Warning: SPOILERS for Shadow and Bone season 1 ahead.
In adapting Leigh Bardugo's series of books, Netflix's Shadow and Bone was right to fix a controversial consent issue from the novels. The first season of the TV show followed the first book in the series, introducing viewers to the world of the Grishaverse, namely Ravka and its inhabitants. The world is dense and complex, the ensemble cast large, but, just like in the books, the show focused on the main protagonist of Alina Starkov, an orphan who suddenly discovered she has mythical powers. With her Sun Summoner powers, Alina has the potential to bring liberation to Ravka by destroying the Shadow Fold, a swath of near-impenetrable darkness populated by ravenous monsters that splits the kingdom in two.
As Alina is the only known Sun Summoner in existence, she is the counterpart to General Kirigan, a.k.a. the Darkling, the only known practicing Shadow Summoner in the world. Their uniqueness brings with it an isolated reality; their rare powers lend them immortality. While it's new to Alina, the Darkling has been alive for a very, very long time, and he feels a kinship with Alina he doesn't have with anyone else. Unfortunately, he also uses that as a means of manipulating the much younger and naive Alina, seducing her in order to gain control. In the books, the Darkling is the aggressor and their first kiss is initiated by him without her consent. It's a moment that has sparked controversy among fans for years, with plenty of readers seeing the problem in a much older man crossing boundaries by pushing himself on a much younger girl without gaining consent, even if it is just one kiss.
The Netflix series wisely brings greater balance to this power dynamic by arguably placing Alina in the position of the aggressor when it comes to physical contact with the Darkling. Alina seeks out his chambers twice, wanting to be alone with him. Alina is the one who reaches out to hold his hand when he's upset. And though there are a few moments that were ripe for the Darkling to make a move, Alina was the one who ultimately initiated their first kiss. Whereas in the books, the Darkling simply kisses her out of nowhere and then abruptly leaves her, the Darkling in the series does not leave her hanging following that kiss, nor the ones after. The Shadow Summoner is still manipulative, but in the matter of consent regarding physical boundaries, Alina is the one in control.
In doing so, the Netflix series makes their first kiss far less problematic. Leigh Bardugo has often explained that these were the first books she'd ever written and as such, she was still being strongly influenced by the fantasy she'd read while growing up, including some of their more problematic romantic tropes. The Netflix adaptation presented an opportunity to fix some of the more troubling elements of a few of the characters, and that includes making Alina more assertive and confident than she initially is in the books. The kiss in the books positions Alina as something to be used and then left, with the Darkling initiating and then walking away without an explanation, leaving Alina to obsess over it. Alina initiating it in the series puts them on somewhat more solid footing and Alina comes out of the encounter as far more of an equal to the Darkling than she is in the book.
It's not the only way in which Shadow and Bone subtly upgrades Alina's character and gives her more autonomy in her story. In the series, it's Alina who decides she and Mal will go after Morozova's Stag, putting her in control of her own destiny. In the books, it's Mal who decides, as Alina is mostly just confused about what to do after running away from the Little Palace and she looks to Mal for guidance. The Alina of the Netflix series is so far doing a better job of looking inward to determine what she wants and what she's okay with. Hopefully, that continues into season 2.