The 100 Discussion: We break down that epic Season 6 trailer

The 100 just dropped its first trailer for the show's upcoming sixth season, and boy, do we have thoughts.

The CW has forced us to endure an agonizing wait for a glimpse of our favorite delinquents (shame on you, Jason Rothenberg), but all is forgiven now that we've been gifted this four-minute clip, which gives us a sneak peek at the planet Sanctum and a dark threat facing our heroes.

It's a brave new world, and Clarke and the crew are just trying to survive in it. And paint in it. And go clubbing in it.

Let's dive in ...

Photo: CW

Jessica: So just a quick recap, the main crew looks to be awake after their hundred-year cryo-sleep and judging by how hard I sobbed hearing Monty's voiceover from the Season 5 finale, I look to be very much not over his and Harper's death. The good news is that, at least for a few minutes of the first episode, the gang seems to be working together?

Alyssa: The 100 has always done a really great job of reminding viewers that even if someone has died, they aren’t forgotten. After all that Monty and Harper sacrificed (don’t mind me, just crying in the corner), everyone else on that ship better be goddamn grateful. This shot really sets the tone of excitement over this new world. They’re ready, I’m ready, we’re all ready.

Photo: CW

Alyssa: First off, I must admit that I’m a little disappointed that these new earth inhabitants are humanoids. I was really, really hoping for some weird aliens, but alas, not to be. I understand budget restraints and the fact that it’s the CW so everyone is legally required to be hot. Even so, I’m digging this new aesthetic. After all of the grey and brown on Earth, the candy colors and metallics are giving me life. Everyone is clean and fashionable! Sure, I am getting major Hunger Games vibes from this guy — President Snow but make him bangable — but if anyone can handle being the Mockingjay, it’s Clarke Griffin.

Jessica: J.R. Bourne, the guy who plays Russell, is menacing in that sexy kind of way that makes you question all of your instincts. But you’re right, the aesthetic here is lit. Literally and figuratively. How nice is it to be able to actually see characters instead of squinting through shot after shot of just darkness? There seems to be this Alice in Wonderland feel to the new world. The poster especially had an essence of whimsy with something evil lurking just beneath the surface. It’s sad, but I don’t think our crew is going to be safe in their new home for long.

Photo: CW

Jessica: If you would’ve told me during the hellscape that was Season 5 that our Mama Bear would one day be donning clean clothes and raving in da club, I would’ve called you crazy. Honestly, this new life looks damn good on Clarke Griffin. It’s nice to see her loosen up a bit and my Bellarke-shipping heart can only hope Bellamy appreciates the new and improved Griffin.

Alyssa: Listen, if anyone deserves to adopt the 24-hour party people lifestyle, it’s Clarke. Her bob is clean, her dress is fresh, she’s ready to slay. Still, I know our girl, and there is no way she really lets loose for long. Even in that gif, I feel like she’s checking for exits for when things inevitably go to hell and she has to rescue everyone. This new planet may have all the trappings of a good time, but it’s a lie. The cake is a lie.

Photo: CW

Alyssa: No one on The 100 ever gets to be happy for long, but our ship is SAILING in this trailer. Raven and Shaw are looking pretty damn glowy and in love, and it looks good on both of them. Any moment where Raven isn’t screaming in pain is a win for me. After losing Monty and Harper to the ravages of time, we need someone to take their place as The Most Loved Up. Pilot Mechanic is an early frontrunner for that role.

Jessica: Raven’s hair is down! I repeat: Raven’s hair is down! When have we ever been given such a gift on this show? I’m so glad to see this couple going strong but I worry for them. Raven feels soft and relaxed in this trailer. We’ve never seen her like that before and honestly, I just don’t trust it. And, at some point, both Raven and Shaw seem to tear into Clarke which means all is not forgiven and a fractured group just makes me nervous.

Photo: CW

Jessica: So one part of this trailer that really stuck out to me was the fact that it seems like Abby and Kane are still aboard the ship when the others go down. Things look pretty dark and dead around there, and they’re gazing at the new planet, dreaming of how things will be better now. Kane was seriously injured at the end of last season, and Henry Ian Cusick has a new network show, so there was a real fear that he wouldn’t return to the show. Maybe the best way to explain his absence is to have him just stay in space a while longer? Of course, that means our delinquents are left to fend for themselves without the help of their elders. Probably a good thing considering how these two royally screwed Octavia last season.

Alyssa: If I’m being honest, I don’t think the group necessarily needs “elders” anymore. At this point, they’re all adults now and it’s not like Abby and Kane made things any better last season, as you’ve said. You know I ship Kabby pretty hard, but maybe them staying in space isn’t the worst idea ever. They can heal up with the space tech, and Octavia can do some serious self-care on the ground. And no one eats any human flesh. Ever again.

