Shadow And Bone – Season 2 Episode 2 Recap & Review

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Episode 2 of Shadow and Bone season 2 starts with Sturmhond admitting he’s not going to hand Alina over to the Fjerdans. However, that’s not to say he’s not going to hand them over at all. He’s still weighing up his options and who will give the best price for the Sun Summoner.

Alina tries to bargain with the pirate (privateer), pointing out he’ll be rewarded by the King of Ravka and also revealing her actual intentions, including tearing down the Fold. She also entices him with the hunt for Morozova’s Sea Whip. With danger and money on the horizon with this quest, Sturmhond caves and decides to help Alina find the second amplifier.

Kirigan is looking the worse for wear and struggles to shake off his ailment. Genya uses her powers on Kirigan at his request to help heal his wounds, including the nasty scar across his face, but when she does, a horrific shadow monster bursts forth from her back. Kirigan is forced to stave off its threat but it clearly rattles Genya.

Next, Kirigan visits Vladim and asks for some sort of alchemic remedy to his situation. Vladim points out that his affliction is a result of creating these shadow monsters. The only thing to counter the merzost is even more merzost. Kirigan isn’t looking to stave off the effects though, he wants to embrace it. Panicked, Vladim eventually agrees to help.

Not content to sit and wait, Kirigan grabs an ancient journal from a waterfall and releases Baghra, who has been kept prisoner in the cell all this time.

Throughout the episode, we jump back and see flashbacks with Kaz, including his history with Pekka Rollins. Kaz was eking out a living on the streets and struggling to survive. For him, this feud with Pekka is more than personal, although we don’t see everything that went down between them and quite why Kaz is so hell-bent on revenge beyond what’s happening in the present.

Kaz’s situation is made worse by the death of a constable, staged by Pekka last episode as retaliation for the Crow Club explosion. When Kaz finds out, he reveals to the group that it’s not enough to just kill the man, for this personal vendetta to play out, he wants everything to be pinned back on him. In order to do that, they need to get to his accountant, Henrik Van Poel.

If Kaz can get access to Pekka’s book, he explains to the group that it’ll tell him everything he needs to know. They do know the building that Van Poel is working in but not the right office. There’s no chance of using their sharpshooter and the place values anonymity so there’s no numbers on doors or anything. How are they going to do it?

Well, fret not because Nina asks the waitress and she knows his office is on the second floor. So while Kaz sets out to copy Henrik’s books, the others follow Pelka’s driver.

Pekka is getting restless and upon learning that the damages from the Crow Club explosion is topping around 250,000, he’s desperate to bring Kaz in to custody. Part of that includes going after Inej first.

Before that occurs, we cut across to Alina and Mal who are at sea. They get acquainted to the various other men and women onboard Sturmhond’s boat. Among those are Tolya and his sister, Tamar. These greetings are short-lived though as Mal helps the navigators in heading for their next destination. This happens to be the Island of Jelke, where their ancient beast awaits.

Despite going in armed to the teeth, Alina is dead-set on the group not harming the creature. She tells them that if it’s anything like the stag, Alina is sure she can tame it without killing it. When it comes down to it though, the worst occurs. In a sea cave, the creature attacks and Alina is forced to use her magic to kill the beast.

It’s not just Alina’s plan that goes awry. That night, Kaz’s plan goes sideways too. Pekka finds Kaz and confronts him, spouting a villain’s monologue as he points out that his crew are going to be captured this night. Pekka has brought in a taxidermist assassin called Mogens to capture Inej. The pair fight up on the rooftops but Inej just about manages to escape before she’s too badly hurt.

Pekka has also pulled some strings to capture Jesper too, who’s unwittingly walking right into a trap. He and Wylan end up in a shootout with some slick camera work before escaping with their lives and meeting Kaz as scheduled.

As for Kaz, wildcard Nina heads in and saves him from Pekka using her powers and some bombs to aid their getaway. However, Nina is shot and wounded in the process, forcing the group into hiding. Pekka though, is more determined than ever to make them pay.

Meanwhile, Alina embraces her new power onboard Sturmhond’s boat as a ceremony gets underway to honor those killed by the Sea Whip. This new wave of power looks set to consume Alina until Mal steps up and embraces his lover, helping to stabilize her energy as the pair hug.

When Alina regains her composure, she suggests they head to East Ravka and then onto the Fold. Unfortunately, Kirigan can sense Alina’s power is growing and smiles evilly as he remarks this to himself in the darkness.

The Episode Review

The second episode of Shadow and Bone continues the good work done in the first chapter with Alina and Kaz’s journeys working concurrently and helping to flesh out the story in an interesting way.

The Grishaverse has always been rife for cinematic exploitation and it’s great to see that showcased again here. The added addition of Sturmhond and his deadly band of pirates helps to ferry Alina and Mal to different areas, while Kaz’s story is simple but efficient enough to keep things interesting on the other side of the world.

There are some usual tropes in this, including the whole “Chosen One” storyline but the interesting locales and good lore-building help to make this a thoroughly enjoyable show all the same. The rest of the season certainly looks like an intriguing proposition!