Relationships are essential to any show, but especially to The 100. The bonds that characters form push the plot in different directions and it creates a better story in the process.

Characters are nothing without relationships, both platonic and romantic. Each season The 100 introduces new characters and through that new bonds are formed that raise the stakes, but that also make you feel even more than you thought you could.

There is something special about rooting for different relationships and loving someone else's love. Whether it is found family, new romance, soulmate connections, friendships, partnerships, or even something that fits in the middle of that, The 100 delivers every single time.

Which is why I compiled a list of all the relationships that stood out the most so far based off strong writing, great acting, and even just the feeling that it created within the fandom.

These are the connections to look out for waiting for a heartbreaker of a season finale. 

Related: The 100: Bellamy and Clarke's Platonic Soulmate Reunions Examined

Octavia + Niylah

These two had their moments in previous seasons, like the time that Niylah developed a crush on a new girl from space after Octavia thanked her for the clothes. 

It was easy to think about what could have been explored after that one scene, and then it was like all our prayers were heard when these two continued to cross paths. The 100 Season 4 Episode 5 was just them touching the whole time while they tried to stop Ilian from setting everything on fire.

They ended up failing with that little mission, but from there a bond was born. In fact, that bond trickled down to Octavia saving Niylah in the bunker right off the bat.

Niylah didn't have to worry about being left out of the bunker because her new space lady crush had her back, which is exactly when I imagine she fell in love.

Now during The 100 Season 5 Episode 2 we saw more sweet moments between Niylah and Octavia, a big one being the Ovid book that was a present parallel to the time when Gina gave Bellamy a book in The 100 Season 3 Episode 1.

That could just be a coincidence, or it could be the true key to a Blake's heart.

Niylah and Octavia seemed to be truly comfortable around each other in that bunker, in fact, it felt like for Octavia this was one of the few people who saw her for the person she wanted to be. Niylah wasn't looking for her to lead or to take a step back from the throne, she just trusted this person, and they looked out for each other. 

Safety was overrated when they were with one another.

The emphasis though is on was.

The 100 Season 5 Episode 4 explored the bunker in real time, and one person was missing. In fact, that set off the Where is Niylah search that has continued for the next episode and beyond.

There is a popular theory that Octavia ate Niylah during "The Dark Year," which Jason Rothenberg thankfully confirmed isn't true.

With Niylah set to return in Exit Wounds, the first question we will all have is how her relationship with Octavia is doing?

Niylah didn't seem like she had many people to count on down there, so Octavia's shift to the dark side had to have affected her friend.

Going forward their relationship would be a great addition to a season with a focus on different relationships between people across the board. 

Octavia has a lot going on, she has some leadership issues, and she found herself a new enemy in Charmaine, and she saw her brother kiss a woman who caused her nothing but pain.

But the end of the world is nothing without a chance of pace, or maybe just a change of focus from time to time.

There is just something about two ladies supporting each other that makes my heart all warm, and even though it is usually Raven that has chemistry with all the women on the show, it could be a refreshing story to explore if it was Octavia this time around.

Especially if you look back at her conversation with Indra, love isn't a weakness and what better way to learn that than to open your head to a multitude of people. 

Related: The 100 Renewed For Season 6 at The CW!

Madi + Clarke

This bond may be one of the purest that the show has covered so far.

The love that Madi and Clarke have for each other is heartwarming and pure fluff; it makes Clarke's sacrifice all the more worth it because she didn't have to go through the six-year wait alone.

Madi and Clarke have this wonderful found family relationship that reminds us all that The 100 doesn't always have to be doom and gloom. There are bright spots to be found, with Madi's introduction to the show as one of them.

Madi is this really strong character that really can do no wrong. You want to protect her from the world when in reality she protects the world around her.

Or to be more specific, she protects Clarke's world and all the people in it. 

Moving forward, it is exciting to see Madi adjust into the family that Clarke told her all about. It could set up a contrast to the natural way that Madi fits right into the stories that Clarke told her about, while Clarke herself struggles.

We have seen some of that already, Clarke continues to watch more than she acts and especially with Bellamy it feels like she is trying to figure out where she belongs now.

Her constant though is Madi; this is the person Clarke knows where she fits with her and that is where we will get to see her feel more at ease for now.

That doesn't mean though that things might not get chaotic, especially with the admiration that Madi has for Octavia.

