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Women Rule The World On The 100

by Evelyn Ulrich
The 100

When it comes to real-life scenarios, the fight for all things freedom and survival, and the journey not only to find a connection with others but among themselves, The 100 is strongly known for that.  Since its beginning, however, it also provided strong female leads and adjoining, breaking barriers that were often given to men several years ago, and still, continues to do just that.  This is vital as women struggle to find their voice and embodiment, but in the new age, we are successfully succeeding.   There is a major slew of characters that we can learn and inspire by, and find a purpose to avail.

In case that you are unfamiliar with The 100‘s line of strong and vital women, here is the lowdown:

Leads:

Clarke Griffin:  Openly bisexual, she will do whatever it will take for the survival and welfare of her people.  Clarke is young and had made mistakes, as she is only human.  With an adopted daughter under her wing, Clarke will forego changes due to motherhood, and that will impact the course of season five.  When Clarke loves, it is strong and true, but often ends in heartache.

Abby Griffin:  The mother of the protagonist, but also believes in saving her people.  She is also a devoted and compassionate doctor who is not afraid to break the rules.  She is always looking for answers, despite what the outcome may be.  She has a great love for her daughter, and like many mothers, she is protective and supportive.

Raven Reyes:  An independent, resourceful, and sassy young woman, Raven has definitely had her share of suffering, loss, and pain.   Despite all of her obstacles, including dealing with a disabled leg, Raven has always come up on top and fixing ways so that everyone has a chance to survive.  In addition, she has become an idol for fans with disabilities, breaking the stigma that you are limited if you are.  She is also a woman of color, but in my perspective, that is very little to all the amazing and cool things that she can do.

Octavia Blake:  Octavia has made a transition from her floor days on the ARK to the fearless leader of the Bunkerku.  In full example, this was a young girl who was somewhat meek, but blunt, but perhaps she has found her destiny.  Octavia teaches us that it is okay to be afraid and to embrace strength.  I find Octavia to be dominating, and a bit stubborn, but when you have to get things across, you need to be a bit of both.  Yet, she the very strong ability to love and protect, especially her brother, Bellamy.

Echo:  Echo is fierce, loyal to her clan, and downright vapid and vicious. Yet, she does have compassion, guilt, and sympathy which makes her a very complex and interesting character,  She has the ability to be chameleon-like, but does so when she feels like she needs to protect her people.  Related: Tasya Teles Joins The Cast

Harper McIntyre:  The only female guard of Arkadia, Harper has shown tremendous loyalty towards her people,   She is also tender and can easily be consumed by guilt, and can make up a small story to save the ones she loves.

Supporting:

Lexa:  Lexa allowed Skaikru to become the thirteenth clan of the Grounder coalition.  Although she has betrayed Clarke and her people, promising that they will fight Mt. Weather together, she has redeemed by putting Skaikru first and hers in season three.  Loved by fans because she was a proud woman and embraced her sexuality without question, Lexa became a permanent light.

Emori:  The love of John Murphy, Emori is the female composite of him.  She was born disabled due to radiation and has been shunned by her clan due to that.   It is a very heartbreaking predicament, but thankfully, Emori thought nothing of it when it came to her fight her survival.  Also, just because you are disabled or challenged as I like to put it, it does not mean you cannot have a romantic relationship.  Just how many disabled characters, male or female have that on television?  Slim to none.  And for what reason, I don’t know, but what I do know that it does not limit.  Nor that it should.  Ever.

Indra:  The Trikru warrior has become the mentor and role model of Octavia, despite her wariness of Skaikru.  She envisions a strong and powerful woman.

Niylah:  Another LGBT character, Niylah is peaceful and wise.  She is often abused by people who think they have a higher status, but thanks to the ones who truly care, they have her back.  Niylah is often seen giving advice and is grateful for the kindness.

Ontari:  As the Nightblood who cheated in the conclave, there was no goodness about her.  She was a  manipulative, deadening, and pained lots of people.  I believe that Ontari simply took over Queen Nia, of whom we only got to view for 1.2 episodes of season three.  Queen Nia was also very villainous and wanted to have the world all to Azgeda.   Ontari wanted the same thing, and she would do anything to have it.

Luna:  At first, Luna was a tranquil and peaceful woman, letting other Grounders in Flounkru with open arms as the free their old violent lifestyle.  She wanted next to nothing of being the next Commander after Lexa’s death, which is understandable.  As the series drove on, Luna made a full 360° turning evil as Skaikru experimented o her for Nightblood, and competing in the last conclave.

Anya:  Anya was the first official female Grounder that we were introduced to in season one, Unity Day to be exact.  She felt threatened by the innocent, or so they thought, actions of the delinquents and interpreted them as acts of war.  So she and Tristan (remember him?) gone war to with The 100, with the order from Lexa.  In season two, however, after a course of frenemy with Clarke in the woods after their Mt. Weather escape, they came together to try to stop the inhumane horrors in the mountain.


 

To have such strong, leading female characters on television is a rarity, with only 16% filling in the chart.  The 100 broke the bracket of traditional female leads when Clarke was introduced as an LGBT character, and the importance of that is significant as these characters often do not have a happy ending.  Lexa did not die because was an LGBT character, though understandably the community did get angered, (and so did I) survival is NO guarantee for anyone on this show, sad to say.  And, if I was to be honest with you, I don’t like any death, heroic, accidental, or needed.  Not just on The 100, but any show that has death incorporated into their storylines.  But chin up!  The 100 delivers life as well.  They just have to fight really hard and aggressively for it.

 

 

 

Why are women characters important?

Well, it’s really a number of things.  For one thing, the survival instinct of women is so strong, and it’s educational to see that aspect onscreen.  Another is how we have to stand up for ourselves and become a supporting asset for one another, despite our different beliefs.  Too much friction between women is based on superficiality, and The 100 shows none of this, (the friction, not standing up) just a game plan for survival.  One last thing is that young girls need to know that you can be beautiful,  can be intelligent, and vital.  A few examples are Raven (Computer engineer, mechanic), Lexa and Octavia, (leaders of the people), Abby Griffin, (doctor), and Clarke (doctor, leader).  It’s imperative that girls are more than just pretty faces, and not to be stepped on because of gender.  Furthermore, The 100 is the only show on television at the moment who has more women leads than men.

So seeing these characters fit the narrative so wonderfully and the synchronicity between others is a blessing.  Granted, they could clean up, but hey, that is part of their appeal.

Additionally, the talents of Eliza Taylor to Clarke, Alycia Debnam-Carey to Lexa, Lindsey Morgan to Raven, Marie Avgeropoulos to Octavia, and Tasya Teles to Echo, just a handful, bring these character to light and realism.   A character cannot come to life unless the ‘parent’ of the characters give them momentum and emotion.

The 100 will return for its 5th season in February 2018.


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