It’s been over a month since the long-awaited second season of Shadow and Bone was released. As someone who has read the Shadow and Bone trilogy, Six of Crows duology, and King of Scars duology (not to mention watched season one of the show), I was excited to finally return to the Grishaverse and reunite with all of my favourite characters.
I finished the series in just a few days. I loved it, and I already want more. That said, considering I’ve read all the books and know the characters’ original stories, I couldn’t help but watch the show from a reader’s perspective, keeping all the original storylines in mind. So, I have a few thoughts.
With that in mind, there will be light spoilers for both the Shadow and Bone show and the Grishaverse books series, so proceed with caution.
Characters
The characters, particularly the Crows, were my favourite part of the show.
Jesper, just like in season one, was absolutely perfect. He’s one of my favourite characters from the book series, so I was glad to see that he’s pretty much exactly the same as in the books; he embodies that same charm and humour that we all know and love (not to mention that phenomenal gunslinging), making him one of the two characters that I believe are closest to their book characters.
Kit Young, you killed it.
In terms of the iconic Kaz Brekker, Freddy Carter delivers an awesome performance, though Kaz’s character in the show seems a little…underpowered. He doesn’t carry the same fear or power he does in the books. However, this does change in his portrayal in the second season.
In the first season, he gets beat up extremely easily. Book-Kaz could’ve taken them all with just his cane, I thought as I watched him fail to put up a fight against just three men. In season two, he does! With practically nothing but his cane, he takes on all the Dregs, harnessing that same power he does in the same scene in the Crooked Kingdom. He even delivers the iconic “I recommend a cane” line from the books, reflecting both his ruthlessness and shaded humour.
Overall, he’s not nearly as ruthless as book-Kaz, in my opinion — but I like him. He’s different, but I think this difference makes me more entranced by his character — he feels more human.
The show also gave me a far greater appreciation for Tolya and Tamar. While I never really had any special connections to them in the books, I thought they were two of the best characters in the show. Props to both actors for their great performances and bringing out their characters’ unique personalities and overall coolness.
Tamar is such an awesome character. Not only does she look cool, but she holds so much power and authority in her stance and demeanour alone.
Tolya is a delight — he’s a calm person amidst the chaos but a great fighter when he needs to be. He’s always ready to deliver what his friends need, be it wise advice or a partner in combat.
Also new to the second season, we have Wylan, whom I was beyond excited to finally meet. Along with Jesper and Nikolai, he’s also one of my favourites. When I first saw the casting for him, I thought, that’s Wylan. Jack Wolfe looked the part and played it to perfection — his little mannerisms, shyness and innocence; all of it was perfectly Wylan. Along with Jesper, he’s the other character I think is closest to his book portrayal. Jack Wolfe was new to this season but stole the show, as deserved.
Relationships
Speaking of Wylan, his relationship and romance with Jesper was my absolute favourite part of this season. While their relationship progressed much faster than in the books, I also thought they had many more meaningful moments (which made me squeal and rewind nonstop).
The scene where the two are under the wagon and Jesper finally recognizes him perfectly demonstrates their dynamic: Jesper’s brazen and straightforwardness contrasting with Wylan’s surprised delight and confusion at his finally recognizing him as they’re being shot at.
That deleted scene where Jesper gives Wylan the key to his room was the cherry on top. It’s so beautiful seeing the comfort the two find in each other and the wholesomeness they bring amongst all the chaos.
While their romantic relationship was a delight, the characters’ friendships were also a fun and significant aspect of the show.
Kaz and Jesper’s friendship is probably my favourite in the entire show, likely because it doesn’t get nearly enough attention in the books. As such, I appreciate every moment they have in the show, especially considering how closed-off Kaz is and how his closest friend (Jesper) is the biggest, most talkative extrovert of all time.
Kaz tackling Jesper to save his life in season one (despite hating physical contact) and Jesper calling them brothers while Kaz implicitly agrees in season two really show just how much they mean to each other. Despite being the most feared and dangerous man in the Barrel, Kaz Brekker has a soft spot for his best friend. How sweet is that?
