Cliffhangers. I hate them or I love them. It’s a double edged sword in a way, because I hate the fact that I have to wait for more information. But I love them because I know if I hate them I am so emotionally invested in a show that I can’t give up on it.
It means that I will follow every word that is put out about it. It means that I will think about the show. It means that the show lives with me and hey that’s a powerful thing that doesn’t happen very often.
Shadow and Bone has been one of my favorite shows of the past year. It’s going to stick with me. That ending. That whole final episode. I am emotionally fucked up over this show… hanging onto every second and moment.
I am emotionally invested in every person, every character, every moment of this show. And I am okay with that.
I can’t wait for the next season (confirm that for us Netflix).
But let’s break down the final episode of the season: “No Mourners.”
INTO THE FOLD
The Fold is definitely not my favorite place in the world. Hell, doesn’t make the top 1000. I am not about dark spaces, evading monsters, and well you know anything that can scare the shit out of me.
The Fold is dark, smoky, and lots of weird sounds. Hard pass for me. But everyone is on the skiv heading through. The Crows head below deck, which is the smartest thing in the world, cause like I would be under too. A monster is gonna have to chew through some shit to get to me.
Inej is worried about Alina and I love that her faith is guiding her. You can see the hesitation with Inej going under, but I do believe that as this story progresses Inej will continue to be the pilar of strength because of that.
Alina may be terrified, but she isn’t willing to back down. The Volkra are coming and Alina is like lets just tear this down right now. But Kirigan is an asshole and you know, he can’t say that the lies that he told were truth, cause he is showing all of his ass on this ride.
He wants to be a dictator and keep everyone under control. He wants to make sure that the Grisha are in charge and above all. He wants to be the one that rules and that kind of need for power is a scary thing.
The Crows being on this skiff is not the smartest thing that they could do, but that’s part of what I love them. No fear. Being on a ship of people that want them dead, having no plan, and not enough bullets just feels like a recipe for disaster.
In the only thing that I have ever agreed with Zoya on up until now, she hates the Fold. She doesn’t understand why Alina isn’t being given the go ahead, after all she has just one job. But the General’s heart render knows that Zoya is supposed to stop the skiff right before they reach the western docks, the General wants an audience.
The Volkra are everywhere and the only people that can help the situation are Alina and the General. But he won’t listen. He wants her to remember who is in charge and has control of the power she controls. It’s another moment that her choices have been taken away from her and you can’t help but feel sorry for her. But you also can’t help but feel her strength, even though he tries to put her down and remind her that he’s taken the power away from her. And he conducts her power and makes a tunnel for them through the fold.
Alina wants to know why the half measure. Why the tunnel? Destroy the fold.
It’s the greatest weapon they’ve got, he says. She knows he’s pure evil and you can see it in her face.
The traitor general says that when they get close they kill everyone on board. Alina is a threat to their independence.
The skiff stops short of exiting the fold. Kirigan says that there is time for one more demonstration. He wants them all to bear witness to what he can do with her power. General calls up her power and expands the fold.
He tells everyone that they need to bow down, basically and that if they don’t – he’ll expand the fold to where they are. Their countries will go down. He will make them all have to feel his wrath.
Everyone is like WTF.
THE CROWS PLUS ONE
Jesper wants to know the plan, but Kaz doesn’t have a plan. He knows that they need to wait to see what the General has planned. Kaz saw his face, he’s a man consumed with vengeance.
Mal is trying to remain silent below, but hey, Inej can hear anything and everything. She comes up on him and he is brought to the rest of the group. Jesper wants to know who he is. He’s very upfront – Alina’s friend, and his purpose on being there was to kill the General and save Alina.
For once Kaz makes smart choices and tells Inej to give back his gun – because if he isn’t on Kirigan’s side, he’s on theirs.
Kaz keeps saying wait as they hear the commotion above. Inej is pointing out that he is destroying a city, and even though Kaz is so whatever about it – he’s right when he says basically cool, you get the full extent of his power. But I also agree that Mal is right when he says that the smart move to attack, even when Kaz says it’s not.
Kirigan is up there and he is saying with his power he can move the borders to any place he likes, engulfing any harbor. People are seeing what a dick he is. He’s threatening them and tells them to take it back to their countries, there will be no more war with the Grisha. And hey I jumped up and screamed when Mal came busting out like James Bond, ready to tale on anything and everything.
Of course Kirigan has to exert his small dick energy to act like he’s got control. Has his heartrender keep him down. He’s gross.
Look, I admit that I have an attraction to Kirigan, but I can’t overlook the fact that he’s a psycho. I would definitely not be inviting him into my shadow fold.
Jesper heads upstairs, and Inej is in a fight of her own. I don’t like to be wrong, but I can admit when I am wrong. I would think that Zoya is a bitch, but the way she saves Inej, I will admit that she is not satan.
Jesper comes out like it’s the OK Corral and Inej throws her dagger and hits Kirigan. He’s pissed and his reactions kill a lot of people on board. But why’s he pissed? Because he’s gonna have to have this conversation again. Oh Lord, like you weren’t gonna have it.
I have the utmost respect for Inej, because she’s not going to back down from anything. She’s found her space, her home, her purpose.
