The first big Netflix hit of the Spring/Summer is here. Shadow and Bone, based on Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy, is a fantasy series that brings a lot of promise, and lives up to it in some spots, but leaves a lot to be desired.
I'm going to take a dive into the first season and talk about what I think worked, and did not work. So without further ado... *WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS INVOLVED
What Worked
1. The Acting - The plot behind Shadow and Bone isn't exactly what I would call groundbreaking stuff. A war-torn world, centering around an old USSR type setting, is trying to find stability and a way to navigate through a giant, ominous black wall known as The Fold. In this world are regular people, and Grisha... aka wizards/witches. Grisha are born with a particular ability to control some form of element around them, that can be discovered in early adolescence. Some have the ability to control wind, others fire, or healing, emotions, etc. The Fold was created by a character known as The Dark Heretic, who controlled shadows.
Long story short, the hope is to find a Grisha that can control light (known as a Sun Summoner) in hopes of finding a way to destroy the fold. As one might expect, the main character, Alina Starkov, turns out to be a Sun Summoner in hiding when she purposely keeps the test of Grisha ability from functioning properly. So naturallly she becomes to center of everyone's attention.
Ok that's great Sean, but get to the point about how the acting works.
Fine, fine. The acting works because the people surrounding Alina follow paths that can be considered pretty cookie cutter if a story were being written. She has a lifelong friend that turns out to be the love of her life the entire time in Mal. She makes what seems like an obvious mistake in falling for General Kirigan because... well... it's pretty obvious he's evil. I mean, the only character in all black, and controls shadows is secretly The Dark Heretic... ya don't say.
We've also got a small band of thieves/attempted abductors/gang/I don't actually know what to call them, but they play a key part in making sure Alina stays alive when they were trying to abduct her.
All of this comes to my point that when you watch Shadow and Bone, it's pretty easy to figure out what's going to happen long before it actually happens. Because of that, the show would be complete garbage if the acting were not above par. Thankfully, it is. It's not crazy high, like a Heath Ledger rendition of the Joker, but high enough that it still makes for a very enjoyable show. From Jessie Mei Lei to Freddy Carter to anyone else on the show, the cast executes their roles well enough to wrap you up when you could easily check out, knowing what's coming next.
2. Connecting storylines and timelines - I rambled a bit in the first point so I'll try and make this one more brief before I lose your attention. I'm also going to try and limit spoilers with this one. There are a few different timelines going on throughout the season, one of which goes particularly off course from where everyone else is heading. Thankfully, but the end of the season, the outlying story line is brought back into the fold.... pun absolutely intended, deal with it, and sets the viewers up for a nice lead into season 2. I was getting a bit worried how they'd wrap this TV version of a side quest up, but thankfully my anxiety was put to rest in the final episode.
3. Revenge and Fear, a believable backstory for the Villain! - General Kirigan, aka The Dark Heretic, is playing the role of master manipulator and secret megalomaniac. He hid himself away post Fold creation and reemerged in a time when Grisha were more widely accepted for their ability to help win wars. But wait, what spawned him to make the fold? Witnessing what I can only assume is the love of his life (they don't expressly say that she is but seems a reasonable conclusion to jump to) being murdered right in front of him. Grisha were being attacked because people were afraid of them, and this act was the final straw that broke Kirigan into unleashing hell on earth, better known as The Fold.
Kirigan's whole plan is pretty simple, and very believable. Gather up all of the Grisha, protect them, train them, and then eventually use his power coupled with Alina's once she was discovered, to ostensibly rule the world by taking control of The Fold and making it one giant mobile death machine. Now, my only hang-up with this plotline was that damn it was obvious to see coming once his character was introduced. Yes, it is believable, but man throw some creativity into it. Maybe instead of the love of his life being murdered make it his parents. Pull a reverse Harry Potter and instead of having your main character end up good despite such a tragedy, have him go off the deep end in a similar fashion to Kirigan. Just shake it up a little. Be more Game of Thrones and less... I dunno most shows nowadays?
Either way, Kirigan = mad the world and bent on world domination. Got it. Believe it. Easy to get on board with.
What Didn't Work
1. The predictability - I know I've already hammered this home a good amount but come on guys! Make the plot a little less linear. Or film it differently at least. It was so easy to pick up on which character was going to do what and when just based on timing and choice of scene. Even Zoya going from her bitchy "I hate Alina because she's part Shu" racist ass to the sudden change of heart once she realizes how insane Kirigan is was tipped off by a quick switch of the camera to her. Have the character recognize this off camera so when she flips sides its not nearly as obvious. Also, when she's the only one, and I mean the only one, to come at Alina for being an orphan, I knew it wouldn't last just based on the color of her clothing and how it worked with everyone else that stayed either neutral or on the good side. Some things are better off not so easily tipped guys. Just saying.
2. Good ol' fashioned racism - First, let me be clear, there is nothing good about racism. I wrote that dripping in sarcasm and if you take it any other way you're an idiot. But yeah, part of Alina's arc to becoming the savior is having to overcome everyone looking at her different because she is part Shu, or what we'd classify as Asian. I can understand wanting to be respectful of other culture's in the real world, but since this is a fantasy why not try something other than Shu-Han for the Asian country. The writer's had full creative license on this one and decided they'd be better off going with the obvious choice here.
Also, to be clear, I am not saying that characters being racist doesn't work because racism no longer exists. I'm well aware that's not true and sadly relevant in the Asian community today due to a bunch of idiots connecting anyone of Asian decent to the genesis of the COVID-19 pandemic. This just falls into the predictability trap like many other things have, and it's kind of exhausting. If we're not making a point on fixing racism, which is not this shows intent, maybe we could try something else for once? Low hanging fruit hangs low for a reason.
3. The show never gives you a reason to care about, or understand Kaz Brekker - The leader of the merry band of misfits, Kaz Brekker, goes the entire show without any backstory given to him whatsoever. Other characters allude to it from time-to-time, but nothing more than that. I went 8 episodes expecting some sort of explanation as to why he walks with a cane, why he's so dead set on vengeance, and how he ended up in his current situation, without ever getting an answer. Maybe it's coming in season 2. I certainly hope it does, because I'm pretty pissed about this right now.
Best Performance
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