The 100 season 4 finale was scorching hot, quite literally. As praimfaya threatened to end the lives of every remaining soul left on earth, the characters were faced with their biggest task yet – making it to safety before the death wave scorched the earth. There was an equal amount of action as the characters rushed to prepare the spaceship to take them to the Ark and an equal amount of emotion as some of them said their final goodbyes and had to leave their friends behind, and although many fans were expecting a time jump, nobody was prepared for a time jump spanning 6 years and 7 days.

Admittedly, as the screen turned to black and the season officially ended, I was more than just a bit skeptical and disappointed about the time jump. But after a few days of decompressing, a lot of re-watches, and even more thinking, I’ve come to realize that the episode was freaking brilliant. Not only is it starting a new chapter in the story that is The 100, but it’s literally leaving so much open. Which leads me to wonder, what exactly can we expect out of season five?

So About Eliguis…

It was perhaps the biggest shockwave of the season. A spaceship descending from the sky, but it isn’t the one that Clarke had been hoping for. This spaceship has the words “Eliguis Corporation” and “Prisoner Transport” written on it. Yeah, that just doesn’t sound too good. But season 4 was rampant with clues, and this is a particular callback to 4×05 “The Tinder Box” when Raven and Co. were in Becca’s lab.

Jackson: Abby, listen to this. According to the record, Becca first developed what we know as nightblood for the Eliguis Mining Company.

Abby: Mining?

Jackson: Long duration space missions. Criminals were put into hypersleep and given nightblood to protect against solar radiation.

Apparently the Eliguis reference wasn’t just a dead end, and now the small colony of miners is returning to the ground.  Which brings us to the next point…

Role Reversal

The 100 begins with 100 delinquents being sent to the ground. They are sent with no knowledge of whether or not the land is inhabitable, let alone survivable, and no knowledge that their first footsteps on Earth mark them as intruders. They were returning home to a place they had never known, but deep in their veins knew they belonged. But as time would show, they weren’t alone. And so would begin a power struggle between Skaikru and Grounders. 

Season 5 is going to see these roles reversed. Now Clarke is a Grounder, having been surviving on the ground for more than six years when suddenly a strange ship falls from the sky. Whoever is on the Eliguis ship (coincidentally the Eliguis colony is made up of criminals) is Skaikru, returning home to a land they haven’t seen for over a century. Will similar tensions arise between these new factions, or will they be able to work through their differences and learn to live together on the small percentage of the planet that’s inhabitable?

The Ark

Raven, Bellamy, Echo, Murphy, Emori, Monty, and Harper all returned to the Ark in the season finale, the place that they would be calling home for the next five six years. Living there wouldn’t be easy, and every day would be a struggle until they could return to the ground. But the time jump left us with no clues as to what could have happened.

For starters, ALIE is on the Ark. In what capacity, we aren’t entirely sure. Could she have proven to be a threat once again, or is she lying completely dormant?

To top the entire space story off, we now know that the Arkers weren’t the only once floating around up there. Eliguis was up there, too. So could there be a possibility that some time during that six year time jump the Ark and Eliguis made contact? Is it possible that Raven and Co. joined the Eliguis colony? It would certainly benefit Clarke if she saw some familiar faces stepping off of an unfamiliar ship.

The Bunker

The bunker is also shrouded in mystery. Clarke states that she hasn’t had contact with anyone in the bunker, and that as a result of praimfaya, the door is buried in rubble. It’s probably safe to assume that there are still survivors, but what exactly has taken place in the span of six years? Were they able to produce enough food and oxygen for the 1,200 people living there, or were resources scarce like they were on the Ark? Did they have to resort to the same extremes that they did on the Ark – executing for the smallest of crimes? And how has Octavia managed to lead? 12 different clans were brought into one enclosed space, each with different viewpoints and cultural beliefs – were they able to put aside their differences, or did tensions rise and each clan look after themselves as resources dwindled?

With Eliguis being a mining company, we may find out sooner rather than later. Assuming that Clarke and the newcomers start off on the right foot, – having those familiar faces on Eliguis would certainly help with this – it seems likely that the spaceship would have the equipment and manpower to remove the rubble and open the bunker door.

Clashing Leaders

The 100 has seen its fair share of clashing leaders: Kane and Jaha. Abby and Jaha. Lexa and Skaikru. Lexa and Nia. But when season 5 comes around, we will see a minimum of three different leaders: Octavia leading those in the bunker, Clarke leading Madi on the ground as a maternal figure, and most likely Bellamy leading the group on the Ark. A fourth leader could come in the form of whoever is leading the prisoner spaceship. When all of these different groups collide, how will they react? The characters won’t be the same. In the span of six years, they will have all changed, and their priorities will have shifted.

New Relationships

Living in such close proximity to one another – whether it be with 1,200 people in the bunker or seven people on the Ark – and having to spend six years with them…well, you’re going to rely on one another for comfort. It’s human nature. Relationships will have formed, and most likely, some others will have probably ended. Will Bellamy have found companionship in Raven or Echo? And if he has, what kind of internal conflict will he have when he discovers that Clarke, the girl who he has assumed to be dead for over six years, is still alive?

The prospect of relationships also brings about the prospect of children. Clarke has, in a roundabout way, already found herself as a mother, but is there a chance that other characters could have fallen into the role of parents. Could there be a Kabby baby in the works down in that bunker?

Whatever is to come in season 5, it’s sure to be entirely new and entirely enthralling. The thing is, the characters have been separated for six years, and I’d like to think that during that time they’ve grieved for everyone that they’ve lost, they’ve mourned for the parts of themselves that died along the way, and they’ve come to terms with the actions they had to take to survive. You can see it in Clarke’s face in the final scenes – she seems lighter, more at ease and content than she’s been in years. For the first time since being on the ground she can actually breathe. Every day isn’t a life or death decision, and she’s managed to find company in a young girl. But that’s not to say that she hasn’t spent every day for the past 2,199 days desperate to hear a voice cutting through the static on the radio or see the faces of everyone she’s been cut off from.

The 100 has closed one chapter in their story, but they’ve opened an entirely new book in the same series. Things aren’t going to be just as they were before praimfaya. Separation will have changed character dynamics and relationships, and for the past six years everyone living on the Ark has believed that Clarke is dead. Things will be familiar, but also completely unfamiliar. It’s a long wait until season 5, but I’m in it for the long run.