The 100: 25 Times Clarke Griffin Was The Lead We've Needed

Clarke Griffin is a lead that from the very start you manage to fall in love with before you realize what is happening. Throughout her journey on The 100, she is on a path that is relatable in the way that it is messy.

She doesn't always make the right choices, and sometimes lives are at stake in a way that not every person knows how to deal with. But what makes Clarke stand out is the undeniable way that she continues to make decisions based on people's safety and on what she considers to be the right choice in a difficult situation.

Especially during The 100 Season 5, we get dropped into a new version of Earth, one that has Clarke at her most vulnerable and as the person whose eyes the audience is meant to see the story from.

If you watch The 100 online, you know Clarke continues to redefine what a female lead should look like, and she continues to inspire us as the first bisexual female lead on network television.

Whether you always agree with Clarke Griffin or not, the one thing that is universal is the appreciation that we all have for someone like her on our screens. She offers us hope and the chance to finally see the lead that we have been waiting for all this time.

Below is a slideshow for everyone who has loved Clarke Griffin, from the very first season to the currently airing fifth season.

1. The Time Clarke Selflessly Saved Her Friends and Risked Her Own Happiness For 6 Years

Nothing owns my heart more than Clarke's decision in the Season 4 finale that left her all by herself on Earth so that the others could get to space. She was close to dying by the time they left, but she got them there and they survived because of her sacrifice. The happiness, the promise of safety, and the companionship that she gave up to make that happen will always linger in all of our hearts. Clarke was truly alone out there and it was something that she chose because this is who she is.

2. The Time Clarke Was a Bi Icon

I'm just going to leave this here as a placeholder for all the discussions of why Clarke Griffin is incredible bisexual representation. Her extraordinary worth as the lead of a show and the growth that she goes through each season is nothing short of wonderful. She is a selfless, courageous, realistic, and inspiring. Her romantic relationships don't define her, but her attraction to more than just the opposite gender isn't overlooked. Her journey is important because she is a bi woman consistently showing the fans that feel represented by her that life is about more than just surviving.

3. The Time Clarke Proved That A Healthy Relationship Is Built On Open Communication (and Had Bellamy Crash A Rover While Smiling At Her)

Bellamy and Clarke have been through a lot together, and in that time they have proved there is nothing they couldn't overcome. The secret though is communicating when there is an issue and building an unbreakable bond that rests on trust, understanding, and love. The relationship that Clarke and Bellamy formed is an interesting one because of the depth at the root of it, something that stands out compared to many shows that explore things like this just on the surface. Clarke's relationship with Bellamy builds on who she is as a person and as a leader, something that continues to define the core portion of The 100.

4. The Time Clarke Survived Post Apocalyptic Depression

The entire first half of the Season 5 premiere was some of the most stunning work from Eliza Taylor and some of the most emotional content that we got from Clarke Griffin. The way that Clarke pushed through just about every possible issue from isolation to lack of food and water, to a near suicide attempt that would take away her misery, was something we will never forget. From it though came this sneak peek into the way that it all led to her figuring it out and getting to just live for the first time in a long while. She wasn't trying to survive, she was thriving and she was inspiring us to do the same.

5. The Time Clarke Coined The Term Leader

Loving Clarke means loving this scene in which she set her foot down when it came to who exactly was going to be making decisions at the time. It was powerful, it made an impact, and it put Clarke in the position of power that was hers all along in our minds.

6. The Time Clarke Channeled Her Inner Slytherin

A good lead makes you feel things, and there was nothing like the experience that comes from watching Clarke building a strategy in the blink of an eye. She knew the way to play the game, and it was amazing to see that shift in her that mirrored the plan to follow. Octavia wasn't going to get away with taking Madi and Clarke showed us exactly how to play the long game.

7. The Time Clarke Valued Raven Like She Deserved

To this day this moment between Clarke and Raven is legendary. Choosing Raven over the guy that screwed them both over was putting each other first in a TV world that would usually explore something very different. Like The 100, Clarke values friendships and knows the worth that Raven has even when someone like Finn didn't. Getting to see a lead share this kind of dialogue was a leap in exactly the kind of direction that we should have been going in all along.

8. The Time Clarke Took Atom's Suffering Away

Much like Bellamy, this was the moment where many came to realize the way that they underestimated Clarke. In taking that knife from Bellamy and giving Atom a quick death, she proved that she was willing to shoulder the tough choices if it meant bringing someone peace. It was all over this scene, including the way that she appeared over Bellamy's shoulder like an angel whose hands would soon be covered in blood.

9. The Time Clarke Sacrificed Her Life Yet Again

After one of the strongest scenes of the season between Clarke and Murphy, our favorite lead made a decision that none many would. Clarke realized the people that they were becoming and instead of testing something dangerous on Emori, she chose herself without a second thought. This wasn't anything new when you consider the way that Clarke risks her life, but yet it still spoke volumes.

10. The Time Clarke Was The Smartest One Of All

Clarke knew that none of her people would poison Lexa, which is why the smartest thing to do was also the choice with the biggest risk. Still, Clarke took it upon herself to risk it in the outcome that Raven would be safe. This was a power move that was just a small detail surrounding the person that Clarke continued to show that she was.

