Shadow and Bone Season Finale Review: No Funerals

Everything came down to Alina, with the help of her close allies.

The final battle ensued between darkness and light on Shadow and Bone Season 2 Episode 8, with one prevailing over the other.

Alina made a difficult choice, and the resulting action managed to end the fight once and for all.

Mal started dying. There was no avoiding that fate, but Alina had a difficult decision.

Would she kill her best friend, Male, the final amplifier, before he died from Kirigan’s wounds?

If Mal succumbed to the wounds that Kirigan left him, then Mal’s amplifier ability may have gone to Kirigan instead of Alina.

Mal handed Alina a dagger, and she finally decided to do the right thing: she decided to stab him in the heart.

It’s weird to say that stabbing her best friend and love interest through the heart was the right thing to do, but in the heat of the moment, it was the only thing she could do.

She needed the power boost from the firebird’s amplifier to take down the fold and potentially even to take down Kirigan (although his sickness seemed to worsen).

Once Mal died, the power went from Mal’s body into Alina’s. Alina cried out in anguish, which let out a massive stretch of light that engulfed the fold, bringing it down.

Once she calmed down, her power dissipated, and shadow no longer surrounded her by only shadow but typical blue skies.

Kirigan was impressed but also didn’t die from the blast. Alina still had to deal with the menacing man trying to manipulate her.

She attacked, but while his sickness weakened his strength, his shadow monster’s strength was as strong as ever, and they retaliated against Alina’s hostility.

Just as Alina started to succumb to the Shadow monster’s attack, Inej saved her with the Neshyenyer, killing the shadow creature.

Alina got enough of an opening to hit Kirigan with a fatal blow, and he died staring up at her and the skies beyond.

That’s it., right? Alina took down the fold, and she killed Kirigan.

They depicted this battle quickly, with the rest of the episode featuring the emotional aftermath, including Alina’s efforts to revive Mal.

Alina and Nina tried their hand at reviving Mal, but even Nina wasn’t strong enough to bring him back, which prompted Alina to use the one thing she promised Baghra she wouldn’t use: the Merzost.

The Merzost was the same magic that Kirigan used to create his shadow monsters, and the price he paid was his sickness.

Baghra warned her about the costs of using the Merzost, but it didn’t stop her from using it to revive Mal: which she succeeded in doing.

Mal burst back to life, with Nina confused about how it happened. Alina ignored all the questions, just happy that her best friend lived.

But what was the cost? The cost didn’t get revealed until the final scene when Kaz told the Crows (Nina, Jesper, and Wylan) about a new drug that could amplify Grisha to max power.

As he told them this, Nikolai’s coronation took place with an unwelcomed guest, who took a drug, then killed many of the members in attendance.

Alina managed to stop the woman by using the cut, but it wasn’t what Alina had become accustomed to.

When Alina sent out the powerful spell, it produced Shadow instead of Light.

Alina seemed to have gained Kirigan’s shadow powers, which we assumed was the price for using the Merzost.

Alina’s usage of the shadow ability didn’t seem to bother her, but the credits rolled before we could gauge her actual reaction.

In the novels, Alina did gain some use of shadow, but it only got hinted at through Alina controlling dancing shadows on the wall.

Introducing the jurda parem drug would lead directly into the Six of Crows duology.

Hopefully, Netflix will give Shadow and Bone another season or continues its story through a Six Of Crows series.

The Grishaverse is fast, and even though this may seem like a definitive end for the Darkling and the current civil war, the story could continue.

By diverting from the end of Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone’s final novel in the trilogy), Alina could still be a significant player in seasons to come.

She, Genya, and Zoya all agreed to take the lead of Grisha in the palace, which, in the novels, Alina appointed Genya, Zoya, and David.

David may have died during the finale after saving Genya, but with nobody, there’s a chance David lived. With multiple forms of powerful magic at work, there’s always hope.

Mal took over for Nikolai as Sturmhond, which opens his character up to more story.

The finale also showcased a piece of the story that wasn’t revealed until Leigh Bardugo’s second duology set after the initial Trilogy, King of Scars, featuring Nikolai as king.

Nikolai got affected by the shadow creature that attacked him. He doesn’t know how, but he saw himself as a shadow creature in a mirror as he prepared for the coronation.

All major plot threads from the past two seasons closed, but the writers introduced these new enticing hints at their plans for a new season.

We hope Netflix grants us a third season (or any continuation), but with the way Netflix has been handling their fan-favorite shows, we will be waiting on the edge of our seats.

Would you watch more if Netflix decided to go ahead with another season? We know we would!

So Grisha fanatics, what did you think of the season finale of Shadow and Bone Season 2?

Are you as hopeful as we are for a third season or at least a Six of Crow’s continuation?

Let us know in the comments below. The second season of Shadow and Bone is now streaming on Netflix.

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Michael Stack is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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