‘The 100’ showrunner teases ‘dark, relentless, but surprisingly hopeful’ season 4 

‘The 100’ showrunner teases ‘dark, relentless, but surprisingly hopeful’ season 4 (exclusive)

Should the fans also be \'hopeful\' about a season 5 renewal?

" data-content="The 100 season 4 sees Clarke, Bellamy and the gang face their biggest foe yet: Earth itself. How will they get out of that one?! Find out what Jason Rothenberg can tease about season 4 and beyond." target="_blank">

season 4 sees Clarke, Bellamy and the gang face their biggest foe yet: Earth itself. How will they get out of that one?! Find out what Jason Rothenberg can tease about season 4 and beyond.

Season 4 is so close now, I can taste it. It tastes like ash, because the Ground is burning — and so are all my questions! Luckily, I was able to pose just a few of them to showrunner Jason Rothenberg, and here’s hoping his answers will help tide the fandom over until the premiere episode on Wednesday, February 1 at 9/8c on The CW.

Want to learn more about what happens in

season 4, episode 1? Make sure to check out our spoiler-light preview! You can also listen along as Hypable’s Hype Podcast watches each season of

leading up to the season 4 premiere, starting with our season 1 and season 2 discussions.

‘The 100’ showrunner Jason Rothenberg previews season 4

Hypable: One of the absolute high points of season 3, for me, was seeing the delinquents all coming back together near the end. But clearly they’ll be splitting up again in season 4, and in the first few episodes we’re already seeing the beginnings of what could be a big ideological divide for the group, based on whether they’re willing to do whatever it takes to save as many people as possible, or if they’ll be more focused on saving individual lives one day at a time. Can you talk a little bit about how that divide will affect the main relationships?

Jason Rothenberg: Well, first of all, nobody can ever really agree on much for very long, because that would be boring (laughs). But there is for sure going to be an ideological divide along those lines: What’s the right thing to do in a situation where you’re faced with a threat that’s essentially gonna destroy the world and end everybody’s lives? Do we save ourselves, do we save our people? Or do we try to come up with an answer to save everybody?

is at its best when it’s asking questions that there really is no good answer to. [In season 4, episode 2], Bellamy has to make a choice between saving who he can save today and sacrificing [redacted] to save his people — and how do you argue against either of those positions? That’s what’s interesting to me. And we’ve obviously done that time and time again throughout the show.

And then there’s Clarke’s position this season: She’s sort of transcended her tribalism; she’s risen above just being Skaikru. In large part this is thanks to her relationship with Lexa and what Lexa taught her about life in the world. Clarke now views everybody as one people and is looking for a way to save everybody. And that’s gonna be problematic for the people who are still sort of dug into their sides. That’s where some of the interesting conflict and drama comes from this season, for sure.

Could you tell me which characters’ storylines you’re most looking forward to seeing fans react to in season 4? And is there anyone whose arc might be particularly surprising?

In terms of surprises, I think Octavia’s journey this season is awesome — I mean, her journey’s been awesome since day one — but this season, in particular, it’s really great. Echo is a character that has been surprising to me personally, and Roan is another one.

Clarke, as always, is the center of it all, her journey this season and Eliza [Taylor]’s performance is stunning. And Bellamy… (laughs) I really don’t have favorites, it’s really hard for me, because I love them. I love them all so much. Even the ones that are dead! To me, death is not the end of a character. It’s not like, ‘Oh my god, I’m killing them because I hate them.’ To me, death is part of the fabric of the show.

Leading off of that, it’s no secret that season 3 was a rough year for the show and for you as showrunner. Could you tell me a bit about how that, as a learning experience, has impacted your approach to season 4 and the choices you’ve made?

The thing I will say, as far as what I learned from last season, is just that the way I see things and the way I see the show isn’t always the way that the fans see the show. I look at a character or relationship ending tragically as a good thing dramatically. To me, the greatest love stories of all time are tragedies. But not everybody looks at it that way. Other people want happy endings. But this is not a show for happy endings-people. It’s not a happy endings-show. So that’s something I learned for sure.

