9 and a half questions we have for Shadow and Bone season 3

By Jacky Last updated Mar 18, 2023

This season of Shadow and bones not only adapted the next book in the main trilogy – it completed Alina’s main story, and Also pulled some storylines from the Crows books, and Also from one of the accompanying short story books. It was a lot, so you might be wondering, Man, is there anything left for an upcoming third season?

Just kidding! You’re probably not wondering that, because Shadow and bones Season 2 ended with a lot of loose ends that weren’t actually in the books. And even if it didn’t, there are two separate sequels that follow different sets of characters and delve into the ramifications of the Ravkan Civil War. However, some of these threads are much more foreshadowed in season 2 than others – and some may even be covered in a possible Six of crows spinoff instead.

(Ed. remark: This post contains major spoilers for the finale of Shadow and bones season 2, as well as the Grishaverse books.)

Image: Netflix

What’s next for the Six of Crows characters?

We’ve finally caught up with the Crows books. Rather. Technically, the Six of crows books are set two years after the main trilogy, but the show plays fast and loose with the timeline anyway. And technically one of the big pivotal moments in the books happened this season (getting revenge on Pekka Rollins), which happens in the last Crows book. However, one lot there’s more going on in the Crows books – and this season’s final episode prepares the runaway for it all.

First, the gang breaks Matthias out of jail, which will probably happen sooner rather than later next season (or in the possible Six of Crows spin-off). They are six of crows, after all. They also infiltrate a military stronghold in Fjerdan known as the Ice Court to break out a Shu scientist, who has developed a drug known as jurda parem that increases Grisha’s powers – yes, That drug that Kaz mentions in the last episode and the one that the Fjerdan agent uses to slaughter a lot of people at once at Nikolai’s coronation.

What’s wrong with that drug?

The jurda parem — and the implications weaponizing it has for the rest of the world — becomes a driving force in the Crows books and beyond. We’ve already seen how devastating the effects are in Season 2’s final scene, so it’s definitely going to play as central a role in the hypothetical future seasons or spin-offs as it did in the books. Not only does the drug increase a Grisha’s powers to deadly effects, it is also highly addictive and weakens the user’s body. The withdrawal symptoms are devastating and only one person (spoiler) was able to survive – and their powers were completely altered afterwards.

Speaking of Matthias, what happens to him in the wolf-fighting hell?

Matthias, a handsome, broad, blond man, presses his face against the bars of a prison cell

This is something that doesn’t really have a book precedent! As mentioned earlier, Pekka Rollins gets what he deserves at the end of crooked kingdom – meaning he and Matthias are never actually in prison at the same time in the book’s timeline. This could introduce some juicy obstacles to the final “break Matthias out of jail” storyline, as well as pit Kaz against his nemesis again. Hopefully Matthias survives this cliffhanger of a wolf fight.

Are Alina and Nikolai still engaged?

You know… we just don’t know. They never officially dissolve their engagement, and during Nikolai’s coronation she wears a large crown and stands next to Nikolai, so it seems very likely. This definitely contrasts with the books, where she officially breaks things off (especially considering she faked her death and marries Mal in the epilogue). But for all we know, they still seem engaged, albeit completely platonic. This may add some dread for Alina, who pines for Mal, and add some complexity to Nikolai’s future romantic arc.

Will Mal and Inej get a seafaring bow?

jig aboard a ship, looking longingly at the rigging

It sure looks like it! While it’s sad to see Nikolai parting ways with his double identity of Sturmhond, we can’t deny that Archie Renaux is rocking that pirate coat. In the books, Inej do grab a boat and sail away, but only after all the Crows’ missions have been completed. Since the big Crows exploits are only just getting started, it’s likely that Inej will return to Ketterdam for at least a while. Mal’s bow, meanwhile, is a blank slate, so he’s free to sail out into the horizon and find his true north or whatever.

Has the Darkling completely disappeared?!

At the end of the season, Alina kills General Kirigan. They burn his body and everything. He seems completely dead.

However, this isn’t the last we see of the Darkling in the books. After all, it’s hard for a sexy, all-powerful, (and most importantly) fan-favorite shadow summoner to stay dead! In the Nikolai Duology, the most recent books in the Grishaverse timeline, a few characters are tricked into performing a ritual to revive the Darkling. His soul returns and possesses the body of Yuri, one of his most zealous followers. They have a bit of a Ghost Rider thing with two souls in one body. So it’s highly likely we’ll see Kirigan return… just not in the way we know him.

But I love Ben Barnes!

Ben Barnes as the dark, screaming and furious tantrum

We also! I wouldn’t place it above Netflix to integrate Barnes in any way, shape, or form, whether through flashbacks or the physical manifestation of the voice in Yuri’s head. Or maybe Barnes is finally getting the rom-com he so deserves. We can only hope.

If David is dead, who will take third place in the Grisha triumvirate?

In the books, Alina appoints Zoya (an Etheralki), Genya (a Corporalki), and David (a Materialki) as the Grisha Triumvirate, three leaders to oversee the Second Army. Each of them represents a different faction of the Grisha, but the idea is to give each faction a voice and eliminate the unnecessary differences between them.

But there are two major differences in the show: David is dead and Alina is dead not pretend they are dead. So Alina presumably takes the third seat, with Zoya and Genya by her side. They call their new alliance a triumvirate, though it certainly lacks the presence of Materialki. On the other hand, the class differences between Grisha weren’t much of a point of tension on the show.

What’s with those bees on Zoya in the Fold?

It’s a very small moment in the last episode, but something people read King of scars could hook up. As everyone gathers in the bare remains of the Fold to watch Kirigan’s funeral pyre, Zoya swats at a bee that won’t leave her alone. This could be a harbinger of her bow in King of scarswhere she and Nikolai enter the Fold and encounter three mystical saints – one of whom is associated with bees and has a whole swarm of them following her.

Is Nikolai… okay?

Nikolai in his military uniform, receiving an encouraging pat on the back from another boy in uniform

Good! He’s alive, if that’s your question. But he clearly feels the effects of an attack by one of the Darklings nichevo’ya. While the battle isn’t as intense as in the books where the Darkling’s merzost eventually transforms Nikolai into a monstrous carnivorous demonic bird creature, judging by the eerie shadow creature Nikolai sees in the mirror, it certainly imbues him with something.

If the books are anything to go by, Nikolai will spend a lot of time wrestling with his own inner demon (literally) and trying to find a way to tame it. So we can definitely expect more from Nikolai’s hidden darkness and flesh-eating demon transformation, while also figuring out how to restore his kingdom and move on. And maybe also falling in love with Zoya in the process (Zoyalai rights). If the Crows get their own spin-off series, then it would make sense for the next season of Shadow and bones to focus on the characters still in Ravka – particularly Nikolai and his little problem with flesh-eating demons.

Shadow and bones Season 2 is now on Netflix.