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S+B Season 2 Trailer Thoughts

I just watched the shadow and bone season 2 trailer and I have some thoughts about it, a bit of speculation and theories too. I am going to be talking about spoilers from the books in these speculations so beware if you don’t want any spoilers. But anyway I figured the best way to start this was by starting from the beginning of the trailer.

The Opening Scene

The opening shot of the trailer showing Alina watching the fold rush towards the village she is standing in and the darkling stepping out of the fold.

At first I thought maybe this was Alina seeing the darkling’s return through their connection but then I remembered that we’ve technically already seen the moment the darkling returns and exits the fold in season 1 and he is not wearing the same clothing in this scene. However I do still think this has some connection to the darklina bond. My theory is that Alina is going to have recurring nightmares about what happened to Novokribirsk and in those nightmares she is going to see the darkling return over and over. I think this is going to cause her to become really paranoid that Aleksander is still alive which is where the bond comes in because I think Alina can sense Aleksander through that bond they have but as of yet doesn’t understand it so these dreams or rather nightmares she is having of Novokribirsk are being invaded by the bond version of Aleksander who I think is trying to reform a connection with her and communicate with her. I could see a situation though where Alina feels like she’s losing it a bit and that everyone around her doesn’t believe her when she tells them she thinks the darkling has returned. If it is that she is having nightmares about the events at the end of season 1 then I think that could be interesting as one of my main complaints about the book was that it seemed like these traumatic events that were happening to Alina didn’t have much of an effect on her and I don’t think hers, or anyone else’s, mental health was really properly explored in the books. So if they are going to give some attention to that in season 2 then I think that is a good thing.

Alina’s Powers

Something that did catch my attention in the trailer was the difference in Alina’s powers. In season one they were a more golden colour but occasionally would turn a pure white colour in those bigger more powerful moments like when she was protecting the stag or when she breaks free from the darkling’s control in the fold. In the trailer we see one moment when she is with Nikolai where her powers are that golden colour:

But the rest of the time her powers have this blue tone to them almost more like lightning than sunlight. My theory is that her powers take on this change when she gets the second amplifier. There is this shot of Alina using her powers on a boat which I think could be the scene where she gets the sea whip amplifier and uses her powers for the first time with it:

As her powers burst out from her in pulses you can see those golden wisps that are very reminiscent of her season 1 powers but there is also this blue electric like light. After that we only see her using this more electric blue light like when she is practising the cut or fighting against Aleksander. I think they’ve done this so the audience has that visual representation that her powers have changed and grown stronger with the new amplifier but I do think its interesting that they have gone for a much colder colour maybe its a sign that Alina is being drawn more to her darker/ colder side? I did get the sense that Alina is feeling very angry in this trailer and I think it could be interesting if they decide to explore her more darker impulses. Either way I do think this scene looks pretty damn epic and I can’t wait to see it.

Genya and Baghra

So I can not be the only book reader that side eyed when both Baghra and Genya appeared in the trailer unharmed and looking perfectly healthy. It was one of the first things that caught my attention. With genya when I saw this scene with her and david:

My first reaction was to squeal like a shipper, I feel like this is going to be a great emotional scene between them both. But then I noticed that, and big spoiler for non book readers incoming, she has no scars. But then I figured well maybe they’ve changed things from the books and she reunites with david briefly before getting her scars as there is this scene that shows genya backing away looking terrified from a Nichevo’ya:

Which could be the scene where she gets her scars, its the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this moment in the trailer. But then I saw another image that got me scratching my head again. This one is a still that was released and not in the trailer:

I’m 100% sure this scene is where Genya confronts the Queen and King from book 3 which results in Nikolai banishing his parents. Unless all of the scars are on the other side of her face then it doesn’t look like she is scarred and this scene in the books takes place way after she is scarred, so whilst I could kind of see them changing things so that Genya and David reunite sooner I don’t think they would have changed the timeline to this extent where they are at the events of the third book and she still hasn’t got them. Which makes me wonder if they just removed that plot point altogether?

