How The 100 wasted its younger generation of characters

The 100 could have gone far with its younger generation of characters. Unfortunately, it didn’t take advantage of them the way it should have.

The seventh and final season of The 100 has been met with plenty of criticism from fans, and the reasons behind the backlash are many. The show’s last hurrah has felt like a jumbled mess of storylines that will be difficult to wrap up in next week’s finale. And let’s be honest, some of those storylines should have been killed long before season seven even aired. (Looking at you, Sheidheda.)

Then there’s the show’s insistence on undoing seasons’ worth of character development for the sake of the plot, all without giving the viewer much reason to believe Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia, or anyone else on this show would ever act the way they’ve been acting. Add in Bellamy’s last-minute, shock-value demise and one has to wonder why this series didn’t just call it quits after season four or five.

Of course, The 100 could have saved itself after those seasons — or “Book One,” if you will — by giving us a genuine soft reboot. You know, one that actually shifted focus to the series’ new generation of characters, all of whom could easily have taken over for Clarke and her friends once they landed on Sanctum.

Heading into the show’s final installment, one has to wonder what the point of adding the next generation was, since none of them have done much beyond further the original characters’ storylines. It’s possible they’ll become the leaders after the gang transcends or loses the Last War or whatever the heck they’re going to do in the finale. Even still, one can’t help but wonder what this show could have looked like if Madi, Jordan, and Hope were given more time to shine.

Let’s start by looking at the character who has prompted the most controversy since “The Dying of the Light” aired: Madi.

Madi

Madi was introduced back in season five, a Nightblood child Clarke found during her years wandering Earth alone. If you’ve seen any five minutes of The 100 recently, you’ll know that Clarke views herself as Madi’s adopted mother. And although that premise could have proved interesting once upon a time, it’s managed to singlehandedly destroy both of their characters over the past few seasons.

When we first meet Madi, there’s a lot of potential there. With Octavia becoming a bloodthirsty tyrant in season five, it seemed certain Madi’s purpose was to become the next commander of the Grounder clans. She represented a return to normalcy for the Grounders, and she served as a link to Lexa and the show’s past lessons. It’s set up well, and casting a talented actress like Lola Flanery promised big things to come.

Fifth-season Madi also had an agency that fans have rarely seen since. She was tough and clever, and she called Clarke on her BS. Often. She was a refreshing addition to the show, and one couldn’t help but think that, with a little training, she’d make a Heda worthy of succeeding Lexa kom Triku.

Unfortunately, Madi’s time in command is devastatingly shortlived. Almost immediately after season six begins, Clarke and the others decide that Madi shouldn’t really be in charge. She’s just a kid, after all. And so begins a long, tiresome journey of people deciding things for Madi while she becomes less and less a character and more and more a plot device.

In season six, Madi is briefly given time to grieve Clarke’s apparent death before Sheidheda possesses her, robbing her of any decision-making capabilities until Raven destroys his code. And even if Sheidheda could have been an interesting plotline for the season, his interference prevents fans from getting to know Madi’s character in further depth.

That escalates in season seven, when Madi is reduced almost entirely to a plot device, becoming the catalyst for every single poor decision that Clarke makes. Her erasure as a character is made even worse by the fact that we rarely even see her before the final episodes of the season, and the few scenes she does have focus solely on her either playing sports or having panic attacks. The latter could have prompted a meaningful exploration of what survival has done to these characters, but like everything else this season, her PTSD is not explored with any depth.

Meanwhile, Clarke spends the entirety of season seven essentially denying Madi any agency with little pushback. The sole exception is when, during “A Sort of Homecoming,” Madi finally tells Clarke off for killing Bellamy (thank you) and turns herself over to Cadogan before anyone else can be killed on her behalf. It’s a big moment for her, but again, it doesn’t last very long.

Madi maintains her spitfire personality while Cadogan has her in M-Cap, but the episode only spends one scene on their back and forth before returning to Clarke and Octavia. And when the two finally come across Madi, she’s been tortured to the point of having a stroke — all off-screen — and has lost her ability to move or speak.

It’s a terrible end for her character, not just because of its brutality and the ableism that quickly follows, but because yet again Madi’s circumstances fuel one singular purpose: getting Clarke to go after Cadogan and take the final test. Even in her last moments, Madi is treated as more of a plot device than a character. She truly deserved better.

Jordan

Like Madi, Jordan linked The 100‘s later seasons to the lessons learned during the earlier ones. He’s intended to be a representation of both Jasper and Monty, despite the fact that neither of them ever made it to Sanctum or Bardo. Jordan reminds viewers of Monty’s wish that the characters do better, and he also serves as a reminder of his namesake’s belief that humans could never do better. (Sadly, the show seems to be veering more and more toward Jasper’s theory.)

Although Jordan first appears in the season five finale, fans don’t really get to know him until season six — and his storyline in Sanctum could have been a meaningful one if he’d been given more screen time, or if the show had ever followed up on it during season seven.

Jordan spends most of his early days on Sanctum interacting with the Primes and their followers, and he becomes immersed in their way of life, despite how morally dubious it all is. Jordan’s pull toward this cult-like group could have made for some interesting developments upon meeting the Disciples in season seven, but … the kid has mostly just been there to shout “It’s a test!” at anyone who will listen.

Jordan also has the devastating realization at the end of season six that his father’s people really aren’t making enough of an effort to “do better.” His sentiment that the Primes were living peacefully before Clarke and the gang arrived is hauntingly similar to Jasper’s words about Mount Weather. Unfortunately, season seven never explores his thoughts on this further, relegating him to the sidelines instead. And his silence is made even stranger by the fact that these final episodes have truly highlighted Clarke and Bellamy’s failure to be better. And yet, radio silence from Jordan.

Hope

To be fair, Hope has fared well in season seven of The 100, at least compared to Madi and Jordan. She’s gotten a fleshed-out backstory, plenty of agency, and she’s given more than enough screen time in the show’s final season. Unfortunately, though, when you really break things down, she’s almost as much a plot device as Madi is.

Although it’s nowhere as extreme as the Clarke/Madi relationship, Hope’s single purpose seems to be proving to the audience that Octavia understands family now. And while we’re so glad Octavia gets to find happiness and love this season, recent events taint this purpose a little bit. Because, when it comes down to it, it’s hard not to feel like Hope is there to ensure that Octavia can understand and forgive Clarke when she kills her big brother. Eye roll, please.

Since escaping Bardo, Hope has also been giving surprisingly little to do. It doesn’t seem she’ll play a big role in the season finale — that is, unless she and Jordan begin their own civilization once everything is said and done. (Now there’s a relationship we also would have loved to see more of!)

Perhaps if the pending spin-off for the show had been a sequel instead of a prequel, fans would have been given more reason to care. As it is, Hope’s entire purpose this season appears to be fueling Octavia’s narrative — and filling in a few gaps about the weird time-travel plot.

What do you think of how The 100 has handled its younger generation of characters? Let us know in the comments below!