ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Clarke has always been the person who made big decisions, but she never had to sacrifice herself. It felt so significant that she finally did.
JASON ROTHENBERG: You’re right — in the past, she’s always been forced into these awful choices of who she’s going to sacrifice. And in this story, that choice was to sacrifice herself for her friends so they could continue. [Now] in that moment, she didn’t know she was going to make it. She didn’t know that her nightblood would save her. And that’s why she says, “My fight is over” as she’s about to start climbing.
So we’ll get space flashbacks, too?
When we go into the ring in season 5 and we see how Bellamy and Raven and Monty and the others have made it, we’ll be very surprised by what we find up there. Ultimately, we’ll want to tell some of the story of how it happened. And flashbacks are part of the DNA of the show, too, so it’s not like we’re like, “Oh, we’re going to do flashbacks for the first time.” We always do flashbacks!
JASON ROTHENBERG: You’re right — in the past, she’s always been forced into these awful choices of who she’s going to sacrifice. And in this story, that choice was to sacrifice herself for her friends so they could continue. [Now] in that moment, she didn’t know she was going to make it. She didn’t know that her nightblood would save her. And that’s why she says, “My fight is over” as she’s about to start climbing.
So we’ll get space flashbacks, too?
When we go into the ring in season 5 and we see how Bellamy and Raven and Monty and the others have made it, we’ll be very surprised by what we find up there. Ultimately, we’ll want to tell some of the story of how it happened. And flashbacks are part of the DNA of the show, too, so it’s not like we’re like, “Oh, we’re going to do flashbacks for the first time.” We always do flashbacks!
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In sending so many characters back up to space, and you also have this new threat descending from the sky, do you feel that season five is almost a return to the roots of The 100, where that hard sci-fi element is back in place?
Yeah, absolutely. For sure, there's a big space component. That's hard sci-fi. It's a full circle, like I said before, with the prisoners on the ground, only now they are hardened criminals who were sent on this mining mission, perhaps. Now we, Clarke in particular, are the Grounders. It's a full circle, shoe-is-on-the-other-foot perspective switch. Now our characters who are in space are going to have to figure out how to get down and all of which is great sci-fi.
How much longer do you see The 100's story going for? Do you still have years of story to tell, or is season five moving us into endgame territory?
Unfortunately, those decisions are above my pay grade, obviously. I love these characters and I love this world, and certainly this reboot of a [six-]year time jump provides us with a springboard that could go forward for season upon season. There's no reason why it should have to end. If it does have to end, the finale — which is weird to talk about, the finale of season five! But it's epic, and it could perhaps serve as [an ending]. I hope it doesn't. Hopefully they'll give some indication as we're working through as to whether or not it is, so I can give the coming finale the weight I think it would deserve if it was a series finale. Unfortunately, as you know, so many of these things are business decisions that are made financially and not creatively.
Yeah, absolutely. For sure, there's a big space component. That's hard sci-fi. It's a full circle, like I said before, with the prisoners on the ground, only now they are hardened criminals who were sent on this mining mission, perhaps. Now we, Clarke in particular, are the Grounders. It's a full circle, shoe-is-on-the-other-foot perspective switch. Now our characters who are in space are going to have to figure out how to get down and all of which is great sci-fi.
How much longer do you see The 100's story going for? Do you still have years of story to tell, or is season five moving us into endgame territory?
Unfortunately, those decisions are above my pay grade, obviously. I love these characters and I love this world, and certainly this reboot of a [six-]year time jump provides us with a springboard that could go forward for season upon season. There's no reason why it should have to end. If it does have to end, the finale — which is weird to talk about, the finale of season five! But it's epic, and it could perhaps serve as [an ending]. I hope it doesn't. Hopefully they'll give some indication as we're working through as to whether or not it is, so I can give the coming finale the weight I think it would deserve if it was a series finale. Unfortunately, as you know, so many of these things are business decisions that are made financially and not creatively.
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