11. The Time Clarke Was Super Adorable With Madi

Clarke braiding Madi's hair and making sure she takes water with her. That's it, that is the scene. Clarke's relationship with Madi is pure and hopeful, it defines the love that Clarke gives to those that matter most to her and who doesn't want that in their favorite female lead? These two are a relief in a world full of darkness and gloom.

12. The Time Clarke Killed Finn

There comes a time in every person's life when your future love interest asks you to kill your current one. But really, live comes with difficult choices and while killing someone you care for isn't a daily occurrence in our world, the way that Clarke handles it in hers has rather important value. This moment defined Clarke's ability to lead and it zeroed in on the strength that she showcased in a situation with no good solutions.

13. The Time Clarke Stood Up For What was Right (and Still Got The Girl Crushing On Her)

Clarke wasn't going to let Lexa kill Octavia, a confrontation that set off a chain of reactions. She called out the way that love isn't something to categorize as a weakness, backing Lexa up into a literal corner and getting the leader to face her feelings. Lexa revealing her crush on Clarke was such a relatable mood too, it just makes sense.

14. The Time Clarke Gave Us All The Family Feels With Abby

The Griffin women always manage to make us feel so much and the Season 3 finale was no different. Clarke and Abby have both been so much separately, and through it all, they have to figure out how to be the good guy at the end of the day. Even that was something they had to figure out how to redefine, but they always have the other to help and ease the guilt that comes with it.

15. The Time Clarke Risked It All and Broke Our Hearts

Remember that time Emerson was around and was just super horrible? Same. Clarke sacrificing herself was like breathing to her by that point, even if Bellamy thought he could wing a different plan along the way. She thought she was dying to keep her family alive, and when that didn't happen she took matters into her own hands. Clarke Griffin is the hero we have all been waiting for.

16. The Time Clarke Made Being A Prisoner Look Good

Hair mistakes were made in Season 3, but this time around wasn't one of them. Maybe it was because Roan was around or maybe it was because Clarke was in the middle of a scheme, regardless she managed to pull it off. Being a prisoner doesn't mean you shouldn't look good while doing it.

17. The Time Clarke Tested Her Nightblood For Emori

Everyone wants to save Emori, as they all should. Clarke may have had Nightblood, a result of another Emori save, but she didn't know if it worked. Yet she still gave her helmet away because she wasn't going to let Emori suffer when she didn't have to. Ladies looking out for each other this way is all we need in this world of danger and pain.

18. The Time Clarke Was Smol and Soft

I am just going to leave this here because this was another milestone for Clarke. She spent six years waiting for her partner and her people to come back to her, and at this moment the hope and happiness that radiates off her is nothing short of heartwarming. Clarke's ability to take a breath after all that time that she was awaiting their return, well that is something we shouldn't take for granted in this scene.

19. The Time Clarke Made An Escape Mission Look Cool

Clarke in Mount Weather was an underrated treasure of an arc. She was finally able to sit back and not worry about grounders, something she wouldn't allow herself when she sensed the danger so clearly. This new setting didn't manage to swallow Clarke into it, which means from it we got some cool escape sequences.

20. The Time Clarke Showed So Many Emotions

Clarke has always looked to her head to lead, but that all changed after her six-year break in Eden. There is nothing wrong with allowing your mind to take over, and yet seeing Clarke feeling this openly is like nothing we've seen before. It reminds us that there is nothing wrong in showing emotion, or in allowing your heart to inspire and push you forward. It is like Clarke is finally allowing herself to be more honest, and in watching Clarke feeling this much, I am reminded that this is all I could have wanted for her and I hope it never goes away.

21. The Time Clarke Had All The Drunk Fun

Sometimes you just need to let loose, which Clarke did during Unity Days. She drank, she flirted, and she deserved all of that short-term happiness. If only she was able to have more of it these days ...

22. The Time Clarke Teamed Up With Anya In Mount Weather

Anyone would be lucky to hang out with Anya, which is why Clarke taking her up on that chance was so great. It didn't turn out the way any of us wanted, but these two came a long way from that bridge on Season 1. The potential between those two, as leaders trying to do what was right and as prisoners trying to escape was brave and inspiring.

23. The Time Clarke Needed A Mental Health Break

Clarke leaving her people at the end of Season 2 is still a hard scene to think about, and even that decision can be explored on both sides in depth. While Clarke was struggling and needed the break, it didn't exactly do her much good to be isolated from the people she loved. Still, this was an attempt on Clarke's side to deal with what she had to do and we can't fault her for that.

24. The Time Clarke Made Fun of Wonkru

We were all thinking it, but Clarke was the one to say it. There is nothing like poking fun at a prayer before a meal that depends on the members of this newly deloped bunker cult to be devouring people in the process. Clarke gets it, and we all love her even more for it.

25. The Time Clarke Had A Friend In Octavia

It feels like so long ago that Clarke and Octavia had their own kind of friendship. These days their only real connection to one another is through Bellamy, and even that isn't enough to keep Clarke from suggesting they should take Octavia out every few minutes. Still, there was a time when these two ladies looked out for each other, which is a nice memory to hold on to.