Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The 100: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

The Fire Next Time

Reviewed by Michael Reuben September 9, 2017

Spoiler warning: The discussion below assumes familiarity with prior seasons. If you have not seen Seasons One through Three of The 100 (reviewed here, here and here) proceed at your own risk.

For the fourth season of The CW's dystopian young adult series, the network cut back its order, reducing The 100 to thirteen episodes from the sixteen in Seasons Two and Three. The reduction presented a challenge for creator Jason Rothenberg and his writer's room. Not only did they have to tell a new season-long story in less time, but they also had to continue servicing the series' many ongoing character arcs and the expansive "mythology" accumulated over the last three years. As a result, Season Four moves at lightning speed, zipping from one locale to another, barely stopping to catch its breath—but something gets lost in the process.

A character-driven adventure tale requires occasional moments of quiet when the action slows and characters have an opportunity to reflect, reveal themselves and relate to each other. These are the moments that provide an emotional core to The 100's edge-of-your-seat confrontations and life-threatening challenges. They also lend weight and consequence to the deaths that routinely punctuate the series (Rothenberg loves to kill off popular characters almost as much as Joss Whedon). In Season Four these quieter dramatic beats are routinely shortchanged.

Take, for example, The 100's main protagonist, Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor), who retains her position as de facto leader of the Ark's survivors in Season Four to such a degree that she effectively supplants the adult leadership of her mother, Dr. Abby (Paige Turco), and Chancellor Marcus Kane (Henry Ian Cusick). Clarke continues to be faced with impossible decisions, but there isn't enough time to explore her inner life and personal struggle as Seasons One and Two did, e.g., in the tragic love triangle with gentle soldier Finn Collins (Thomas McDonell) and tech wizard Raven Reyes (Lindsey Morgan). Nor is there any equivalent to Season Three's doomed romance between Clarke and the Grounder queen, Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey), with its operatic finale in the matrix-like "City of Light". Clarke's most significant relationship in Season Four is with her fellow Ark leader, Bellamy Blake (Bob Morley), as the pair occasionally pause (but only briefly) to console each another on the loneliness of command.

Or take the troubled bond between Bellamy and younger sister Olivia (Bob Morley), which was fractured in Season Three by Bellamy's role in the execution of Lincoln (Ricky Whittle), Olivia's lover and soul mate. The siblings' connection has to be repaired in Season Four, but the reconciliation, when it finally comes, has to be rushed through, because other business awaits. Somewhat more time is devoted to the shifting alliances of resident scoundrel Murphy (Richard Harmon) and the continuing downward spiral of computer nerd Jasper (Devon Bostick), whose despair remains impervious to the increasingly frantic entreaties of his best friend, Monty (Christopher Larkin). While all of these relationships do evolve and change in Season Four, Rothenberg and his crew too often have to fall back on emotional shorthand, relying on the audience's knowledge of previous events to fill in the blanks.

At the end of Season Three, Clarke learned that a second nuclear holocaust threatens the planet, as the atomic power plants that managed to survive a world war 97 years earlier begin to melt down. Season Four is driven by increasingly desperate efforts to escape this imminent wave of flame and destruction, which comes to be known by the Grounder name of "Praimfaiya". While the logical course for the Earth's remaining pockets of humanity would be to suspend existing conflicts and pool all available resources in the face of a common threat, such efforts are quickly swept aside. Tribal loyalties, ancient rivalries and lust for conquest rule the day. As the options for surviving Praimfaya narrow, each of the tribes that Lexa managed to unite for a brief moment now jockeys for advantage and survival. The most dangerous is the warrior clan known as Ice Nation, or "Azgeda", led by King Roan (Zach McGowan), but other enemies emerge as the season progresses. Some of them even come from inside the ranks of the Ark survivors. (Why anyone would ever again trust former Chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington), after he was single-handedly responsible for nearly enslaving humanity to a malignant AI, is a mystery with no explanation.)

Out of this maelstrom, Olivia Blake emerges as The 100's latest tragic heroine. Having avenged the murder of Lincoln at the end of Season Three, Olivia is overwhelmed by inconsolable grief, and her indifference to death, coupled with expert training by her Grounder mentor, Indra (Adina Porter), makes Olivia the most formidable warrior among the Ark survivors (or "Skaikru", as they're now known). Having been introduced to the series as a shy and timid girl whose early life on the Ark consisted primarily of hiding beneath her family's floor, Octavia eventually graduates to a kind of leadership status, though it's uncertain who and how many will survive for her to lead.

The following overview of Season Four's thirteen episodes is taken from official summaries supplied by Warner, with minor editing to avoid spoilers:

1. Echoes: Trapped in Polis and surrounded by hostile Azgeda, Clarke devises a risky plan. Meanwhile, Raven discovers the grave new threat facing them all.


2. Heavy Lies the Crown: Roan takes a risky stand to buy time for Skaikru's secret work, and Bellamy and Clarke face tough choices that imperil the survival of them all.


3. The Four Horsemen: With the radiation closing in, Jaha leads Clarke and Bellamy on a long-odds mission to find a refuge. Roan sends Octavia to retrieve the stolen Flame.


