Based on two series of books in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, the Shadow and Bone (2012) trilogy and the Six of Crows (2015) duology, the YA fantasy series Shadow and Bone is one of Netflix's most popular fantasy series to date. Fans have been eagerly waiting for an official premiere date for the second season, but there has been no word yet as to when we might see our Sun Summoner make her triumphant return. However, production for the second season has officially begun, and Netflix recently announced three new cast members who will be playing much-anticipated roles in the second season: Patrick Gibson (The Portable Door, The OA) as Nikolai Lantsov, the Prince of Ravka who goes by the alias "Sturmhond"; Jack Wolfe (The Magic Flute, The Witcher) as Wylan Hendriks, the newest member of the Crows; and Anna Leong Brophy (Back, Traces) as Tamar Kir-Bataar and Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat, Wu Assassins) as her twin brother Tolya, dangerous Heartrenders and members of Sturmhond's crew.
There is no better time than now, while we eagerly wait for some more Season 2 news, than to revisit one of Shadow and Bone's most iconic characters.
The countries of Ravka and Kerch — where Season 1 primarily takes place — are flush with heroes and villains, all gifted with power that can either save Ravka — or destroy it. There are the Grisha such as our leading antagonist General Kirigan (Ben Barnes), who has the power of being handsome and also cutting people in half in the blink of an eye. There are soldiers of the First Army like Mal (Archie Renaux), who can track anything with a pulse. There are charismatic criminals who can take anyone out with one expertly aimed knife or bullet like Inej (Amita Suman) and Jesper (Kit Young).
And then there's Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), the leader of the deliciously disruptive trio of underground criminals known as The Crows. Kaz, along with his right-hand associate Inej, master of stealth and knife-throwing with a devotion to the Saints, and Jesper, gifted sharpshooter with a devotion to Milo the goat, are hired to complete a seemingly impossible job in exchange for a million kruge: cross the Fold and steal the one and only Sun Summoner, Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li).
Kaz is not Grisha, nor is he a soldier, an assassin, a spy, or a sharpshooter — he's a club owner with a sharp sense of style and a trademark cane in the shape of a crow. But he is still Shadow and Bone's most dangerous player.
Kaz's power may not be brute strength or the gift of the Small Science, but he has something even rarer: his incomparable intelligence. He has an impeccable talent for observation, for spotting what others wouldn't even spare a glance. He is quick at piecing together even the most minute of details to draw conclusions that not only put him ahead, but oftentimes, save his (and the Crows') lives.
In order to cross the Fold, which is surely a death sentence, and arguably not worth any amount of money — even a million kruge — Kaz figures out that there is clearly a way to cross and live to tell the tale based solely on how a woman in his club counted her money. When she tells him that she is from West Ravka, he retorts that West Ravkans count their money from one hand to the other, but she counts like people in the East who work the mines in Sikursk. Based on this one minor detail, Kaz deduces that the woman has crossed the Fold and presses her to tell him how. She tells him about "The Conductor," or Arken (Howard Charles), as he is later introduced, who gets people across the Fold.
Later, when Arken betrays the Crows and attempts to murder Alina in a surprising turn of events, it comes as a shock to everyone except Kaz. Before their trip across the Fold, Kaz sees the Conductor meeting with General Zlatan, (Tom Weston-Jones), lead supporter of West Ravkan independence, and quickly deduces that they are in league together. He purposely sends Arken after Alina's double during their kidnapping attempt at the Little Palace, knowing he likely is planning on murdering the Sun Summoner. Of course, Kaz is right yet again and has already planned for it.
There is certainly an instant gratification that comes with watching Alina turn into a human sunbeam, or Jesper shoot a volcra through the roof on a precarious train ride whilst holding Milo the (very adorable) goat. But Kaz's masterful improv and quick dismantling of the obstacles blocking his path to success — whether it's Pekka Rollins or Arken or even the Fold itself — all based on wit alone is like watching all the puzzle pieces come together faster than you can blink.
Kaz also turns what others would view as a weakness into an asset. He walks with a distinctive limp, a sign of what author Leigh Bardugo has said was inspired by osteonecrosis, a condition she herself suffers from. He supports himself using his iconic crow-headed cane that also doubles as a weapon, an advantage over those who clearly underestimate him.
Despite Kaz being an intellectually powered scheming mastermind, he can also admit that, although it certainly doesn't happen often, he was wrong about something. He may not be declaring his allegiance to the Saints any time soon, but after running all the possible scenarios, Kaz admits to Inej that she was right about Alina, and that he was wrong. This isn't smoke and mirrors: Alina is the real deal. Maybe not a savior, in his opinion, but a Grisha who can manipulate light — an extraordinary gift.
For fans of the show who haven't read the books, Kaz is still relatively shrouded in mystery. He's not motivated by nor does he subscribe to a higher power, and he doesn't seem to be guided by any particular moral compass — except for when it comes to his Crows. As he tells Inej, a devout believer in the Saints, he may not believe in the Saints, but he believes in her, and in Jesper, and in himself: the Crows. Clearly, Kaz is more than your traditional underground criminal looking for his next bit of coin. But what motivates him? There is a brief moment in the last episode where Kaz tells Jesper that he recognizes the look on General Kirigan's face: one of a man consumed with vengeance. Jesper reponds, "See it enough in the mirror, do you?"
Fingers crossed we will learn more about Kaz's motives in the second season! But here's what we do know: Kaz is a force to be reckoned with, and we can't wait to see what he plans next.