Photo: CW

Alyssa: LISTEN. At this point anyone still shipping Bellarke is a fool. It’s been seasons and we’re still building our hopes and dreams on a few hugs and stolen glances. And yet here I am, freaking the f*ck out because they are FINALLY going to acknowledge the fact that Clarke never gave up on Bellamy and called him every single day for six years. SIX YEARS. It’s time for these two to sit down and get real. Echo is just a distraction, and she deserves better than that. Just let them kiss. JUST. LET. THEM. KISS. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to write a 10,000 word fic about Bellamy’s freckles.

Jessica: I’m not naive enough to believe we’re going to get any real Bellarke action (read: sucking face) but I do think we’re overdue for a conversation between these two. An airing out of feelings. A damn acknowledgment of how much they need each other and how badly they’ve both screwed up. Sadly, I’m getting some real Polis vibes from this shot. Bellamy is once again leaving Clarke at the castle, presumably to negotiate with Russell while the crew goes off into the wilderness for whatever reason. When will they learn that they’re better together?!

Photo: CW

Jessica: Okay, now hear me out. I am a rational, grown-ass woman. I know we are not going to get a happily-ever-after for these two. But, tell me you don’t look at this gif and think of the “Day Trip” episode in Season 1 when Bellamy kills Dax and then semi-jokes that he and Clarke should just run away from their problems. TELL ME I’M CRAZY ALYSSA! I know most likely Bellamy thinks the whole group should run, probably because of the hallucinations (which we’ll get to in a sec) but, and here’s another Easter Egg, the “Day Trip” episode of Season 1 also had hallucinations. Bellamy hallucinated and the delinquents hallucinated after they ate those weird nuts. Coincidence? Probably.

Alyssa: You might be crazy, but I am right there sharing a glass of Kool-Aid with you, girl. Bellamy and Clarke are definitely not the “run away from their problems” types, so there’s no way this isn’t a “we need to risk everything to save our people” moment, but until that’s confirmed I am going to live in this little bubble of delusion with you. But I do love the idea of parallels to “Day Trip.” Ya girl loves a callback. That was also the episode where Bellamy and Clarke started to move beyond abject hatred, so THE SEEDS ARE THERE.

Photo: CW

Alyssa: Because this is The 100, things go south pretty quickly. Apparently, the twin suns of this new planet are not as benign as those on Tatooine. Pretty soon, everyone is miserable and tripping the hell out on whatever is in the air/water/cool drugs/eclipse on this new planet. The 100 has handled hallucinations before, as you said, but this looks to be next level. Weaponized, even. A method of control in this new society? Seems sinister enough. All I know is Emori is in a bad way and Octavia is fighting the physical manifestation of her guilt, so consider me quite concerned.

Jessica: Oooo, I hadn’t even though these hallucinations could be induced on purpose. I wouldn’t put it past Russell though. He’s already confirmed he doesn’t trust the group or think they should have a home there. Perhaps this is his way of thinning out the herd? Although, I’m not sure it’s just the suns causing these “episodes.”

Photo: CW

Jessica: Okay, so again, this is just a theory, but after how important the worms were last season, the image of a snake literally drilling into human flesh throws up all kinds of red flags for me. I know the eclipse is causing something sinister to happen to the team, but what if the hallucinations and angry outbursts are the results of this little baby infecting them? At one point in the trailer, Jackson is digging into Miller with a knife while he screams for him to “Get it out of me!” And Clarke seems to be there with him which makes me think it’s some kind of surgery. Maybe snakes are the new worms?

Alyssa: I love a good sci-fi creature, so I am definitely excited to see the flora and fauna of this new planet. The worms were a cool idea that kind of met an anticlimactic end, and the radioactive animals at the beginning of the first season never really panned out, so I’m trying to measure my expectations. Still, that long angry boi looks like a menace.

Photo: CW

Alyssa: Murphy is proof that if a show goes on long enough, your opinion can do a total 180 on pretty much any character. This cockroach was a real villain in the first couple of seasons, but he has managed to make me care. At this point, he is my trash son and I only want good things for him. I think that Clarke and Murphy have the most underrated rapport, so while everyone in this scene looks hella tense, I’m ready for these two to team up again.

Jessica: So, not only is Murphy once again the comedic balm amidst a chaotic sea of misery and imminent danger, but he’s also evolved into a total team player. This whole trailer felt like a bit of a redemption arc for him, giving him a spot front and center at the beginning, making him have an existential crisis, giving him a shirtless scene. What worries me here are the two puncture marks on his shoulder. He doesn’t look 100%, he’s obviously been “revived” by Clarke, and a few other clips in the trailer show him having a full meltdown and shooting at Clarke and Bellamy. So I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Murphy gets infected, but Clarke’s able to bring him back to himself at some point. Which is good news. A wise-cracking Murphy is the best kind of Murphy.

