Kirigan launched his final attack against Alina and Nikolai’s forces and hoped Alina wouldn’t have the heart to kill Mal herself.
Kirigan was partially correct, as Alina did not want to kill Mal on Shadow and Bone Season 2 Episode 7.
Luckily, Tamar devised a plan that could potentially harness his power as an amplifier while keeping him alive.
Too bad things didn’t work out for that plan to get its chance to work.
Kirigan’s final attack involved a trap for Nikolai and moving the fold to engulf Alina and Nikolai’s base camp.
Kirigan also managed to visit Mal within one of Mal’s dreams as a projection.
We assume Kirigan could do this because they are blood relatives, but their connection was unclear.
This prompted Mal to announce to the entirety of Alina’s crew that the firebird is not a creature but a bloodline (his bloodline).
He also resigned to the fact that he would die because he’d rather die for Alina than die at the hands of the Darkling.
Tamar came up with another idea that might’ve helped save Mal’s life if they got to enact it.
Tamar wanted to take a finger off of Mal, then stop his heart for 2 minutes, and then bring it back with her heartrending ability.
It was a good idea, and David, the Durast that fused the Stag with Alina, said it might work and that he’d be able to link the finger with him still alive.
But just as David was about to cut the tip of Mal’s pinky finger off, a shadow monster attacked the base.
Alina and Mal got separated from David and Genya, forcing them to go in separate directions as the fold took over the entirety of the base.
Kirigan moved the fold, forcing a final battle between shadow and light.
The hour ended before we saw the showdown between Alina and Kirigan, but Kirigan’s presence distracted Alina from trying to channel without killing Mal.
The power she produced while channeling through him looked stunning, but its power remained unknown.
With her were Nina, Zoya, and Inej, the latter of which wielded the Neshyenyer, the blade that can cut through shadow.
Nina, sadly, got swept up by one of the Shadow monsters, and her fate remained unknown before the credits rolled. We hope she can be saved!
Alina managed to summon her light version of the cut, which sliced a bit of Kirigan, but Kirigan got his amount out first and maimed Mal.
Mal looked in bad shape. It was NOT a tiny flesh wound, and it looked like the darkness had begun spreading throughout his body.
Alina rushed over to him to try and assist, but it did not look too good for our favorite tracker.
If Kirigan injured Mal enough to kill him, Alina would need to finish the job, so Mal’s amplification power wouldn’t go to waste.
We’re not saying we want this to happen, but Mal’s death should not be in vain.
Kirigan’s army nearly swept Nikolai, Tamar, and the rest of their group, but unlikely allies came in to save their lives.
Kirigan’s army of Grisha was a formidable group of opponents, and they took out many of the expendable minor characters present in Nikolai’s squadron.
Nadia, Adrick, and Tamar held their own against the Darklin’s amplified Grisha but were backed into a corner.
Suddenly, from off-screen, a bomb managed to kill one of the remaining dark Grisha before she could perform a finishing blow.
This angry her remaining allies, but Jesper came in guns blazing and distracted them before the attacking Grisha could get any attacks off.
Wylan had some of the poison used against the Crows on Shadow and Bone Season 2 Episode 6 on him, and he used it to poison one of the attackers, and Tamar dealt a finishing blow.
The final woman standing, Fruzsi, became enraged and started to launch a more potent attack before she got stopped by multiple Grisha, and Nikolai shot her through the neck.
Jesper finally embraced his Grisha blood and used it to the advantage of everyone around him.
Wylan seemed happy about it, but the team didn’t have much time to celebrate their victory over Kirigan’s Grisha army.
Tamar and Tolya reunited, joined Nikolai with the other Grisha, and immediately set out to find Alina. The Crows joined them because Nina and Inej went to assist the Sun Summoner.
Hopefully, with everyone joining together against Kirigan, he’ll be defeated.
Kirigan’s power may be hindered by his rage and desire for more control, as Fruzsi’s was.
Alina and her crew have a very dangerous battle ahead of them, and the entirety of the season built its way up to this fight.
While we don’t know what will happen, book readers may be bracing themselves for the epic conclusion of the original Shadow and Bone Trilogy.
This battle will likely be the last between Alina and Kirigan, as we cannot see them extending this plot further. The season has set up the perfect final battle.
And the penultimate episode has set up the perfect final episode. Are you ready? Because we are.
So Fanatics, what did you think of the penultimate episode?
Are you excited for the season finale of Shadow and Bone? What do you think will happen?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Shadow and Bone Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
Michael Stack is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.