Shadowheartwolf2 - Shadowheart Wolf

(Warning Shadow and Bone Season 2 SPOILERS!) 

Theory time. So I have been thinking alot about how Alina’s corruption arc may go in season 2 and I with all the parallels between her and Aleks this season and all the talk about her not following his path, I am expecting that her story is going to match that of Aleks’. 

Aleks had a position beside Anastas, the king, until the king began to fear how powerful Aleks was and became afraid of a coup, but I have always wondered whether someone was whispering in Anastas’ ear and to the country as a whole that Aleks was something to be feared, either out of fear or out of jealousy that Aleks was so trusted by the king. I mean the two Leading officer’s who confronted younger Aleks did seem particularly hostile towards him, Aleks was a military adviser so maybe they resented the position Aleks had with the king and wanted him gone? 

What’s all this got to do with Alina’s corruption arc though, you may ask? Well Alina ends the season in a position next to the king, much like younger Aleks. Just like Aleks had at the time Anastas and the country turned on him, Alina has just won a war for the country, tearing down the fold and so at the moment she is being celebrated. But the ending shows Alina using the cut at Nikolai’s coronation, which means she uses shadow powers in front of an entire room of people. But the nature of the event, a coronation, means that these people are ones that have power, station and influence. Some would even have been foreign dignitaries, all who could spread the word far and wide about the Sun summoner using shadow powers.

 We also know that Nikolai is hiding the secret that he is infected with merzost from the nichevo’ya. The apparat also makes a reappearance, the apparat had schemed with Aleks to gain power and was acting on behalf of the royal family whilst the king was incapacitated and the royal family were hiding at the spinning wheel. I imagine the Apparat is not happy about his loss in station now that Nikolai is on the throne. Also I suspect Nikolai is more likely to listen to advice from Alina than from the apparat, so the apparat has also lost his position as the king’s most trusted advisor. I could see the apparat trying to regain his position and the best way to do that would be to cause the nation to distrust Alina and Nikolai. Sooner or later the Merzost effecting Nikolai is going to make itself known and I think the apparat will begin to spread around that Alina is the one responsible for Nikolai’s condition. After all they all saw her use shadow magic, I think he will tell the nation that Alina is poisoning their king just as the darkling poisoned his king before her. The apparat could be going for the angle that if he gets Alina out of the way then he can make the claim that Nikolai is incapacitated and make a move to once again rule in the place of a ‘sick’ king. 

I also think that Alina will begin to act more and more ruthless in her attempt at keeping ravka and the grisha safe and that will be a slippery slope for her. This might cause the people to turn on her and for her to lose her popularity and that results in her being hunting, if Nikolai ends up incapacitated by the merzost, which is possible considering they added the whole Aleks being poisoned by merzost plotline, then it could be he isn’t able to protect her and the apparat is there leading the charge. Alina would, as was foreshadow in the fountain scene in 1x04, become the brand new heretic. 

I do think that the worse things get for Alina the more she is going to understand how right Aleks was and may begin to long for him. I could see this leading to Aleks’ resurrection. Ok so King of Scars Duology Spoilers incoming. I know that he does get resurrected in the duology and that its nikolai and zoya who are tricked by a saint into doing a ritual to bring him back believing it is a cleansing ritual for Nikolai’s demon and that Aleks’ spirit ends up in the body of a character named Yuri. However I don’t think that they are going to go the same route as the books when it comes to his resurrection, not entirely anyway. For one thing I do think that they will want to keep ben barnes, so I reckon they will bring him back in his own body reformed from his hand by merzost. Obviously I think the gang is going to start looking for a way to solve Nikolai’s problem. With it being merzost related I think they are going to start with Ilya Morozova and his journal. I also think instead of appearing to Nikolai and Zoya the saint will appear to Alina. I could see this going one of two ways either the saint tricks all of them into believing its a cleansing ritual or the saint tells Alina right off the bat that she wants to resurrect Aleks and Alina works with her to trick Nikolai and the others into doing the ritual. Alina could tell herself that she is doing it for Nikolai, she knows from Baghra that Morozova continued his writings after his supposed ‘death’ including those which Aleks uses to create the fold, so maybe she believes that Aleks may either know more about Nikolai’s demon or knows where they might be able to find more of Ilya’s writings on Merzost, and she’ll use this to justify bringing him back. But I think another part of her just wants Aleks back, is already feeling that loneliness and it likely feeling off balance without him there to act as her counter, she may come to realise that he is the only one who can understand her and so that is also playing a part in her helping the saint bring Aleks back.     

If Aleks is resurrected, I hope that there will be some change in his personality.

I definitely think dying may give him a new perspective on things, make him evaluate his choices and have some self reflection. I don't want them to change his personality completely, personally, but I think it could be interesting if they kind of give him a little bit of a reset and have him be a bit more similar to his younger self in the 1x07 flashback. Not all the way, still keep some of that darkness but bring him back a little to the light, I think it could be an interesting foil to Alina if they go for a corruption arc for her like they are hinting at. It would also continue to play into that idea of balance, as Alina is drawn more towards the dark, Aleks is drawn more towards the light until they find the balance and kind of meet in the middle, if that makes sense.

If they do bring him back, and I strongly suspect that they will, then I would be curious to see how his death effects him and how it changes him and his views on life and the world and the grisha situation.

What are your favorite Darklina scenes?

