Shadow and Bone: Season 2
Based on: 2012 Shadow and Bone book trilogy & 2015 Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
Developed by: Eric Heisserer
Starring: Jessie Mei Li (Alina), Archie Renaux (Mal), Freddy Carter (Kaz), Amita Suman (Inej), Kit Young (Jesper), Ben Barnes (Kirigan/The Darkling), Zoë Wanamaker (Baghra), Patrick Gibson (Nikolai), Daisy Head (Genya), Danielle Galligan (Nina), Calahan Skogman (Matthias), Lewis Tan (Tolya), Jack Wolfe (Wylan), Anna Leong Brophy (Tamar)
Season 2 trailer:
Season 2 of Shadow and Bone did exactly what sophomore TV seasons are supposed to do but so rarely achieve: it took the characters and world introduced in season 1 and built upon them, deepened the characters, and gave everyone richer motivations and goals to pursue.
I don't usually even expect it nowadays. I don't know what the reason is; whether episodes are pumped out so mechanically by streaming services looking for the next hot trend or possibly the working conditions and expectations in the writers' room. But so many shows with excellent premiere seasons like Fate: The Winx Saga, Carnival Row, Raised by Wolves, and Raising Dion followed with second season that lost the initial charm, fell flat, or in a couple of the cases, became nearly unwatchable. It's so rare for a second season to improve upon the first--to become more exciting--that I can only think of one other from the top of my head, another Netflix original, Locke & Key.
I was nervous with this show that it would follow in Jessica Jones' footsteps: have such a lightning-hot first season that, with the first season's plot resolved, it wouldn't be able to maintain its high standard. (Mind you, I thought JJ remained great for all of its three seasons, but the sequel seasons never captured the sheer thrill and awe of its first.) I'm very happy to say that I was wrong. It's possible that S&B maintained its thrill because both the primary antagonist and the primary plot conflict from the first season remained relevant for this second. That bodes ominously for a possible third since both have now seemingly been resolved, but I have more faith in this show's writers, now.
Perhaps, then, I should actually review the season😂
As you may have gathered from the above, I thought the season was excellent, building upon the first in necessary and exciting ways. With season 2 starting nearly immediately after the first season's finale, the show had several factors to contend with, including a large roster of characters. The writers proved they knew what they were doing by giving all of them something to do almost immediately. By the end of the first episode or the very beginning of the second, every character had a tangible goal, and some characters who had been separated were brought together in new teams. If you've been reading other entries in this blog, you may have noticed a trend where I have a hard time keeping track of characters when there's a large ensemble cast and everyone's doing different things. This solved that for me: with every character being on a team, each with a unique specialty and each working toward a tangible goal, it was far easier for me not just to keep track, but also to emotionally connect with each.
Another area the show succeeded was in organic worldbuilding. As Alina sought to further amplify her power so she could achieve her goal of taking down the fold, she and Baghra--one of the oldest and wisest characters in their world--explored historical locations and deep lore regarding magic. Baghra herself was revealed to have a deeper involvement with the world's magic than she had initially let on, something that did not change her status as a strong ally but simply gave more depth to her character and layers to her abilities. Kirigan also served as a vector to explore worldbuilding as he sought to strengthen and deepen his own magic, both as a way to heal from injuries sustained in season 1 and as a way to defeat Alina's rising threat.
Finally, new allies were forged and old ones shifted in dynamic as season 1's political regime changed fundamentally. The old royal family was ousted and Alina herself was brought to charge as everyone recognized Kirigan as the clear and present danger. Much of the previous royal court remained alive but under new management as Alina's mission was brought front and center, with power shifting to most effectively confront Kirigan's threat. This also resulted in confronting the royal family's corrupt style of ruling, a necessary and very refreshing change of pace.
In summary, season 2 was great because it not only kept every character interesting and relevant but also provided continued development, both in worldbuilding and character background. Established dynamics shifted and fundamental ideas from season 1 were expanded upon or rendered obsolete.
While the season 2 finale resolved several fundamental conflicts from season 1, it also left us with some cliffhangers that I very much hope will bring Netflix to greenlight a third!!
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