The 100's Eliza Taylor Explains Why Jasper and Bellamy's Betrayals Were Warranted

It's been a rough season of The 100.

We lost Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and Lincoln (Ricky Whittle), and saw Jasper (Devon Bostick) and Bellamy (Bob Morley) align themselves with A.L.I.E. and Pike (Michael Beach), respectively. And while Jasper is likely lost to the chip until Clarke (Eliza Taylor) can figure out a way to shut A.L.I.E.'s programming down, Thursday's finale will hopefully give Bellamy an opportunity to redeem himself. Although, in Octavia's (Marie Avgeropolous) eyes, there may not be a gesture grand enough to do that.

But according to Eliza Taylor, people shouldn't be so hard on Bellamy and Jasper for betraying their friends. Check out our full interview with the show's star to see why she thinks their actions were "warranted," whether there's a line Clarke wouldn't cross, and what to expect from the finale.

Why is Clarke the one who has to go into the City of Light?
Eliza Taylor: I think because it boils down to there being absolutely no other option. We've gotten to a point where A.L.I.E. has us locked in from every which way. All of these people who have taken the chip are coming for us. I think she just says, "OK, the only way for me to defeat A.L.I.E. is to go into the City of Light myself." It's a pure leap of faith. Either it's going to work or it's not.

Clarke is always so focused on trying to save her people. But beyond that, what does she really want out of her life?
Taylor: I think it's always been the same thing. She just wants people to stop fighting each other when all we want is the same thing, you know? If we could just put our differences aside to survive on this god-awful planet, I think that's when Clarke will be happy. But it's never a sentiment anyone else shares with her.

Clarke was willing to let Abby die in order to stop A.L.I.E. Is there anything she wouldn't do?
Taylor: This is the thing that breaks my heart about Clarke; I don't think there is. She will stop at nothing, even watch her mother die, to save humanity, to keep everyone else alive. And I think that's been her struggle from the very beginning -- sacrificing and making really hard choices and not thinking about what she needs personally. Just thinking about everyone else.

In the same episode that Clarke was willing to sacrifice her mother, we learn that Jasper willingly took the chip. Did he cross a line that he can't come back from?
Taylor: Honestly, I think it makes sense for Jasper. You have this person telling you that they can take your pain away if you just do this one thing, and we've seen Jasper's grief this whole season. He's not the same person. He's forever changed by Mount Weather and by Maya. And I, personally, would be like, "Absolutely. Give me that thing. I don't want to remember any of the pain that I've been through." So I think it's an interesting turn of events that's warranted for his character arc this season.

The 100 finale: Clarke and Lexa to reunite!

We've already said goodbye to so many beloved characters this season, but this is the finale. Should fans prepare themselves for more hard losses?
Taylor: Of course they should! Always. It always gets darker even when you think it can't get any darker. So yes, we should probably prepare to see some losses.

Clarke always takes so much on alone. Are we going to see her really lean on anyone this week?
Taylor: Yeah, definitely, because she has not been a part of this world where A.L.I.E. is a thing until very recently. She hasn't been very well-educated in exactly what A.L.I.E. is and the effects she's having on people until very recently. And I think her going on this journey and taking the chip is going to be very interesting for people to watch.

Bellamy has been carrying a lot of guilt recently over working with Pike, and Lincoln's death. How might he try to redeem himself?
Taylor: I kind of like that Bellamy ended up on the same journey that he was [on] in Season 1. It's kind of a nice callback to Season 1, where you see "doesn't give a f--k Bellamy," who's just like, "This is what I believe is right for people." Not like, "I'm a bad guy," or "Pike's right." Just, "These grounders have hurt us over and over again and I'm sick of it." And again, like with Jasper, that's warranted for him to feel that way. ... I think Bob Morley did a really great job of humanizing that reality. Of course, he's going to come around to the other side, but it was a really interesting arc to watch.

Every season of this shows see the characters taking on such a different threat and storyline. Will the finale give a clear indicator at the direction they're heading in Season 4?
Taylor: Absolutely. I think it will, for sure. Without saying anything about how it ends, I think there's no doubt people will very quickly start to speculate as to how Season 4 goes.

For more The 100 finale scoop, check out Taylor discussing Clarke's reunion with Lexa here.

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