But, you know, the show inspires passion, and it’s really been an honor and a pleasure to be involved with something that people get so emotional about. And sometimes that emotion is hard, sometimes that emotion is negative towards me personally, but I can handle it. I think it’s exciting to be a part of something like that.

Going into season 4, have the fan responses affected how you approach certain storylines, or are you sort of gonna go balls to the wall and tell the story you wanna tell?

Balls to the wall, for sure. We’re not going to change the way we tell the story. You know, this is a world where characters die, this is a world that’s about survival, it’s not just about relationships. But there

relationships, of course; people love each other and that’s a big part of the story.

And I will say that that I think there’s a more hopeful feeling to this season overall, despite this horrible thing they’re facing. You know, they say there are no atheists in foxholes. You find out what you believe and who you are when you stare down the barrel of a gun, and they’ve got one coming at them pretty quickly. So this season is dark and relentless, certainly, but it’s also surprisingly hopeful. And that’s different from last season, which was just relentless (laughs).

It’s obviously too soon to say since the season hasn’t even premiered yet, but based on your conversations with the network and just your overall sense of it, how would you rate

Well, of course those conversations are way above my pay grade, but I do feel like… Let’s just say I’m incredibly bullish about a season 5. The season you’re about to see ends in a way that keys up the next season in a big way. And I know that everybody at the network loves those stories and the potential for what season 5 will be. So I think the fans can… I think they should be hopeful, I think they should be optimistic.

Also, the show has done incredibly well around the world. Last season’s viewing pattern was identical to the season before, we start high and we end a little bit lower. And Netflix, +3, +7, all of those indicators are really, really strong. So I feel great about it. I’m hearing nothing but good things.

One of the key components of the show has always been the partnership and juxtaposition of Clarke and Bellamy, them representing different viewpoints and philosophies, and then usually needing to come together at the end of each season to solve the big problem. Can you give me an indication of how much we’ll see them working together in season 4?

Yeah. They’re together a lot this season. I think the show is at its best when Clarke and Bellamy are together, and when they’re fighting for the same thing. They don’t always agree — and they certainly don’t always agree on tactics — but a large part of the season’s journey, for all of the characters but for those two in particular, is to learn from each other.

You’ve said before that Bellamy is the ‘heart’ and Clarke is the ‘brain’ of the relationship. Will that balance shift in season 4?

Bellamy is still mostly heart. He doesn’t think enough when he reacts, and he needs to begin to do that so he can become a fully realized leader in his own right. That’s kind of his journey this season. But I think it’s unfair to Clarke to say that she doesn’t use her heart, cause I think Clarke is pretty much… well,

, in general. She’s obviously smart as hell, but she’s also very compassionate.

So it’s more about Bellamy’s progression, and about him trying to overcome some of the bad decisions that he’s maybe made in the past. As for Clarke, it’s going to be about her learning to rely on her friends and realizing that perhaps she can’t do it all by herself. That’s something we’ll see from her this season.

I’m re-watching season 3 right now, and I just got to the part where Pike becomes Chancellor. At the time, it seemed like a cautionary tale, but in light of the election and everything that’s happening in the real world, it suddenly feels a little too real. And now you’re facing an environmental catastrophe, which is also very real! So how do you, as a storyteller, try to reflect what’s happening in the real world and use the show as a vehicle for exploring some of the situations we’re facing right now?

Yeah, with the rise of Pike we for sure did not anticipate where we are today, politically, in this country. But, what we did sort of realize as storytellers is that, historically, in the wake of tragedies a lot of times people turn to the wrong leaders, or we go to war with the wrong countries. We make stupid decisions sometimes, based on our reaction to tragedies, like what happened at Mount Weather in the show. So that come from a historical perspective for sure. And yeah, we’re living through something similar to that now, I hate to say it.