Jesper and Inej’s relationship is also a special one which we seldom see. Before Inej leaves to look for her brother, she and Jesper share a tearful goodbye, which we don’t actually end up seeing because the scene was ultimately deleted.
I thought this was a beautiful and extremely necessary scene which should’ve been included in the show, not only because we see how much Jesper and Inej mean to each other but because we see a sensitive side to Jesper he rarely shows. The way he tries to lighten the mood to lessen Inej’s guilt and only lets himself cry once she leaves because he wanted to be strong for her demonstrates just how caring he really is.
While Inej doesn’t have a brother in the books, this is an interesting storyline to add on the writers’ part, as it shows how both she and Kaz found a brother in Jesper when they’ve each lost one of their own, again emphasizing their meaningful bonds.
Narrative and Scenes
With so many characters and storylines, the second season completes the Shadow and Bone storyline while also including parts of the Six of Crows story, like Kaz’s revenge on Pekka Rollins (though it seems we haven’t seen the last of him yet).
Despite all these new and old stories, I feel like the show managed fairly well. True, the Crows’ storyline was fairly fast-paced, but they managed to keep a good hold of all the plots and characters without losing track. I especially liked how they transitioned between the storylines, like how one character would say “Ketterdam,” and then we’d transition to the Crows back in Kerch.
Since the Crows’ plot was second to the Shadow and Bone one, there were a lot of deleted scenes we didn’t get to see. Look, I understand the show is literally called Shadow and Bone, but why are we being robbed of so many vital Crow moments while getting a million scenes of the Darkling just brooding in his angsty eternal-age crisis?
Aside from the narrative aspects, seeing the fight scenes (rather than visualizing them) is so cool. I love seeing the characters in action, brandishing their weapons and showing off how they got their reputations.
Mainly, Jesper and Inej have the coolest combat skills. Jesper showing off his skills in a shoot-out and flipping his revolvers in his hands always makes my jaw drop. Similarly, Inej is great with her knives — that scene where she throws the knife at her enemy while she falls back from the roof is amazing (not to mention the fact that Amita Suman actually throws that knife sans CGI).
The Ending
The ending of season two was…something. Let’s break down the important stuff, shall we?
First off, Inej leaves the Crows. While she also leaves in the books, that happens at the end, meaning after the Ice Court heist and events of Crooked Kingdom. Girl, don’t go yet!
On top of that, there’s her hinted romance with Tolya. While I’ve never been a Kanej fan (I know, I know), this pairing is definitely random, especially considering they’ve never even interacted in the books. I can kind of see where the writers are coming from—with both characters being religious/spiritual and Tolya being the sweet guy that Inej deserves—but it just feels weird.
Further messing with romantic relationships, as opposed to staying with Alina, Mal goes off to “find himself” and becomes Sturmhond. Like, what? Was that really necessary? Not only does he leave Alina—who he claims is his purpose in every episode until the last—but he takes Nikolai’s place as our beloved privateer. This doesn’t happen in the books, and it’s really strange; I honestly can’t imagine Nikolai forfeiting Sturmhond like that.
And, of course, there’s Alina going to the dark side. Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about this — I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, this is intriguing because it doesn’t happen in the books. At the same time, the “main character going to the dark side” storyline has been done so many times that it might just be overdone. We’ll have to see how the show tackles this plot.
The inclusion of jurda parem was extremely well done. I thought it was really cool how they introduced the Crows’ next—and main—storyline while intertwining it with the Shadow and Bone one as Nikolai becomes king and Aline uses the Cut for the first time. What an introduction!
Since the Shadow and Bone storyline is now done, the other series—King of Scars and the main Six of Crows storyline—are being introduced, as seen through Nikolai’s nichevo’ya injury and Kaz introducing his gang’s new job.
I’m interested to see how all of this turns out since it seems like a lot to pack in, especially now that there will be completely new material to make up for the completed Shadow and Bone trilogy plot.
Overall, I loved this show, the characters and the cast, and I’m excited to see what the third season (fingers crossed) brings.
(Let’s also hope we get that Six of Crows spin-off because I need more Crows, Wesper and cast content.)
