Fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels have a soft spot for Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa, and the same goes for them shadow and bone Cast, it seems, as actor Freddy Carter related news week of all the ways he hopes their on-screen relationship could develop.
The leader of the Crows and the Wraith have been fumbling about their feelings for each other since season 1, but they’re taking several steps forward in the show’s second season, which aired Thursday.
In the new season, Kaz is determined to exact revenge on Pekka Rollins (Dean Lennox Kelly), the Ketterdam crime boss who framed him and his brother Jordie as children and left him dead – an experience he still feels gets from.
As Kaz navigates his trauma, Inej (Amita Suman) is the only safe haven in his life. The spy was always there to help him in his darkest hours, and that’s certainly true shadow and bone Season 2.
Warning: This article contains some spoilers for shadow and bone season 2
Carter said news week that he found it “interesting” to bring Kaz’s backstory to life in such vivid detail on screen, particularly the way the events of the season affect his bond with Inej.
“I think midway through the season Kaz gets his revenge. He has this thing that he’s been chasing forever and then he suddenly realizes there’s more to life,” the actor said. “He is [finally] has this thing he was looking for and he’s still feeling pretty empty.
“What we’re seeing in the season is that he starts trying to open up to Inej and she says quite frankly, ‘This is what I need, I need you to open up or I’m gone ‘ and he’s trying desperately but he’s still being haunted by all that stuff.
“I think he thinks on some level that if he gets his revenge it’s going to be a quick fix and everything will be fine, but that’s obviously not the case.”
Carter admitted he’s just as interested in Kaz accepting his feelings for Inej and acting accordingly as viewers are: “I’m such a fan of Kaz and Inej and I really bond with him. I’m obviously desperate for him to go through this big change where he can suddenly tell Inej exactly how he feels and he can be open and honest with everyone.
“But what I also love so much about him as a read-and-watch character is that duality where he’s desperate for it but just can’t make it, and that’s why the combat is what intrigues me so much.
“And by the end of Season 2, Inej is gone and I’d love to see how long it takes Kaz to realize how important she is to him.”
This season, the Crows embark on a dangerous heist to retrieve the Neshyenyer Blade for Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), but they are poisoned during the encounter. The drug gives them hallucinations and in Inej’s dream she imagines that she and Kaz are alone, that he reveals his feelings for her and almost kisses her.
“I’m very curious how [fans are] will react to this moment. I hope they enjoy it,” Carter said. “Obviously for fans, some things from the books are slightly taken out of context or the context has changed, but I think the adaptation was made with so much love for the books and so much love from the characters that the spirit of is still very similar to them and the stories.
“So I hope people get behind it and love it as much as I do.”
Fans of Bardugo’s novels will no doubt find that the plot of Kaz’s plan for revenge against Pekka happens within itself crooked kingdom, the second book in the Six crows duology.
Carter explained that since Season 1 he was “really eager” to delve into the storyline and Kaz’s haphephobia — the fear of touch — because it’s such an integral part of his character’s journey.
“I agreed [showrunner] Eric [Heisserer] While we were filming Season 1, I was like, ‘Can we show a little bit of that?’ Because in my opinion, and reading the books, that’s what makes him so intriguing,” Carter explained.
“This duality between that incredibly traumatic and difficult childhood experience and the very tough, hard-edged guy that we meet at the beginning of the books and the beginning of the TV show.
“I was always dying to add it, so when I read the script for Season 2 and saw it happen, I was very, very excited.”
Immersing himself in Kaz’s story with Pekka meant Carter shared a series of intense scenes with Kelly, which the actor describes as a “brilliant” performer.
“He just wanted to go as deep with it as he could, he didn’t want to shy away from anything,” Carter said. “He really wanted to delve into it, so we rehearsed a lot and talked about it a lot.
“We went through things in the books and used the books almost like a Bible to go back in and kind of see what was going on in each moment for each character.”
Speaking further about their encounter, Carter said of filming the encounter, “Dean is an absolute delight to work with, but anything where you’re covered in sticky fake blood, get beat up and have two-page monologues to learn, they’re always one.” Challenge.
“But filming that showdown at the Emerald Palace really felt like the culmination of a season and a half of building blocks, so it was just more exciting than anything.”
