With Shadow and Bone back on March 16, we already won with the entire Season 1 cast returning, but the showrunners kept us fed with the addition of four of the most beloved Grishaverse characters in Season 2. Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Shadow and Bone Season 2 follow.
We left the original three Crows in Season 1 as they headed back to Ketterdam after taking Alina’s bribe. On the skiff, Nina hears them talking about their need for a Heartrenderer and the way to jailbreak Matthias’ becomes clear. That leaves us only one Crow down heading into Season 2.
Alin and Mal, narrowly escaping Kirigan, leave the fold on the same skiff. They decided Alina needs to hone her powers and will return to take down the Fold once she’s strong enough. Mal watched a Volcra drag Kirigan into the darkness so, for now, the Darkling is presumed dead by the Sun Summoner. Of course, viewers got to see a maimed, but very alive, Kirigan escape from the Fold as Season 1 closed out.
Now, we’re back in Ketterdam with the Crows and watching Alina’s crew head out on a sea voyage. The Crows need to clear their name after being arrested for a murder they didn’t commit. The Sun Summoner is back on the hunt for the next amplifier: the sea whip.
This season, fans get to meet the world’s most charming privateer, the Crow’s demolition expert, and the dynamic duo Tamar and Tolya. Book lovers of both Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows already know what’s in store (hint: Siege and Storm through Ruin and Rising). And show fans won’t know what hit ‘em. Enough adieu, let’s meet the new Shadow and Bone Season 2 cast.
Sturmhond, aka Nikolai Lantsov
Arguably the most hyped addition to Shadow and Bone’s cast would be Nikolai Lantsov, played by Patrick Gibson. (He might sound familiar, if you watched The OA or saw The Darkest Minds.) Introduced to viewers as Sturmhond, he’s royalty undercover — which also happens to be why he’s very serious about his job title. It’s privateer, not pirate. Nothing illegal happening here. For any major Nikolai fans, in case you didn’t know, the privateer appears in every Grishaverse series and even has his own set of books, King of Scars. So far, the show has been faithful to the king’s book portrayal.
His dazzling personality carries him far and you might just be looking at the future king of Ravka. But, he needs alliances. Now that he’s spent his adolescence patrolling the seas, he returns home. He doesn’t have connections to win the war and spending all that time intermingling with pirates didn’t help his political stature. But marrying the Sun Summoner? That could turn the tides in his favor.
Wylan Van Eck
The lovable bomb expert Wylan Van Eck, played by Jack Wolfe, makes up the last of the Crows gang. Finally, the six Crows are united in Episode 1 of Season 2. Wylan is the wide-eyed and innocent member that keeps the Crows from going full-on villain mode. And, please note, while Wylan might be the softest Crow, he still goes on his fair share of dubious adventures.
Book fans have been waiting for him, and so has Jesper. Turns out, in the show, Wylan up and left after a one night stand with the gunslinger, so things are a bit awkward. But don’t we all love a high-stakes love story?
Tamar Kir-Bataar and Tolya Yul-Bataar
Shadow and Bone’s infamous twins Tamar and Tolya arrive as crewmates on Sturmhond’s ship in episode two. The pair of Heartrenderers, played by Anna Leong Brophy and Lewis Tan, bring their sibling dynamic to life on screen and do their fictional counterparts justice. Plus, you know they have some of the best fits on the show. Who says all Grisha need to wear just Keftas? And they certainly aren’t about to listen to Vasily’s nonsense when they have Nikolai on their side.
Season 2 forces you to watch the Grishaverse’s Red Wedding brought to life, but at least they keep it short and sweet. Of course, the marriage ceremony revealed jurda parem made its way to Ravka and Fjerda. I can’t wait to see who they bring in for Season 3, if we get one — all of the Crooked Kingdom characters and Ruin and Rising stragglers should hopefully make it on screen next season. Fingers crossed for a renewal from Netflix.