Alina and Mal, seeing them try to get to each other is heartbreaking, but I think that they can still feel each others strength. And Alina, she looks up and sees the stag. And you know this is the moment that changes everything. Sometimes you just need a reminder of how strong you are.
Kirigan tells her that they are all that is left, but they are all each other needs. Fucking ideiot. Reaches out his hand and she says you may have needed me, but I never needed you. I had to ask myself why I was standing on my couch screaming right then and there, but I was. She cuts the piece of the stag out of his hand.
“Your first words to me were what are you, this is what I am.” she says.
He wants to know how she claimed the power of the stag, he killed it. She didn’t understand before, but she does now – the stag chose her. He says she betrayed people and he was trying to save them. Mal takes him overboard before he can hurt Alina.
I love that Mal and Alina are always there for each other. I love that The Crows are there to make sure that Alina is okay. Jesper is fucking amazing and doesn’t give a fuck.
The fight that ensued between Mal and Kirigan was epic. But I couldn’t stop thinking about how I had always wanted men fighting over me, but at this moment, I was like na bro, I am good
Kirigan gets a little too cocky and is like you think you can kill me? I loved Mal standing there and being like I don’t have to – your past will do that for you.
SAVE A LIFE
Falling for someone under dire circumstances happens and Nina and Mathias are in that type of situation. I mean sure, they don’t want to admit it, but I do like the fact that they have let down their guard and even though they should hate each other by the world’s standards, they have found that it doesn’t makes sense for them to.
They don’t want to leave each other, but them being together is not something that will be accepted in society. She doesn’t want him to leave, after all she’s not done tormenting him. Just the way that she looks at him you know that she has feelings for him. But they can’t go somewhere where they won’t be Driskelle or Grisha. He would be court martialed and she would be branded a traitor. So for now, they need to enjoy the last moments.
She’s introducing him to the things that she loves. Waffles. He doesn’t understand if they are supposed to sweet or savory. And as they are talking about it, he suddenly passes out. Fedyor is there to save her and it takes it just seconds for him to realize that she has developed feelings for him. But he wants to save her and says that they will being him to the General so that she won’t be branded a traitor.
For Nina she can’t let that happen. Because that would mean his death and his death isn’t an option. So she says that he was a slaver so another man will take him. I get what she’s doing, but as much as what she’s done makes sense – it also makes none. Because either way she’s going to loose him.
The Grisha are willing to fight over this, but they come to the realization that it will only start a war. And there is a part of me that feels bad for Nina because she has just lost everything, only she doesn’t know it yet.
On the boat she goes to see Mathias and tries to explain herself, but she doesn’t really have the right to be upset that he doesn’t understand. For him, he remembers why he should have never trusted her in the first place.
And that’s a hard pill for both of them to swallow.
Choices aren’t easy.
WHEN I AM STRONG ENOUGH
Mal crying over Alina made me cry and I wanted to walk over and hug him. I love a romantic moment. They need each other. They love each other and they are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to be there for each other.
The Crows, Zoya and Malina make it off the skiff and out of The Fold. They are sitting there and Inej is fascinated with Alina. Alina is a saint to her. She wants Alina to know she will always there and whatever she needs, her hand is hers. Alina gives her her dagger and there is such a pride in Inej’s face.
I love that Alina is like are you all going to be kidnapping me again? She finds the humor in things, but also the seriousness of it. She knows that they could, but Jesper is like nah. And Alina, as repayment and to keep them quiet hands Kaz a valuable necklace and says it is to keep quiet about who she is and where she goes from there.
Mal and her head off to change and when they return she throws her old dress in the fire. Alina has been through a lot and is staring at the fold, which represents a part of her past that she’s ready to left go of. But she knows that she needs to save everyone. She’s just not strong enough right now. Kirigan turned on his own people and the world will blame her. They’ll come back. She will tear it down. Just not today.
Zoya says she has to go. She needs to know how much of the city is lost. The group knows that what she may see will haunt her for the rest of the days. She tells Alina she can’t stay there, that people will turn on the Grisha again. Alina knows it too. But Alina says she’ll come back and reclaim their country. Zoya tells her she still doesn’t like her but remember this, “Saints will become martyrs before they are meant to be heroes.”
She tells her to stay alive.
And it’s the most sound thing I have heard out of Zoya’s mouth.
The team start on their walk to get where they need to be. Inej asks what Kaz’s angle is and he says keeping his promise that she won’t go back to the Menagerie. He loves her and you can see it in his eyes. Inej says she needs my help more than you, but Kaz is lik,e I do need you. I died. I screamed. I was so thrilled. Inej smiles and she says she wants to see the look on Heleen’s face when he clears the books, but after that they will see.
The Crows and Malina get on a boat to leave. No one knows where they are going, but they know that they are getting. No one knows what will happen but the thing that they have going for them is that no one knows who Alina is. People think that the Sun Summoner is dead.
And that’s good, because ghosts are what they need to be for awhile. She tells Mal it’s her and him now, like old times. He likes those odds and she does too.
When she’s strong enough they will come back and tear it down.
But hey, they don’t know that they haven’t gotten rid of their enemy. Kirigan is alive.
The battles have just begun.
Shadow and Bone is streaming now on Netflix.