Critique: Shadow and Bone (Series 2)

*****SPOILERS*****

 

Positives

 

The Shu Han saint was amazing.

As a Durast, she could control metal. This was how she could control blood (much to Jes’ amazement). That was a great detail.

She had a butterfly headpiece which, considering she had the same butterflies in her garden, was an excellent touch. Her fighting skills were beautiful to watch.

Jes asks her, ‘Is that a body?’ She replies, ‘My first husband. Terrible person. Adequate table.’ That’s my favourite line of the series!

 

There were many great visuals.

The animation, for starters. Whenever there was a transition between the drawn map into live action was really nicely animated.Also, the title screen for each episode was distinct. Even though each had its own identity, it was clear via the style that they were related. That was good.

The male half Shu Han’s fight scene with the four grisha was epic. The choreographer was clearly skilled.

Kirigan has a trio of amplified grisha. Their attacks were very creative (especially compared with the basic blasts that other grisha stick with). That was great to watch.

When Alina collapses the Fold, a bee wonders in. life comes where there’s been none was a beautiful detail.

 

Just like the last series, this one was funny.

The prince was hilarious. ‘Given all the royal inbreeding, being a bastard is a point in my favour.’ He gives Alina a ring and says, ‘When you wear it, when you punch me you will take out my eye. And I’d like you to. To wear it, not punch me.’

Nina wants the Fjerdan out of jail and someone asks, ‘that Fjerdan slab of fur?’ I think ‘slab of fur’ is my new favourite description for a hairy person.

Nina notes that Kaz has feelings for Anej and, seeing everyone’s looks, says, ‘Oh, was I not meant to say that out loud?’

Jes asks if the hat Inej is wearing is his. She replies he hates that hat. So Jes puts it on with a smile then almost instantly replies, ‘You’re right, I hate that hat.’

I love that Nina just kept on eating in Shu Han. Every shot she was eating something new which had me giggling.

Bagra said her mum called Bagra one of her father’s abominations. Alina tells Bagra she’s wrong to which Bagra replies, ‘She was right. Haven’t you been paying attention?’

When the bomb boy uses his bomb to dissipate one of Kirigan’s shadow beasts, Jes yells, ‘My man! Wait, we haven’t put a label on us yet.’ Giggle.

 

 

Negatives

 

A lot goes wrong and unravels in regards to Mal being the Firebird.

When Bagra tells Mal that he is the firebird, she says he needs to sacrifice himself on Alina’s blade so that he can become her amplifier. So Mal knew he needed to die and was determined to do so. But Mal knew Alina could’ve tamed the Stag because he was there and watched her almost succeed. So Mal should at least have had some hope that he didn’t have to die. He’s always been a positive character so he should have clung onto that positive hope.

Mal could track the Stag and the Seawhip because he was a descendent of the Firebird. Great. But Bagra says this is why Mal could hear Alina (which is why he moved orphanages until he got to Alina’s). But Alina was neither created by Bagra’s father (like the three amplifiers were) nor a descendent of Bagra’s father. How then does the explanation apply to her?

Alina tells Nicolai that Mal is the Firebird. She then makes a big deal out of how if she’d stopped going after the amplifiers she’d never know (so she wouldn’t have to make the choice). But her not knowing that Mal is the Firebird would only have led to the same results as her choosing not to kill Mal. So it makes no difference.

 

Twice there were instances of behaviour being out of character.

Kirigan moves the Fold to cover the fort Alina and co are in. Volcra start attacking the soldiers and Alina does nothing, even though she knows her light sends the beasts packing. Of course, she saves Mal when he’s taken, but no matter how much she loves him, he shouldn’t be the exception. Her inaction doesn’t match her personality.

Kirigan’s amplified grisha were mourning the death of their fire friend. During this, Kaz and co stopped using their bombs on the grisha. Why? They were distracted and, considering they were super dangerous, why wouldn’t smart Kaz make the most of the advantage he’d just been given? That goes against his character.

 

There were two instances of bad visuals.

Kirigan does the dark cut and it looks like trees and ground collapse into the earth. His follows said he just destroyed the camp. So I had to rewind it and the animation didn’t look like a camp. I could vaguely make it out because it was paused and I knew a camp is what I should be seeing. The trees that were standing outside the sunken area looked exactly like the ‘tents’ in the ‘camp’. So the brief glimpse we got, combined with the poor animation, was troublesome.