4. A Lie Guarded: Clarke's lies foment a revolt, Abby leads a risky quest to find Nightblood, and Octavia faces a showdown when the clans' alliance disintegrates.


5. The Tinder Box: With the alliance broken, Roan and his Azgeda army march on Skaikru's base, forcing Clarke into a desperate gamble to avoid an all-out war.


6. We Will Rise: Clarke and Roan lead a dangerous sortie to deliver precious fuel for Raven's Nightblood mission, and Octavia faces her consuming thirst for revenge.


7. Gimme Shelter: As lethal black rain falls, Abby seeks a last-ditch radiation cure, Octavia connects with Ilian, and Bellamy faces a life-or-death decision.


8. God Complex: As time grows short, Clarke takes drastic action to find a cure. Looking for a secret bunker, Kane and Jaha face a doomsday cult's cryptic riddle.


9. DNR: Betrayal and bad blood drive the clans toward a deadly showdown, Octavia struggles to renounce her violent past, and Raven chooses her fate.


10. Die All, Die Merrily: Octavia, Roan and warriors from every clan fight to the death in a ritual battle for control of the bunker—but not everyone plays by the rules.


11. The Other Side: Octavia stalls the clans for time while Bellamy defies Clarke's plan for the bunker. Monty tries to save Jasper. Raven discovers unexpected hope.


12. The Chosen: Clarke and Bellamy lead a perilous mission to rescue Raven. Kane and Jaha clash over selecting survivors. Abby makes a fateful decision.


13. Praimfaya: Octavia assumes command of the bunker, and Raven leads Clarke's stranded team on a last-minute race to escape destruction.

The 100: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 100 continues to be photographed on the Arri Alexa, with cinematographer Michael C. Blundell continuing his work from Season Three. If you only know the series from broadcast and streaming services, the image on the Warner Archive Collection's three 1080p, AVC-encoded BD-50s will provide an impressive example of just how much better Blu-ray can look. The blacks are deeper, the colors richer and the densities significantly improved, lending weight and substance to the image. The presentation is equally solid in both the many darkened interiors where people take refuge from radiation and acid rain and the brightly lit island lab where a small group seeks a solution to imminent extermination. Exteriors take full advantage of the colorful Canadian locations where The 100 is shot. Noise, banding and other artifacts were wholly absent.

Because WAC limited this season to three discs,, the average bitrate is lower for most of the episodes than the 30 Mbps seen on Seasons Two and Three. However, I did not observe any meaningful change in quality as the average rate ranged between 23.5 and 30.2 Mbps. The encoding has been capably performed.

The 100: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 sound mix for The 100's Season Four, encoded on Blu-ray in lossless DTS-HD MA, continues the series tradition of active and effective audio with deep bass extension, broad dynamic range and superior fidelity. The manifestations of Praimfayah are fierce and menacing, and the blows by opposing warriors land with punch and authority. A battle with armed aerial drones makes effective use of the surrounds; other scenes with impressive audio cannot be described without spoilers. Dialogue is consistently clear. Composer Tree Adams continues his scoring duties from Season Three.

The 100: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Except for deleted scenes in episodes 1-9, the extras can be found on disc 3.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 1.78:1):
• Disc 1
• Echoes (3:24)
• Heavy Lies the Crown (0:41)
• A Lie Guarded (1:43)
• Disc 2
• God Complex (0:26)
• Disc 3
• The Other Side (5:54)



• The 100: 2016 Comic-Con Panel (1080i; 1.78:1; 31:32): The participants are Rothenberg, Eliza Taylor, Henry Ian Cusick, Marie Avgeropoulos, Lindsey Morgan, Christopher Larkin, Richard Harmon.



• From Outcasts to Leaders (1080p; 1.78:1; 6:14): Rothenberg and the cast discuss the characters' maturation over four seasons.



• Creating a Post Apocalyptic World (1080p; 1.78:1; 6:41): Production designer James Philpott and VFX supervisor Michael Cliett join Rothenberg and the cast to discuss the historical inspirations and visual models for The 100's blighted locales.



• The 100: Jasper's Journey (1080p; 1.78:1; 6:59): Rothenberg and the cast review the history of Devon Bostick's character, who was originally intended to die in the pilot episode, and then again in Season Three, but whose arc has continued through Season Four.



• Battle Tested: The 100 Season 4 Stunts (1080p; 1.78:1; 10:03): Stunt coordinator Marshall Virtue discusses specific sequences, with heavy emphasis on Octavia's many combat scenes in Season Four.



• The 100 Season 4 Blooper Reel (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:44): A typical collection of flubs and mishaps.

The 100: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The CW has renewed The 100 for a fifth season, and it's good thing, because Season Four ended with a head-spinning cliffhanger similar to the one that concluded the series' first season. With the advantage of freeze-frame, a few clues can be garnered about The 100's future direction, but much of what we see in the final seconds remains a riddle awaiting answers. It's possible that the series is being rebooted for a fresh start. Whatever Rothenberg & Co. have planned, the network has once again limited them to thirteen episodes; so let's hope that they've learned from the experience of Season Four how to fine-tune the series' distinctive mix of elements for a shorter overall running time. Despite the reservations expressed above, Season Four is recommended; as a technical matter, the Blu-rays are excellent.