The 100: 22 Times Clarke Griffin Gave Us All the Feelings

The 100: 22 Times Clarke Griffin Gave Us All the Feelings (continued):

12. When she injected herself with Nightblood 

Clarke is no stranger to making decisions that involve sacrifice, either of others or of herself. On The 100 Season 4 Episode 8, “God Complex,” Clarke and Abby are dealing with the impossible decision of choosing someone to test the Nightblood serum on, and Emori becomes the most likely candidate as it becomes clear that she lied about the first person they tested.

After this random Grounder dies brutally in the radiation chamber, no one wants to be test subject #2 and the group in Becca’s lab is divided over what must be done next. Some, like Clarke, Roan, and Miller, know that this is likely their only chance for survival and it has to be done, while others like Raven, Luna, and Murphy are completely against testing Emori.

Abby falls somewhere in the middle, trusting her science and knowing this is their only choice, but ultimately she can’t put the needle in Emori’s arm when the time comes, leaving the decision up to Clarke.

Clarke: I bear it so they don’t have to. 

Clarke chooses to sacrifice herself here once again, shouldering the burden of saving humanity. While the circumstances of The 100 Season 4 lead to the Nightblood serum ultimately not being the key to saving the human race, it is what allows Clarke to sacrifice herself yet again on the season finale and live to tell the tale.  

13. When she couldn’t put her name on the list

Throughout The 100 Season 4, Clarke continually chooses other people over herself. When it looks like Arkadia won’t be able to hold all of their people, even if they get it fortified against Praimfaya in time, Clarke must once again choose who lives and who dies. 

Clarke has to prioritize one-hundred lives over everyone else in the entire world for the sake of keeping the human race going. That means choosing doctors and advanced engineers over her friends like Monty and Harper and Jasper. It’s an incredibly difficult thing to ask anyone to do, but Clarke does it anyway because it’s what she does; she makes the tough decisions. 

She can’t, however, bring herself to put her own name on the list. Clarke’s resistance to “saving” herself here goes against her ever-present will to survive, but it’s also true to what we’ve known about Clarke since day one when Abby introduced her in the pilot: her instincts will tell her to take care of everyone else first. 

It feels incredibly indulgent to put yourself on the list when your life could be used to save someone you consider just as worthy of the spot. Good thing Bellamy is there to make sure Clarke knows she’s worth saving too. 

14. When she let Madi go to lead Wonkru

The 100 Season 5 found Clarke making choices that put her friend’s lives at risk in order to protect the child who became her daughter during the time jump. This moment is when all of the best parts of Clarke align themselves and she realizes that who she became over the six years she spent alone with Madi and who she was to her friends before they left don’t have to exist as separate entities. 

Clarke: Listen to me. You’re so special, Madi. I knew it the day I met you, when you lead me into that bear trap. All this time, you thought I was keeping you alive, but it was you who saved me. You are Madi kom Louwoda Klironkru, heir to Becca Pramheda, successor to Lexa kom Trikru. I loved her so much, but it’s nothing compared to how much I love you.

In true The 100 fashion, some wise words from the past allow Clarke to see decisions made both then and now in a new light. Clarke has always been the person that looks for the third solution when choosing between two terrible options. But on Season 5 she struggled to find that solution, as protecting her child became her main priority.

Thankfully, Clarke learned to let Madi protect herself, just as every mother must do, and through trusting Madi to take care of herself she was able to trust herself again to do the right thing and save everyone she loves.  

15. When she watched the second dropship explode

Clarke goes on a pretty intense emotional roller coaster on the last five minutes of The 100 Season 1 Episode 9, “Unity Day.” After just returning from a failed meeting with the grounders, Clarke and Bellamy spot the dropship that was supposed to bring the second wave of Ark citizens to the ground, including Clarke’s mother. 

As she sees the ship flying through the sky, Clarke goes from elated at the early arrival of someone she loves (as well as backup for the war they’ve now gotten themselves into) to sudden sinking despair as the ship shows no signs of slowing down before crashing to Earth in a fiery explosion. 

The rapid change in her facial expressions as she believes she is watching her mother die in a catastrophic event that she has no control over takes the audience on that journey with her. As Clarke feels the world drop out from under her, we feel her heartbreak.

16. When she became a mom (and every moment with Madi since)

During the six-year time jump, Clarke found the one other person left alive on the planet’s surface and took the ferocious little Natblida under her wing. These two became a family while they waited for the others to return; Clarke told Madi stories of all of the people she loves and Madi gave Clarke a reason to keep fighting. 

The relationship between Clarke and Madi became an immediate highlight of The 100 Season 5 as we watched Clarke’s priorities shift to keeping her “daughter” safe above all. Reminiscent of her relationship with her own mother over the first few seasons of the series, Clarke had to learn to let Madi become the person she raised her to be. 

