Or, as reviews tell:
"After a reasonably strong start, “Shadow and Bone” gets weighed down by so many Netflix Original fantasy show clichés that it sinks into the Fold itself"
It's okay, not great but watchable. The target audience is 10 to 14 year olds I'd say so it's pretty basic story telling. Nothing like ' Game of Thrones ' though.
My husband and I are enjoying it, so far. It's beautifully done, production-wise: gorgeous sets, pretty costumes, good CGI, nice music. But I can already tell the theme is going to be standard millennial fare, and the acting is stylized in a very affected, self-aware way that grates on me a bit. Ben Barnes is great though.
shareOh, well thanks. I think I'll skip it then.
shareSo how woke is this show?
(I know I shouldn't bother asking because it's Netflix, but just to be sure)
Of the six main characters, three are non-white, including the protagonist (Alina) who is half-asian. The minor characters are a diverse mix of races and there are lots of both male and female minor characters. A lot of this is fine. The actress who plays Alina is very watchable, in my opinion, and the two male actors in her arc (Ben Barnes and Archie Renaux) are also watchable. The three actors in the subplot are ok, I guess, but those are the three that I find very affected in their acting (it gives the impression of being a stylistic choice on the part of the showrunners, but I find it a bit of tough going, and only Freddy Carter is holding my interest in this subplot).
There's a gay $3x scene, explicit enough that I won't be suggesting the show to my kids.
There's a minor plot that features a paired male and female character of which the female character lectures the male character, in a way that seems endorsed by the writers (i.e. theme being pushed by writers), on how women are better than men and that behaviors that most men would just find normal are actually toxic masculinity. This is a plot strategy that I think many female viewers still like and want. I am a female viewer but personally I have always hated this particular approach and it can completely kill my enjoyment of a show. Other female viewers may feel differently.
The theme of the show is shaping up to be how the regular humans just won't accept the Grisha for who they are and want them all to be eliminated (uh, even though the Grisha are way more powerful than the regular humans, but ok). Sound exactly like the theme of every other tv show in the last decade? Yup.
I actually enjoyed the first season but mainly because I understand that we are going to be getting only this theme in every show in the future forever and ever. I bet that for each show with this exact theme, the writers think they have dreamed up a whole new idea for what their show will teach viewers about life!
Thanks a ton for the detailed breakdown.
The whole gay thing makes it an instant nope for me.
As for the "diverse" cast, I can sometimes give it a pass depending on the setting and setup, like the whole "diversity" thing doesn't work for The Witcher given that it's supposed to be set in an alternate Poland, so it's just jarring knowing that the showrunner purposely threw in a bunch of lore-disrupting "diversity" for the sake of it.
As for the other stuff. I expect some kind of feminist empowerment element to just about every Western project these days, which is why I avoid most American/Canadian made movies/shows; it's become quite tiresome. It's not enough that females have to be leads but they also have to be the greatest at everything they do, which is just groan-worthy propaganda at this point.
Anyway, I know for sure I'll be skipping this one.
Thanks again.
I hear you. I understand different groups of people want to see their themes in their entertainment, so that aspect I accept (although I don't feel it needs to be in every single show and I really don't appreciate it in shows for young kids). For me it's the explicitness. I don't even like explicitness in heterosexual interactions. I couldn't watch Outlander, the explicit stuff was too much for me. I wish we would go back to the times when things were gently hinted at. Listening to actors around metoo, it doesn't even seem the actors want to do explicit things.
Totally agree on the female issue. The way they are written these days is often just ego-stroking. Yawn. (And I'm a woman!)
Glad to be of help.
It's surprisingly less woke than a lot of other stuff these days. It's a nice change to have the story take priority for a change. The gay sex (after sex, really) was totally unnecessary but they've got kids to indoctrinate.
shareIt would be a lot better if the show dumped the narration overlay of the two characters love letters.
There are some interesting characters, it is chocked full of YA tropes and story points.
It is a meh.
