'The 100' Season 5 News: Showrunner Talks About a Major Character's Death
A major character's life ended in the previous episode of "The 100" season 5.
In the episode titled "Red Queen," Thelonius Jaha (Isaiah Washington) died due to the injuries that he endured when he was stabbed by a grounder during the coup.
Jaha had been an important character since the beginning of the series since he was the Chancellor of the Ark during the time when they decided to send the 100 delinquents on Earth to check if the planet is already livable.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
From being a beloved leader, Jaha turned into a villain over the course of series. However, showrunner Jason Rothenberg said in an interview with TVLine that he wanted to make sure that the character will be hailed as a hero when he breathes his last breath.
"He was controversial over the course of his time on the show, but I really loved him and I wanted to make sure he went out as a hero, not as a villain," the showrunner stated. "And I thought that would surprise a lot of people. His performance was amazing, and his relationship that develops with Octavia [Marie Avgeropolous] was surprising. I will miss writing for such a talented human being," he added.
In a separate talk with Den of Geek, Rothenberg admitted that he had no concrete plan for writing out the controversial character.
"I wanted to tell a story where Jaha dies, in a way that is true to who he lived as, which was somebody who was always doing what he had to do, whatever it took, for his people to survive," Rothenberg also said. "Certainly, he goes out in Episode 2 saving Sky Crew once again. But, also, that we were moved by it. I think that we achieved that, too. It is a significant loss, for sure," the showrunner added.
Octavia had to thank Jaha for giving her the idea of uniting the people in the bunker as Wonkru during the event that happened between season 4 and season 5. But based on Octavia's actions in the episode, Octavia will be consumed by darkness as she holds on to power by allowing the creation of a fighting pit. This is her way of showing that she can lead the people since she is not a Nightblood in the first place.
She was even seen looking without remorse as she allowed her long-time ally Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) to be endangered in the middle of a bloody fight in the closing minutes of the episode.
Meanwhile, the next episode of "The 100" season 5 titled "Sleeping Giants" will finally show how the group that escaped Praimfaya by launching a new Ark into the outer space will return to the Earth.
According to the synopsis for the upcoming episode, Octavia's brother Bellamy (Bob Morley) will lead the investigation about how they can head home. On the other hand, Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and her "daughter" Madi (guest star Lola Flannery) will face the new threat that arrived in the place that they call their own.
The next episode of "The 100" season 5 will air on The CW on Tuesday, May 8, at 9 p.m. EDT.
