Warning: Spoilers ahead for Shadow and Bone season 2
Alina Starkov's smile at the end of Shadow and Bone season 2 is a huge concern for the character and the world around her going forward. Shadow and Bone season 2 undergoes many jarring twists and turns as it hops around Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse. The Netflix original is a loose adaptation of Bardugo's novels, but the show worked closely with her to find the best way to adapt the books for television.
Shadow and Bone season 2 follows Alina Starkov's quest for the final two of Morozova's amplifiers, the Seawhip and the Firebird, which will allow her to amplify her sun-summoning abilities enough to destroy the Fold. All the while, Alina and company must have avoided the Darkling, also known as Aleksander and General Kirigan, and his shadow monsters, the nichevo'ya. At the end of Shadow and Bone season 2, during Alina's final encounter with Aleksander, she kills Aleksander and her lifelong companion, Mal Oretsev, then resurrects Mal with morzost. Afterward, Alina uses shadow powers to cut an assassin in half at Nikolai Lantsov's coronation as King of Ravka.
Alina's Shadow Powers Explained
Alina's sudden ability to wield shadow seemingly comes from her connection to Aleksander, whom she kills briefly before using the shadow Cut. It seems that when Alina killed the Darkling, some measure of his power latched onto her, or some aspect of their shared bond somehow survived his death inside her. The connection that Alina and Aleksander share in Shadow and Bone season 2 somehow allows them to wield each other's powers. It would seem that despite the Darkling's death, some part of that connection remains, allowing Alina to wield the shadow.
Shadow and Bone season 2 changes Alina's story substantially, including introducing her shadow powers, which makes it difficult to say with certainty where her new powers came from. However, if they did not come from Aleksander, the only other explanation is that it is related to her use of morzost to resurrect Mal. Morzost is an extremely dangerous form of magic that notoriously comes with a dire price.
Why Alina Smiles After Killing The Fjerdan
The most worrisome part of Alina's newfound ability is that she is seemingly pleased by her ability to control the evil power that has scared her for so long. Now that Alina can wield the shadow, she feels in control of the one thing that has always been the greatest threat to her. After living in fear for so long, Alina is the one to be feared, giving her a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Alina is a Shadow and Bone saint because of her sun-summoning ability, but people will see her differently now that she wields the shadow. Instead of loving her, people will likely fear her, and that seems to please Alina at the end of Shadow and Bone season 2. It is the same satisfaction that the Darkling, Aleksander, felt, and it seems to indicate that her new powers most likely did come from him. If they did, it could explain why she might begin to enjoy power and fear, as Aleksander did.
Alina's Smile Proves Kirigan Right
Alina's satisfaction at wielding the shadow proves that Kirigan was right about her. Kirigan knew what it was like to live for hundreds of years with so much power, and he knew it would corrupt Alina. Kirigan spends most of Shadow and Bone season 2 trying to get Alina to join him, so they can rule together. He repeatedly tells Alina that she has no idea what it is like to live for so long with such terrible power, and he warns her about what will happen as her life continues.
Kirigan knew that the power would eventually twist Alina, but how far she has corrupted remains to be seen. However, the satisfaction she gains from wielding the shadow is disturbing because it foreshadows a villain's turn, much like Kirigan's. Shadow and Bone season 1 showed Kirigan's life before he created the Fold, revealing that he was not always evil. A similar turn toward power and greed may be in the offing for Alina in Shadow and Bone season 3, proving that General Kirigan was right about the nature and temptation of power and the loneliness of an unnaturally long life.