Summary
“No Funerals” is a bloated finale of two distinct halves. The first half is an action-packed conclusion, while the second is dedicated to setting up a possible third season. Half an hour of setup feels rather excessive, though, and the finale suffers due to these new, tiring TV tropes.
The Shadow and Bone Season 2 finale is here, concluding this season’s ongoing story arcs while setting up numerous subplots for a possible, and let’s be honest, highly likely, third outing. “No Funerals” sees the final showdown between Alina (Jessie Mei Li) and Kirigan (Ben Barnes), as the Sun Summoner hopes to destroy the Fold and the Darkling once and for all. There are other threats on the horizon, though, and the Crows face new foes in the near future.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 Episode 8 Recap
Nikolai and the Crows gather after defeating Kirigan’s Grisha army. They worry that Alina needs help, though, as she should have destroyed the Fold by now—the gang head into the darkness to support their powerful leader in ending this conflict. As soon as they step inside, they are attacked by Volcra and hide in the nearby chapel. Jesper seals the door, but a shadow monster infiltrates the room, attacking our heroic team. They throw everything at this monster, Wylan even detonates a bomb, but nothing seems to work.
How does Alina destroy the Fold?
Meanwhile, Zoya and Inej fend off further shadow monsters inside the center of the Fold. Alina sees to Mal, who has been fatally wounded. Nina is unable to heal him and passed out elsewhere. Mal realizes the gravity of the situation and asks to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Mal asks to be killed, telling Alina to make sure they redraw all the maps.
Alina declares her love for Mal and then aids in stabbing him to death. Mal dies, and Alina screams out in agony. This releases an unimaginable blast of energy that surges throughout the Fold. The blast destroys the entirety of the Fold, taking all the Volcra with it.
How does Alina defeat Kirigan?
The shadow monsters remain, though, and Kirigan appears to have regained some strength. He stands and approaches Alina. Kirigan tells Alina that her sacrifice was for nothing; she has changed nothing. Kirigan urges Alina to join him, but she refuses to ever stand by his side. Kirigan’s shadow monsters attack Alina, Inej, and Zoya.
Alina realizes that Kirigan has no control over the beasts. The enemies talk, and while Kirigan is distracted, Alina stabs him with the Neshyenyer sword. Kirigan is slain by this sword. His dying wish is to be eradicated, begging for nothing of him to be left behind.
How does Alina resurrect Mal?
With Kirigan’s death, the shadow monsters disappear too. Nina tries to save Mal, but he seems to be beyond saving. Alina heads over and resurrects her fallen lover, using merzost, a dark magic. Mal comes back to life.
All the gang is reunited, with no casualties from any of the main characters. Alina thanks Inej for saving her life, and Inej passes her the sword.
READ:
- Do Mal and Alina end up together in Shadow and Bone Season 2?
- What happens to Alina at the end of Shadow and Bone Season 2?
Mal and Alina speak in private. Mal feels changed after the resurrection. He ponders if their meeting was fate or coincidence after all. Alina doesn’t care; she is happy to have her lover back. Mal doesn’t know his purpose now, though. Genya isn’t as fortunate as Alina; her lover seems to have disappeared. Genya searches for David. All she finds is blood splatter on the wall; she can’t sense his heartbeat. Genya is sure that David was killed, but nobody is recovered. She finds plans for an engagement ring in David’s clothes and weeps.
Kirigan’s body is set on fire. Zoya and Genya begin the funeral pyre, and Alina adds further fire to Kirigan’s corpse. Nikolai makes a speech as their nemesis is burned. It’s a time to celebrate new beginnings and new purposes. It is also a time for goodbyes—Mal and Alina part ways, as do Inej and Kaz. Kaz can’t quite open up to his lover, and Inej chooses to leave instead. Likewise, Mal realizes he has a different purpose from Alina; they cannot be together after all.
What does Mal do?
Mal decides to leave with the others, now working as a privateer. He boards the flying ship with Tolya, Tamar, Nadia, and Inej. Nikolai passes Mal his lucky compass and offers him his fake identity as well. Mal will be known as Sturmhond from this day forwards. Nikolai asks Mal to play the part, but Tolya and Tamar will be in charge. We fast forward into the future, and it looks like Mal has taken over anyway. The gang head towards a slaver ship. This would seem to be their new quest, fighting injustice in this new world.
Elsewhere, the Crows are paid handsomely by Nikolai and continue their new lives. Kaz runs the Crows Club. Nina and Matthias are given a pardon for their desertion. Nina heads to Hellgate to rescue Matthias, but he is found engaged in a prison fight. Pekka, who was thrown in Hellgate, has conned him, forcing him to battle two bloodthirsty wolves instead of another inmate. Matthias refuses to fight and manages to calm the wolves. Nina attempts to free Matthias, showing the guards a letter of pardoning. They don’t care, though. Matthias takes on the guards but is reprimanded, while Nina is dragged away.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 Ending Explained
Nikolai prepares for his processional; however, the darkness grows inside him. He sees a glimpse of the shadow monster in his reflection, but it soon disappears. Nikolai meets with Alina before the event. She is dressed in her royal garments and sporting a fancy crown. Nikolai thanks her for her support, stating that he would be lonely without her. Genya and Zoya arrive as Alina’s escorts. Alina gives them new roles in Ravka. Genya is to oversee things at the Palace, to turn this place into a sanctuary just like the Spinning Wheel. Zoya is to train the Grisha. Alina outlines her plans. She will return the Neshyenyer to Shu Han, hoping to rebuild alliances in the process.
What is the Crows’ next mission?
Kaz gathers his remaining Crows: Jesper, Wylan, and Nina. He has a new job opportunity, their most lucrative yet. A new drug called jurda parem is entering the market. It is highly addictive and causes Grisha’s powers to be amplified one thousand times over. The Fjerdans could weaponize this drug, and the consequences would be unimaginable. The Crows’ next mission is to stop this drug from destroying the country.
At the processional, Nikolai is crowned. A woman in the audience takes this new drug, jurda parem, and unleashes her new powers. The crowd starts to cough up blood and violently collapse upon the floor. Even Alina and Nikolai succumb to her powers, falling to the ground. Alina fights back, though, slicing the attacker in half. Alina smiles, feeling the full strength of her own powers and the force of this dark magic. Worryingly, there’s a hint of Kirigan’s own evil in that smile.
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