And environmentally, I mean, the most important thing we have is this planet, the air that we’re breathing. And I think that’s gonna become a starker and starker reality if we don’t do something soon, if it’s not too late. Hopefully we as a world will be able to link arms and realize that we’re all in this together. The environment doesn’t respect a border. And on some level that’s what this season is [about], that’s what the characters are facing: Can we rise above our station, can we rise above our tribe and do what’s right for everybody before it’s too late?

‘The 100‘ season 4 premieres Wednesday, February 1 at 9/8c on The CW

Tags: Bellamy Blake, Clarke Griffin, jason rothenberg, The 100, The 100 season 4

‘Beauty and the Beast’ unveils character posters, including first look at The Prince 😍

\'TVD\': Nina Dobrev confirms return for series finale

\'Veronica Mars\' needs to pick up where it left off

Some people just want to watch the world burn: Overanalyzing ‘The 100’ season 4 poster

This Week in Funko: ‘Parks & Rec,’ ‘The 100,’ ‘Teen Wolf,’ ’90s Nick!

‘The 100’ captures the struggle of millennials unlike any other series

" data-content="Disney has released posters (and animated posters) for their live-action Beauty and the Beast, which is due to hit theaters this March." target="_blank">

Disney has released posters (and animated posters) for their live-action

There’s a character poster for each of your favorite

characters. But first let’s look at the “social media posters” which move. You can watch ’em all in the handy playlist below.

They all look great except for Beast’s. He looks like a mod out of

Now let’s take a look at the gorgeous, traditional character posters. They all feature the characters in their human forms, though the objects we primarily see them as appear in the bottom corners of the posters.

In the 10 released on Thursday we see Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Dan Stevens as the Prince, Luke Evans as Gaston, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Josh Gad as LeFou, Ewan McGregor as Lumière, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, Audra McDonald as Garderobe, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts:

‘The Vampire Diaries’: Nina Dobrev confirms return for series finale

" data-content="The question on the minds of all The Vampire Diaries fans has been answered. Nina Dobrev will return for the series finale." target="_blank">

fans has been answered. Nina Dobrev will return for the series finale.

Elena Gilbert has been (mostly) absent from

for two seasons now, and fans have been dying to know if she’ll return to finish off her character’s story.

It was looking like we wouldn’t find out until the episode aired on March 10, as everyone involved was being extremely secretive, but Nina Dobrev finally took to instagram to reveal that she will, in fact, be a part of the finale.

I know it's Thursday, but this is not a TBT. #BackOnSet #TVDForever

As the story originally centered around Elena Gilbert and her relationships with the Salvatore brothers and the rest of the Mystic Falls citizens, it’s so great to finally know that we’ll see her character again, before the series ends. It’s been far too stressful, wondering if she’d return, or not.

We can’t wait to see Elena reunite with whoever’s still around when she wakes up (hopefully everyone!). This will almost definitely include Damon, Stefan and Caroline, unless something tragic happens, but we’ll have to see about characters like Matt, and of course, Bonnie, whose life is tied to Elena’s.

Dobrev also played other characters on the series, including fan favorite, Katherine Pierce, so it’s possible that those characters will be returning as well. However, since it looks like Dobrev only returned for the very end of the series, we’re betting we’ll only see Elena, unfortunately.

The cast and crew have been very secretive, so far, about any other details surrounding how the series will end. To be honest, we prefer it that way! It’s better if the “epic” (Dobrev’s post also revealed that the episode title will be, “I Was Feeling Epic”) conclusion remains a surprise until we actually get to see it.

series finale will air on March 10. Tune in on Friday, January 27 for the next episode in season 8.

Are you excited for Nina Dobrev’s return to ‘The Vampire Diaries’?

