The 100: Will Clarke get her mind back from the Lightbournes?

During the most recent episode of The 100, Clarke’s mind was replaced by Josephine Lightbourne’s. Will this change be permanent, or will Clarke regain her mind and memories?

The last episode of The 100 left fans on quite the cliffhanger, with Clarke’s mind and memories potentially being erased for good. At least, that’s what Russell Lightbourne insists will happen when he and Simone insert their daughter’s consciousness into Clarke’s body—and, from what fans have seen so far, it certainly seems like only Josephine is residing in Clarke’s head right now.

But will The 100 really write off its main character like this? It seems doubtful the show would take that route, even if Clarke were to depart from the series eventually. What’s more likely is that Clarke will fight Josephine’s control over her mind. The question that remains is how. 

While Clarke is one of the strongest-willed characters on The 100, it seems unlikely that sheer determination alone will get her out of this mess. The Lightbournes seem to know what they’re doing with the Nightblood “hosts” at this stage, and Russell appears pretty confident that the mind of the original host isn’t present after the procedure occurs. From that, fans can also assume that simply removing the chip from Clarke’s neck won’t do the trick.

On top of that, Josephine herself seems pretty strong minded from what we’ve seen. So, even if Clarke did surface, she’d have that to contend with. And while that battle of wills would be a fascinating one, it would be a difficult one to present onscreen.

What could wind up saving Clarke is the fact that she isn’t naturally a Nightblood. The Lightbournes, of course, don’t know this about her. But fans of the series know that Clarke injected herself with Nightblood during season four, allowing her to survive Praimfaya when it finally hit. Is it possible that this distinction between Clarke and the other hosts could save her?

It’s unclear why this would make a difference, but it seems the most plausible explanation if Clarke’s consciousness were to return to her body. Perhaps there will be a way of returning red blood to Clarke’s veins, or maybe her history will give her an advantage we can’t yet see.

Of course, if Clarke’s Nightblood does eventually reject Josephine’s presence, that still leaves Madi in a great deal of danger if she’s discovered by the Primes. Unlike Clarke, Madi was born a Nightblood—meaning any upper hand Clarke gains from having synthesized Nightblood wouldn’t apply to her.

There’s also a chance Russell’s wrong about the hosts’ minds. Perhaps we’ll see both Clarke and Delilah return during season six…though that theory does seem a tad too optimistic for a show like this one.

The 100 airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.