When the first teaser trailer for the upcoming fantasy series Shadow and Bone was released by Netflix, I confess I was baffled by it. There were clearly strong production values in place, all supporting a young and engaging cast, but it was pretty much impossible to tell what kind of story was being told here, beyond the basic acknowledgment that there was a mystical darkness, monsters living inside it, and a young woman whose existence seemed central to the action. While the people I know who are familiar with the novels written by Leigh Bardugo (upon which the show is based) raved about that teaser, I worried that as someone who never read the books, I might find the show to be an alienating experience.
Instead, I'm very excited to report that the first season of the series, premiering Friday, April 23, is a vivid and compelling story that should engage book fans, but more importantly, works incredibly hard to stand on its own as a distinct work — and succeeds. Bardugo's world, as adapted by showrunner Eric Heisserer, proves easy to discover and understand, while also feeling special and distinct from other genre tales, largely driven by its compelling characters and some exciting twists.
Like so many fantasy stories, the battle is between the darkness and the light, with a very literal interpretation of that: years ago, the country of Ravka was split by a wide and treacherous black fog known as the Shadow Fold, completely changing the political landscape and leading to war. Fighting in this war aren't just ordinary men and women but Grishas, people identified at a young age to have supernatural abilities that get them enlisted automatically for combat. Serving in the trenches of this army are mapmaker Alina (Jessie Mei Li) and her childhood best friend Mal (Archie Renaux), whose desperation to avoid being separated gets complicated when Alina is thrust into a much more prominent role in the fight.
To reveal much more about that would take us into spoiler territory, and if you're new to this story you're going to want to experience it fresh. But I will add that while Alina and Mal face threats on one side of the Shadow Fold, on the other side is Kaz (Freddy Carter), who leads a tiny gang of thieves known as the Dregs. The score they're after promises a massive payout that will change all of their lives forever — all they have to do is survive traversing the Shadow Fold, not to mention the dangerous folk who exist outside it. And the ways in which these plotlines and more interact all work together to create a wild narrative filled with surprises. While there's a little drag in the middle episodes, and the occasional feeling that some threads are a bit too unconnected, I can promise that it's worth trusting the first season to see how all these elements come together.
And while there are a lot of elements packed into this premise, but Shadow and Bone does its best not to overwhelm newcomers to this world (if you're wondering, the book series is referred to as the Grishaverse). Instead, this first season dallies with some familiar tropes ("hell yeah, it's heist time!" is a verbatim line from my notes), but keeps its focus on the characters, letting them serve as your native guides to the terrain. Some of the players spark more than others, but on balance they're all distinct and likable personalities... Well, having said that, everyone's going to have their favorites, but if Jesper (Kit Young) isn't in your top 5 then there's just something wrong with you.
Young's confident gunslinger is a clear standout, as is Amita Suman as his knife-wielding compatriot Inej... Really, the casting in general is solid, especially Jessie Mei Li, who proves highly capable of handling the massive demands this show puts upon her — as not just the star but the show's emotional center, she's immediately engaging. Meanwhile, Ben Barnes (who you may know from such other wild sci-fi/fantasy adventures as Westworld and Stardust) serves as the biggest name in the cast but not a showy one; as the mysterious and powerful Kirigan, his role in the series is a complicated one, but intriguing for sure.
Shadow and Bone is pretty firmly PG-13, but that doesn't keep some of the sequences from tipping over into the realm of terrifying. (Remember how freaking scary the movie Pitch Black was? Shadow and Bone does its best to match some of those moments when characters are inside the Shadow Fold.) Production-wise, it's a beautifully made show, with the best visual touch beyond the effects being the costumes designed by Wendy Partridge, which lean heavily on Russian influences to make this world feel distinct and special from other fantasy tales.
That's the real magic trick a show like this has to pull off — creating a universe that feels fresh to newcomers, without alienating them or feeling too confusing. Like so many things in life, the key ingredient turns out to be the people involved. And in the case of both the fictional characters and the cast and crew, the people of Shadow and Bone deliver.
Grade: A-
Shadow and Bone Season 1 premieres Friday, April 23 on Netflix.