The 100 Season 5: Each Episode Explained, Who Lives and Who Dies

Almost the entirety of The 100 Season 5 pitches all remaining survivors of the previous season against a new enemy: the prisoners of the Eligius Corporation who land on Earth about six years after the second nuclear apocalypse. None of the established major characters die, with a few exceptions. The only thing that cannot withstand the conflict is Mother Earth herself. There are 13 episodes in The 100 Season 5. The following is a simple summary of each episode, which might give you an idea of who lives and who dies by the end of the finale.

Eden

About half the duration of Season 5 Episode 1 links directly to the Season 4 Finale. Clarke bumps into another Nightblood, a young girl named Madi, after the second nuclear apocalypse. Everyone on the spaceship has now reached The Ark and is trying to establish communication with the Second Dawn Bunker. A prison transport ship lands on Earth. Octavia, now the leader of the Second Dawn Bunker, watches over some warrior fights.

Red Queen

Octavia has established a new clan called Wonkru, comprised of all the surviving members of every other clan living in the Second Dawn Bunker. Jaha is stabbed to death during a coup attempt by a number of the Sky People. Many Grounders are not exactly fond of the idea of having Octavia as their leader; Octavia sees it as an act of treason, so she executes them. No one is spared from her “gladiator-style” competition, not even Kane.

Sleeping Giants

Clarke and Madi are hiding from the crew of the prison transport ship, the Gargarin. A prisoner named McCreary captures Clarke and brings her to another prisoner, Diyoza. Madi is still at large. It turns out all prisoners are incarcerated by the Eligius Corporation. Both McCreary and Diyoza are leaders of their respective factions. Back on The Ark, Echo discovers a facility filled with cryogenically-frozen prisoners. Someone on the ground remotely awakens one prisoner, who almost immediately shows aggression. Bellamy kills the prisoner shortly after. Everyone on The Ark boards the Eligius IV ship as they make the return journey to Earth. Raven volunteers to stay behind to watch over the frozen prisoners. Murphy decides to stay with her. Bellamy and the others make a safe landing only to find themselves attacked by Eligius’ people. Madi comes to the rescue, kills the attackers, and leads Bellamy to Clarke.

Pandora’s Box

Clarke and Bellamy reunite. Diyoza releases Clarke after Bellamy threatens to kill all the cryogenically-frozen prisoners in space. Thanks to help from the prisoners, Clarke and Bellamy manage to break into the bunker. The Eligius warriors take Abby and Kane. Meanwhile Raven and Murphy are no longer safe in space, as the prisoners are going to capture them. Octavia is ready for an all-out war against everyone standing in her way.

Shifting Sands

McCreary forces Raven to re-activate the prisoners’ weapons system. However, Miles intervenes and admits to disabling the system himself. Murphy escapes McCreary, but the latter has already fitted a shock collar around Murphy’s neck. Murphy reunites with Echo, Emory, Madi, Harper, and Monty; they all set out to search for Bellamy. The shock collar is remotely activated, leaving Murphy behind accompanied by Emori.

Exit Wounds

Octavia despises Bellamy’s good relationship with Echo, which makes sense due to Echo’s crime in the past. Diyoza attempts to recruit more warriors from the Wonkru by offering them freedom and apples. Echo is willing to spy on Diyoza as long as Octavia promises to lift the banishment. Monty will help and watch over Echo throughout the time. Murphy and Emory capture McCreary.

Acceptable Losses

Echo and Monty infiltrate the prisoner’s system. In the bunker, Clarke and Bellamy reveal a weird experiment involving the use of explosive worms as weapons. Madi reveals her impressive hand-to-hand combat skills, prompting Octavia to make her the second-in-command. A negotiation for peace between Diyoza and Clarke doesn’t go as planned. The only thing Diyoza wants is the unconditional surrender of the Wonkru. Knowing that Octavia will never agree to the term, Clarke plans to assassinate her. Also, Diyoza is pregnant.

How We Get to Peace

Again, Octavia is itching to engage in an all-out war against Diyoza. Clarke and Bellamy work together to sabotage Wonkru’s plans for an invasion. Part of the strategy is to put an end to the explosive-worm experiment. Octavia puts Clarke under arrest and considers giving her the death sentence. Bellamy uses the algae developed by Monty to poison Octavia’s dinner.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

The loyal members of the Wonkru clan are divided into two factions. There is a plan to name Madi as the leader, but Clarke outright rejects the idea. Bellamy carries out the plan anyway. Murphy tricks McCreary into starting a civil war against Diyoza. The conflict ends with McCreary taking over the valley, while Diyoza escapes. In the bunker, Clarke escapes with Madi. Octavia sentences Bellamy, Gaia, and Indra to a fight to the death.

The Warriors Will

Monty tells Octavia the hydro farm is working. He also intervenes to stop Bellamy, Gaia, and Indra from fighting. Clarke and Madi find Abby unconscious. Octavia destroys the hydro farm, which means everyone has to go out with her and fight, or die inside the bunker.

The Dark Year

Octavia will arrive in the valley with her army of warriors within just 5 days. A dark truth is revealed about the bunker. There is not enough protein to sustain everyone for another year; the fighting pit provides fresh human flesh as a substitute. Abby and Clarke help treat McCreary’s warrior from lung diseases. Madi thinks Clarke should side with the Wonkru instead of the Eligius. Octavia is willing to agree to a peaceful surrender, with both sides sharing the valley. Diyoza and Kane warn McCreary about the real possibility of a defeat, but they can help him win.

Damocles – Part One

The Wonkru warriors are in a vulnerable position at a gorge, where McCreary has set up an ambush. Madi wants to help the Wonkru, but Clarke stops her. Wonkru is scattered all over the wasteland and Kane is injured. Clarke comes to her senses and kills some of McCreary’s guards. Madi and Echo make their return to Wonkru’s side, while Clarke stays behind to prevent any prisoners from using the spaceship to escape.

Damocles – Part Two

Bellamy’s group and Madi are back in the Wonkru. Octavia relieves herself of command and declares Madi the leader. McCreary activates a detonator to destroy the valley. Everyone escapes to space before the explosion; the destination is the Eligius mothership. After spending more than a century in cryogenic sleep, Clarke and Bellamy realize that Earth will never recover. The good thing is that some survivors, who chose not to enter the cryogenic chambers, have discovered a distant inhabitable planet.

There is no denying that The 100 Season 5 delivers a ton of plot twists, exciting moments, and shocking revelations. Viewers are spoiled with yet another apocalypse, brutal fighting pits, cannibalism, and drug addiction, as well as the good-old betrayals and strange relationships. It is safe to say that The 100 Season 5 has truly brought back all the best in the series, with the same speedy progress and an undeniable atmosphere of unpredictability.

Do you think The 100 Season 5 is better than all the previous ones? Is the ending good enough to spark interest for another season? We’d love to hear from you.

Other things you might want to know:

What is the total body count of Season 5?

By the end of Season 5, there are approximately 335 Grounders and several dozens of Sky People (including at least 6 of the original delinquents) confirmed alive. As for the Eligius prisoners, 37 of them survive the blast during the final episode. It is hard to keep an accurate count, but the number of deaths is definitely more than 500.

What is the Eligius Corporation?

All prisoners seen in Season 5 are incarcerated by the Eligius Corporation, which is a mining company established on Earth before the first nuclear apocalypse. Part of its mission is to locate inhabitable planets other than Earth.

Who portrays Jaha?

Thelonious Jaha, the former Chancellor of The Ark, is portrayed by Isaiah Washington. Jaha has been one of the main characters from the first season, making his last appearance in Season 5 Episode 2: Red Queen.

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