![]() ![]() But the ones having the most fun are Carter, Suman, and Young as the Crows, whether Jesper is bedding a stablehand to pull off a heist or Inej is grappling with the moral gray areas of assassination. Fantasy vet Barnes (from The Chronicles of Narnia to Westworld) makes a meal of his role as the mysterious Kirigan. Li, who has primarily worked in theater, has the charisma and the acting chops to make us root for Alina. It helps that Shadow and Bone features an appealing cast, comprised of mostly newcomers. And, like many protagonists, she gets caught in a love triangle - between the dashing but creepy General Kirigan (Ben Barnes) and her devoted childhood best friend, Mal (Archie Renaux). Like many protagonists, Alina is an orphan and an outcast, a humble mapmaker in the Ravkan army who gets plucked from obscurity when she unleashes a mythical power that harnesses sunlight. The story centers on a teenage chosen one named Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li). ![]() The kingdom’s defense against the Fold is a population of elemental magic users called Grisha. Ravka is divided into two by a dark void called the Fold, which is populated by shadowy monsters that make passing through it deadly. Shadow and Bone is set mostly in the kingdom of Ravka, a country trapped in an endless war with its neighbors, Fjerda and Shu Han. And, vitally for a genre series in a time when we’re all pretty much over grim dystopias, the show has a human heart, a rollicking pace, and an honest-to-god sense of humor. Based on Leigh Bardugo’s popular YA novel series, Shadow and Bone offers a compelling blend of intrigue, romance, and action, steeped in an aesthetic that’s part steampunk, part imperial Russia. the weekend it debuted (behind only Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). ![]() Eric Heisserer’s series was the second most-watched show in the U.S. Last month, Shadow and Bone leapt into that void with arms wide open. And not just any form of the genre - the kind with big-budget effects, deep world-building, tangled romances, and labyrinthine, intertwining plots you can get blissfully lost in. If there’s one lesson Netflix learned from its runaway 2020 hit The Witcher, it’s this: In these troubled times, the viewing public is voracious for escapist fantasy television. ![]()
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