I love this question. It is a hard one to answer though because I loved all of their scenes but if I have to narrow it down to a top 5 then I am going to say:

5) The fountain scene in ep 4 when they talk about the black heretic and Aleks promises he won't let the world turn on her. It just had such first date vibes about it and that moment where he starts stress cleaning the fountain was kind of hilarious.

4) Their first meeting in the tent in ep 2, there was just so much chemistry between them and damn that eye contact. It was obvious they had a connection between them right away and I love that she challenged him even from the beginning.

3) I love angst so I actually liked the scene between them in ep 7 in the tent where Alina tells Aleks they could have had it all and he says fine make me your villain. For me it was less what they were saying out loud and more about the emotions you could see on their faces and in their eyes. It was heartbreaking and seeing as I like scenes that bring out emotions in me this had to make the list, even if that emotion involved me bawling my eyes out.

2) So going to the other end of the spectrum and going for a happy scenario, I am cheating a little here because they are two different scenes but as they contain similar things I have put them together. But both their kiss scenes in ep 5. I loved them both for different reasons. The first kiss I loved that it was Alina that made the first move and I love that it was sweet and tentative. The second kiss I love how passionate it was and how they just kind of lost themselves in each other. But what I love the most about both these kisses is the smiles and the laughter that came along with them. It is one of the few times we really see these two characters happy and smiling so it was just great to see them so carefree and content and just giggling like a couple of teenagers sneaking around at prom.

1) So my favourite scene has to be the scene in the war room in ep 4 when Aleks shows his vulnerable side and Alina protects him with the dome of light. There was something just so pure about this scene and they were being so open and vulnerable with each other, I also liked the role reversal in this scene because we often saw Aleks supporting and comforting Alina and here we saw her doing the same for him. Plus there was that symbolism of them both wearing their nightclothes that made it even more intimate and so domestic. Then there was that yin yang imagery where they are standing with the door between them. I liked the imagery of her using her light to literally chase away his darkness to and form a protective bubble around him letting him know he is not alone, its such a poignant moment between them. Also the moment where he cups her cheek and says he has been waiting a long time for her, had so much chemistry and tension. This scene kind of had everything, vulnerability, intimacy, compassion, domesticity, passion and comfort. All my favourite things wrapped up in one scene.

Hi. I found interesting site: Teases 'Six of Crows' Spin-Off and Season 3 Villain.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.newsweek.com/shadow-bone-six-crows-spin-off-season-3-villain-plans-eric-heisserer-1787601%3Famp%3D1&ved=2ahUKEwju8fDI8-r9AhVIhP0HHUh2DgoQtwJ6BAgJEAE&usg=AOvVaw2hnxBMmgP-arXDlTZvkqFI

(Book Spoilers)

This was an interesting read. There's some parts in particular that caught my attention. Eric talks about the potential of getting a six of crows spin off and I really do think his reasons for wanting a spin off are good ones.

"If we're able to get our way, because there are a lot of mouths to feed, the best course of action is to allow us to do Six of Crows as a standalone season and really spend time with those characters," Heisserer said. "And then Season 3 of the mothership allows us to spend a good amount of time with all of our Ravkan contingent."

One thing I do think the show has struggled with is fitting both the crows and the ravkan storylines into 8 episode long seasons. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed both seasons so far and I like seeing these characters cross over and interact with each other. But I think now that they've established these characters and introduced them to show only watchers splitting it into two shows where they can focus more time on the two sets of characters would be a good move. Especially as we can still have cross overs so the characters can still interact with each other.

"But then it moves forward from there, and the fun will be knowing when those characters can cross-pollinate again, and when we can sort of Avengers Assemble everybody against a common, major enemy."

"The Thanos of the Grishaverse is a much-held secret that we've been excited to get to, if we ever get a chance," Heisserer said, adding that the villain they have chosen will be one that fans of the books are familiar with but he would not elaborate further.

Ok this part really really has me intrigued. Who could this 'Thanos of the Grishaverse' be? It sounds like it is someone that book readers in particular would know. Which makes me wonder if it is someone who hasn't appeared in the show yet. I mean if I made a list of potential thanos level villains then maybe Alina if they go dark with her but that seems too obvious, Aleks also seems way too obvious.

It could be a character from the Six of Crows duology or the King of Scars duology as I haven't read either, so I am not sure if anyone there could play the part of a really powerful villain. I did hear about a Saint Elizaveta, who has a connection with bees and there is a moment in the finale, when they are burning Aleks' body and Nikolai is giving a speech about a firebird rising and rebirth, where a bee lands on Zoya which I think is hundred percent a nod to Elizaveta and how she plots to bring the darkling back. But as for her being this thanos of the grishaverse I am not completely sold as from what I understand she gets killed off pretty quick in the duology, think she's only in one of the books, so I don't see her being a major enemy like Eric is talking about here.

One intriguing possibility is Ilya Morozova. Although he doesn't appear in any of the books he is mentioned alot and the show was dropping some pretty big hints that he is still alive, Baghra said that even after he was thrown in the river more of his writings on Merzost kept popping up. We also know that he too, like Aleks this season, was infected with Merzost which is why Aleks hoped a cure might be found in his journal. Which makes me wonder if maybe Ilya did find a cure. Can you imagine Ilya Morozova rocking up with the power to control Merzost without the effects of the poisoning that comes along with it? He could make a pretty formidable foe. He could definitely bring some more morozova madness to the show.