The 100 is one of the best shows on TV, but recently The CW’s post-apocalyptic series has been dominating headlines for issues that have been happening behind-the-scenes. First, the controversy surrounding Lexa’s (Alycia Debnam-Carey) deaths added to the current pop culture conversation about the “Bury Your Gays” TV trope, shedding light on just how many LGBTQ characters get killed off on TV. Then, just days after Lincoln (Ricky Whittle) was shockingly killed on the show, Whittle spoke out about how he was “bullied” off the show by executive producer Jason Rothenberg. With all the behind-the-scenes drama going on, The 100 is being discussed more than ever, but not for reasons the cast and crew expected.

“I like that there is a dialogue happening and that’s being created,” Lindsey Morgan tells Nerdist. “I do know our show is very controversial and this show is also very human and made by humans and being human means not being perfect. It’s interesting to see how this type of art that is being created for a medium of television which is so accessible to so many different walks of life and people on their own journeys and how they interpret it. It’s interesting to the see the effect it can have on everybody. I am happy that there is a dialogue being talked about, more than just a show and more than just a story in how it affects the audience, and also how it ties in with social issues of the world now.”

While the discussions recently have taken a negative turn, Morgan is still “grateful” at all the conversations going on.

“It’s also tough because I have many personal attachments to the show and friends and everything, so ultimately I’m happy for the dialogue, I’m happy for positive things that are coming from it and were created from it, but I’m also so much more aware now of how when we’re making this show, it feels very small and very personal, and you forget that millions of people are going to watch this,” Morgan says. “Everyone is trying to do the best job that they can. So I’m grateful now for the awareness, to know that my art and the art I’m working on with so many people, isn’t just in a vacuum of itself. It’s touching everyone and people are reacting to it.”

She continues, “Of course I wish for all positive reviews and all positive things, but that’s not reality and no one’s perfect. I find it very interesting what people are saying and it makes me a much more aware and smarter person for it. So I’m thankful, personally, for that. And I’m thankful that people watch and react to it, and we have this exchange happening. I am glad we get to hear our audience’s feedback. It’s been a very interesting couple of weeks, I’ll say that, for sure. Very eye-opening. I’ve learned a lot from it.”

It’s also been a very interesting couple of weeks for Morgan’s onscreen alter ego Raven, since she’s currently being taken over by ALIE (Erica Cerra), the artificial intelligence that ended the world 97 years ago. One silver lining to come out of Raven’s dire situation? The 100 is finally bringing all the old friends back together in tonight’s all-new episode, “Nevermore,” and while we’re celebrating seeing Clarke (Eliza Taylor), Bellamy (Bob Morley), Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos), Monty (Christopher Larkin), Jasper (Devon Bostick) and Raven sharing the screen together again, it won’t be a happy reunion for the former friends.

“What is most exciting is that we finally get to see the band getting back together,” Morgan says. “The squad is getting back together, and we haven’t seen that in so long. That’s always my favorite aspect of the show.”

The crew is back together partly by accident, like when Jasper almost ran Clarke over with his stolen jeep while kidnapping the mind-controlled Raven from Arkadia, and also by necessity, like after giving their Chancellor over to the Grounders, Bellamy, Monty and Octavia need a place to hide. But quickly, everyone’s attention will turn to Raven, and saving her mind from ALIE, who just conquered all the minds in Arkadia as Jasper escaped with Raven. Of course, just because they’re all trying to save their friend, that doesn’t mean grievances won’t be aired between all of them. So much has happened since they were all in a room together, so it’s finally time to talk things over.

“Everyone is coming from completely opposing ends of point of views as far as everything that’s been happening,” Morgan says. “Clarke is coming from Polis and everything that happened with her and Lexa, and Octavia and Bellamy and everything that happened with Pike [Michael Beach] and Lincoln and then you have Monty and his mom and Jasper in the midst of all of this, and everyone’s pissed at Clarke for leaving them, and so to finally get to see so much of the history and the hurt and the pain and what everyone’s been going through come to a forefront and it’s hashed out since we’re all forced to be in a room together, it will get heavy.”

While everyone is going to have to face their issues head on with each other, Raven is going to be in the fight of her life, trying to get ALIE out of her head. According to Morgan, the process will be very similar to an exorcism.

“When we were prepping for this episode, one of the writers, Kim Shumway, spoke to me a lot about exorcism and possession, and that was the theme of this episode for Raven and what she was going through,” Morgan says. “But ALIE essentially isn’t a demon and she’s not necessarily a villain per se, that was an interesting turn on possession. But when I was doing the scenes, I felt like it was more ALIE running the controls but through Raven’s filter.”

ALIE’s mission is going to be making Raven believe her friends are actually trying to hurt her, and to motivate Raven to do anything she can to get away from these people. Morgan reveals that Raven’s dark side is not something to underestimate.

“ALIE is putting into Raven’s software, her brain, ‘These are your enemies and you need to fight and fight for your life to get away from them. These are the worst people, the worst adversaries you’ve ever experienced in your life,'” Morgan says. “So you see all of Raven’s rage and anger and hate come out to fight her ultimate enemy, which is unfortunately her friends, but she just has no idea. It’s interesting to see ALIE working through Raven’s filter and to see just how strong Raven is at her core, now that she’s no longer held back by human constraints like exhaustion or pain from her leg or doubt. You see Raven at full force, superhuman Raven. It’s kind of scary to see what she’s capable of.”

And while Morgan is “grateful” to have such a deep, compelling storyline, she can’t help but joke: “I’m killing it and it’s killing me!”

With the ALIE/City of Light storyline coming front and center after simmering on the back burner for the entire season, Morgan can’t wait for fans to see how that storyline plays out.

“We really get into the science fiction aspect of the show in these new few episodes,” Morgan says. “I think that’s going to be really exciting for people to see. I was blown away by it.”

Do you think Raven has what it takes to defeat ALIE now that she’s back with all her friends? Tweet me your thoughts at @SydneyBucksbaum!

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Images: The CW

The 100 air Thursdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.