Nicolai’s crown had me chortling. It was pathetic and tiny. In some regards, it made sense for the costume department to not spend lots on the crown: it wasn’t on screen for long and it wasn’t for the main character, so why bother? But when something is part of the closing scenes of an entire series, it leaves a lasting impression: something like this should be funded well.

 

There was a lack of consistency in a few areas.

A lot is made out of Peckham controlling the police. Yet once Kaz has bested him, they come rushing in to arrest him. This doesn’t make sense. Maybe Kaz had them waiting in the sidelines, but that would have required him to persuade the police that he would succeed against Peckham. Even if this were the case, at least one police officer would have reported back to Peckham’s men about the operation.

Nina says that people can be brought back alive if their heart’s been stopped for a little while. The Durast David says he can fuse Mal’s bone with Alina. So if Mal’s killed, Alina gets amplified by Mal; then Nina can bring him back alive. After she briefly stops his heart. But in the first series, it says only the person that kills something can be amplified by it, so as Nina’s the one that would stop Mal’s heart, only Nina could be amplified by Mal.

Nina was taken by a shadow beast yet it didn’t kill her. Considering the shadow beasts killed everyone they encountered (bar those being peaceful with Kirigan and the cause), why was Nina unharmed? This made no sense.

When Mal’s back alive, he knows he’s no longer a tracker. Considering his tracking abilities was because he could sense Bagra’s father’s creations or descendents and there weren’t any left, he should have realised he wasn’t a tracker any more long ago. As Mal was drawn to Alina because of the tracking, he worried that their love was destiny, not choice. This really bothers him so he leaves and, if he comes back, he knows it’s his choice.

 

 

Questionable

 

When Peckham got on his knees to beg for his son’s life, his men looked disgusted.

Sure, we’ve seen Peckham and his people be brutal. But do none of them have kids of their own? Statistically, some would have children so they should have been sympathetic to Peckham’s distress.

Although statistics aren’t a guarantee. Plus Peckham could only hired unattached men who lack ties with anyone outside his organisation.

 

Someone says ‘He’s your king’ to which the prince replies, ‘Not until the coronation.’

My knee-jerk reaction was that no, that’s not how that works (mainly because loads of people think that’s how it works in the UK). In the UK, the crown prince(ss) becomes the monarch immediately after the previous monarch’s death. The coronation is just a ritual formality where the nobles can swear loyalty in person.

However, loads of titles in the world aren’t official until they’re bestowed upon the individual, so there’s no reason why this couldn’t be the case for a monarch. Whether the author bases this on a misunderstanding of what a coronation is in Europe or if it’s based on worldbuilding, I don’t know.

 

 

Impactful

 

There were a few small things that could be easily missed but are strong if caught.

Bagra’s last words, as she’s dying in her son’s arms, are, ‘Stupid boy.’ In her dying breath, she decided to tell off her adult son! Then Kirigan was actually upset because his mother was dead (completely unexpected). So his mother’s last words expressing her disappointment in him over her love for him must have really hurt.

Kaz gives his staff to Nicolai who has a wounded leg. Nicolai is surprised because he thought Kaz needed it, but Kaz replied, ‘I’ve got more experience with pain.’ He didn’t mean it to be but that’s an upsetting thing to hear.

At one point, Mal says the only thing he has to offer Alina is the fire bird. So Mal feels useless and Alina fights for their friendship. Yes, she wants their romance too, but it definitely feels like she’s fighting to keep her friend. Then it turns out Mal is the fire bird himself so his sentence was deep with meaning (even if he wasn’t aware of it at the time).

 

At Nicolai and Alina’s coronation, a Fjerdan heartrender starts killing everyone after taking a substance.

Alina uses the cut to kill the heartrender but it’s a shadow cut, not a light cut. So that’s worrying. Was part of Kirigan still in Alina? Considering Nicolai had one of Kirigan’s shadow beast inside him, maybe Kirigan isn’t as dead as everyone thought he was?

Fjerdans hunt down grisha religiously so them not only keeping a grisha alive but then giving it superpowers is bizarre. However, someone using something they hate for their own gain is realistic.

 

All-in-all, Series Two was a success. It followed on nicely from the first series, building upon it and expanding into the wider world of the Grishaverse. Bomb boy joining Kaz and co was a great addition to the team. I’m excited to see what comes next.