be: bold, emotional, and exciting.
The 100 allowed itself to jump ahead in time and truly shake things up. Clarke was given her moment of heroism, one that felt true to the character, and then “Praimfaya” ended on a mysterious cliffhanger. Six years later Clarke and a young Nightblood named Madi watch as a ship lands on Earth. Clarke presumes it’s her friends finally returning from the Ark a year later than planned but quickly sees it’s a transport ship for prisoners. Questions lingered: Who’s in the shipIJ What had happened to Bellamy, Monty, and the others on the ArkIJ What about Octavia, Abby, and those in the bunkerIJ How did Clarke survive all those years in a world made barren by PraimfayaIJ
The pacing and structure of this season is so much better and more solid than season 3 and 4. The story lines and episodes feel tighter, more focussed and less unwieldy than in the past.
Each of the first five episodes focusses tightly on just a few storylines. There’s a whole Castaway vibe to how the episode is structured and Eliza Taylor really knocks it out of the park, dare I say this was Emmy-level acting and writingIJ It really was one of the best single hours of TV I’ve seen all year.
In all, the first five episodes of Season 5 of The 100 had an awful lot to like. It’s got all it needs to build a fantastic season and the essentially blank canvas along with four previous seasons of experience mean that the creative team have more possibilities open to them than ever before.
They’re doing a wonderful job and I hope they keep it up. It is one of the best shows on TV right now, and one of my all time favorite post apocalyptic tv shows! and it will not stop any time soon because The 100 has been renewed for Season 6.