Shadow and Bone season 2 recap guide: All 8 episodes explained

Shadow and Bone season 2 episode 6 recap: “Ni Wej Sesh (I Have No Heart)”

“Ni Weh Sesh” is such an interesting episode because it reveals so much about each character not named Gen. Kirigan and Alina.

The most important revelation is that Mal is the Firebird. Baghra, who has made Alina promise her that she won’t do merzost under any circumstances, reveals why she was banished from her home as a child. She killed her sister, and her father, Morozova, brought the girl back to life in the same way he gave life to the Stag and the Sea Whip. Mal is a descendant of Baghra’s sister, which makes him the Darkling’s cousin.

He is the Firebird, basically, and he is the amplifier that Alina needs to destroy the Fold, but she must kill him to do so. That much is clear based on what Baghra told him. When the Darkling attacks Alina, Baghra joins the connection, cuts off his hand to sever his connection with Alina, and then sacrifices herself to stop her son’s reign of terror. Now, it’s up to Alina and Mal to finish the job.

Back to the Crows who are hallucinating and about to die. We get a glimpse of each of their stories. Inej wants to be with Kaz. Tolya loves his sister. Jesper has a sweet moment with his mom, and she tells him why she had to save the little girl, killing herself in the process. She is a Durast like Jesper, and he hid this part of himself because of the pain of his mother’s death. He reveals later that he wants to harness his power and share his gifts with the world as his mother would have wanted him to. More of Kaz’s backstory with his brother, and the fear that remains, is still with him.

Wyland eventually saves them by making them eat butterflies with the antidote, and an epic fight scene with Ohval, who is actually Santka Neyar, goes down. Eventually, Neyar gives in and lets them have the Neshyenyar, the sword of light, to help Alina beat the Darkling.

We also see the Darkling find out that Mal is the Firebird, which sets the next phase of his plan into motion.