Netflix has created a ton of great original series over the years, but few of their shows have reached the heights of Shadow and Bone’s popularity. The fantasy series just celebrated its first anniversary. To honor the occasion Netflix has released a slew of never-before-seen behind-the-scenes content including a new deleted scene, concept art, and videos showcasing the fun bubbly chemistry of its infectious ensemble cast. One of the videos of note was a chemistry test of Calahan Skogman and Danielle Galligan who played Matthias and Nina Zenik respectively.

The video presents one of the most memorable scenes from Season 1 where Matthias drops his tough-guy armor and confesses his love for Nina. Watching this chemistry test with the finished scene above it is like reconnecting with old friends. Nina, who was captured by Matthias for being a witch, was the classic Romeo and Juliet story where a person falls in love with someone they were told to hate. Or, in this case, trained to hate. However, like most of the series, this romance takes those familiar elements and refreshes them with rich dialogue and actors with amazing chemistry.

When Matthias and Nina get shipwrecked in the frigid Fjerdan wilderness their story becomes the most isolated in the whole entire show. Because of that, a side story like this could have derailed this series’ riveting flow with the wrong actors. Thankfully Skogman and Galligan are so compelling together that they make Matthias and Nina’s story arc just as emotionally engaging as the main storyline involving Alina Starkov. Once their love story plays out and Nina has to make the choice to get Matthias arrested to save him from being executed, with Matthias feeling betrayed, your heart just gets crushed.

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Image via Netflix

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Shadow and Bone was one of those shows that came out of nowhere and took Netflix by storm. That has something to do with its multi-layered love stories, but the writing overall for the series in its first season quickly put the show on the top of the fantasy food chain. There were moments in its first season where it felt like Shadow and Bone was Netflix’s version of Game of Thrones. That is how good the first season really was. Whether it was the fascinating lore, the main love triangle, the lovable cast, or Milo the goat, this series is up there with the streamer’s best originals.

Shadow and Bone has already been renewed for Season 2, and hopefully, we will get a concrete release date for its new episodes soon. It will definitely be interesting to see where they pick up the pieces of Nina and Matthias’ relationship next season. While we anxiously wait for the epic fantasy to continue, you can watch their full chemistry test down below. You can also catch up on Season 1 of Shadow and Bone on Netflix right now.