The world as THE 100 knows it will have enjoyed three months of (relative) peace after the death of the people inside Mouth Weather. An uneasy truce has been brokered between the arkers and the grounders thanks to Alexa and her most trusted advisers. Of course, that won’t always last. As Clarke tries to recover from her actions in Mount Weather, her people are back at their camp and getting on with daily live, soon to be faced with new challenges.
During a visit to the set of THE 100 in Vancouver, Henry Ian Cusick (Kane) and Paige Turco (Abby) spoke to journalists about where their characters are when season 3 begins, as well as new characters and conflicts.
What’s the State of Camp Jaha Now? “Camp Jaha’s really transformed a lot,” Cusick hinted. “We’ve done work on it, we’ve upgraded it. Made it quite beautiful and planted things. And it’s really quite a pretty place. So when you catch up with us we’re all in a very positive, hopeful place.” Actually, it’s been given a new name — Camp Arkadia — and it’s expanded, in the sense that you’ll be seeing new sets.
The New Peace. Is Kane embracing the new state of peace? “I think he is the sort of person that would seize that as the only way forward. That’s the way to go. He’s changed a lot. He’s a man of peace now.” Not only that, but the arkers are aware of the various other grounders (including the newcomers, the Ice Nation) and “they’re trying to make peace with everyone. We’re trying to figure out who’s where and what’s where [on a new map on set]. We’re doing that. That’s actually where the [season] begins for me.” To do this, the arkers have formed groups of scouts and negotiators to interact with the rest of the grounders. Of course, all of that changes, because as Cusick said, “otherwise it would just be boring, right?” When asked if the changes and threats to the people of Camp Jaha would be internal or external, Cusick said “it’s sort of both. It becomes internal and, therefore, when it’s an internal struggle we’re threatened by the outside.”
Related: Richard Harmon Talks Murphy’s Role in Season 3
Kane-Abby Power Struggle. We’ve seen these two fight for power over the first and second seasons of THE 100, but they’ve reached an agreement now and that struggle is over for the time being. “I think towards the end of season 2 they started working together a lot more,” Cusick said. “Abby’s still Chancellor, I’m very supportive of her and that’s quite a big storyline this season, with the introduction of a new character.” Turco hinted that Abby is “still in leadership, but there’s so much chaos, I think, with everybody. All the Arkers [are] trying to find a way of new rules and how to live. She’s still a Chancellor, she’s still in her chancellorship. And always keep in mind that Abby did not ask for this position.” Not only that, but “she wears two hats – well, three hats, being a mom as well. I think that’s what’s interesting in what my character’s going through at the beginning of the season is trying to manage and balance being the doctor, being the chancellor, and trying to find a way to do both which is exhausting.”
The Newbies. What new character, you might ask? Well, Cusick would only tease that “there’s a new character [played by] Michael Beach, who has been terrific this season. And he’s going to play a major, major role for my character, anyway. For my storyline and the people on the ark.”
The Adults and the Teens. In addition to the power struggle between Kane and Abby in the past, the arrival of the adults on Earth also led to a power struggle between the teens and the adults. But that also seems to be a thing of the past now. As Cusick said, “there is a mention of ‘these kids’, but then I think they’ve proven themselves. So the kids are no longer the kids. And that’s not such a big issue anymore, we’re all together now. All the arkers are sort of together.” Kane is apparently working closely with Bellamy when THE 100 resumes, although it may not last forever: “at the beginning of the episode we see that I’ve sort of taken him under my wing and I’m sort of grooming him to be the next leader. And then something happens and that kind of skews everything.”
Clarke and Her Mother. Abby and Clarke have had a tumultuous relationship in the past, particularly when Clarke learned of her mother’s involvement in her father’s death. But the two are on new ground this season as well. Turco explained that “it’s a very mother-teenage ‘you don’t want you child to grow up or you always want to take care of them’ [situation]. No matter how old they are, you always know better, which really isn’t the case because on the ground she is a lot more experienced, and last season we saw she can be a leader. This season will go further with Abby and Clarke finding…not a new relationship but a new way to see each other and respect each other. It grows. It’s going to grow. But she’s always running away.”
The Question of Romance. Cusick cryptically hinted that “There could be [romance for Kane], but it’s kind of dashed. It’s doomed. It is so far. I don’t know what’s going to happen next.” Is it with someone we know? Yes, he confirmed.
Don’t miss the season premiere of THE 100 on Thursday, January 21 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
