You Won't Believe Everything The 100 Boss Told Us About Mount Weather, Reapers, Grounders and More!

We went on a deep dive with executive producer Jason Rothenberg on the mystery behind Mount Weather

By Sydney Bucksbaum Nov 12, 2014 7:00 PMTags
The 100Cate Cameron/The CW

We still can't believe everything we learned from the final moments of last week's episode of The 100.

So much was revealed in that final scene, so we decided to get executive producer Jason Rothenberg on the line to go on a deep dive all about the mystery surrounding Mount Weather, its dark relationship with the Reapers and Grounders, and so much more. And the usually cagey showrunner spilled so much scoop that left our heads spinning!

Without further ado, check out our full Q&A with the mad genius below:

E! News: Are the people of Mount Weather intentionally feeding the bodies of the half-alive Grounders to the Reapers? Or did the Reapers discover those carts in the tunnels on their own?
Jason Rothenberg: Yes, the Mountain Men are tossing out the discarded Grounder bodies to the Reapers for disposal. That means whatever they choose to do with them, they can do with them.

Cate Cameron/The CW

Oh wow! That kind of goes along with my theory based on what the Mountain Men used on the Reapers and the fact that Lincoln was captured by Reapers and the next time we see him he's in the custody of the Mountain Men, so are the Reapers and the Mountain Men working together?
Yes they are! There is a symbiotic relationship there, even more intense and deeper than it appears right now and we'll begin to really peel the layers back in episode 5. There's not much of it in episode 4. That's when you'll get the bigger answers.

That's so fascinating to me, because you teased this entire relationship and storyline way back, midway through season one when we first saw those carts of bodies in the tunnels with the Reapers. Did you have all of this mythology planned out even way back then?
Yeah, definitely! I knew what the relationship was between Grounder/Reaper/Mountain Men even back then. We refined it since then and added details this season to get into what it really means. The name Reaper is derived from the fact that they reap Grounders. They go out and collect Grounders and bring them to Mount Weather, who needs them. The people in Mount Weather can't survive on the ground without full body Haz-Mat radiation suits, and that's not the most efficient way to move around. Essentially, they got this force to do their dirty work for them. And they feed them.

The last scene of episode 3 really has a lot of answers in it if you unpack it moment by moment. You see the handoff, the Reapers bringing Grounders to the door, you see Dr. Tsing [Rekha Sharma] coming out in her Haz-Mat suit going through the line of Grounders inspecting them like cattle for either the Harvest chamber, or where Lincoln [Ricky Whittle] is headed, the Cerberus project. That's a big clue and we'll find out more about it as we follow Lincoln's storyline. Dark s--t happens to him. And then when the Reapers hand off the Grounders and have done their job, they drop to their knees to get injected with some kind of red chemical. That drug is called Red and it's insanely addictive. That's the reward Reapers get for bringing Grounders in.

Cate Cameron/The CW

Let's talk about the Cerberus project. I know that Cerberus is the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hell in Greek and Roman mythology. Is it safe to assume that the Reapers serve as "guard dogs" for the Mountain Men, patrolling the tunnels and keeping them safe?
That is very correct. The Reapers are one of Mount Weather's defenses, for sure. They need people who can survive outside to do that for them, to protect them and watch the gates and doors for them. Since they would name it the Cerberus project, I don't know what that says about their own feeling towards their home! But it is a bit of a hell, obviously.

Obviously #nospoilers, what can you tease about what's in store for Lincoln? Should we be worried that he's on a path to become a Reaper now that he's in the Cerberus project?
That question is a very good question! It definitely presupposes something we haven't talked about, which is that Reapers are created. I will say that we will find out exactly what happens to Lincoln, or begin to find out what happens to him, in episode 5. His character takes a very dark path for at least three or four episodes or more. I think I've already given away too much! I'm not going to answer any more about this! [Laughs.]

That's fair! I'm surprised you even said that much about it already. You're kind of blowing my mind here!
I know, my assistant just walked in and she's yelling, "Shut up! Shut up!"

