The 100 Preview: 6 Ways to Survive “The Dark Year” (Season 5 Episode 11)

The 100 Season 5 Episode 11, “The Dark Year,” is one of the most anticipated episodes of the year, and for good reason. Everyone wants to know what happened to Wonkru during “The Dark Year.”

Written by Heidi Cole McAdams and directed by Alex Kalymnios, “The Dark Year” will have your heart racing, your stomach churning, and your head spinning. The 100 goes to new depths of darkness and shows the inner demons of some of our favorite characters more clearly than ever before.

Here are some tips for surviving “The Dark Year.”

1. Get your protein, but don’t eat it during this episode

We’ve all got our own theories and suspicions about what Wonkru had to do to survive during the 6-year time jump, and while I’m neither confirming nor denying any of them here, I will say that “The Dark Year” is not for the faint of heart.

It’s essential to get all of the nutrients that your body needs to survive, but make sure you do it before the episode. The 100 is no stranger to gruesome and gory content, but much like Season 5 Episode 2, “Red Queen,” “The Dark Year” takes the show to a whole new level.

2. Brush up on your Trigedasleng

Having a secret language can certainly come in handy in a war where you have to work behind enemy lines. Trigedasleng didn’t die when Octavia eliminated all the grounder clans to create Wonkru. On “The Dark Year” we’ll get to see new characters speaking and understanding Trig better than anyone ever suspected.

We may also get to learn the origin of a certain Wonkru mantra. Omon gon oson, indeed.

3. Bring your own war plans

The war for Eden is literally on the horizon, and with all of our heroes scattered throughout the valley and across the wasteland, it can get a little confusing as to who’s on who’s side. With everyone working at cross purposes, it’s best to make sure you have your own battle plan that’s just a little bit better than everyone else’s.

And the one that everyone doesn’t already know about.

4. Have the supplies to restart your heart

The 100 doesn’t mess around when it takes you on an emotional roller coaster, and “The Dark Year” is one of the most thrilling rides yet. Please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times and have that defibrillator on hand. No matter who your favorite character is, this episode is going to put your heart through the ringer.

For Abby and Octavia fans particularly (and especially if you love them both) bring a box of tissues along with those medical supplies.

5. Never give up hope

Hope is one of the most important themes on The 100, and it is crucial to hang on to hope in the darkness. “The Dark Year” is appropriately named as one of the show’s most devastating episodes, but hope remains woven throughout the story in more ways than one.

It’s often said that it’s always darkest just before the dawn. “The Dark Year” takes us to some of our hero’s lowest points, but there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel.

From reunions and emotional honesty to first kisses and strong friendships, “The Dark Year” has plenty of content to keep us hopeful.

6. Be a feminist

If you’re into The 100, you probably love strong women. And while you certainly don’t have to love all of them, enjoying this show and these characters–and the women in your own life–means taking them in at their absolute best and worst and still respecting them as real and valid human beings.

On “The Dark Year” all of our favorite ladies get to be ugly, vulnerable, brave, and honest. Seeing these women be real in spite of the potential to be disliked for it is part of what makes The 100 so damn good.

Check out the photos and promo video below for a preview!

Episode description: As Clarke (Eliza Taylor) races to save Abby (Paige Turco), she learns more about the trials and tribulations Wonkru faced in the bunker, and the impossible decisions they were forced to make in the dark year.

Photos from The 100 Season 5 Episode 11:

HU511a_0309b — The 100 — “The Dark Year” — Pictured (L-R): Eliza Taylor as Clarke and William Miller as McCreary — Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW — 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

HU511b_0238b2 — The 100 — “The Dark Year” — Pictured (L-R): Adina Porter as Indra and Jessica Harmon as Niylah — Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW — 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

HU511a_0240b — The 100 — “The Dark Year” — Pictured (L-R): Eliza Taylor as Clarke and Lola Flanery as Madi — Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW — 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

HU511b_0183b — The 100 — “The Dark Year” — Pictured (L-R): Lola Flanery as Madi and Eliza Taylor as Clarke — Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW — 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

Promo video:

What are your hopes for this episode of The 100? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and be sure to catch up with our review of The 100 Season 5 Episode 10, “The Warriors Will,” right here.

The 100 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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Samantha Coley

Samantha (she/her) is a social media specialist by day and a sci-fi junkie by night. As a freelance writer and podcaster, she also enjoys live-tweeting, blogging, good music, and better television. Her current favorite television shows include Star Trek (yes, all of them), Riverdale, and Stranger Things and there will always be a place in her heart for Battlestar Galactica, Leverage, and The West Wing.