alina starkov Archives

Shadow and Bone 2×07 “Meet You In the Meadow” Review

March 25, 2023 Gissane Sophia tv coverage

Shadow and Bone 2×07 “Meet You in The Meadow,” is vital for many reasons, and the cohesive arc is at the top of the list.

Kaz Inej Wylan Jesper and Nina watching as The Crow Club blows up in Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone 2×01 “No Shelter But Me” Review

March 19, 2023 Gissane Sophia tv coverage

Shadow and Bone 2×01, “No Shelter But Me,” is a reminder that though these characters think they’re alone, people are looking out for them.

Character Deep Dive: Alina Starkov

June 18, 2021 Dana Danbury character deep dives, netflix

Alina Starkov is an extremely complex character that people should want more for. People should want her to grow, to find herself.

‘Shadow and Bone’ is Officially Returning for Season 2

June 7, 2021 Gissane Sophia news

Shadow and Bone is returning for season two! It’s official and back to the Grishaverse we go! The news was announced on Netflix’s #GeekedWeek this morning via videos from the cast and we’re super jazzed about it. And there’s a lot I’d like to see from the second season. I haven’t made it a secret that I am not a big fan of the original trilogy. (Now that I’ve

Shadow and Bone 1×08 “No Mourners” Review

May 8, 2021 Gissane Sophia netflix, tv coverage

“No Mourners” concludes Shadow and Bone’s first season almost as we’d expect it, a little rushed in its climax, but it gives us incredible moments of character development, so you’ll hear no complaints from me. Choice is a predominant, ongoing theme throughout the course of this season, and the finale reiterates its importance with reflection and moments full of loud whispers. It sets up the oncoming arcs for our favorite characters with

Shadow and Bone 1×07 “The Unsea” Review

May 7, 2021 Gissane Sophia netflix, tv coverage

As far as season penultimate episodes go, “The Unsea” is easily on my list of favorites. It isn’t flawless by any means, but it’s a magical showcase of vulnerability while focusing on the importance of freedom. It’s the episode that sets almost every dynamic up remarkably while still leaving a lot of room to dissect the grey areas that play into the complexities of these characters. There’s never inherently good

Shadow and Bone 1×06 “The Heart is an Arrow” Review

May 5, 2021 Gissane Sophia netflix, tv coverage

“The Heart is an Arrow” and humanity is so often complex in the same way that it is striking. Shadow and Bone’s sixth episode gives us reunions and answers—it leaves us with questions and a lot of moments of exceptional character development. The show is great in the beginning, but really, the last four episodes are where it sets sail and does so gorgeously even in the wreckage. While the previous episode

Shadow and Bone 1×05 “Show Me Who You Are” Review

May 3, 2021 Gissane Sophia netflix, tv coverage

“Show Me Who You Are” is one explosive, nuanced title for the amount of stuff that erupts in this episode and just how much we start to see through these characters along with their relationships. And it showed viewers exactly who these people are without telling us too much. (Which is a first for this show that previously featured a lot more telling with some characters.) The Winter Fete is

Shadow and Bone 1×04 “Otkazat’sya” Review

May 1, 2021 Gissane Sophia tv coverage

“Otkazat’sya”—otherwise known as orphans, the abandoned ones. An appropriately title for an episode that showcases the fact that contrary to what Baghra tells Alina, needing people is not a weakness. Shadow and Bone’s “Otkazat’sya” really looks into the idea of loneliness and how it translates into the communities that are built, along with the bonds that are fortified. It looks into why friendships matter and it looks into why these stories, interwoven with

Shadow and Bone 1×03 “The Making at the Heart of the World” Review

April 30, 2021 Gissane Sophia netflix, tv coverage

What is the heart of the world in this universe? What “making” are we talking about? The Fold? Heartrenders? The chemistry between everyone on this show? I don’t know, I never actually figured it out but regardless, I’m here for it. “The Making at the Heart of the World” kicks off with Alina dreaming of a stag (the stag) and when she’s awakened, she’s bombarded with the Little Palace staff,

Shadow and Bone 1×02 “We’re All Someone’s Monster” Review

April 28, 2021 Gissane Sophia netflix, tv coverage

“We’re All Someone’s Monster” opens up with a flashback to Mal and Alina’s Grisha test indicating that they ran and hid because Alina didn’t want to be separated from him in case she was Grisha, and that’s just precious. We’ll keep saying this, but this friendship is a beautiful thing and so damn pure, it’s a solid way to start the episode and paralleling it with General Kirigan’s (Ben Barnes)

Shadow and Bone 1×01 “A Searing Burst of Light” Review

April 26, 2021 Gissane Sophia tv coverage

Welcome to the Shadow Fold, Grishaverse. The time is now, the day is here, and we’ve got a lot to breakdown with Shadow and Bone’s first episode,”A Searing Burst of Light.” First things first about these reviews, I have not read the Shadow and Bone trilogy, my expertise in both book and TV verse lies with the Six of Crows duology. And for the sake of these reviews, I’ve done a bit of research