Since Game of Thrones, all the suits have been looking for the next. As good as early GoT was, I don’t see myself ever wanting to re-visit that bleak world. The drama was compelling, but the shows I re-watch need to have characters I enjoy seeing again — like good friends. Maybe it’s a time and place. Maybe it’s the casting or writing. Or is it the chemistry between all the talent involved. A perfect storm. Lightning in a bottle, etc. Judging from reviews and analytics (?), Netflix’s Shadow And Bone is set to light the zeitgeist ablaze.
What is Shadow and Bone, first the Hero’s Journey is strong here – chosen one, self-doubt, obviously in love with the person she grew up with, hides in the woods and camps, Potter-esque saga, gets first ultimate reward, first ordeal and resolution. All joking aside, the country of Ravka is cut in half by a horror-infested region of darkness called the Fold. The Fold was created long ago by The Black Heretic; The Shadow King; Starless One; Starless Saint — a magic user in their world — but in 100 plus years since it appeared, the magic users errr small science users (Grisha) have become an esteemed part of Ravka’s military. When a young woman named Alina Starkov discovers she not only is of the Grisha order, but one with a transcendent power that could destroy the Fold, she is ripped from all that she knows and is called to adventure.
I have personal reasons on why I’m a fan of The Grishaverse. I started reading the first novel when my kiddo was in grade school. Shouts to Marissa & Tanya for putting me on to author Leigh Bardugo. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Leigh a handful of times. Not only is she a master of words and worlds, she is a genuinely AWESOME human. I mentioned to the kiddo that he might enjoy the books as well, and HE got hooked too. It is something we shared as he grew up. New book after new book. We devoured them, talked about them and thought that when this becomes a movie/show it is going to be AWESOME.
Now, this show is an example of how an adaptation can actually be better than its source material. Yeah, the first book isn’t the best. They get better, but really I’d say that Six of Crows is the better introduction to the world and the series, since it has a better cast of characters, a more interesting part of the setting, and the story while still a bit tropey is not your standard YA narrative. It is one of the finest examples of threading YA books with maturity. There aren’t enough heist style stories in fantasy.
I binged the entire Netflix show on a weekend. At first, I thought it was great. Like, really GREAT. But, maybe I watched with rose colored glasses. Adapted by Eric Heisserer with Leigh Bardugo as an executive producer, they (Eric, Leigh, the writers and directors, etc) set up the required mythology in eight episodes without being exhausting, all the while deftly laying the emotional foundation: the bond between Alina and Mal. I watched it again over the week. Spread it out. Let it marinate. Nope, they nailed it. And what do you know, people are positive about it because it’s actually fun, it’s relatively novel in terms of setting, the cast are attractive/charismatic, it’s got a strong pace and the writing is solid. It’s more 4/5 than 3/5, really, though it’s definitely not 5/5. Not yet.
What rocked:
One of this show’s best and clearly deliberate choices is to pack the cast almost entirely with new faces. Diverse faces. This casting department’s eye for spotting diamonds in the rough should catapult all of them to stardom. The acting is so good makes it hard to hate anyone.
Jessie Mei Li is perfect as Alina. Mal (Archie Renaux) is a HUGE improvement here. They turned the “obsessed best friend” trope of book’s Mal into a more lovable “all-brawn-and-good-heart.” I was concerned about the awkwardness of mushing the Ketterdam crew into the story of the first trilogy, but Kaz and Inej and Nina all fit like puzzle pieces. The Crows a.k.a. Gang of guns for hire are the real MVPs of the series, particularly Kit Young’s cocky but hugely likeable Jesper who stole every scene he was in. But for real, Freddy Carter & Amita Suman were so spot on it was like they were lifted right from the pages. Milo the goat is also a scene stealer. So fresh.
What could have made it a classic first season:
Exposition. It definitely throws a lot at you early. In general I don’t mind being thrown into the deep end without a lot of explanation and being forced to pick things up on the fly or work words out by context, but I think it works better in a book where you control the pace of consumption more and it is absolutely possible to do it too aggressively. I read the books so I knew the lay of the land. However, there’s quite a bit of exposition through dialogue right in the beginning that you have to be ready for. Without any context, as I heard from friends, it was a little confusing. All the factions, alliances, rivalries, motivations, etc. of everybody involved. Again, that kind of ambiguity and insecurity can be a good thing, but it can also be taken too far to the point where some don’t really care. Sidenote: I watched with subtitles the second time.
The Darkling. Look, Ben Barnes played him perfectly. It could have easily gone into villain caricature territory and it didn’t. Now, “General Kirigan” is an abusive bastard through and through with no real redeeming qualities. He’s well written. The author is well aware of the tropes she’s playing with, and brings some nuance to the story, but it isn’t the story of how he’s secretly redeemable or anything like that. He is a nasty piece of work, an Alina’s struggle to escape his control is a key conflict of the story, and one which is explored in an engaging manner. That being said, I’m not sure we needed the flashback i.e. his name dropped as early as it was. This is a very MINOR nitpick as when Alexander is revealed in the books it is gut punch. It was my understanding when I read the trilogy that I shouldn’t sympathize with this character, even if they decide he’s not worthy of redemption, and not worthy of affection or humanity. Maybe it is a nod to what he could have become in a different world if Ravka had been different. Again, I will wait and see.
As of this posting, Shadow and Bone has not been renewed but it is inevitable. It was number one in the US for over a week and is still trending strong. And next to Six of Crows, Siege and Storm is my second favorite Grishaverse novel. You know what that means for season two, right: Sturmhond, the Privateer, Wylan. Tolya and Tamar, Maybe the Ice Court? More Dregs, definitely Hellgate and a bigger budget. Take a bow, Leigh Bardugo! The world you have created here is as fantastic as you are and I can’t wait for it to be explored even more. No mourners, no funerals.
-Dagobot
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