10 times Clarke Griffin was one of the best leads on TV

Clarke Griffin, played by Eliza Taylor, has proven time and time again on The 100 that she is as loving as she is fierce.

The CW’s The 100 is known for having powerful female leads and side characters, and Clarke Griffin is at the forefront of that reputation. Played by Eliza Taylor, Clarke quickly becomes a leader as the first season of the show unfolds. After that, she proves again and again how far she’s willing to go for her people — even if it costs her.

Given the difficult decisions she’s constantly asked to make, Clarke’s character has plenty of emotional and powerful moments throughout the series. And each of these showcases Eliza Taylor’s skills as an actress, forcing her to step into whatever struggle Clarke is facing.

Here are 10 moments that prove Clarke Griffin is one of the best lead characters on television (thanks to Eliza’s acting, of course).

1. Clarke pulls the lever without Finn and Bellamy (S1E13)

Though it was always clear that Clarke would do whatever it took to protect her people, fans see just how true that is during the first season finale, “We Are Grounders Part Two.” Despite the fact that Bellamy and Finn are still on the battlefield, she makes the difficult decision to shut the doors of their ship — leaving her friends on the other side when they set the field ablaze.

This scene showcases Eliza Taylor’s talents as an actress, as you can truly see the conflict going on in Clarke’s mind. She doesn’t want to leave the people she cares about behind, but she won’t allow the grounders to reach the hundred’s ship and slaughter all of her people.

2. Clarke kills Finn (S2E8)

During the second season, Finn escalates Skaikru’s conflict with the grounders by attacking a village of innocents. Because of this, their commander demands Finn’s life as the price for peace between the grounders and Skaikru.

Clarke doesn’t initially want to go through with this, but Finn hands himself over. And when the grounders intend on torturing him to death, she steps in and does the job herself — giving him an “easy” death and ensuring peace for her people.

Viewers can tell what it does to Clarke mentally to make this choice, but she follows through with it because it’s the only way. And Eliza’s acting after this scene is spectacular, demonstrating Clarke’s regret and sadness over what she feels she was forced to do.

3. Clarke takes charge of Skaikru’s camp (S2E11)

When Skaikru captures Emerson, one of the leaders from Mount Weather, Abby and Kane insist on keeping him locked up. Clarke feels that they’d fare better by sending a message to Mount Weather, so she makes sure it happens.

During season 2, there’s a lot of conflict between the adults on the show — most of whom believe they “know best” — and the kids who have been navigating the ground for months without anyone telling them what to do.

Clarke ends this conflict when she frees Emerson and disobeys Abby’s orders to stand down. The grounders stand behind her because they respect her. It’s a powerful moment, especially when Clarke tells Abby, “You may be the Chancellor, but I’m in charge.”

4. “Maybe life should be about more than just surviving.” (S2E14)

Following Finn’s death, Clarke teams up with grounder commander Lexa to take down Mount Weather. But when Lexa attempts to have Octavia killed to ensure her silence, Clarke stands up to her. This is a bold move, but it wins her Lexa’s respect and trust.

Later, when the two talk, Lexa tells Clarke that this is how they survive. And despite Clarke’s willingness to do anything it takes to survive, she tells the commander: “Maybe life should be about more than just surviving. Don’t we deserve better than that?”

This line is repeated throughout the series, and it speaks to one of the major themes of the show. It’s a powerful one, and it shows that Clarke is a good person despite the things she’s had to do.

5. “I bear it so they don’t have to.” (S2E16)

The season 2 finale, “Blood Must Have Blood Part Two,” ends with Bellamy and Clarke making the incredibly difficult choice to save their own people at the cost of all those in Mount Weather. This haunts them both, and Clarke decides to leave her people behind because of it.

“Seeing their faces every day is just going to remind me of what I did to get them here,” she tells Bellamy. And though he insists that she doesn’t have to cope with this by herself, she still leaves. She “bears it so they don’t have to,” just another quality that proves what a true leader Clarke is.

6. Clarke convinces Lexa to choose peace (S3E5)

Say what you will about Clarke’s decisions, but she always attempts peace before resorting to more gruesome means of survival. And one of her strongest moments is when she convinces Lexa to pursue peace as well.

When Pike takes over during the third season, he sends his men to slaughter an entire army of grounders. Naturally, when Lexa arrives on the scene, her first instinct is to declare war once again. But while Clarke acknowledges that this response would be understandable, she begs Lexa to be a leader “who shows the world a better way.”

Her argument is persuasive enough that Lexa agrees. And the points that the two women make in favor of peace go far beyond The 100 — they’re applicable to our own world, as well. That’s part of what makes this moment so powerful, on top of the fact that this scene is comprised of a bunch of women making political decisions that could affect the entire human race. Talk about making a statement.

7. “You don’t ease pain. You overcome it.” (S3E16)

During the third season finale, Clarke takes the flame in order to stop Allie from enslaving the entire human race within the “City of Light.” When she finally reaches Allie, however, the AI informs her that the world is ending all the same. Due to radiation, the Death Wave is coming. Earth has a few months left at most.

Allie tries to convince Clarke that human beings are better off remaining in the “City of Light,” where they’ll be unaware of the world ending — and their pain. “Let me ease their pain,” she insists. But in character, Clarke drops some wisdom, “You don’t ease pain. You overcome it.”

She chooses to find a way to survive in spite of the Death Wave, because that’s what Clarke does. She never gives up, not when there’s still hope of making it through.

8. Clarke sacrifices herself for her friends (S4E13)

The fourth season of The 100 is when the Death Wave, also known as “Praimfaya,” finally arrives. And when the world is about to end, Clarke and her friends find themselves outside of the bunker. Raven agrees to fly them back to the Ark, but she needs Clarke to program a satellite to do so.

Unfortunately for Clarke, this requires more than pressing a few buttons. She’s forced to climb the tower and refocus the satellite herself. This doesn’t give her enough time to get back to the others, and so she accepts that she’ll need to sacrifice her own life to save them.

The moment this realization sets in is an intense one, but the speed with which Clarke accepts it and moves on just proves how much she cares about her friends.

9. Clarke breaks down in the desert (S5E1)

The fifth season of The 100 opens with a unique episode, one that mostly chronicles Clarke’s time on Earth during the months following Praimfaya. She fails to open the bunker and can’t contact her friends on the Ark. The episode goes by slowly, but it’s representative of how Clarke’s time is passing. After all, just imagine how dull and lonely it must be to be the last person on Earth.

Toward the end of the episode, while she’s traveling through the desert, Clarke finally breaks. It’s rare to see Clarke lose control, and Eliza Taylor handles the scene expertly. It’s an emotional moment for her character, during which Clarke admits that she “has lost everything.”

10. “We will meet again.” (S5E12)

During the first part of the fifth season finale, Clarke has abandoned her friends in favor of saving Madi — despite the fact that Madi wants to help Bellamy and the others take back the valley. But during a heartfelt discussion with her adopted daughter, Madi convinces Clarke that they need to save her people.

Over the course of this conversation, Clarke accepts that she needs to let go of Madi and allow her to be the commander she is meant to be. Letting go is an emotional concept for all parents, but given that this situation puts Madi’s life in danger, it’s even worse for Clarke.

Still, she calls upon the strength to do what needs to be done — even if it means that she can’t stay by Madi’s side and protect her. And when Madi worries that they’ll never see one another again, Clarke says it’s impossible and drops one of her best lines in the series: “You may be the commander, but I’m the commander of death. And I say we will meet again.”

What’s your favorite Clarke Griffin moment from The 100? Share with us in the comments!