It’s been 84 years, but The 100 season 4 trailer is finally here! Let’s break down the most important moments.

In The 100 season 4, the surviving Sky People and Grounders will be facing an unbeatable foe: Earth itself, which is rapidly becoming a nuclear wasteland. The just-released trailer also teases enemies in unexpected places, as both Octavia and Roan (newcomer Zach McGowan) appear to turn against the group for their own gain.

If anyone was hoping for a lighter season 4 after last year’s bloodbath, they will be sorely disappointed, as The 100 continues its trajectory down Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell with what promises to be the most merciless chapter yet.

Related: Hype Podcast interview with The 100 author Kass Morgan

Am I pumped? You bet I am. The CW is straight-up throwing the challenge flag to HBO and AMC, and I think that’s awesome.

And in the same gory vein, ever since its release earlier this week, The 100 season 4 trailer has been mercilessly chopped up into tiny pieces and painstakingly dissected frame by frame. This is exactly what I’m about to do, as well, so buckle up — it’s not for the squeamish.

1. The gruesome hallucinations (if that’s what they are)

The grisly opening shot of what looks like Clarke (or Harper) being blown up by an atom bomb, coupled with the closing shot of her turning around, her face all disfigured in the style of a classic horror movie, firmly sets the tone for what will be a thrilling, uncompromising season.

I could be reading too much into it, but it seems like a clear message that The 100 will tell the story it always wanted to tell, ‘teen’ network be damned. No, we will not go gently.

Yet the gory footage brings more questions than answers:

Question 1: Who is having these hallucinations?

Question 2: Is there any chance it could be real?

That first shot does happen in front of a pyramid, of which there are none in Virginia (to my knowledge), so either Clarke traveled very far away, or it’s some kind of hallucination brought on by the radiation sickness. But the second shot (while probably also a vision) could, in theory, be real. Let’s hope it’s not.

2. The first sign of the apocalypse

The black rain, much like the acid fog sent out by Mount Weather, appears to be destroying everything in its path, and might be causing the mass death and the infections that plague Luna and the unidentified screaming man.

In the trailer, we see Bellamy leaving a round hatch door — at Arkadia, or somewhere else? — wearing a full hazmat suit, suggesting that at one point during the season, the characters will find themselves in the same predicament as Dante Wallace and his people.

What we don’t know is if this condition will be permanent (so they’ll be stuck inside permanently) or if, like the fog, the rain will pass and everything will be perfectly fine again until the next storm rolls in.

3. Roan’s plan for world domination

Because what better time to seize power than when the world is otherwise distracted by other horrors, right?

It would have been too good to be true if Roan had remained a natural ally to Clarke and the others, and had helped her convince the Grounders to work with them.

Instead, it appears we see Echo back to help him become Wanheda, wearing Aragorn’s crown and with an army of Elves at his disposal that took the wrong turn at the Battle of the Five Armies.

4. Happiness… in tiny rations

The 100 season 4 trailer has one agenda: To tell us that everything will be terrible and we should expect the worst possible outcome for every character and storyline. Y’know, just apocalypse stuff.

But there are always tiny pockets of joy to be found, even in the deepest despair:

One ship to rule them all

Kabby! The Kane/Abby love scene was teased back at San Diego Comic-Con, and it was wise to throw in a glimpse of it in the trailer. Whatever happens with these two, it’s a relief to know that they’ll at least be getting a little bit of a break before fresh hell breaks loose.

Memori going strong

Speaking of happy couples, Murphy and Emori also get to share some much-needed alone time.

Note the setting of their shirtless rendezvous — this is somewhere sterile and blue-lit, that looks more like the Ark than anywhere on the ground which means it’s probably in Arkadia. It’s also where Murphy later shouts at Clarke.

A second chance for Jasper

Jasper, who famously got a last-minute reprieve at the end of season 3, clearly hasn’t been fixed overnight. But at least, it appears he’s now made a conscious choice to live, however long that life might last.

Bellamy still has hope

Whenever I think of Bellamy and Clarke I remember that line from Harry Potter, about how “there are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other.” I won’t speculate about whether that makes them Harry and Hermione or Hermione and Ron, but the point is that after going to hell and back and being jointly responsible for several massacres, there is probably very little that could break up Bellamy and Clarke’s partnership now.

And that can only be a good thing, considering the uphill battle Clarke is clearly going to be facing this season. In another of The 100‘s subtle gender role reversals, Bellamy is also revealed to be the voice of hope (a role usually reserved for female characters in fantasy and sci-fi) at a time when Clarke appears to have none left.

5. Clarke is losing allies

Monty, more than ever, is emerging as a voice of reason, the Neville Longbottom with more than enough bravery to stand up to his friends. We don’t know why he’s taking issue with Clarke’s decision-making (though it probably has something to do with the mass graves that have to be dug), but considering what he’s done for her over the past several seasons, it’s great to see him digging in his heels.

Equally satisfying is Murphy’s reminder that Clarke is not necessarily the designated Chosen One of the group. Clarke is so busy trying to save them all, and we accept it because she’s the lead character, but the other people on this show have no more reason to follow her at this point than they did Jaha last season (it’s very telling, too, that it seems Jaha will be giving Clarke some tips about how to lead an unwilling people to the fate you have decided is best for them).

Clarke is most complex and interesting when she’s being pushed to justify her decisions — don’t get me wrong, I love to see her in charge and like Stephen King I don’t want to see her apologizing for everything — but with Raven, Monty, Abby, Kane and who knows whomever else also actively taking charge, Clarke shouldn’t just be the de facto decision-maker, regardless of what a haunted microchip told her.

