Shadow and Bone

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 23, 2021
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 84 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 84
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 84
  3. Negative: 16 out of 84
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User Reviews

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  1. r0mer0
    Apr 25, 2021
    3
    Nice costumes and overall pleasing art direction, predictable story, unconvincing characters and character motivation. Horrible sound balancing, be prepared to adjust the volume a lot. The two rivaling forces of magic in this show are Grisha-magic and plot armor, and plot armor always wins.
  2. CyclicRhetoric
    Apr 24, 2021
    1
    Garbage screen writing and direction, not helped by the offensive amount of exposition.
  3. Kubishime
    Apr 25, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A great cast with great acting spoiled by piss poor writing, inexplicable character choices, and an offensive reliance on exposition. Most of the characters are written to have a troubled past but come across as whiny, insufferable wimps who make idiotic decisions. There is more justified decision making and reasoning in low-budget horror movie characters. Every action is winged, but has an outcome as if it were meticulously planned, like every single character expects a Deus Ex Machina.

    Alina does nothing but whine and pine for Mal for the first 7 episodes. Her character is so enveloped with feelings for him, she's portrayed as empty and shallow without them. We know literally nothing about her other than she was an orphan, they grew up and went through hardships (some bullying, and -very- vague racism). That's it. That's the entire composition of the main character. When she obtains her powers, she doesn't care at all about using them to destroy the rift. The presumably hundreds of thousands of soldiers and people in the country who died because of the wars aren't incentive enough - all she cares about is Mal. There is nothing else to her character. She's 'The One' but a sulking, woman-child who seems not to have been toughened at all by her upbringing. She's a porcelain shell of a character.

    Inej carries 30 knives but inexplicably seems never to have killed anyone before, judging by her reaction to killing a single Grisha to defend her friend. Why would a thief and implied assassin have never killed anyone and have such a bitter reaction? This is made even more confusing when two episodes later, she knows exactly how to bleed a Grisha to death without batting an eyelash.

    The Grisha are supposed to be worth 10-50 regular soldiers (depending on who you ask) but are instantaneously overwhelmed and slaughtered - every - single - time - they get into combat. Doubly so when they encounter the trio of miscreants (with plot armour) who we're barely told anything about - the speed that they're to dispatch the Grisha at is laughable. What's the point in being trained as what is essentially a battle mage from puberty to adulthood when all it takes is a handful conveniently placed barbarians to render you entirely impotent.

    Then there's the blatant shoehorning in of current year social commentary. It's apparently easier to get laid in Ravka as a gay man than a straight one, you can just pick a random stable boy you like the look of, and voila - luckily he's gay and eager. This could have been used to flesh out Jesper's character instead of "hurr durr, he gay, gay people get insta-sex". I'm almost angry that writers are so utterly incapable of making a fleshed out gay character.

    Ravka, a nation that's been isolated through hundreds of years of wars and infighting, has more diversity than London, but people are still apparently racist. The reliance of generations of being bred to defend the nation has done literally nothing for comradery, apparently.

    Then there's obviously the misogynistic Fjerdians who must be chastised verbally for 3 straight minutes because they aren't lewd or let their women fight in the war. I mean, it's basically barbaric how they treat their women so it must be worth mentioning, right, current year audience?

    With the budget this series had, it could have been a better Game of Thrones. It's not. The story as written in the books is rich and beautiful but the writers chose instead to do away with all of that in order to make sure 'current year' hot topics are smattered about, be inexplicably vague about every single characters' backstory when they have such rich ones.

    Genuinely struggled to sit through all 8 episodes.    … Expand
  4. Akk3d1s
    Apr 26, 2021
    3
    Another crappy show where soft skinned kids fill the roles of what should be hardened and knowledgeable characters in an obvious challenging environment. Terrible dialogue supplemented with music to make it seem more important just added to my annoyance. I wasnt able to finish 1 episode as its just not immersive. At this point magic is more believable than these characters. The irony isAnother crappy show where soft skinned kids fill the roles of what should be hardened and knowledgeable characters in an obvious challenging environment. Terrible dialogue supplemented with music to make it seem more important just added to my annoyance. I wasnt able to finish 1 episode as its just not immersive. At this point magic is more believable than these characters. The irony is that this show has a rating of 16 but might be more appealing to people below that age. Hard pass!… Expand
  5. leaveit
    Apr 28, 2021
    0
    Every 1 in 100 Netflix originals, you get something truly special. This is the other 99 in 100.
  6. MetacriticOnur
    Jan 14, 2022
    3
    bad
    [ bad ]

    adjective, worse, worst;(Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36.
    not good in any manner or degree.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Most Discussed TV Season of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Radio Times
    Reviewed by: Huw Fullerton
    Dec 2, 2021
    60
    The action and characterisation feels less convincing than it did in the simpler, less sprawling book story, almost like the rush to expand the story left it contracted in the ways that really matter.
    Read full review
  2. Empire
    Reviewed by: Ben Travis
    Sep 20, 2021
    60
    Some elements are overly familiar and others overly confusing, but Shadow And Bone will draw you into the Fold with its absorbing world-building and engaging lead duo.
    Read full review
  3. Polygon
    Reviewed by: Petrana Radulovic
    May 8, 2021
    85
    Though it’s full of worldbuilding lore that might hinder newcomers, Shadow and Bone is the best sort of adaptation for longtime fans: one that might just possibly be better than the source material.
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