What facts and Easter eggs from the series 'Shadow and Bone' you might have missed. Revealing details and a deleted scene.

Ever since the premiere of the series “Shadow and Bone” on Netflix, the show has firmly secured its place in the TOP-10 best and most-watched streaming projects not only in the US but worldwide. Netflix announced that “Shadow and Bone” showed one of the best results since its premiere, which only two projects had achieved before — the reality show “Floor is Lava” and the series “Ratched”.

The series' universe revolves around the aesthetic created by author Leigh Bardugo, let's call it “Tsar-punk,” inspired by the Russian Empire. The result is a mix of war, romance, politics, magic, science, weaponry, and fur hats. This is not usually what one expects from fantasy, as the Middle Ages are associated with swords, knights, and other typical things. Even the magic here is unlike other universes (a whole team of choreographers devised the movements for the Grisha).

Let's talk about what facts and Easter eggs you might have missed. And let's reveal a few details and a deleted scene that will further pique your interest in the new Netflix series.

If Not for a Tweet, the Show Wouldn't Have Happened

The story of Eric Heisserer joining the project began a few years ago when the screenwriter of “Arrival” tweeted that he had read “Six of Crows” and was very impressed by the plot and world, tagging the author of the books. Three years later, Leigh Bardugo is offered to adapt her “Shadow and Bone” for Netflix. And during the discussion, she recalls knowing a screenwriter who might be interested in the series. Netflix reaches out to Eric, who initially refuses them: “I won't do anything unless you acquire the rights to ‘Six of Crows’ and we combine the two stories.” Management agreed, bought the rights, and thus characters who never met in the books met in the series.

Casting

The first person to land a role, or even be suggested for the series, was Ben Barnes. Leigh Bardugo herself chose the actor for this character. She described him as irresistible, seductive, but authoritative and capable of commanding an army.

New Faces

The director and producer of the show deliberately chose new faces and fresh actors for the project. As “Game of Thrones” did in its time. Interestingly, most of them actually read all the books.

Shu-Han Heritage

It was Heisserer who suggested making Alina a Shu-Han native to amplify the conflict of the fictional world, where the girl is not accepted as “one of their own.” Shu-Han is something like China, and its inhabitants are enemies of Ravka. This is why they were looking for an actress of Asian descent for the role of Alina.

Not a Newcomer

Ben Barnes became the one who had already been through several fantasy franchises and fandoms. The actor noted that his friends call Ben “the boy with the sword.” And Ben himself became so engrossed in reading the books and the character's background in “Shadow and Bone” that he boldly added his own ideas to the script. Together they created the backstory storyline for the character, which wasn't in the books. And the actor continues to fight for grey morality for his character, even jokingly (or maybe not) arguing with the author of the books. Ben is a fan of the Darklina pairing, which he mentions in every interview. That's why fans love him.

Eight Scripts

For the actors, particularly those playing Alina and Mal, Eric would send eight parts of the entire script, releasing information in installments, so to speak. Firstly, to prevent spoilers from leaking. Secondly, to keep the intrigue alive even for the actors themselves.

Why Not 10 Episodes?

The answer is obvious: because of the coronavirus. The pandemic and a small budget made their adjustments to the filming of the show. Eric was offered a certain amount for production and couldn't get it increased for more episodes. To not sacrifice quality, Heisserer settled on 8 episodes.

Locations

If you want to visit the series' locations, head to Budapest, where most of the episodes were filmed. Due to the limited budget, the film crew couldn't travel around the world. They had to make do with what was available. Yet they managed to create completely different countries and parts of the world, seemingly in one location.

Cameo

Leigh Bardugo couldn't resist appearing in one of the series' scenes. Plus, the author was almost always on set. Symbolically, she is the first to hug Alina after her appearance before the King and “Queen” (read in Ben Barnes's Russian-accented voice).

MVP of the Show

The true best character of the show turned out to be neither Ben Barnes's character nor anyone from the Crows, but the cute little goat Milo. Social media just exploded after this animal appeared. Moreover, it got more than just a single on-screen appearance. I think the writers had a good laugh. And there were actually two little goats! During filming, the actors visibly struggled with each of them because you can't just make an animal stay quiet. They had to re-record some lines several times.

Dubbing

The Russian dubbing can be criticized for many things, but here it depends on where and how exactly you watched the series. If we refer to the Netflix series' voice-over, the iconic phrase “No mourning, no funeral” was successfully forgotten and sounded not even remotely like it should have. If you watch with subtitles, book fans won't be disappointed. Just remember that the phrase carries a lot of meaning. And sometimes it's worth watching series with subtitles rather than a voice-over, which shamelessly alters the text.

He Threw a Book at Me!