6. Octavia’s dark descent

As ever, a point of contention in The 100 fanbase: Does the show, or does it not, ‘justify’ Octavia’s behavior, particularly towards Bellamy, as she gets increasingly more violent and ruthless through the series?

But in a show that boldly proclaims that “there are no good guys,” I don’t think it’s a question of justification — I think Octavia is very blatantly on a reverse Hero’s Journey, one usually reserved for male characters for whom a personal tragedy has led them to shut down all reason and compassion, and I don’t think the narrative is rewarding or punishing her based on the morality of her actions. I think it’s letting her pursue this darkness, as one of the many, many ways characters on this show respond to repeated stress and trauma. Some find their compassionate side, like Murphy, while others lose it.

The breakdown of Octavia as we saw her in the pilot — confident, upbeat, rebellious — has been constant and meticulous for the past three seasons. The possibility of a peaceful life on the ocean with Lincoln was a smokescreen; we may have wanted that for Octavia, but Octavia didn’t want it for herself, and what is so powerful about her story now is that she’s finally coming into her true self in spite of both the other characters and the audience forcing fake identities and desires onto her.

Ironically, Lincoln was the last thing holding Octavia back from fully embracing the most violent sides of the Grounder lifestyle, and by making Bellamy an unwilling accomplice to his murder, the show was effectively giving Octavia an outlet for her rage that could potentially destroy the Blake siblings’ bond forever. (Importantly, I don’t believe the show wanted us to be on Octavia’s side in that moment; it was another instance of her choosing rage over grief, of giving into her violent nature.)

In the season 4 trailer, we’re seeing an Octavia that in a lesser show might be termed a ‘villain’. But in a world without good guys, the bad guys are never truly bad, and no character ever forgets their own history: Octavia may be a Grounder assassin, but she’s still Octavia, and seeing her embrace and/or grapple with her new identity — hopefully without a big sappy breakdown moment that will restore her to an earlier version of herself — will be very interesting.

7. Other questions raised by ‘The 100’ season 4 trailer

Who is Kane protecting?

“I will shoot the next person who touches this man!” Kane shouts, standing in an enclosed space, but who is he speaking about? It must be someone really important…

What’s going on here?

It’s probably not what we think it is, but we can dream, right? Either way, it looks like maybe Octavia gets wounded in the fight with the Azgeda woman and ends up getting patched up by Niylah.

What actually happens when you catch radiation sickness?

Considering we see several prominent characters suffering with the radiation disease (which is likely caused by coming into contact with the rain or water, which Luna obviously would have been), I doubt it’s a straight-up death sentence. There could be a cure, or the symptoms could fade, similar to when the delinquents caught the bloody mouth virus in season 1.

Is this the new Wanheda?

A young Grounder woman (‘Kenza,’ whom actress Jessica Williams has auditioned for) is seen here with the Flame, which could either mean she’s a Natblida who could become the new Wanheda, or she is the new Flame Keeper.

Update: In this Instagram post (via @skikru on Twitter), actress Tati Gabrielle confirms that she is playing Kenza (note: This was the name used for the auditions, and may not be final) in The 100 season 4:

This is Tati, also embedded from her Instagram account:

Who is Ilian?

All we know about Ilian (Chai Hansen) based on this promo is that he’s a Grounder, who has probably lived in somewhat isolation with his family like the group Jaha met in the desert. His family are killed, either by the black rain or by force, and this leaves him alone and — possibly — questing for revenge.

(Who else thinks Jaha is just faking his own death here?)

I mean he already thinks he’s Jesus, so who’s to say he won’t try staging his own resurrection? Who even knows with Jaha. I’m so glad he’s still around.

Is Harper in trouble?

Aside from the fact that they’re all in the deepest of shit, I doubt this is much more than a misdirect — she doesn’t look radiation sick like Luna or Kane, at least.

And what about Raven?

Perhaps Raven is the one having the gory visions — or else her body is fighting the effects the ALIE chip had on her brain, because Raven Reyes Is Not Allowed To Be Happy dot com ?

What is this place/ship/thing?

It looks pretty. So it’s probably horrible.

Who is Octavia fighting for?

Octavia isn’t only on a spiritual path of self-destruction — she’s actively working with a group of Grounders. Is she challenging Roan for the throne, perhaps on behalf of someone else? It seems she could be taking on a position of power within whatever faction of Grounders she joins, potentially becoming the equivalent of what Anya used to be, or what Indra is now.

Where is Abby going?

To stop a nuclear reactor? To find a safe haven? Is she pregnant?! (Quick, someone do the apocalypse math.)

When did they all find time to take showers?

THEY ALL LOOK SO CLEAN. Enjoy it while it lasts, cause these kids only shower once a season — and the water’s running out.

…And remember: We don’t actually know anything about what’s going on

So far, each season of The 100 has taken the show in a new and unexpected direction, and season 4 will likely be no different.

After all, how much did we actually know about season 3 ahead of its premiere? The trailer was meticulously combed through for clues (and, yes, certain character deaths were signposted well in advance), but pretty much everything to do with ALIE and the Nightbloods was impossible to predict because we hadn’t even been introduced to those concepts yet.

Everything we feel like we ‘know’ about season 4 comes from looking at the trailer through a peephole; we can see what’s happening right in front of us but we know nothing about context, what came before or after, and what’s happening just outside our field of vision.

The 100 season 4 will likely introduce brand new variables that change the whole equation, and while this trailer certainly opens up for a lot of fun (and/or worrying) speculation, we’ll have to wait until February 2017 to see the full picture!

‘The 100’ returns February 1, 2017