When The CW’s The 100 kicks off its fifth season it will be with a huge time jump that affects every character differently. The six year leap forward in time will mean new alliances have been formed and personalities have changed and evolved as the characters continue to mature and adapt. Sitting down to chat about The 100 season five during the 2018 WonderCon in Anaheim, Bob Morley explained what Bellamy’s been up to since the finale of season four. He also talked about missing both Octavia and Clarke while in space on the Ark.
The Season 5 Plot: Over the last four seasons The 100 have fought to survive against unimaginable odds, only to see the world end for a second time. Season five begins six years later, with our heroes still separated: Bellamy’s team in space, Clarke on the ground, and hundreds trapped in the bunker below. But when a massive prison ship descends upon the last survivable place on earth, The 100 must come together to reclaim their home.
As two armies converge on one valley, alliances will shift, friends will become foes, and the march to war threatens to destroy all that’s left of the human race. Can our heroes break the cycle, or is humanity doomed to repeat the past? In this epic battle for survival, one thing is certain: there are no good guys.
The 100 season five will premiere on April 24, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT.
Bob Morley The 100 Season 5 Interview:
Richard Harmon said that Bellamy and Murphy’s relationship in season five is not what fans might expect. Can you elaborate on that?
Bob Morley: “I actually kind of blank out on where they left it in season four, but where we pick it up in season five I feel their relationship is like older brother and younger brother. You know, that kind of thing that’s going on. I mean, I know that my older brother was the best at everything and I was like the younger brother who was always kind of clawing my way to be better than him. So, there’s a bit of that dynamic I think. But, I don’t know what Richard’s getting at, really…”
Do you have a backstory for Bellamy’s six years in space?
Bob Morley: (Laughing) “He was a janitor, so I imagine he cleans the Ark quite a lot. But there’s also in the six years I feel like he and Raven kind of took it on themselves to create a chore list for everyone, just because idle hands and all that kind of stuff. Everyone would lose their minds. I think in a way he tries to create a routine and a regiment. And whether everyone else follows that, we’ll have to wait and see. He’s definitely taken on the head and the heart concept from Clarke and tried to approach it with a much more level-headed and a rational sensibility over those six years.”
Does he carry the guilt of leaving her behind? How does that weigh on him?
Bob Morley: “He kind of touches on that at the end of season four. He’s like, ‘If we don’t survive up here, then she’s died in vain.’ I think by insuring everyone is staying alive and doing their jobs and is doing their best to enhance their chances of getting back down to the ground, that’s the way that he can kind of, I guess, absolve himself in a way. But you’re never really going to forgive yourself totally. I imagine that the rest of them, they’ll probably all sit down and have therapy sessions because he wasn’t the only one who left her behind. You know Raven – she likes to keep a tight schedule.”
How’s Bellamy doing without Octavia?
Bob Morley: “I think that’s the one that’s really killing him. That’s the one that he’s really thinking about. I get asked about Clarke quite a lot but the way that I thought about it and played it was that Bellamy thought Clarke was dead, so Octavia is really the one that he’s concerned about and holding out hope for. That’s the real driving force for him is Octavia, his family down on Earth. I think that whenever he’s looking out the window, that’s the one he’s thinking of.”
Do you get any sort of a restart on Bellamy with the six year time jump?
Bob Morley: “Season five is interesting because, you know, we only had six months off as actors and then the writing room have come in and put in a six year time jump. They’ve had all the chance to have all that backstory for Bellamy and start it up. And so, coming into this season five, Bellamy was very much who he was. Some of the sticky situations where he might be aggressive or irrational, the way that he approaches them now were kind of odd for me because I’ve always played him as always being very unpredictable. So, that was just a little bit tricky for me to get my head around and play him as a rational human being. That took some time. But as the story progresses throughout season five, I think the writing team have done a great job in terms of building an arc for him this season. Hopefully I do them justice.”
What will fans be most surprised about regarding this new Bellamy?
Bob Morley: (Laughing) “Probably his facial hair. I think it will be similar to what I just said about him – his ability to read a situation and not necessarily act immediately. I definitely struggled with that for a bit. And also, there’s huge shifts in character dynamics with each other. The new space crew, they mean a tremendous amount to Bellamy – almost verging on the point of a new family for him. There are alliances that are drawn over that six years that we haven’t necessarily seen but have definitely grown within him. That will definitely be quite a surprise to the audience.”
Will there be growing pains as he adjusts to getting back with his old friends?
Bob Morley: “Oh, I imagine so. And as you’ve seen in the trailer, Clarke with Madi – that’s definitely changed her perspective on things. I think that a lot of the delinquents, the 100, that went down had never really had to look after somebody else whereas Bellamy was always like that. I think that’s what made it hard for everyone else to understand why he cared about his sister so much. He had to raise her from a child, whereas now Clarke is doing that with Madi. So, I think there’s probably an understanding that comes from her but also in a way she’s that mother hen that will do anything to protect her chick.”
More on The 100 Season 5:
- Eliza Taylor Interview
- Lindsey Morgan Interview
- Richard Harmon Interview
- Jason Rothenberg Interview
- The 100 Cast Photos at Comic Con 2017
