Shadow and Bone‘s second season hit Netflix almost two months ago, on March 16, and since then, no information about the show’s renewal or cancellation has been given to viewers. Even so, some consider there are more pressing matters at hand.
Faced with Netflix’s tendency to axe series before the story comes to an end, the large majority of the Grishaverse fandom has been focusing efforts on getting the much-desired Six of Crows spin-off and saving Shadow and Bone from getting the same treatment the network gives most of its fantasy shows. For a subset of fans, however, seeing the show green-lit for a third season is simply not enough — they need Netflix to deviate even further from Leigh Bardugo’s books in order to make room for a controversial pairing. We’re talking about Alina Starkov and the Darkling, of course.
Since Alina and the Darkling don’t end up together in the Grishaverse novels, a fan petition was created to incentivize Netflix’s writers to make it happen on the screen adaptation. The petition’s creator cites several reasons for considering these two deserve another shot at romance, some of which include the opportunity to give the Darkling a redemption arc and the chemistry between the characters. Some motives are undoubtedly more superficial, though, like the reasoning that the pairing “deserves some sexy scenes and time in the next season.” At the time of writing, this petition has over 1700 signatures, with more viewers joining the cause every day.
Needless to say, this is frowned upon by other Grishaverse fans, who argue this is a toxic pairing. In fairness, it’s hard to overlook the Darkling’s manipulative and genocidal tendencies. As season two ended with Alina discovering a darker side of herself, though, anything could happen.