I think this Easter egg is brilliant. Because it's simple, turned into a joke, and memorable. When David throws a book at Jesper, we can notice the unusual cover design. Yes, that is the book “Shadow and Bone”.

The Portrait

If this isn't a reference to “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, then I don't know what is.

Blue Irises

I don't know why you need this information, but Ben Barnes as Billy Russo in “The Punisher” gave blue irises to his psychologist. And the Darkling gave blue irises to Alina. Moreover, irises symbolize courage, fearlessness, and bravery — an excellent choice of favorite flowers.

The Demolitionist

The reference to a book character was noticed in two scenes at once. One of the members of the Dregs or the Crows gang was Wylan or the calculating demolitions expert. First, in the early episodes, Jesper complains to Kaz that they need someone to set off an explosion. Then Kaz Brekker is saved by the explosion of a barrel that distracted Kirigan.

The Name

You might not have understood why book fans were so outraged on Twitter. But the name Alexander, which he so hastily and casually mentioned in the series, was kept secret in the books for a long time. And the character reveals his real name in a very dramatic moment. But for the series, they changed not only this episode but also the general reference to the Darkling. In the show, he is most often called General Kirigan. This helped to maintain the intrigue for at least a little while, show that he is the leader of his army, and emphasize that he is addressed specifically as a general.

Leather Gloves

Kaz Brekker. The cane. And leather gloves. There are elements from “Six of Crows” that were not changed for the show but whose backstory has not yet been revealed. You may have noticed that Kaz does not take off his leather gloves throughout all the episodes. There is a logical and rather creepy explanation for this. Interestingly, the actor said that in the original script, they wanted to explain the story. But it was saved for the next season.

The Letters

Mal and Alina's letters in the books only existed as bonus material, and not everyone could even read them. But in the show, it's a major narrative line, where a voiceover accompanies Alina's training and stay at the Little Palace.

What is Jesper Hiding?

Jesper Fahey instantly became a fan favorite of the show. A reckless, charismatic sniper or a source of carefree fun amidst the grim and serious Ketterdam. Let's avoid spoilers from the source material, but let's say the series gave a huge, glaring hint as to who Jesper really is. And behind this lies a big story that, I think, will be shown in the next seasons. Pay attention to the dialogue between Ivan and Jesper during the chase after another accurate shot by the Dregs member.

Training with Botkin

In the books, Alina has oh-so-many training sessions. Her combat instructor is also a Shu-Han native, and he has vast experience under his belt. So, we can expect more combat scenes and strikes in the next season.

Working with Props

In many ways, it was the characters from “Six of Crows” who had a hard time on set. Freddy Carter learned to masterfully wield a cane and limp. Amita Suman took lessons for throwing daggers, and Kit Young taught himself gun tricks.

A Different Mission, But a Similar Ending

Eric and the writing team elegantly wove the stories of “Six of Crows” into the plot. For those unfamiliar with the books, it should be clarified that Nina and Matthias don't immediately meet the Dregs either. And we hardly know their meeting story and the storyline added for the show. Interestingly, the ending of their story — Nina betrays Matthias, and he is taken prisoner — is exactly the same as in the books. Although they reached this ending through a different path. At least Nina got her waffles. Waffles are a memorable element of the character from the books.

Are There Easter Eggs for “Arrival”?

Eric Heisserer himself notes that he doesn't like adding such parallels to different projects. But for the Grishaverse, they created their own invented language, and not just one. There is Fjerdan, Ravkan, and Kerch. And all the new languages were created by the same person responsible for Dothraki in the series “Game of Thrones”.

Connection to Russian History

It has long been known that Leigh Bardugo was inspired by Tsarist Russia. We see this reflected in the characters' names, keftas, some imagery, and titles. To be more precise, the author delved into studying the history of Russia in the mid-1800s. She was struck by the themes of failed rapid industrialization, the vast gap between the poor and the rich, and the conscription of very young people into the army.

Also, Mal and Alina's story was originally different. The author didn't want to make them orphans. But after studying materials about Napoleon's invasion, she understood that serfs then fought side by side with nobles. And many families did not return in full after battles. That's when Leigh decided to rethink the children's origin story, emphasizing that many had lost someone during the war.

Deleted Scene

Eric Heisserer mentioned in a recent interview one of the scenes that didn't make it into the final production. It slightly expands on the theme of religious fanaticism and racism. When Alina is on the run, she ends up in a church where everyone is praying to “Sankta Alina, who came to save them.” On the church walls, Alina is depicted as a white, blue-eyed, fair-haired girl, by the way, just as the author envisioned her in her books. After all, few outside the Little Palace had actually seen Alina herself. And when the Shu-Han woman shows up on their doorstep seeking shelter, the priest drives her away.

Bonus: Pay Attention to the Title Sequence for Each Episode