There is also a couple of shots of Baghra and like genya she doesn’t seem to be injured in anyway, again book spoilers, but when Alina sees Baghra again in book 2 she learns that Aleksander has blinded her as punishment for helping Alina escape. Alina is horrified by this because she realises that not even his own mother is spared his wrath. It makes Alina see him as even more of a monster. Yet from the shots in the trailer it looks like Baghra has 20/20 vision. So I can see this being one of two scenarios. Either they decided to cut those plot points out, whether that was because they didn’t have time for them or because they want the audience to still have some sympathy for the darkling and thought those two plots would make that impossible for the audience to do is up for debate. I do think they tried to make Aleksander more sympathetic in season 1 than he was in the books so I could see them doing that in season 2 as well. Personally I am kind of hoping that they have cut them out because I personally felt these actions didn’t make much sense in the books. Particularly when it comes to genya because he made it clear that Alina was not to be harmed yet when Genya didn’t shoot her leading to Alina getting away the Darkling punishes her by letting the Nichevo’ya feed on her. Which doesn’t make sense given the don’t harm order. Whilst punishing Baghra makes a little more sense it still seemed like an overly brutal reaction from Aleksander towards his own mother, maybe I am alone in this but I did feel like it was a case of making him evil just because ya know he’s evil. Both these actions gave very 2d villain with no depth vibes.

However there is another possibility and that is simply that the scenes have been edited for the trailer so as not to give away spoilers to non book readers. I’ve known of other shows and films where they have edited scenes in the trailer to hide certain plot points, an example could be Marvel’s Eternals (mild spoilers for eternals) in the trailer we see this shot:

But the actual footage in the movie was this (sorry about the crappy image quality).

As you can see they deliberately edited out the clouded, blanked out look to her eyes to hid a particular plot point and its possible they have done this here with the shadow and bone trailer too.

Darklina Tether Bond Scenes

So one thing I am really excited for being a darklina fan is seeing their tether bond scenes. We got a glimpse of one of the scenes in the teaser trailer we got and it looks like we have another in this trailer and once again there were a few things that caught my attention. The first was that they were in the war room and wearing the same clothes that they were in episode 5 which oh the flashbacks. But what I am curious about is what this model on the table is supposed to show?

I recognise the black structure as being the model of the fold from the war room but it looks like it is now surrounding some kind of model of a building. So is this like the Darkling's war plans or is this suppose to represent Novokribirsk and showing where the fold is currently?

Another thing I thought was interesting is that it shows as a shot of the darkling’s hand where the stag amplifier used to be:

It looks like there are wisps of the sun summoner powers coming out of the wound on his hand. When I first watched this scene I thought it was the same scene as the tether bond scene but when re-watching it (because obviously I couldn’t just watch the trailer once) I realised that when it pans out the darkling is wearing different clothes and his face is scarred so they are either two separate scenes or the, what is the writers said they called it the mind palace I think, shifts and we see the darkling with the scars. Either way you can see that the darkling actually looks somewhat frightened at what is happening:

I think this is when Aleksander finds out that he and Alina are still linked and that some of her power still exists within him. I think at first this will frighten him somewhat but as time goes on he’ll begin to use it and learn to control it.

I also didn’t miss the fact that in that first pic of his hand in the background you can see he was looking at a poster depicting him and Alina standing together. I am assuming this was some kind of propaganda that was made before the events of the fold. I do wonder if it is him looking at this poster and thinking about Alina and what could have been, how he planned for them to rule together, to change the world together that triggers Alina’s powers to manifest in him for the first time.

The Palace Attack and The Chapel

So one of my favourite scenes in the 2nd book was the darkling’s attack on the Palace and the resulting chapel scene between Alina and Aleksander. I think we get some shots from those scenes too. Namely I think this shot of Nichevo’ya crashing through a glass dome ceiling and attacking people at a dinner is the attack on the Palace:

There are also images of a Nichevo’ya in front of a stained glass window depicting the sun summoner which I think is from the chapel scene:

I also think this shot is from the same scene and it looks like the crows will be part of those scenes:

I actually think this bottom shot will be where Alina tells everyone to leave her and run and Mal is arguing with her trying to convince her to come too. If I am right then this is a scene that I am really looking forward too because it is a great moment in the book and I think it will be visually epic too. I definitely think the whole attack scene will be action packed and have you on the edge of your seat. I was a little worried that they might cut the scene so seeing these images has given me a bit of hope back.

But it does lead me to some more confusion and questions as if you’ve read the book you know that after the chapel scene Alina’s hair turns white yet there are scenes that seem like they happen post chapel scene but where Alina still has dark hair so it looks like maybe they cut that too or like with Genya and Baghra it could be editing to hide the plot point?

