The 100 is one of my favorite shows, and I can’t wait for the fourth season. I love The 100 so much that I may start watching it LIVE. I haven’t watched anything live since Parenthood or the occasional episode of Game of Thrones. If you are not watching The 100 because it airs on the CW, you need to reevaluate your life choices. All of them! The third season of The 100 was even better than the preceding seasons, and the conclusion of the third season suggests that the apocalypse is still nigh.
The 100’s third season did what sci fi does the best: reflect on the terrors of our society, specifically our terrifying election year. There are two major storylines that merge into a terrifying conclusion that is even more apocalyptic than the first. The survivors from The Ark are facing civil war as they struggle between trusting the Grounders or becoming xenophobic war crime bastards. Meanwhile religious fanatics who worship a brainwashing AI are doing their best impression of the Stepford Wives and threaten to destroy the soul of all humanity by spreading the gospel of A.L.I.E., who was teased in the second season finale. Then there are others who decide to pull a Snowpiercer and subvert the world that society offers them: both the Grounder ruling regime and the option offered by the AI.
The 100 does not only have terrific storylines. In episode 4 of the third season, “Watch the Thrones,” viewers finally got to see Lexa fight!!!!! We have seen her command, but never fight, and we were rewarded for waiting. It was the most epic battle scene, and I watched it repeatedly. If they MUST recast Xena, I think that Alycia Debnam-Carey proved that she deserves a seat at the table although she is not as imposing a figure as the epic Lucy Lawless. I need more epic swordfights on the small and big screen!
The 100 did make a few major missteps by killing off major characters that were just getting interesting and keeping other characters whom viewers may have been wishing dead since the first season since they add nothing to the storyline. Unfortunately these decisions may have been due to backroom shenanigans and implicit bias instead of advancing the plotline. However the actors involved in the controversy have encouraged viewers to keep watching because of the quality of The 100 so let’s hope that the viewers’ vocal protests will make a boycott unnecessary.
The 100 is not only one of the best shows on TV, but it somehow manages to raise the stakes every season and give multiple great apocalyptic and character driven storylines. Watch it now!