Personally, I believe that Madi is old enough to form her own opinion, and seeing how Octavia is now won't come off as appealing to Madi as we may all think it will.

But Madi is a Nightblood and a potential threat to Octavia's leadership, something that shouldn't worry anyone but she threatened Bellamy so no one is safe. 

It is probably decent to assume that Madi and Clarke's relationship will continue to melt our hearts, they might struggle when it comes to new people around them with less honest intentions. 

Related: Enjoy UNLIMITED access to thousands of Movies and TV shows with Prime Video. WATCH ANYWHERE. CANCEL

(Not) Zeke + Raven

The tale of Pilot Mechanic was one no one says coming, and yet everyone says coming.

As soon as not Zeke was announced as a new character on The 100, rumors started about how perfect he sounded for our very own Raven Reyes. A “self-professed adrenaline junkie brimming with brains, wit, and bravado" is just the kind of guy you want by Raven's side.

But it goes beyond that, as one of the new enemies on the show, not Zeke became a scene-stealing character in his own right.

His driving force was survival, and his inability to agree with Charmaine and McCreary on how to deal with Clarke just made that even more evident.

This guy couldn't handle watching this gritty violence that his other partners didn't even blink at, and his approach to a hostage is to share water and stories. 

Not Zeke also may or may not have fallen in love with Raven at first online site. As soon as she flipped him the bird while hacking into his system, that boy was doomed. 

And even though their interactions so far haven't been the most pleasant, they are currently the only one the other can trust. Not Zeke has to play along with Raven's plan to keep them both from getting killed, and Raven knows she can't get out of there without this new guy.

If a romance was to bloom from that, I don't think anyone would exactly object. There is something wonderful about Raven finding her partner in crime in such a chaotic mission to finally reunite with her people.

Plus not Zeke could be a great addition to the people on the ground, which may be a little tough with the different groups forming.

Somewhere down the line, though, there is the possibility for everyone to come together and for not Zeke to become a new member of the group. 

Plus, Raven Reyes may be one of the strongest people on the show which says a lot, but she deserves some happiness. This whole season started with her working to get her people down and then sacrificing her chance at real life in exchange for their happiness.

It has been a while since Raven just got something for herself, in fact, it has been a while since she even had someone in her life that treated her the way that she deserved.

Finn was not someone that ever deserved Raven, but we all knew that already. Wick was a strange case because he genuinely cared for Raven, but it also felt like he pressured her in a direction she wasn't ready for.

Or maybe we were all waiting around for not Zeke so no one else in her past could compare (except for Luna). Anyway, it is about time that Raven found a little love and a lot of happiness.

Related: The 100: Lola Flanery on Madi's Backstory, Meeting Heroes from Clarke's Stories & More!

Charmaine/McCreary + Kane/Abby

There is nothing like a surprising foursome to shake things up on The 100.

It was clear to me right away that Kane and Abby landed in a bit of a slump, or more specifically Kane did.

That nudged at me the most during Pandora's Box because it felt like he was going through the same motions that he usually did and he couldn't stay in the Octavia arc without it wasting both his and Abby's screen time.

Abby had her own issues, ones I hope we touch upon more because I have plenty of questions, but there was still something in her journey that resonated more with me.

But again, the thought of them just fighting for survival against Octavia while Kane repeated that they couldn't keep excusing their actions worried me until Charmaine came into the picture.

Charmaine and McCreary are dynamic new villains, in fact, they could be the best ones the show has had so far because in a way you want to root for them.

Charmaine is engaging, relatable when it comes to Octavia, and is just engaging. McCreary is more creepy, but he also seems more dangerous without being limited to that one word. He isn't a character with a redemption arc, but he also feels like a real person that pushes the story forward rather than holding it back.

Now with Kane and Abby intertwining with them, there seems to be more possibilities for them.

Abby is still battling her addiction, but she is also feeling the pressure to help Charmaine. It helps that she gets her fix if she figures out how to treat everyone and that sets up a wonderful power dynamic between the two women.

Then there is McCreary, a guy who Abby will be working with more since he wants to be cured first. There is less to guess about where that could go, except for the fact that this separates him from Charmaine and allows Abby to gain the upper hand. 

Charmaine doesn't come off as the type to back down when it comes to Abby, but McCreary very well might.

