Television Review: The 100, Season 6

Programme: The 100, season 6

Company: Bonanza Productions

Year: 2019

Synopsis: For five seasons, our heroes did whatever it took to survive on Earth… and nothing worked. Their inability to overcome the instinct to fight caused the destruction of the planet. Now, after 125 years in cryosleep, traveling through the stars, our heroes wake up to a new home, a final gift from their dearly departed friend Monty. A place where they can try again. They’re given one simple task: do better. Be the good guys.

With this credo in mind, Clarke and Bellamy (series stars ELIZA TAYLOR and BOB MORLEY) lead a group down to this mysterious world, hoping to start anew, to finally find peace. But old habits die hard, and when they discover an idyllic society, it quickly becomes clear that not everything on Sanctum is as perfect as it seems. Despite their determination to do better, threats both seen and unseen, internal and external, will once again force our heroes to fight for their lives and the future of humanity.

Series 1 | Series 2 | Series 3 | Series 4 | Series 5

You reach a point in a series where the characters start to stall and the plot lines become more far-fetched. I felt this was the case with last season of The 100: the books have long been left behind and the story-arc seemed extreme, as if pushing just how far these characters can go.

That being said, I returned for season 6 and surprised myself; I enjoyed it. It’s not a gripping-edge-of-your-seat watch – it hasn’t been for some time – but it still has its entertaining moments and has become easy watching and a way to pass an evening.

A new world brings a fresh threat and a new set of challenges to our heroes. Driven by Monty’s last message to ‘do better’, the group are determined to make a home for themselves without bloodshed or violence. But this wouldn’t be The 100 if everything went to plan and this new world is strife with conflict as much as the old one.

While Clarke and Bellamy still lead as the main characters, there is a shift as others come to the forefront. Echo, for one, becomes more prominent as we learn more of her backstory and how she became a spy, adding depth to her character that was previously lacking.

Octavia steps back this series, but perhaps has the most extreme development compared to her descent into darkness in the past few seasons. She starts to redeem herself – and it means she’s a likeable character again compared to the annoying one from the past few series. Likewise, Raven doesn’t seem as much of a driving force, more as an emotional tether for Abby, with painful consequences for both of them.

Madi’s storyline seemed to shift down a darker route, but it only played out as a secondary arc compared to the main plot and was – apparently – rectified by the end of the season. It felt underplayed for a character that seems to be more important with each season. It did, typically, set things up nicely for next time!

Clarke and Bellamy are more united again. But when Clarke is killed/possessed/taken over by a host, it shifts the dynamic. It was fun seeing Clarke acting differently from previous series and stops her character from going through the same dilemmas she faces every series. It also prevented the predictable falling out between the two of them as they struggle to be united in their goals and ambitions. It was an interesting story-arc and worked effectively to keep momentum going rather than it feeling stunted as in previous seasons.

The new world, to be honest, looks remarkably like the old one just with some interesting shifts in lighting that make it look quite pretty in certain scenes. The backstory of the inhabitants is a typical one of The 100, with nothing being quite as it seems. While not as violent as previous seasons, danger still lurks and peace still isn’t a reality for our heroes.

An enjoyable watch for those engaged with the series.

Amazon

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