Cate Cameron/The CW

Okay, let's look at this week's episode, then. Are we going to see more of Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Anya (Dichen Lachman) together now that Anya's taken Clarke hostage? I love their dynamic!
Yes, they are now together and on the outside and they are not exactly friends. Their journey is definitely parallel and they're together for some time. It's a very interesting pairing, obviously, and I think it will surprise people. What Clarke is showing and what she is becoming is very pragmatic. She didn't save Anya because they were friends or to do a good thing. She saved Anya only because she knew that Anya knew the way back to the outside world. She needed Anya. And later, Anya comes back for Clarke for similarly not heroic reasons. She didn't want to save Clarke, she needs to take her as a prize to her village. Neither one of these women are altruistic. We love Clarke and she's our hero, so it's hard to read ill intentions into her, but there were 300 Grounders in that room and she could have taken any one of them. Ultimately, she needed a guide.

Kane's (Henry Ian Cusick) diplomatic mission to negotiate peace with the Grounders. Stupid idea or stupid idea?
[Laughs] I think it's going to take twists and turns that he doesn't expect. He's probably overly optimistic. At the same time I think he's right as well. Without the Grounders, the people of the Ark stand no chance. Kane's whole thing this season is he realizes that and he's playing the long game. He knows that if they can't make peace with the natives, they won't survive. That becomes more and more important as the conflict with Mount Weather heats up going forward. What he's trying to do is incredibly important and probably the right move, but the way he's going about it is questionably not the right move. [Laughs] He'll take us into a whole new part of the world whether his missions fails or succeeds and I'm excited for people to see it.

Cate Cameron/The CW

Finn (Thomas McDonell) went super dark last week, shooting that Grounder in cold blood. He even shocked Bellamy (Bob Morley) and Murphy (Richard Harmon)! Is he on a path leading to even more darkness?
Finn is going to do anything he can to get Clarke and the other 47 back. His story is kind of one of obsession and one of the death of innocence. He was pure and good and a moral compass and he didn't want to kill anyone. He wanted peace. But after the finale when he killed that Reaper in the tunnel and then picked up a gun to defend Bellamy and the others, he's really suffered a death of innocence. That's what happens when you send 18-year-olds to war. He's also very much obsessed and in love with Clarke so he's going to find her come hell or high water. The sad thing is we know that Clarke is not with the Grounders. He's making trouble for the potential Grounder/Arker alliance already and it's all for nothing.

Speaking of Grounder/Arker relationships, Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) just proved her worth to Indra (Adina Porter). Is she fully committed to being a Grounder officially now that Lincoln's gone or is she going to try to reconnect with her people?
Octavia is a bridge character for us. She's someone who has never really been accepted by her people since she was illegitimate on the Ark, so she doesn't have a ton of loyalty to her people at large. She does feel loyalty to her brother and her friends so she will find herself deeply torn between the two. Ultimately, if and when there is an alliance between the Grounders and Arkers, she'll become a crucial part of that alliance as a person who can bridge both worlds. That's a season-long storyline. She's definitely taking that role of Grounder on, first through her relationship with Lincoln and she'll befriend another significant Grounder this season. We'll see her take that journey further. And as a performer, she loves it. She's begging me to get her on a horse.

Cate Cameron/The CW

Make it happen, please! I want to see another two-headed horse!
Two-headed horses cost a lot more than one-headed horses. It probably won't be a two-headed horse if we get her on one.

Aw man.
And then another big story in this episode coming up is the Jaha (Isaiah Washington) story.

Yes! I was just about to ask about him.
We lost him in the desert of Manhattan at the end of episode 2 and in this episode, we find him again. He's really going to help us expand the universe in a big way. Somehow we managed to produce a desert in the middle of the rainforest of Vancouver [laughs]. It's kind of a miracle! It's stunningly beautiful. I'm really proud of this episode. It's so bizarre. It's like Lawrence of Arabia! It's Jaha of Arabia. He will reveal some very interesting wrinkles and aspects of this world as he's trying to find his people.

The 100 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on the CW.

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