Clarke taking on the role of a mother and struggle to find the balance between who she was and who she has become has only served to make her an even more compelling character. Each moment she shares with Madi brings out an inherent softness that we can’t help but love. 

17. When she hallucinated her dad

Clarke immediately took on responsibility far beyond her years and it became very easy to forget that for the first five seasons of The 100, she was just an 18-year-old kid. On The 100 Season 1 Episode 8, “Day Trip,” Clarke’s jobi nut hallucination is a special visit from her dead father, or rather her subconscious, teaching her a lesson about forgiveness. 

Clarke: I’m trying. I’m trying all the time, but everyone is counting on me and it’s so hard. 

At its heart, The 100 is a show about imperfect people doing the best they can in impossible circumstances. And Clarke embodies that perhaps more than anyone else.

To be human is to make mistakes, and when you’re fighting for survival at the end of the world sometimes those mistakes get people killed, or tortured, or hurt. What matters is what you do next.  

18. When she lost her temper at ALIE

Clarke isn’t normally one to lose her temper; even in high-pressure situations she is usually calm and collected as she carries out whatever has to be done at the time. But when ALIE uses Raven to start prodding at Clarke’s deepest fears she finally loses it. 

Personally, one of the most relatable things about Clarke is the way that she feels responsible for everyone all the time. She wants to save everyone, and when she can’t those losses hurt doubly as she wonders what she could have done differently or better yet how it was all her fault. 

Seeing Clarke be reactionary to these statements is actually kind of empowering. Clarke always does the best she can in any given situation and while hindsight may be 20/20, she cannot change the past, she can only grow from it.

Clarke fights back against ALIE and the voice in her own head telling her that she is the problem and trying to sell her on the worst version of reality. 

19. When she and Bellamy forgave each other

For all of Clarke and Bellamy’s differences, they sure do have a lot in common. They’re both leaders with the weight of the world on their shoulders and with a history of making mistakes in the name of doing what seemed like the right thing at the time. 

Neither Clarke nor Bellamy can absolve the other of their past sins or wash away the blood on both of their hands, but they can forgive each other. Forgiveness from someone you love can go a long way in how you see yourself and this healing moment between Bellamy and Clarke helps them both on the path to redemption. 

They may not always agree, but at the end of the day, Clarke and Bellamy almost always find a way to see through each other’s mistakes and personal biases to their good intentions and keep moving forward. 

20. When she was reunited with Lexa in the City of Light

Lexa appearing in the City of Light to save Clarke is still one of the most badass and emotional things to ever happen on The 100. Clarke was devastated by Lexa’s death thinking that, like everyone else she’s ever lost, she would never get to see her again. She remains focused on saving the world, but the awestruck wonder on Clarke’s face at being able to hold Lexa one more time speaks volumes.   

Clarke: I love you. 

Lexa: I’ll always be with you. 

The 100 Season 3 Episode 16, “Perverse Instantiation–Part Two,” gives Clarke the chance to tell Lexa that she loves her and it gives Lexa a warrior’s exit where we last see her protecting the love of her life. We all feel Clarke’s pain as she has to say goodbye to Lexa once again, and her hope at knowing she’ll hold her in her heart and mind for the rest of time. 

21. When she let Bellamy open the bunker door

At this moment we find Clarke broken by the decisions she’s made and the weight of trying to save the human race. When she and Jaha took the bunker for Skaikru, Clarke thought she was doing the right thing, and that by guaranteeing that her people were safe she was guaranteeing the survival of humanity, because only Skaikru would know how to use the machinery needed to keep the bunker functioning. 

But throughout this episode, Clarke doubles down on her decision even in the face potentially better options. 

Bellamy: What are you doing?

Clarke: What I have to, like always.

In all honesty, after this moment, Clarke desperately needed the six-year time jump where she didn’t have to make decisions for the entire human race. Seeing Clarke crumble under the weight of her own choices makes us glad we’ve never had to be in her position. 

22. When she told Abby she loved Lexa

Clarke is usually so strong in front of others, keeping her emotions inside in order to make the next tough decision and save the world, but here she lets herself be completely vulnerable for a moment. She lets herself mourn her lost love and she shares that loss with her mother who knows exactly what she’s going through.   

Clarke: I loved her, mom. 

Abby: I know. 

Personally, this scene holds a lot of significance as Clarke is open about her feelings for Lexa and she receives comfort and affection in reaction to that admission. Clarke will carry that love in her heart and she grows from this loss. The 100 allows Clarke to grieve in a very real and emotional way that we are really grateful for. 

—

What are the Clarke Griffin moments that make you the most emotional? Did your favorite make the list? What are your hopes for Clarke Griffin on Season 6 of The 100? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and be sure to catch up for The 100 Season 6 by reading our review of The 100 Season 5 finale here. 

The 100 returns Tuesday, April 30th at 9/8c on The CW.

 Follow us on Twitter! 

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

42 Best Moments from The 100 Season 5