Netflix’s Shadow And Bone Ending Explained-The Fold, The Darkling, And What It Means For Season 2

Netflix’s eight-episode Shadow And Bone, based on the book series by Leigh Bardugo, is one of the rare examples of a series or movie being as good if not better than the source material. The epic fantasy series about powerful abilities and even more powerful politics developed by Eric Heisserer is a gorgeous coming of age story about a young woman finding her nature and navigating the tricky waters of warring nations and manipulative love affairs. The world Heisserer creates is dark. Dark in lighting most of the time and soul-suckingly dark in mood. As its name, it is also full of skeletons, figurative and literal.

The YA series that reads like a cross between The Witcher and Game of Thrones but with a lot less nudity is a complex balancing act of complementary storylines. With multiple plots to keep track of and a vast world of interesting characters, this is a series that easily could engage an audience for years to come. Here is everything you need to know.

Who are the main players in Shadow And Bone?

There is a daunting cast of characters and plots to keep track of, but a few are vital to the story. Characters and plot beats weave in and out of each other like the shifting smoke that lives in the Fold. Some are more critical than others to follow. Here are all the important people.

The Grisha

The Grisha are superpowered beings of various varieties. It is called the small science because they believe it is an extension of the natural world. The Baskin Robbins of magic has more iterations than you can imagine. There are healers, and fire manipulators, and metal shapers. They can not create metal or fire but can control the elements already present. Some Heartrenders can control bodies. They can slow your heart and take your breath. They are considered very dangerous and are coveted soldiers. The rarest are the Sun and Shadow Summoners. In between all of these categories are subgroups with their own unique set of rules and infuriatingly exceptions. It’s very confusing and way more than you need to know to enjoy Shadow And Bone.

Alina Starkov(Jessie Mei Li) is an orphan who initially does not know she is a Sun Summoner. She suppressed her abilities as a child unconsciously out of an instinctual need to fit in and remain with her best friend, Mal. Alina has a large scar on her right palm caused by harming herself during her testing for Grishan powers. She is the only person who can destroy the Fold and the Volcra. She is in the care of General Kirigan/The Darkling, who Ben Barnes plays so deliciously you can easily see why Alina falls for him early on.

General Aleksander Kirigan/The Darkling(Ben Barnes) is an ancient Grisha who can summon shadows. He created the Fold and the Volcra. He has been lying to Alina to manipulate her into giving him her power. His goal is to expand The Fold and rule the world.

Baghra(ZOË Wanamaker) she trains Alina. She is an ancient living amplifier and has shadow summoning powers like The Darkling, her son. She eventually warns Alina of the Darkling’s plan. Baghra was very tough on Alina to make her strong enough to defeat her son. Her fate is unknown, but she is presumed dead.

Genya Safin(Daisy Head) is a Tailor or healer. She heals Alina when she first arrives at the palace and seems to be her friend for the first half of the series. It is later revealed she is the Darkling’s spy.

Nina(Danielle Galligan) is a heartrender. She was captured by Matthias(Calahan Skogman). She is not a witch or a bad magic-user, rather just a frustrated surly young girl who forms a bond with her captor.

Jesper(Kit Young) is a handsome, wise-cracking gunslinger who has as quick a wit as he does trigger finger. He is an untrained Fabrikator who probably uses his gifts to control his bullets which is why he is such a good shot.

Zoya Nazyalensky(Sujaya Dasgupta) is a devoted follower of General Kirigan until the end, when she realizes how evil he is and decides to help Alina defeat the Darkling. They are frenemies at best now.

The non-Grishas

Mal(Archie Renaux) is Alina’s best childhood friend and maybe-boyfriend. They got separated on their voyage across the Fold. He has been hunting the Stag to try to find Alina. He is a loyal friend and never wavers from her.

Kaz Brekker(Freddy Carter) is the mastermind of the trio of criminals. He is as dapper as he is cranky. His sense of right and wrong change with the circumstances, and he is willing to do just about any job. Little by little, he begrudgingly comes to care for Inej and Jesper.

Inej(Amita Suman) is an assassin with a rigid moral code. Although she is a killer that works for a questionable criminal organization, she is deeply religious and devoted to Alina because of prophecies and scriptures.

Matthias(Calahan Skogman) is a witch hunter who hunts down Nina, originally intending on delivering her to his employer but later considers he may be on the wrong side of things. He falls in love with her. He has a bad temper.

What is the Fold?

The Fold is a thick heavy fog that bisects a large portion of the world of Shadow and Bone. It is called the Shadow Fold or the Unsea(in the books), and beasts live in the darkness. They are called the Volcra and they have wings, claws, and nasty teeth. They fly around and kill people when they get near their nest. It is an inky cloud that just appeared one day and cut a vertical strip between Os Alta and Ravka’s port cities. The Darkling created it in his quest for power. Mal and Alina enter the Fold on a military mission at the beginning of the series and are nearly killed by a Volcra before Alina displays her Grisha powers for the first time.

The ending of Shadow And Bone

At the end of the series, Aline and Mal are back together semi-safe outside the Fold. She saved everyone by taking back control from Kirigan and lighting a path, and killing a Volcra attacking them. The Darkling tried to bind her powers to him using the Stags antlers from the previous episode. He succeeds for a time, but she can use the Stag’s power because she was chosen, not Kirigan. She kills the attacking Volcra and lights a path for the ship to escape out of the Fold.

The group of survivors, including Zoya, Jesper, Mal, Alina, and Kaz, are united in their mission to protect Alina. Matthias is locked in jail after Nina tried to save him from execution. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite see things that way and is very angry with her. Mal and Alina are in hiding and honing her skills. Nina looks to be joining the Crows as they need a new Heartrender that is desperate for money. They have a bankroll from the Queen that includes royal jewels, and the Darkling, who isn’t dead after all, crawls his way out of the Fold and summons some Volcra to follow him. There is no doubt he is headed towards Alina. Season 2 should show his hunt for Alina.

With seven books to pull from, there is plenty of material to last many seasons to come. There is no word on Season 2, but the success of Season 1 will go a long way in securing the fantasy series.