Be aware there are spoilers for The 100 through "Thirteen".
The commander is dead, long live the commander. When Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carrey) was struck by a stray bullet from her most loyal servant, Clarke (Eliza Taylor) not only lost a great love, she lost her greatest ally in her quest to bring peace between the Grounders and the Skaikru. With Lexa gone and a new conclave begun, Clarke finds herself at the mercy of a wildcard successor. Worst case scenario is Ontari, the ferocious former right-hand woman to the deceased Ice Queen, who died at Lexa's hand after narrowly escaping Clarke's own assassination attempt.
At the same time, Clarke is reeling from the personal loss of Lexa so soon after they finally consummated their feelings for each other. But in the world of The 100, there is rarely time to grieve (unless you're Jasper, for some reason). Following The 100's WonderCon 2016 panel, I joined a few journalists in speaking with Eliza Taylor about what's ahead for the series' stalwart protagonist and how she will hold up after the loss of her love.
Where are Clarke's priorities now and what version of her will we see when The 100 returns tonight with 'Stealing Fire'? Taylor replied with a knowing laugh,
"Not a very happy one. She’s going to be different, this is going to change her forever. One thing she does have, which I’m really excited about and is kind of the only silver lining is that she really does believe that Lexa is in this A.I. and that as long as she keeps this safe, she’s got her. She turns her grief into that goal of keeping it away from Ontari, getting it as far away from her as possible and figuring out what to do with it, and ultimately figuring out how to defeat ALIE, because that’s going to be a huge issue.
Despite the fact that Clarke's leadership might be desperately needed back at Arkadia, where Pike's single-minded determination to wipe out the grounder threat is bringing Skaikru ever closer extermination, Clarke believes she is most needed in Polis, where the fate of her people hinges on the outcome of Lexa's successor.
"It's what’s happening in Polis that directly effects her people. Ontari becoming commander means our people get wiped out. She’s not necessarily privy to exactly what’s going on with Pike, she hasn’t even met this guy. She’s only seen what he did to the grounder army, so it’s obvious a serious issue, but I think what’s more serious is making sure that they survive at all."
In a separate interview with series creator Jason Rothenberg, he highlighted that Clarke's practical interest in the verdict of the conclave also carries much more intimate weight.
"Clarke wants to make sure the right person gets it, because if the wrong people gets it a) her people are going to get killed and b) Lexa’s legacy will be ruined. So that’s really important to her."
Check back for more from our WondrCon interviews with the cast, including Raven's stand against ALIE and where Jasper falls in the fight, and why The Flame is suddenly the object of everyone's desire.
The 100 returns to The CW tonight at 9 pm.