Yep, the letter narration was overdoing it.
It definitely feels like a Young Adult story, lots of angst over Alina's dilemma between General Kirrigan and Mal. All the characters seem to have a romantic dilemma to do with "coming of age," and not being sure what their future romantic life should look like. I don't think that's bad, it's ok for young adults (teenagers) to have young adult (teenager) storylines. The acting was not as bad as Locke and Key. Alina and General Kirrigan are good. Mal is fine also, although I don't think he and Alina have any chemistry (actually I think maybe they are not meant to have chemistry, but I think this is supposed to be somewhat ambiguous right now). The other characters are ok. The only one that really bothers me is Nina. I can't watch Nina. Nina, to me, is just one of those tropes about Girl Power that have always annoyed me. She's too smug and condescending.
I enjoyed the first season but I'm not sure if I can remain interested. We'll see.
Yes there is something funny going on between Alina and Mal that has nothing to do with a sexual attraction. Why did Mal regain consciousness just as Alina was about to be tested by General Kirigan ? Are Mal and Alina connected in some special way ? Is Mal a Grisha himself ?
Yeah I wondered about that. Mal seemed able to hear the stag when Alina couldn't. Hmmm. And their holding hands seems intended to indicate they are in love with each other but maybe it means something else.
shareMaybe that's it, Mal has super hearing ! I don't doubt that Alina and Mal love each other but they seem more like very close siblings, although of course they don't look alike. There has been no indication I've seen so far that they have a sexual attraction.
When Alina was alone with General Kirigan in his rooms though, well not to put too fine a point on it, she was gagging for it. She has never been like that with Mal.
I think Alina has always considered herself to be in love with Mal. Then she met Kirigan and there is a strong attraction there but she sees her love for Mal as the more correct and pure kind of love. I agree, whatever exists between herself and Mal, although it seems very strong, it doesn't seem sexual somehow. But I'm not quite sure if that is because of her or because of Mal. In the first episode, it seems like he isn't really reciprocating her interest, and maybe sees her more as a little sister. In one of the later episodes he says something like, I didn't really see you before but I see you now, which I took to mean that he has never had sexual feelings for her before and either does now, or is now trying to have those feelings because he thinks that's what she wants from him?
shareYes you are right about Alina. I had forgotten for the moment that it was only when she thought Mal had abandoned her ( no letters ) that she had her scar removed and then felt free to take up with General Kirigan. But as you say Mal seems to have treated Alina like a little sister.
I took it that business where Mal said "now I see you" was to do with Mal thinking Alina hadn't told him about her being a Grisha but of course she didn't know it herself. Alina from memory then said that Mal had never taken her seriously or something like that. And in response Mal said ' I didn't see you before but I see you now '. Even there though it was more like Mal was pledging his life and service to his Queen rather than to his lover. It was odd.
Yes I agree there's definitely something going on there that is not being explained explicitly. I quite like that, it is a bit more interesting than the theme with the "bigotry" from the nonmagical people toward the Grisha. I actually find the Mal-Alina-Kirigan plot to be watchable. Mal is being portrayed as a very earthy type of person who gets into a lot of fistfights but his relationship with Alina is almost spiritual or something. Kirigan is portrayed as very upper-crust, wears his fancy black clothes, but whatever is going on between them is very physical. So I like that contrast.
Interesting observation about it being as if Mal was pledging his life to his Queen!
Well it's just a guess, maybe they will bring Alina and Mal together as a couple in season two.
I quite like the Alina, Mal and General Kirigan story as well. The stuff with Kaz Brekker, Inej and Jesper is watchable if not inspiring but Nina and Matthias are a bore.
Jessie Mei Li took a while to grow on me but she has star quality. She is a good actress and is appealing with it. Ben Barnes is a pro so no problems there. Archie Renaux perhaps might be described as a work in progress.
I'll tune in for the second season if they make it for the sake of watching these three characters.
Yeah I like her too. Agree with everything you said.
share