The Destruction of The Fold

So we have had some interviews that have caused me a bit of confusion as to where exactly they are going with the plot in season 2 because we have had some say that they are moving away from the books but they have also said that they have adapted some things from both book 2 and 3. It looks like the destruction of the fold might be one of them, possibly. We have this shot of Alina and Aleksander going at each other with their powers and it does kind of look like they might be in the fold:

So I think this might be the final showdown in the fold from book 3 that results in the destruction of the fold, lord please let it play out differently from the books though and Alina doesn’t lose her powers because I will be so mad I hated that plot point with a fiery passion. But interestingly there is also this scene of Zoya and Inej which is what first made me think hey wait are they getting rid of the fold in this season:

To me it looks like they are standing next to the ruins where the fold was created but clearly the fold is gone and all that remains is a desert wasteland. However what is interesting is the presence of the Nichevo’ya. So I am wondering one of two things, is this them fading away or are they going to do a cop out where you think Aleksander is dead but then these Nichevo’ya appear as like the cliff-hanger or something and you are left wondering if he really is gone or whether someone else is controlling the Nichevo’ya.

Alina’s Agency and Possible Dark Side

This one is a small one but a couple of lines I noticed from Alina raised some interesting possibilities to me. One was where she is talking about how she needs all three amplifiers. Its a simple line but what I found interesting was it seems like Alina is taking a more active role in searching for the amplifiers for herself. In the books one of my criticisms was that Alina very much seemed to be dragged through the plot by other characters rather than making any decisions or plans for herself. It was something I found really frustrating. One example was that Alina doesn’t make the decision to go after the stag herself it is Mal who says they need to do this, what I liked about season 1 of the show was that they changed this so that Alina is the one who comes up with the plan and tells Mal they have to go find the stag before Aleksander finds it first. This gave Alina alot more of her own agency and it looks like that will continue in season 2.

But another line that had me raising my eyebrows a bit and really did intrigue me was when Alina tells, I am assuming Aleksander though I can’t be sure, ‘I’ll destroy the only thing you have left’. Now I don’t know if Alina said this in the book, if she did I don’t recall it, but I couldn’t help but notice how similar this line is to one that the darkling said in the book ‘I will strip away all that you know, all that you love, until you have no shelter but mine.’ Maybe its just me but these two lines just seem so similar to me. They have that same idea of taking something precious away from another and leaving them with nothing. It does make me wonder if the writers put this line in deliberately to draw that comparison between darklina. Is this another hint that maybe Alina is being drawn to a darker path because if that is the case honestly I’d be down for it, I’ve always said it could be interesting to explore those darker impulses that are half hinted at in the books but never really committed to. Of course I could just be looking too deeply into the line.

Wardrobe Change

I couldn’t do a post on my thoughts and speculation on the trailer without talking about the new costumes. I couldn’t help but notice some interesting changes to some of the characters outfits. Lets start with something I noticed about the grisha. We have this pretty cool looking shot of Aleksander with his grisha:

I couldn’t help but notice that his grisha are now dressed in different outfits. The colours of their Keftas are much darker but they’ve also got this interesting aesthetic to them where they look like they’ve been stained with shadow. It gives quite gothic vibes and it is an interesting change. Which got me thinking why they changed the grisha’s keftas was it just to show how much darker Aleksander has become? But I think the real reason is a much more practical one. I mentioned above that we see scenes of Zoya with Inej well I noticed that Zoya is still wearing the old style of Kefta that we saw in season 1:

There is also this shot of who I think is nadia and another grisha running away from flames and again they seem to be dressed in that old grisha style:

The previous shot shows an inferni throwing flames and they are dressed in the new grisha style:

So I think the show’s team gave the darkling’s grisha new uniforms so that when Alina’s grisha and the darkling’s grisha get into conflicts the viewer can clearly see which grisha is on which side, which makes alot of sense from a practical point as you don’t want your audience distracted from action scenes because they are trying to figure out who’s on which side, now we can all go well those guys are wearing gothic couture so they must be the darkling’s guys. Still I kind of love the change, the new costumes are fun to look at.

Alina also gets an interesting costume change as we see her dressed in a more militant look. In the books when she chooses new kefta she goes for a gold kefta if I remember rightly but they seem to have ditched that idea and gone for a different look and its kind of intriguing:

It kept wondering what it was reminding me of and then it finally hit me:

It’s a more decorative version of her first army uniform from season 1. It is an interesting choice to put her in a first army uniform and honestly I am not sure how I feel about it. On one hand it is an interesting way of showing the difference between Alina and Aleks. Alina has that connection to the first army as she grew up as an Otkazat'sya serving in the first army so it is a interesting call back to her roots. Whereas Aleks grew up as grisha and has a strong connection to the second army as he is it’s founder so it makes sense that we see him in the Kefta look. However one of my biggest issues with Alina’s character was I never felt like she cared enough about the grisha so, I don’t know it feels a bit off, seeing her dressed in the uniform of the first army who I’ve always seen as the soldiers of the king who oppressed and used the grisha. I mean I could 100% be looking too deeply into it and I’m sure it wasn’t their intention but I just don’t know if it was a good idea to have someone who is claiming to be fighting for the betterment of grisha to be dressed in the uniform of their oppressors. But like I said that could be just me. It does look like a cool outfit and it does make her look like a general or badass military leader I think I just wish it looked more like a Kefta seeing as Alina is grisha and is suppose to be their chosen one or whatever. It’s an interesting choice for sure but I think I am going to have to see the context of why she chose it as opposed to a kefta before I decide on how I feel about the choice. Context matters after all.

Finally I want to touch real quick on the changes to the darkling’s kefta. I’m not going to talk in too much detail about it as I already talked about it in another post but I do like how they have added the gold to his kefta. I do wonder if Aleks did this to mock alina a little, like as a reminder that they are still connected and little piece of her power still resides in him. Or it could just be that he is that much of a simp that he has to wear her colour too in an attempt to convince her and the world that they are meant to rule together. Or maybe he just find’s it comforting to wear her colour like putting on your ex’s jumper when you miss them lol. Either way I do like the look of the new kefta.

Little Moments.

So just some final little thoughts I had throughout the trailer that weren’t deep enough to go into, the crows look as badass as ever and I can’t wait to see what shenanigans they get up to this season. Speaking of badass Tolya and Tamar also look really cool and I am excited to get to know their characters in the show as well as Wylan and Nikolai. I haven’t read the Six of Crows books so I don’t know much about Wylan but it looks like Jesper just got his demolitions expert from that shot of him blowing something up in the trailer. I am again really interested to get to know his character more. I loved Nikolai’s line about ‘adventure, danger, now you’re speaking my language.’ I do think Nikolai is going to be one of those characters that relieves the tension and we’ll get some good comic lines from him. I also think the flying boats look really cool. From the quick glimpse of it I think the sea whip also looks great but I don’t want to think about its fate, I don’t think I am going to enjoy that scene at all.

Concerns

Ok so I will say that I am slightly more excited about the season after this trailer than I was after the teaser. However I would be lying if I said I didn’t have some concerns about this season. I have seen rumours that the season is bad but I don’t tend to put much stock in rumours I much prefer to watch it myself and then decide whether I agree that it was bad or not and I will still definitely be watching the season the moment it drops on Netflix. However my main concern is around this blending of both books into one season. I feel like they have got way way too much to fit in. Both books have some pretty big moments in them and I feel like if there are too many big moments in the show its going to feel too cluttered and rushed. Then there is whatever is going to be going on with the crows and I am just a tad bit concerned they’ve made a mistake here and bit off more than they can chew. I think I am mostly worried that they are trying to rush through the events of the grisha books to get to the six of crows plotline and don’t get me wrong I love the crows but as I mentioned before I haven’t read the six of crows books so whilst I do enjoy them they aren’t the main reason I watch the show, I am much more interested in the grisha story and darklina and the darkling as a character. That’s just my preference though I am sure there are people out there who prefer the crows and would like them to get to that plotline faster. I just really don’t want them to make a bad season because they have rushed through it and added too many elements to it and then that resulting in the show getting cancelled. I am still going to try and reserve my judgement though until I’ve seen the season for all I know it could be absolutely amazing and I could be blown away.

Anyway think I have rambled on enough, what did everyone else think of the trailer? Are you excited for the new season?

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone season 2 #s&b season 2 spoilers #shadow and bone season 2 spoilers #darklina

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