![]() ![]() While Shadow and Bone is a fantasy drama at its heart, there are action sequences that change the tempo throughout. By the author’s own admission, the Grisha trilogy’s “very white and straight” characters needed addressing in her Six of Crows duology follow-up and the Netflix series, and it’s reassuring to see the duo follow through on this for the TV adaptation. Praise must go to Bardugo and showrunner Eric Heisserer for diversifying Shadow and Bone’s cast, too. Add in the solid foils of the supporting cast, including Danielle Gilligan’s Nina Zenik and Calahan Skogman’s Matthias Helvar, and the series’ cast is a strong one. Carter, Young and Suman bounce well off one another, and their characters’ personality clashes set up some of the funnier moments in the show, which is a welcome change of pace from Alina’s more serious story arc. On-screen chemistry is also a notable upside for the Dregs. Mei Li, Renaux and Barnes all shine in their respective roles, and the chemistry between the trio makes their varying relationships feel authentic to their book counterparts. Once those issues are ironed out in later episodes, it’s easier to keep track of key characters - and focus on the stellar work of the show’s actors. Another issue is that some characters mumble key lines of dialogue early on, and this makes it even harder to determine who’s who and what’s happening. Cities and locales are given the ‘name on screen’ treatment in an effort to help viewers, but it’s difficult to discern where events play out when so many of these locations look alike. The opening couple of episodes are a bit hard to follow, not because they’re rushed, but because so many characters and world regions are introduced in quick succession. That said, Shadow and Bone's main issue is its overload of characters spread across different locations – at least at first. They do here, though, so it leads to a slight deviation from the source material. Bardugo’s two book series exist in the same universe, but some key characters in each actually never cross paths. Without entering spoiler territory, Shadow and Bone’s two concurrent plots eventually converge, and it’s a novel approach for Netflix to take with its adaptation. Unbeknownst to them, however, this will put them on a collision course with dangerous foes. Meanwhile, the Dregs - a criminal gang consisting of leader Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), Jesper Fahey (Kit Young) and Inej Ghafa (Anita Suman) - are tasked by a wealthy benefactor with traveling across the Shadow Fold and completing a mysterious mission. ![]() Soon, though, revelations come to light about the Fold’s true nature and origins, and Alina realizes that she must destroy it not only to free her country, but to prevent the entire world from being consumed by darkness. Initially burdened by the weight of this colossal undertaking, Alina eventually embraces her powers and faces up to it. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |