Shadow and Bone season 1 recap: Everything you need to remember before season 2

Shadow and Bone season 2 is now streaming on Netflix. The new season of the series was added to Netflix on Thursday, March 16, 2023, and it’s been a long time since the first season was released in April 2021. That’s almost two years between the two seasons, before you watch the new season, we shared our Shadow and Bone season 1 recap.

After reading, you’ll be a Shadow and Bone expert, and be able to understand what’s happening in season 2 from the jump.

Shadow and Bone season 1 recap

We shared the most important things fans need to remember about Shadow and Bone season 1 before watching season 2.

Alina is the Sun Summoner

Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a mapmaker with the First Army of Ravka, discovers that she actually is a super powerful Grisha (person with elemental powers) and can actually summon the sun! She’s the first person in history to be able to do such a thing, and it happens to be exactly what Ravka needs to destroy the Shadow Fold, a giant wall of darkness full of monsters in the middle of their country.

Alina discovers this power on a journey gone wrong through the Shadow Fold, but she’s able to save herself and others with an explosion of light.

This draws the attention of the First Army and the leader of the Second Army, General Kirigan (Ben Barnes), also known as the Darkling, The Black Heretic, and other names but Alina doesn’t know that yet, who tries to protect Alina from assassins. They fight their way back to the Little Palace, where the country’s Grisha are trained.

Alina leaves Mal behind

Alina and Mal (Archie Renaux) have been besties since they met in an orphanage in Keramzin. This revelation about Alina leaves Mal in the dark and behind. He’s a tracker for the First Army, and he can’t just leave his post to be with her. She’s on her own in a whole new world, trying to harness a power she knows nothing about in a place where she’s an outsider and people are skeptical that she has the power to actually change the world.

General Kirigan and Alina become close

Although lonely, Alina finds comfort in her new mentor, Gen. Kirigan. They form an almost friendship and almost romantic relationship. He has the power to use the darkness, and if paired with her ability to harness light, they would be an unstoppable force. They could save Ravka, but we know the Darkling is not being completely honest about his past and his intentions with Alina.

The Crows go on a mission to kidnap Alina

This is all off-book, so it’s hard to say whether any of this happened in the Shadow and Bone story, but basically, we meet Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), Inej Jaffa (Amita Suman), and Jesper Fahey (Kit Young), also known as the Crows. They set out on a mission to kidnap Alina for Dreesen. We learn a lot about Jesper, Kaz, and Inej, and their pasts along the way.

Alina and The Darkling need Morozova’s Stag to amplify her powers

This is where Mal comes back into play. He is one of the best trackers in the First Army, and Alina and the Darkling need to find Morozova’s Stag to amplify her powers. Baghra (Zoe Wanamaker) tries to kill Mal at the Little Palace to stop the Darkling’s plan to find the Stag because she knows where it will lead, but she fails. Mal escapes, and it forces Baghra into a major reveal.

Baghra reveals the Darkling’s true identity to Alina

Alina, at this point, is pretty cool with the Darkling and their relationship, but Baghra drops a bomb on that whole plan. She reveals that she is his mother and that he’s been around from generations with different names. He is the Black Heretic. He is the Darkling. He created the Shadow Fold, and he is going to use it as a weapon, not destroy it, according to Baghra.

When do Mal and Alina reunite?

Alina runs away from the Little Palace after believing what Baghra said. There, she finds Mal, or Mal finds her, and they make a plan to stop the Darkling and destroy the Fold once and for all. The problem is that Alina is not powerful or good enough with her powers to threaten the Darkling or the Fold yet. They need Morozova’s Stag, and they set out on a mission to find the Stag and use it to amplify her powers.

The Darkling catches Alina, kills the Stag, and makes the amplifier

Alina and Mal do well on their own thanks to Mal’s mysterious tracking abilities. They find the Stag, which is a beautiful, majestic creature. But, the Darkling meets them there and kills the Stag. Then, he creates an amplifier from the Stag that links Alina and the Darkling’s powers. Basically, he is using her powers to make himself more powerful.

Does Mal die?

In the fight for the Stag, Mal is mortally wounded, but Alina agrees to do the Darkling’s bidding if he saves Mal’s life, which he does. Oh, how different this story could have been if that would have happened and Mal died. So, no, Mal doesn’t die. He survives in spite of and thanks to the Darkling.

Does the Darkling die?

After making the amplifier for Alina, the Darkling drags them into the Fold to show off the new power, which is basically him moving the Fold and using it as a weapon. In the process, and thanks to Mal and the Crows who have stowed away on the ship, Alina is able to fight back. She breaks the connection with the Darkling and uses the Stag’s power to save herself and her friends. In the fight, the Darkling is attacked by the volcra and presumed dead.

Mal, Alina, Kaz, Jesper, Inej, and Zoya (Sujaya Dasgupta) flee the Fold on the run from the Ravkan Army.

The Darkling does not die, though. The last scene of the season features the Darkling leaving the Fold with new creatures made from what looks like the Shadow Fold in tow.

Do Mal and Alina escape?

At the end of the season, Alina and Mal do escape on a ship from Os Kervo headed to Ketterdam. From there, they plan to hide out and start a normal life together. From the season 2 trailer, we know that’s not going to happen.

Why does Matthias hate Nina?

Nina, who was captured by the Fjerdans, and Matthias, a Druskelle, fell in love after their ship crashed. Just when you think they are going to be happily ever after, Nina’s old Grisha friends arrive and say they are taking Matthias to the Little Palace. Thinking quickly, she accuses him of being a slaver, which gets him out of Ravkan custody and into Kerch custody. Matthias doesn’t understand why she is doing this.

Nina is also seen on the ship headed to Ketterdam to save Matthias.

That’s all you need to remember about Shadow and Bone season 1 before watching season 2. The series is also on the list of the best shows on Netflix right now.