Tags: Elena Gilbert, Nina Dobrev, the vampire diaries

Here’s how Netflix’s ‘Series of Unfortunate Events’ should split the books up

There’s no time like the present for ‘Veronica Mars’ to pick up where it left off

" data-content="When it was on the air (and even when it hit the silver screen in March 2014), Veronica Mars never shied away from tackling current issues. Given the current social climate, now more than ever, it's important for Veronica Mars to pick up where it left off." target="_blank">

When it was on the air (and even when it hit the silver screen in March 2014),

never shied away from tackling current issues. Given the current social climate, now more than ever, it’s important for

that feel dated, even to this day. Why? Because the themes and issues brought up by the

TV series, movie, and book series have all been directly related to current events and issues. The property (and its creators) has always steered into important, discussion-worthy topics. Topics that we’ve all been discussing for years.

Now that Rob Thomas, Kristen Bell, and co. have mentioned that they’re trying to work out a limited series run with the show sometime in the near-ish future, it’s hard not to be excited about seeing Veronica and friends take on current issues. Veronica Mars was never one to hesitate in speaking her mind and neither was the show. We need a little bit of that boldness and bravery right now.

Plus, there were quite a few storylines and issues brought up in the recent movie and book run that haven’t yet been tackled head on or resolved that are still applicable to today’s world. Essentially, there’s no better time for

Let’s take a closer look at some of the issues and topics in

that should come back in a big way whenever the limited series run happens.

Hardly a day goes by where police and law enforcement aren’t making front page news. While we’re thankful for the stand-up men and women in law enforcement who do their jobs well, it’s impossible to deny that there are also some shady figures and goings on in precincts across the country.

When we last saw (and read about) Veronica Mars, she was still struggling with the Balboa County Sheriff’s Office and their nasty habit of planting evidence. Members of the police department had also started racial profiling and harassing minorities for the fun of it (as demonstrated in the movie). Basically, in the words of Keith Mars, they’re “protecting and serving the highest bidder.”

Unfortunately, the Balboa County officers’ tactics aren’t unlike tactics we’re seeing in the real world. Given the fact that they murdered one of their own (#RIP Deputy Sacks) to cover their asses and the ridiculous predicament involving Weevil and Mrs. Kane is still ongoing, it would be a real oversight for the limited series to not put police corruption at the center of the story.

As if the police corruption wasn’t awful enough by itself, it also leads directly into one of Neptune’s constant issues: minority inequality and rising racial tensions. As Veronica puts it, “When the class war comes, Neptune will be ground zero.”

The last time we visited Neptune, police corruption and the unequal distribution of wealth had transformed the town into even more of a ticking time bomb than it was at the beginning of the series. Minorities were getting frisked and arrested left and right and our beloved cinnamon roll Weevil (with Cliff’s help) was trying to fight his bogus assault charge. In case you somehow forgot, Celeste shot poor Weevil when he tried to help her on his way home from the Neptune High reunion, and then the Balboa County police planted a gun on him. And then there was the mention in the books that this isn’t the first time evidence had been planted in a case involving an 09-er.

As always, Veronica and her friends (and family) are on the front lines of this building battle and, seeing how close it comes to resembling current racial tensions, we want to see the show tackle it head-on.

Veronica Mars is a feminist. She’s all about equality and helping the ladies around her. Is she perfect? No. But she tries to be the best she can be. That’s why we really need her to weigh in on women’s rights and female empowerment in the eventual

Teen pregnancy, sex tapes, slut shaming, dangerous rapists…

has never shied away from highlighting and digging into issues that women face on a daily basis. Not only that, but the show/movie/book series comes down on the side of the women every. single. time.

In a time where women’s bodies are increasingly seen as legislation fodder, we need Veronica Mars to knock some sense into people. To fight for women’s rights and on behalf of all women. To continue the conversations that we’re having in the real world right now. To give us all a glimmer of hope and the inspiration we need to keep fighting. By no means is Veronica the ideal spokes model for women’s rights, but she’s the one we need right now.

  There are so many reasons why the world needs

right now. While these topics are just a sampling of issues that the show has addressed in the past and should keep battling, there are many more conversations that the show can initiate in its eventual limited series run.

Tags: kristen bell, rob thomas, The Veronica Mars movie, Veronica Mars

‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ drinking game