While this is happening, Charmaine and Kane have managed to strike up an alcohol-based friendship.

Based on future episode plots, it sounds like Kane shares something with Charmaine that could help her when it comes to Octavia which doesn't result in death.

Now Charmaine isn't a trustworthy ally to all, which of course sets up the idea that maybe Kane's decision won't sit well with everyone.

Or this new friendship will take a different turn that none of us see coming, regardless Charmaine and Kane are are building an arc that does wonders for a character that felt boxed in within the bunker, literally and figuratively.

Related: The 100: Mental Health and The Necessity of Moving On

Head Bellamy + Heart Clarke

This isn't exactly a new relationship, but yet somehow it really is nothing we have seen before.

Examining the reunions between these new versions of Clarke and Bellamy has made it evident that things have changed. Bellamy has connected with his head weirdly well, almost too well when you think about how disconnected he is sometimes with his emotions.

The same can be said for Clarke, her connection to her heart is now leading her choices along with more than we have ever seen. There is that practical way of thinking, but she has had time to focus on her emotions, and now that comes off in everything that she does.

Still, there is something that can be said about the way that Clarke wears her heart on her sleeve and what this means for Bellamy and Clarke as a whole.

You have to mention that face she made during The 100 Season 5 Episode 5 when she saw Bellamy kissing Echo, something he must have forgotten to mention all this time. No big deal, no big deal at all. 

Except for the fact that this was a huge deal, that one second from Clarke followed be her trying to refocus on Madi told us plenty about their interactions during that night trip as a whole.

Clarke's emotions are demonstrated the most around Madi and her mother, but during her campfire scene with Bellamy it felt off. There was no trace of the Clarke in Sleeping Giants, the one that dropped her body in relief at seeing Bellamy.

These two don't know how to find a new normal around them yet, which could and probably does have to do with the new normal they had to make for themselves.

Clarke's normal consisted of Madi, but it also relied heavily on the idea that she would one day see Bellamy again. In fact, Clarke was banking on seeing her core people and letting that make everything feel whole. 

The same can't be said for Bellamy, he thought his partner was dead and his new normal had to shift drastically.

Bellamy had to come to terms with the fact that he was living in a world without Clarke in it. Clarke came to terms with the fact that she was waiting for a world that would have her and Bellamy in it together again one day.

It doesn't have to border romance; this highlights the pure way that the two have become a team.

But Bellamy's version of that team then became mourning Clarke for six years, not letting her memory go to waste yet also not knowing that he didn't have to adjust the idea that he had for when he came back down. 

Now, these two have plenty they need to deal with, as leaders and as partners. 

Going forward in the season, the hope is that these two have figure out a way to fit in each other's lives again. Without letting my hopes and my theories get in the way, it is safe to say that they will come back from this shift.

Bellamy and Clarke's relationship is the heart of the show, something that I will continue to repeat while they string us along because they can't figure out that they clearly still mean so much to one another. 

Related: The 100 Season 5 Episode 5 Review: Shifting Sands

Special Highlights 

• Raven and Emori - This new mentor/student relationship had to be mentioned. Raven spent six years teaching Emori all about getting them to the ground and how to use all this technology that she never learned about and it is safe to say that I want these best friends to always be there for each other.
  
  They were roommates, and if Raven couldn't get herself a nice relationship in space, a wonderful new friendship is even better.

• Not Zeke and Clarke - Someone who offers the other water during a hostage situation sets up a best friend bond for life. 

• Bellamy and Emori - That spaceship adventure was the cutest thing ever because Emori needed someone to believe in her and Bellamy trusted her with his entire heart that sometimes makes an appearance. It was the brother/sister relationship we need right now, and I demand more of it. 

• Clarke and her emotions - It isn't that Clarke never showed her true emotions, but there is something about this season that has Clarke vulnerable more than usual. The way that we now get to connect with her is unlike anything else; we get to follow Clarke through her story more than ever before.
  
  She is emotional bare before us, and it is a pleasure actually to know what she is feeling all the time. Because when Clarke feels, it radiates so much off the screen. Clarke may have been the head, but it is her heart that you now feel honored to glimpse. 

What were your favorite new relationships this season so far? Of what relationships are you hoping to see more? What relationships do you want to see form that haven't yet? How ready are you for a new episode of The 100? Let us know below. 

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Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.