Photo: CW

Jessica: Even though this is a new world, we can’t escape some pesky formulas. Mainly, the idea that there are good guys: the civilized folks like Russell living in a makeshift Utopia, and the bad guys: these masked monsters who feel like another wave of Grounders. I think Bob Morley is the one who said this season mirrors Season 1 in a lot of ways, but maybe the group will take a different route and actually befriend these people? Just because Russell says they’re out to kill them doesn’t mean that’s true. Although, gas masks? Not the most comforting accessory.

Alyssa: I’ve watched enough dystopian stories to never, ever trust the people in power. I’m definitely getting some major Resistance vibes from these dudes, so Bellamy will probably be best bros with them in not too long. Clarke too, but I feel like she’s more likely to try and broker peace with Russell before going full Grounder again.

Photo: CW

Alyssa: To the surprise of no one, Octavia is Going Through It(™). The vestiges of Bloodreina are there, and she is clearly trying to unpack some of the guilt of what happened during the Dark Year. Cannibalism and fighting pits are not something that you just walk away from like it was no big deal. It was a huge deal. Additionally, Octavia is going to have to grapple with giving up the control that came with being a cannibal queen if they’re going to try and assimilate. She appears to be fighting a hallucination of herself, which isn’t the most subtle imagery, but it certainly is effective.

Jessica: That’s one thing I think Octavia has in common with the rest of the group. This season, they all seem to be fighting their darker sides. I think that’s a good sign. For so long, the motto of this show has been, “There are no good guys.” The team has become complacent with their darker impulses. Clarke doesn't even bat an eye when she’s forced to risk the lives of her friends or kill an innocent. I think this season, Monty’s directive, “Be the good guys,” means each of our heroes will have to defeat the worst of their natures in order to rise above what they once were. Octavia certainly has the longest road to travel, and most of the trailer sees her bruised, bloodied, or completely sh*t on by her brother, but at least she’s not apologizing to everyone like Clarke seems to be doing. She knows what she is, she knows what she’s done, and she’s not shying away from the worst of herself. Out of everyone, she seems the most capable of redemption at this point.

Photo: CW

Jessica: So, this gif seems to show Clarke and Madi reuniting, most likely after Clarke goes down to Sanctum with the first group and then signals it’s safe enough for everyone else to come down, Madi included. What worries me is when Clarke reveals Madi’s gone missing in the mysterious woods, and then we see shots of her being tortured and playing a darkly-lit game of chess with a cloaked figure that may or may not be the spirit of a more menacing commander. Am I happy Madi isn’t getting glimpses of Lexa anymore? Damn straight. But I really wish this whole Flame plotline would die the worst of deaths without putting poor Madi in danger.

Alyssa: From your lips to the gods’ ears, because the Flame needs to go. I’m really hoping that Sanctum does in the Commander plotline, honestly. The show has grown beyond that framework, and I am curious to see how their society evolves in a completely new setting. Book II: a new religion, a new government, no Flame. While I understand that keeping Clarke and Madi together could get monotonous in terms of storytelling, I’m not sure I dig “oh my god where’s Madi?!” yet again. Obviously, I am projecting a lot from just a few minutes of footage, but I think Madi and Clarke deserve to work as a team, instead of just having tearful reunions where Clarke tells Madi how special she is while simultaneously trying to keep her from using her power.

Photo: CW

Alyssa: This shot is giving me life. Clarke Griffin, painting and dancing. There is always the feeling that we’ll never see her crack a smile again, and we are blessed enough to receive some Happy Clarke in the trailer! Side note: I need that robe/cardigan/kimono, so if The CW could release the brand name, that would be GREAT.

Jessica: I just don’t know how to feel about a happy Clarke. It’s so foreign to me. Don’t get me wrong, I AM LIVING FOR THIS. The relaxed, hippie vibe, the carefree twirl. Clarke Griffin is living her best life, y’all. But, and again this could just be me, does one of those paintings look like a self-portrait, of Clarke with longer hair? Since when is Clarke Griffin the kind of person that paints herself?

Photo: CW

Jessica: Of course, the popular fan theory for this season is that at least a few of the scenes we’ve seen of Clarke and the others aren’t the real versions of those characters. We know there will be hallucinations and a “facing of demons,” but that might be taken extremely literal with the addition of clones. Perhaps it’s another weapon used by Russell to destroy the group? But after the poster for Season 6 showed Clarke facing off against herself, after the Alice Through The Looking Glass vibes of this new world, this theme of mirror images feels like a page right out of Jordan Peele’s book.

Alyssa: I miss Orphan Black all the time, so I am ready for clones. I think this cast has really shown that they can handle more complicated material, so playing shadow versions of themselves? Oh hell yeah. Sign me up. I want to subscribe to this newsletter. Also, this leads to the eternal question: if they are indeed clones, who will try to f*ck their clone first? I think we all know that it’s Murphy.