Why Clarke Didn’t End Up With Anybody In The 100

The ending of the popular CW series The 100 did not feature a romantic conclusion for its main protagonist, Clarke Griffin, which is a somewhat unusual move for the network. The CW is known for producing emotionally romantic teen dramas like Riverdale, The Vampire Diaries, and Gilmore Girls, so to finish out one of their most popular teen dramas in such an aromantic manner came as a surprise to many. However, the decision to have The 100‘s Clarke remain untethered going into the series finale has proven to be what was best for the character — and the story as a whole.

The 100’s dramatic final scenes saw most of Clarke’s comrades (as well as her enemies, to some extent) proving humans to be a worthy race of beings, transcending to the next stage in evolution and becoming a part of the collective consciousness. Clarke is forbidden from ascending, leaving her to wander the Earth as the last member of her species as penance for her violent transgressions. In the show’s final moments, several of Clarke’s group of friends return to their human forms and are brought back to Earth, unable to reproduce, to live out the rest of their days together as the last members of the human race.

The ending of The 100 was fitting in many ways, offering more closure to the story than many other series’ finales of late. Clarke inevitably had to confront her actions and her bloodlust and accept judgment from a higher being. Though she had committed many heinous acts of violence and betrayal, it was almost always in the service of her people. Her story ultimately focused on survival and acceptance rather than on romance, which was more suitable and compelling for the character.

Clarke also carried with her a great deal of grief after the sacrifice of her love interest, Lexa, at the end of the third season. The Judge appears to Clarke as Lexa after The Last War, stating that Lexa was her greatest love and giving another element of closure to her story. The romance between Clarke and Lexa is as compelling as it is tragic, as the two of them intertwined through circumstances of survival and obligation to their people. Though it is somewhat short-lived in The 100, their time together clearly had a lasting impact on Clarke.

Clarke may have ended the show without romantic entanglement, but she still had become the best version of herself. Although it certainly would have appeased some fans, pairing Clarke up with Bellamy at the last minute would have diminished the impact of her relationship with Lexa and taken away from her character’s personal growth. The 100’s ending was a fitting send-off for its characters. Clarke perhaps most of all demonstrated that these types of stories don’t inherently require romance to provide a satisfying conclusion to their character arcs.

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