Shadow And Bone – Season 2 Episode 6 Recap & Review

Ni Weh Sesh

Episode 6 of Shadow and Bone season 2 sees Alina and Baghra heading out to find the Firebird. Baghra warns that if it comes down to it, Kirigan will need to be stopped as he’s polluted by Merzost. She’s strong but not as strong as Kirigan right now. She needs to find the Firebird and sever this bond before it’s too late. Mal is an exemplary tracker, as we know, but even he’s having trouble finding the Firebird.

Sitting with Baghra, she reveals to the pair that her father was actually the Bonesmith, Morozova. For her, going back to his workshop isn’t a return home but more a return to the scene of the crime. Why? Well, as a child Baghra lost control of her own power and ended up striking her own sister down.

The pair make it to the workshop (which looks suspiciously similar to the waterfall Kirigan originally found his mother in) where Baghra uses her blood to open the door and they head deeper in. When they do, Alina pores over the documents on the table. Baghra continues to search in an adjacent passage while Alina and Mal have a moment. The pair reaffirm their love for one another before we get to the crux of the issue.

Baghra checks the bones buried inside and curses her luck. She originally believed that her sister may be there but she was never buried inside. In fact, it seems Morozova used his powers to bring her back to life, having let Baghra carry this burden with her her whole life. Baghra deduces that his sister ended up having kids.

Her power passed down through the generations to the here and now. So who is the Firebird? Well, it just so happens to be Mal himself. His story about finding an orphanage that “felt right” now seems more like destiny; forces worked to bring him to the Sun Summoner all along. Malyen Oretsev is the Firebird.

Back inside, Kirigan gets the jump on Alina, with another psychic jump, and points out that he’s killed the First Army Camp at Keramzin and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. It’s useless for her to fight him. While Kirigan keeps her in this stranglehold of powerful magic, Mal and Baghra show up and see her caught in this entranced state.

Baghra sets light to the workshop, deciding that they have what they need, before touching Alina’s shoulder and showing up before Kirigan. The Darkling is confused until she smirks and makes light of the fact she knows a few tricks of her own. She sacrifices herself to save Alina, severing the connection as Mal grabs a weakened Alina and the pair scramble to safety, heading out the burning workshop. As her final act of sacrifice, Baghra calls her son foolish and cuts his hand off.

Over with Kaz, the group are still knocked out and each experience their own hallucinations. For Tolya, it’s seeing the aftermath of him stabbing his sister, while Jesper speaks to his mother, reconciling the ill will between them and starting to embrace his true calling. Jesper’s mother convinces her son to embrace who he really is.

Wylan shows up at the workshop with explosives, and manages to bust a hole through the door. With everyone knocked out on the floor, it’s Inej who breaks out of her hallucination through the power of willpower (it’s not really explained how, if I’m honest!) She tells Wylan that they’ve been poisoned, who in turn manages to pick flowers outside that just so happen to hold the antidote they need. Well, that was lucky! Wylan hands over the flowers and our crew regain consciousness.

Kaz and the group play dead, awaiting Ohval’s return. When she shows up, she immediately senses Inej and the group fight. Despite Inej being ambushed and outnumbered, she more than holds her own and makes quick work of the group, thwarting their threat with relative ease and turning their own weapons against them.

When all hope is lost, the real Disciple shows up and is wheeled into the courtyard. This happens to be Ohval’s husband, and the reason she’s fighting so strongly against them. Her love for the Disciple goes back years and the pair’s strong bond is actually forged in steel. Specifically that of Neshyenyer, which was actually the last piece he stole for her before they both retired.

Tolya mulls this over before realizing that the legend about a fierce warrior that fought for three days and three nights with a powerful blade is actually referencing Ohval herself. Within this tale, she bested all enemies and then lay down her sword after. “Sanktar Neyar.” Tolya says, before dropping to his knee.

The Crows all follow suit and drop to their knee too, paying their respects. Tolya tries to bargain with Ohval, telling her they only want to borrow the blade. Given Alina is part Shu, she could be the key to bridging the alliance between Ravka and Shu. Ohval mulls it over, giving a beautiful speech about love eternal and what living is all about, before telling everyone to leave. Except Jesper.

Ohval speaks to Jesper in confidence, knowing that he’s a Durast and urging him not to waste his talent. Jesper knows he has a lot of catching up to do but he at least will have the blade to drive him on the right path. And not only that, Jesper finally reveals his true feelings to Wylan and the pair kiss, something that has been teased and played with across the course of the season thus far. It’s a lovely moment, although the same can’t be said for Inej, who decides that hope clouds ones judgment and refuses to let herself be consumed by her feelings for Kaz.

Meanwhile, Alina learns the truth about Mal’s purpose in this fight and she’s absolutely crushed as a result. She tries to shrug it off as a Darkling trick but it’s no good. This is real. Knowing the end is nigh, the pair end up making love.

As the episode closes out, Kirigan has his mother’s bone dust sprinkled on his severed wrist by Vladim, the one Baghra sliced as the final act of her life. Kirigan immediately sees Baghra’s final moments, including the reveal that Mal is the Firebird. Smiling evilly, it sets up a world of trouble for our characters as the final fight approaches.

The Episode Review

Now that Kirigan is aware of the Firebird and exactly who that is, the final few episodes are inevitably going to see this fight hit fever pitch as Alina is going to have to make an impossible choice.

Meanwhile, Kaz’s side quest story continues with the group closing in the fabled sword that’s going to help them repel the forces of evil. That entire fight with Ohval was really well done, with some decent wire work. The explanation as to why Ohval is trying to keep this sword safe and how she fights so fiercely to protect it was a really nice reveal and helped to give these scenes some lovely depth.

I’d imagine we’ll see the Crows team up with Alina’s group in that final fight, as Kirigan launches his assault against Alina.

The twist involving the Firebird is a good one though and one I certainly didn’t see coming. It also goes some way to explain a few of the contrivances for these two always finding each other. With two episodes left, Shadow and Bone looks set to end with a bang and more than a bit of heartbreak!