Why Shadow and Bone Season 3 May Be the Last for the Series

The Premise of Shadow and Bone

This article contains spoilers for Shadow and Bone season 2.

If you’re yet to start Shadow and Bone or have forgotten the premise since season one, Shadow and Bone is Alina Starkov’s (Jessie Mei Li) story based on a book series of the same name by Leigh Bardugo. Set in a world of royalty and intrigue, there is a darkness lurking within Ravka called the Fold. The Fold is essentially a dark cloud, running North to South across Ravka, which has evil creatures lurking within it to prevent anyone from crossing. Mapmaker and orphan Alina discovers she is one of the most powerful Grisha, a Sun Summoner, whose power has the potential to destroy the Fold and free her country. The first season follows Alina’s journey as she tries to master her powers among those in Ravka who don’t wish for her to destroy the fold. It also follows criminals Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman), and Jesper Fahey (Kit Young), also known as the Crows, who are employed to find Alina. It also includes other Grishas who are Heartrender’s and healers.

The Combination of Two Book Series

The Netflix series combines two of Bardugo’s book series, the “Shadow and Bone” trilogy and the “Six of Crows” duology – which takes place two years after the events of Shadow and Bone despite being set in the same world. The Crows’ inclusion in the Netflix Shadow and Bone series serves as a prequel to their story in Six of Crows. The two series are part of a universe known as “the Grishaverse.”

There is also another spinoff series that is yet to be adapted by Netflix as well as some companion novels, adding up to a whopping total of ten books that currently exist in the Grishaverse. Still, despite the number of books Netflix has to go within Bardugo’s canon, it very much feels that with the ending of season two, a third season may be the last for the Shadow and Bone series as we know it. Allow us to explain why.

The Showrunner’s Plan for the Series

Back in 2021, Heisserer, who became the series showrunner at the recommendation of a friend, revealed to Collider that his plan for Shadow and Bone was always three seasons. Heisserer got the gig as showrunner because his friend gave him a copy of Bardugo’s books and he loved them so much that he tweeted the author to tell her how much he enjoyed them. That tweet led to Netflix calling him: “it was a year later that I got a call out of the blue from Netflix and they said, ‘Hey, we know you tweeted the author a year ago.’ You know, so I got past like the Big Brother paranoia and Leigh just remembered that. It really stuck with her. And she’s like, ‘Well, we can get the guy who wrote Arrival maybe, you know, ’cause he likes it.”

Continuing the Story Properly

Combining the two series was a real risk for Heisserer as each story runs on a different timeline, but Heisserer told TV Guide that telling both “required building some story — a prequel worth of story for some characters — so that we don’t break anything in Leigh Bardugo’s timeline.” His emphasis on not breaking the Grishavere’s timeline suggests that there are plans to tell the rest of the crow’s stories properly and thoroughly rather than make them a part of the Shadow and Bone series as it is currently. However, when Shadow and Bone writer Christina Strain was asked about the Six of Crows’ spinoff, she tweeted: “I seriously can not stress enough just how important it’ll be for people to watch Season 2 of Shadow and Bone.”

Following the Final Two Books

Strain’s comments make sense after watching season two and seeing the arrival of Prince Nikolai (Patrick Gibson) also known as the sea captain Sturhmond, and Grisha fighters Tamar (Anna Leong Brophy) and Tolya (Lewis Tan). As it highlights that season two is, in fact, following Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising, which are the final two books in the Shadow and Bone series.

All eight episodes of Shadow and Bone season 2 are streaming on Netflix now.

Credit: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/why-shadow-and-bone-season-3-could-be-the-end/

ENND