Michelle Collins Portfolio

The 100 Season Six: Where We Are and Where We're Going

Published entertainment journalism | Nerds & Beyond

Context - Published entertainment editorial combining series news, season analysis, character commentary, and audience-focused coverage during a one-week broadcast hiatus. Article text is reproduced as originally published for portfolio presentation.

My recurring The 100 coverage regularly ranked among the site’s weekly Top 10 content and earned engagement from official show and cast social accounts.

To see all my Nerds & Beyond stories, click the button.

This week, The 100 will be on a brief hiatus, bringing us episode six, “Memento Mori,” next Tuesday. While we anxiously wait to see what happens when two sociopaths form an alliance to live, literally, forever, I wanted to take this week to bring you up to speed on all things The 100.

First up: Season Seven! We’re not even halfway into season six, but according to TVGuide.com, The CW announced the renewal a week before the season premiere. Showrunner Jason Rothenberg is already hard at work plotting what will happen to Clarke, Bellamy, and our kru in season seven.

According to his Twitter account, The 100 writers are “fixing to do some very bad things.” That should probably make us nervous, but really, it makes us excited for what’s to come.

One of the things that sets this show apart from standard youth-centric genre fiction is the bravery of The 100 writers. They are not afraid to kill off major characters. (Nope. Still not over Finn.) Viewers of this show watch it knowing that no one is safe from Rothenberg’s ax. Just ask anyone who loved Jasper, Lincoln, or Monty.

With everyone potentially just a keystroke away from oblivion, it gives the audience a true sense of tension. Of course, this potential death tension doesn’t exclude our main protagonist, Clarke. With her mind MIA at this point of the season, we’re forced to ask if we’ll be stuck with Josephine forever? Not that being stuck with Clarksephine is a bad thing.

That brings me to the second thing we love about The 100 writers: they do bad really, really good. Case in point: John Murphy. If you’ve read my reviews this season, it won’t be a secret that Murphy’s my favorite character. Not only is he played brilliantly by Richard S. Harmon, but he’s written so well. I mean, close to everybody loves a bad boy, but Murphy’s more complicated than just a bad boy. He lives in a moral gray area that I find not only fascinating, but thought-provoking, and that’s due to the way the writers have written him.

When last we left Murphy, he’d had a close encounter with death and was not interested in going down that road again. It made him a perfect mark for Josephine. We can’t wait to see where this alliance leads us. (Note to Jason and writers: I’m prepared to offer things in exchange for keeping Murphy around, just so you know.)

This season, the “insertion” story line has presented us with an interesting idea worth debating, and it’s easy to see the ambiguity in the thought of keeping your loved ones around you forever. Anyone who’s lost a family member would be quick to tell you it’s not a simple matter of right and wrong. We’re loving the story line so far, but maybe you can take it a bit father, Jason.

Here’s an idea for season seven: a body-swapping episode! Richard Harmon plays pregnant Diyoza! Bob Morley plays Octavia! Marie Avgeropoulos plays Miller. The fun and hilarious possibilities are endless!

Seriously though, before we go too far into season seven, let’s discuss what else season six has brought us. Our kru has found a new home on the moon, Sanctum. A new locale means new rules and dangers and, so far, Sanctum has delivered a fair amount of those things. It’s certainly made us rethink eclipses.

Season six has also brought a fantastic new character in Jordan. The son of Monty and Harper (May We Meet Again) Jordan has quickly become a fan favorite, and for good reason. He has been the perfect face for the reinvigoration of the show itself. Jordan’s a good guy who’s not afraid to show his heart, but he’s not afraid to speak his mind either. I love how the writers have taken the best qualities of Monty and Harper and fused them into Jordan. He and this new moon have breathed new life into the show.

Don’t worry, kru, while we love the new guy, we know Rothenberg and his ‘writerkru’ are sure to bring us exciting and heartbreaking adventures of our other favorites too. Bellamy and Echo appear to be out of sync, Kane’s still literally ten minutes from dying, and poor Octavia has a death wish like none other. Throw in our dubious new Sanctum King Russell, the mysterious Children of Gabriel and with their “old man” leader, and the rest of season six is shaping up to be a thrilling, twisting, tortuous ride. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tune into The CW tonight for an encore presentation of episode one, “Sanctum.” Then join me watching episode six next week with my review posted shortly after. Until then, I’ll be waiting for Jason Rothenberg to share his cupcakes with me.

Natural & Urban in Downtown Little Rock by Michelle Collins - (Historic Arkansas Museum Log Cabin Grounds, Little Rock, AR)

Top Nine Indicators You're Watching a Harlan Coben Series

Unpublished Entertainment Feature / Analysis June 13, 2026

Television audiences can’t get enough of author Harlan Coben: thus far, fifteen of his high stakes thriller novels have been adapted into series, spanning five countries and two different streaming platforms.

The guy’s everywhere. Though each of his series is unique, I couldn’t help but notice that his signature blend of suburban secrets, rapid-fire whiplash twists, and high-stakes emotion runs throughout every series, no matter the setting or title. (Why yes, I have seen them all.)

Many showrunners and producers have signature looks. Ryan Murphy gives us glossy high camp and wide-lens melodrama, Vince Gilligan is firmly entrenched in the Southwest, and Harlan Coben, too, has a look and feel to each of his series. Makes sense. He’s very hands on with his material. I don’t blame him. It’s good stuff, and so far, he’s put it in capable hands.

It begs the question: how does he keep his signature style cohesive throughout each production? How do you know you’re watching a Coben series? Here’s a list of the Top Nine clues.

9. Upscale Suburban Setting – The action takes place in seemingly perfect, wealthy neighborhoods, often in the UK or Europe. We’re talking perfectly groomed lawns (or gardens if you’re in the UK), everyone has a luxury car, including the teens, and there are so many neighborhood picnics. I ask you: have you ever been to a picnic in your neighborhood? I have not. I always wanted to, but not in a Harlan Coben setting. Those picnics are where secrets come out.

8. Speaking of Secrets – Everyone has a secret, something they’ve buried for so long they’ve almost forgotten it themselves. When it comes out? You’d better believe there will be repercussions. Not just feelings of dread and guilt, either. A veritable domino effect of consequences usually spins out of control. Usually at the picnics. Then nobody eats the potato salad, and it’s just left to ruin.

7. Flashbacks – No story is complete without damning information the characters thought they had left in the past. But you know what they say: the past has a way of haunting you. Pay attention to the flashbacks. That’s where the crucial information is. “But how do I know it’s a flashback?” you ask. One indicator: really bad wigs.

6. The Stranger Figure – (Not The Stranger, 2020, arguably his best work in my opinion.) There’s always a guy. Well, usually a guy. He may look like a drifter, an unstable individual out to do harm, or just a weirdo in a coat that’s too warm for the weather, but he’s there, lurking. And he knows things. Things he shouldn’t and, coincidentally, things that can help solve the mystery. This stranger is a vital part of the Cobenverse. (Did I just coin that phrase? TM, me.)

5. The Long-Dead Surprise – This happens when a decades-old disappearance or death suddenly becomes relevant again in the present day. Usually, the haggard father with the missing child he’s desperately seeking discovers it before the detectives on the case. Because it’s HIS CHILD, and he will stop at nothing!

4. Richard Armitage – He’s appeared in several of the top Netflix Coben adaptations. There’s just something about that guy’s face that makes him the perfect troubled lead. His acting’s great too, which helps. However, if you’re planning to binge all the Cobens in a row, know that The Stranger (2020), Stay Close (2021), Fool Me Once (2024), and Missing You (2025) aren’t connected plot-wise. It’s just Harlan Coben’s “mascot,” as some have called him, appearing in them all.

3. Quick-Paced with Cliffhangers – Each series is designed to be binged, so every episode is speedy. Even during the slow emotional moments, you feel like you’re moving. Then it ends on a cliffhanger specifically meant to bring on the “Are you still watching?” message of doom.

2. Missing/Dead Spouse or Child – I mean, what’s it going to be about if not that? Desperate searches are the wings of the Cobenverse. And don’t even think about getting from Point A to Point B the easy way, either. Oh no, we’re going all over the place looking for that deceased relative viewers never even met. Trains, planes, buses—we’re on them all. When we get there? Oh, we’re reading diaries, digging through backpacks, interrogating wine-swilling neighbors, or questioning ex-boyfriends who are secretly still in love. No stone unturned, I’m telling you.

1. It Was You All Along – This is my favorite Cobenism: the final episodes resolve the chaos by linking almost every character to the original, central mystery. And this is where he does his best work. He’s managed to fool me numerous times, and I’m actively trying to guess the culprit in the first episode! (To my husband’s annoyance.) It’s like he’s taking cooked spaghetti and somehow turning it back into the straight noodles from the package. And we’re eating it up with no complaints.

Going Places & Coming Home by Michelle Collins - (Lake Havasu, Arizona)

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Old Fashioned Apple Cider by Michelle Collins - (Historic Arkansas Museum Christmas Folic, Little Rock, AR)

Looking Up at the Flamingo by Michelle Collins - (Flamingo Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas, NV)

Lonely Bison by Michelle Collins - (Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, Lampe, MO)

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