To keep a show compelling, plot twists are thrown in to keep the audience engaged. Sometimes, it helps to advance the story in ways viewers may not have expected. Other times, it may be for shock value. Unfortunately, not all plot twists work in favor of the show. The 100 features numerous plot twists starting in the pilot episode. Afterward, the series took several chances to shake things up. Not every attempt worked, and some plot twists backfired on the series, gaining much criticism from fans and critics.
Although there were many plot twists throughout the show, some did great things for the series, while others hurt it.
10 Best: 125 Year Time Jump
If the six-year time jump during “Praimfaya” was a shock, then the unexpected ending of “Damocles: Part 2” was even more extraordinary. The entire fourth season was about the upcoming death wave, so jumping until after Earth would be survivable was a happy surprise.
However, the season five finale manages to outdo it. Clarke and Bellamy wake up from cryosleep expecting it to be ten years later but are confused about why they are the only ones awake. It only gets more remarkable when they meet Jordan, Monty and Harper’s son. Not only did Monty and Harper not go to sleep, but they spent their lives raising their son and searching for a new world for their friends when Earth was not regenerating. Instead of the ten years they expected, Clarke and Bellamy woke up one-hundred and twenty-five years later.
9 Worst: Lexa Dies
The 100 made it clear that it would play fast and loose with lives. Knowing that fans were likely prepared for their favorite characters to die at any given moment. However, no one expected Lexa to die the way she had. Lexa was a beloved and fan-favorite character. She made such a massive impression that years after her character died, Lexa was still considered one of the best and most beloved people on the show. So, when Lexa died in season three, it was a tremendous loss.
Lexa continued to be remembered by Clarke, the Grounders, and audiences after her passing, but it was a death that was difficult to move on from.
8 Best: Praimfaya
The end of the world is certainly an incentive to make life-altering decisions. In Jasper’s case, it means accepting death and wishing to spend his remaining time alive to enjoy living. For Clarke and Bellamy, it means searching for any way to survive the apocalypse.
Praimfaya resets the world of The 100 in a way that the series had never done before. By erasing the world they know and forcing them to spend six years apart, Praimfaya causes a shift in several dynamics, setting up exciting reunions and new relationships.
7 Worst: Madi Is Locked In
Viewers were already upset by Bellamy and Gabriel’s deaths in previous episodes, but “The Dying Of The Light” does not make anything easier. In the one episode alone, Clarke and Octavia are on a rescue mission to save Madi while Murphy, Raven, and Jackson are desperate to keep Emori alive.
When Clarke and Octavia finally got to Bardo, they find Madi is alive but unable to move or speak. Since there was only one episode left in the series afterward, this choice seemed unnecessary and cruel.
6 Best: Mount Weather
Reaching Mount Weather was one of the first things Clarke tried to accomplish on Earth. They never actually made it and spent the rest of season one fending for themselves. In season two, Mount Weather becomes a central location, having taken forty-eight of the remaining hundred at the end of the first season.
But, while it may appear as a haven at first glance, there are many more horrifying things going on behind the scenes. Mount Weather kidnaps Grounders and keeps them in cages to use their blood on the Mount Weather citizens. They later wish to use the blood and bone marrow from the delinquents.
5 Worst: The Flame Is The Key
Fans grew tired of the Flame fairly early, so it having such an influential part of season seven was not a thrilling aspect. Originally, Disciples tell Clarke that she is the key to fighting the last war, only to learn later that they believe the Flame is still in her head.
The Flame is a relied-upon part of the plot that had been overdone already, and making it continue to be relevant was not doing the show any favors.
4 Best: The Ark Comes To The Ground
Kane, Abby, and the rest of the Ark’s citizens may have made life harder for the remaining hundred when they initially landed, but it was a development that needed to happen. The adults on the ground challenge Clarke and Bellamy to further develop leadership roles to prove themselves to the council.
Part of season two’s intrigue if Clarke and Abby’s conflict as Abby tries to stay in power. The development also allows the adults to develop and realize that life is different on Earth, and the rules from the Ark no longer had to apply.
3 Worst: Bellamy Betrays His Friends
Viewers were excited at the prospect of Bellamy being brainwashed, hoping that his storyline would follow his friends bringing Bellamy back to himself. That never happened, and instead, Bellamy’s betrayal weighs heavily around those who love him. Bellamy may have been right about transcendence, but that doesn’t mean his actions didn’t hurt his friends in the process.
By following Cadogan, Bellamy allows Clarke to be tortured and believes that his Shepherd wouldn’t hurt Madi. He tells Echo that his cause matters more than her and their friends.
2 Best: They’re Not Alone
There would be no show without the plot twist that started it all. All those on the Ark believed they were the last of the human race and that Earth was barren of all life.
The hundred were in for a shock when Jasper is speared through the chest, proving that they are not alone. Grounders still exist on Earth and have their own society, rules, and language. This plot twist is the key to the series, as the delinquents don’t have just each other to worry about, but others as well.
1 Worst: Clarke Kills Bellamy
Viewers have speculated on the nature of Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship for years. Whether looking at them as a romantic relationship or as a friendship, it was obvious that the two cared for each other very much. This is why, when Clarke pulled the trigger, fans could hardly believe it. Clarke’s decision to kill Bellamy was meant to protect Madi, but it doesn’t even accomplish that. This choice contradicted seven seasons of relationship development and seemed wildly out of character for both leads.
The show managed to make Bellamy’s death meaningless in numerous ways. Bellamy died for a book Clarke didn’t even get. He died for Madi to be safe only for her to turn herself in the very next episode. Bellamy’s death didn’t even save Madi, and she ended up with a cruel fate as well. The series doesn’t even show what happened to Bellamy’s body after Clarke rushed into the Anomaly, leaving her best friend to die alone.
About The Author
