The 100 Season 5 Review

Check out my reviews of previous seasons: Season 1 Review. -- Season 2 Review -- Season 3 Review -- Season 4 Review.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Season 5 of The 100 started off on a great footing. I absolutely loved the first two episodes and the way they each focused on one location/group of characters and showed us what happened in the aftermath of "Praimfaya 2.0" and how the characters dealt with it. Even though I hate Clarke with a passion I actually enjoyed her episode!

By the end of the second episode, however, I had some worries and they only increased as the season went along. I didn't mind the introduction of the prisoners much, because it made sense in world and was a good way to change things up and introduce new conflicts. What I did mind was the show trying to make us feel as if Diyoza was somehow the good guy increasingly throughout the season and the destruction of the great character development they had done through 4 seasons with Octavia. I tried really hard not to hate who Octavia had become, or even to hate her, but find it a justifiable change, but the problem is that they didn't do enough work to show us what happened in those six years to make her the way she was.

And slowly throughout the season, as they continued to focus on characters nobody cares about like Abby Griffin and Diyoza and ignore characters I wanted to see more of I became pretty disengaged with the show. I've seen other fans commenting about how this season felt slow and not much happened - I don't think that's really the problem - I just think that they failed to show us why characters like Octavia, Miller, Niylah and so on had become who they were. They suddenly portrayed Octavia up as a cruel dictator right after having her be the most reasonable/fair one at the end of Season 4 and they didn't show HOW that change had occurred. I would have really been behind another flashback episode or two showing more problems in the bunker and how Octavia dealt with them and maybe that forcing her to become as ruthless as she was, but at the same actually showing us why characters like Miller and Niylah keep saying she saved them all. In a way this is the same thing they did with Bellamy in season 3. A sudden change in character that could have worked it they had bothered investing time in it, but just really failed with the way it was handled.

I think the other main issue is that by the end of the season the only characters I cared about (Spacekru) were so sidelined or helpless that the outcome of the conflict meant pretty much nothing to me. All I wanted was for Murphy, Emori, Echo, Monty, Harper, and Bellamy I guess, to be OK. In fact, I would have loved to have seen these guys just set up their own little village somewhere with Monty providing food using his Algae/farming skills and just ignore the stupid conflict between Octavia and Diyoza.

Another thing about that conflict that really bugged me is all the previously smart characters suddenly deciding it was a smart idea  for ALL OF WONKRU to SURRENDER to these prisoners who had literally betrayed them the second they got their doctor/got what they needed. Come on, now, Indra? Bellamy? Kane? Do you seriously think that would have been a good idea? Do you honestly think that your life would have proceeded just fine with Diyoza playing dictator instead of Octavia? Please.

Finally, the constant betrayals with Kane and Clarke just made the show completely random and pointless. Clarke's always been the antagonist in my view (at least since the last part of season 2 where she decided to kill all of the mountain men and their children) but the constant back and forth she did this season, betraying absolutely everybody without a care for who was getting hurt except Madi made it really hard to care about anything. Because every time anybody from any side or group or opinion made any progress there was Clarke ready to destroy that progress!

There were things to like about this season though. I liked Shaw as a character because all his actions were based on his desire to do the right thing and not be oppressive. He seemed to genuinely care for human life and his explanation of why he was with the prisoners in the first place and how he had helped them escape was great. His interaction with Raven and their growing fondness for each other were also great because I liked both characters and really wanted Raven to be happy.

I also particularly enjoyed Monty's entire story line this season, even though it was very little. What little we got really worked and I'm really glad that he and Harper got a happy ending without having to watch these morons do more and more stupid stuff. A great way for these two characters to go without destroying their character or anything. And in the end Monty got to use his skills to literally give all that's left of humanity a second chance which is awesome.

Overall it was an OK season. This show really works best if you binge watch it, I think, because you can kind of gloss over the pointlessness and just work through the things that make very little sense and just enjoy the spectacle and enjoy raging at the stupid decisions that Clarke and co make. The ending also provided an interesting reset for the show to again give them fresh new ideas and conflicts (and new worlds for Clarke to destroy, I guess! LOL)