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Wondercon 2019 | Interview with THE 100 creator Jason Rothenberg and star Eliza Taylor

Before we get some details from Eliza Taylor and her input on the upcoming season of The 100, we first get to chat with the creator of the show, Jason Rothenberg and see if we can get more information about this new world in which our group is going to inhabit this sixth season.

For those that have not seen the show, Rothenberg explains that this season could be starting point to join in on the fun.

“But the story that we created is a real breaking point, it’s a real change. Everything is different.“

Jason Rothenberg on season 6 of The 100

“It feels like a new show. I do think you could probably pick it up and figure it out really quickly who hates who, who loves who, who’s had sex with who and whatnot.”

For those that have seen the show since season one, the first episode of this season at least may have that familiarity in a few ways, especially when the group first goes down to the new planet.

“It’s similar certainly in that our heroes land on a new planet, right? And there’s definitely some sort of like visual callbacks, doors opening, seeing the new world, wanting to step out together this time instead of Octavia going first.”


People: Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley, Sachin Sahel, Jarod Joseph, Tasya Teles, Jordan Bolger
© Diyah Pera/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Rothenberg did bring up something that I found agreeable, at least from my perspective, which is how the pilot episode played out.

“I feel like the pilot episode was not real representative with what the show ultimately became. It’s very different. We were still trying to figure out, would The CW let us go as dark as we eventually went. And the answer, of course, is yes.”

“This was an opportunity to be able to do it again the way I wish we could’ve the first time.”

Jason Rothenberg on episode 1 of season 6 of The 100

Given the strength of the previous season, we had to ask how he had planned to make this one even better, or at least just as good.

“I’ve always approached it as a new movie every year. A new look. Obviously we haven’t referred to it that way until this time. I retooled the writers room. Some people left because they had other jobs. It was just time to change a lot, and we did. The colors are different, the look is different.”

The show has had a lot of moral ambiguity throughout, within many, if not all, of the characters, but from a viewers perspective, there’s always a desire to root for the “good guys.” Rothenberg explains that’s not the case here and this season is going to be no different.

“They’re not the good guys. There are no good guys, really. But yeah, they come with a package to this new world. And there is a world in place, and a society that’s, for all intents and purposes, we can’t talk much about it, but it’s working. And will they allows these guys into their world is the big question.”

Eliza Taylor (Clarke Griffin) comes over and chimes in on that as well.

“Yeah, especially once they realize what we’ve done to the last world.”

Rothenberg gives us just a little bit of a tease as to one of the problems the group will face when they encounter the leader of the new world’s society.

“Russell realizes that there’s murderers and thieves and criminals. Are they going to invite them in? Do they believe in rehabilitation? That’s something you have to grapple with as the leader in this new society. Do I want to be a good guy?”

The 100 — “Sanctum” — Pictured: Eliza Taylor as Clarke
Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

Now for Eliza’s character, we can kind of guess what this will mean to her. But certainly she’s going to struggle, as is par for the course when it comes to our ‘princess.’

“For Clarke, she really just wants a fresh start.”

Eliza Taylor on Clarke at the beginning of season 6

We already saw some conflict between Clarke and Maddie at the end of season 5, especially with Maddie becoming Blodreina, and we can confirm that there will continue to be conflict between the two this season, especially with what they encounter in the new world.

“That’s something that’s beyond Clarke’s knowledge, it’s something that she really struggles with because it’s like she’s fighting a demon that we can’t see.”

“It definitely drives a bit of a nail into their relationship.”

Taylor hints at some conflict between her character and Richard Harmon’s character, Murphy, which we probably shouldn’t be surprised about. It’s something that we haven’t seen in a while since much of the last few seasons Clarke and Murphy didn’t have a whole lot of interaction.

“One thing I love about this season is Murphy’s gone back to just saying how he feels, what he thinks, you know, he’s gotten that edge back, and Clarke’s also got a bit of an edge and she’s not having it, so they do like get at each other. It’s fun to watch. Like, it’s not a bad thing, it’s just that… yeah.”

As far as conflict with the others in the group, well, Clarke definitely has done wrong by many of them last season, and it seems she’ll be doing some groveling to get back in their good graces, but we don’t know how many of them will actually forgive her.

She’s trying to make the rounds to everyone to make peace. She just hopes they understand why she did what she did.

On Clarke’s goal for season 6

“There’s a huge rift at the beginning of this between Clarke and most of the other characters. I think Bellamy is the only one who is really understanding. Everything that she’s done and gone through, so it’s a pretty lonely pursuit for Clarke in the first few episodes. She’s trying to make the rounds to everyone to make peace. She just hopes they understand why she did what she did. Some will take it better than others”

Taylor hints at Clarke’s dealings with Russell, played by J.R. Bourne, who is the leader of the new society.

“It is very complicated. It runs very deep, into the history of Sanctum and also the history of our Earth. There are these two leaders that come together to negotiate living in peace and, um, I mean, all hell breaks loose. But it is, I mean I hope, pretty amazing to watch.”

In regards to what else is in store for Clarke, she does hint at some new trauma that she’ll be facing, and something that it seems many, if not all of the group, will be facing.

“I have to add a lot to my skill set as an actor to kind of pull this off. Hopefully I did pull it off. It was really tricky and I can’t say anything about it otherwise I’m going to spoil it, but yeah, you’re going to see a very different side of me.”  

Season 6 of The 100 premieres tonight at 9pm on The CW.


By Nat, the Geek Girl

Southern California native who likes movies, books (Shadowhunter Chronicles, NA, YA fantasy, Red Rising series), TV shows (The Sandman), and San Diego Comic-Con. I also like to write, but don't get to do much of that aside from on here. I fell into the BTS rabbit hole, and I refuse to leave.