Strap In For Fantastical Queer Romance In Season 2 Of “Shadow And Bone”
Netflix’s hit fantasy series Shadow And Bone has returned for a second season and fans are buzzing about the show’s gay romance plot. Season two welcomes back Kit Young as the gun-slinging Jesper Fahey who has become a bisexual icon, reports Collider.
Young’s character develops a queer romance with Jack Wolfe’s character, Wylan Hendriks who is The Crows’ new demolitions expert.
“WESPER” IS ALREADY GAINING A FANBASE (Spoilers Ahead)
Adapted from the popular young adult fantasy series written by Leigh Bardugo, Shadow And Bone has garnered a huge fan base since its debut on Netflix in April 2021. The series mashes two of Bardugo’s works into one series; the Shadow And Bone trilogy and the spinoff Six Of Crows, reports Collider. Fans of the series watch eagerly for the intricate world-building and the intriguing romance.
Season one follows the story of Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a young mapmaker in a world where certain people known as Grisha have rare powers that include everything from controlling someone’s heart to summoning fire. Alina’s story begins when it’s discovered she is a sun-summoner, the rarest of all Grisha, and her powers could save the war-torn nation of Ravka from chaos.
The series’ first season introduced us to the charming and quick-witted Jesper Fahey (Kit Young) who is part of The Crows and he quickly became a fan favourite. In season one, Jesper is revealed to be interested in men as well as women often openly pursuing both. In season two we are introduced to Wylan Hendriks (Jack Wolfe), a perfect counterpart to Jepser’s confident brashness. Wolfe plays the character as vulnerable and softly-spoken and throughout the season the two characters form a romantic relationship
Jack Wolfe, who identifies as queer, has spoken openly about his excitement to portray a gay character on screen. In an interview with Attitude, Wolfe says, “Growing up, I didn’t see that many characters like myself who were in big fantasy series, with violence or [who] even had access to fantasy weapons or got involved in big fights and battles. I think to see a character like myself in those situations is a really cool thing, it’s something that I actually don’t see often.”
DNA OPINION
The inclusion of a gay romance in a mainstream television series like Shadow And Bone is a significant step forward in LGBTQIA+ representation in the fantasy genre. It not only offers representation to LGBTQIA+ viewers but also helps to normalise same-sex relationships and characters in these kinds of narratives.
Fantasy series like Game Of Thrones have shown queer relationships before but they’ve continued to be seen as taboo or frowned-upon. In worlds where magical powers, sky-soaring ships, dragons and blood sacrifices are commonplace, it feels right that queer people are the least concerning thing happening at any one time.
