We are in full swing of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, and the excitement and drama are heating up. In the sixth episode, “Ni Weh Sesh (I Have No Heart),” Alina (Jessie Mei Li) and Mal (Archie Renaux) head out in search of the third amplifier while the Crows run into some trouble while on their latest mission. Let’s dive in!

DISCLAIMER: This is a recap and, by definition, will contain spoilers. Tread cautiously; if you haven’t watched the sixth episode, check it out here.

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“Ni Weh Sesh” opens as Baghra (Zoë Wanamaker) leads Alina and Mal to their destination. Alina opens up about her intentions to eventually kill Kirigan (Ben Barnes). It isn’t enough to just tear down the Fold. Genya (Daisy Head) believes he is dying anyway, so this would be a mercy, really. Baghra understands where she is coming from but warns her not to use merzost to create an army of light, to focus more on the power she already has and be wary of seeking him out or letting him in.

Elsewhere in Ravka, Nikolai (Patrick Gibson) returns to the castle and meets up with Dominik (Louis Boyer) and the First Army. They need both the soldiers and Grisha to work together to bring an end to Kirgan. There was a moment of hesitation between both sides, but then David (Luke Pasqualino) and Genya stepped forward, and it seems the relationship between the First and Second Army is going to be okay.

David and Genya meeting the First Army.

Shadow and Bone. (L to R) Luke Pasqualino as David Kostyk, Alistair Nwachukwu as Adrik Zhabin, Daisy Head as Genya Safin, Joanna McGibbon as Nadia Zhabin in episode 206 of Shadow and Bone. Cr. D‡vid Luk‡cs/Netflix © 2023

At The Disciple’s (Tuyen Do) mansion, Kaz (Freddy Carter), Inej (Amita Suman), Tolya (Lewis Tan) and Jesper (Kit Young) are in varying states of hallucination. At the same time, Wylan (Jack Wolfe) unknowingly waits outside. Kaz’s seems dark, but the others almost seem to be the better versions of what they want in life.

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“Ni Weh Sesh” shifts back to Alina and the others as they continue their journey to Morozova’s workshop. Baghra tells them a story she told Kirigan when he was little about who she really is and her connection to Morozova. She also seems to imply that Mal might be connected to something much bigger and that his draw to the other amplifiers and Alina is more than it appears.

In another part of Ravka, Kirigan takes out an entire village with the cut and prepares his army of Grisha to take out the Keramzin Orphanage. They need to destroy all hope in the world, and in turn, everyone will gain clarity.

At the mansion, Tolya is the only one who has yet to succumb to the poisonous gas and is able to call out to Wylan before being dragged into the hallucination where he killed his sister Tamar (Anna Leong Brophy). While they are stuck inside, Wylan tries to find a way to break open the door. The one hallucination that hit the hardest was Jesper’s, as we learn why he has hidden his Grisha abilities for so long.

“Ni Weh Sesh” brings us back to Alina as they arrive at the workshop. Before Baghra can drag Mal off to search further in the workshop, Alina tries to patch things up. But Mal knows that Alina needs to focus on her task, and so does he. Mal wants to help her save Ravka, even if that means putting himself to the side.

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We shift to Inej’s hallucination, where Kaz and her break down their boundaries. Inej realizes that she is in a hallucination. She is able to wake up, and Wylan feeds her one of the butterflies that serve as the antidote. They force-feed them to each other, and the poison is dealt with. Kaz awakes with Inej’s hands on him, and he builds up another wall against her.

Back at the workshop, Mal and Baghra return to the graves of her mom and sister. It turns out that the little village boy her father saved was actually her sister, who is the Firebird. She passed that ability on through her family – more importantly, Mal. Mal can’t find the Firebird because he is the Firebird. Now talk about a plot twist. Mal must sacrifice his life to give Alina the power to tear down the Fold and save everyone, or she will die trying to do it without his power. Inside, Alina is going through the books looking for mention of the Firebird when Kirigan appears and attacks.

“Ni Weh Sesh” returns to The Disciple’s mansion as she returns and finds Kaz, Jesper and Tolya unconscious on the floor. Inej sneaks down from the rafters, but the slightest clink of her jacket gives her away. A fight breaks out, and Jesper and Tolya join in, only to discover that The Disciple is also a Grisha. It seems like the three might not be able to take her out alone.

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We quickly shift back to the workshop with Kirigan continuing his assault on Alina. He tells her about what he did to the First Army and her home and what he plans to do for her disobedience. The fight against The Disciple continues at the mansion as Nina (Danielle Galligan) and Zoya (Sujaya Dasgupta) arrive to help. Tolya tries to get her to understand they are just there for the blade, but she doesn’t believe that.

Zoya and Nina bowing before the Saint.

Shadow and Bone. (L to R) Jack Wolfe as Wylan, Sujaya Dasgupta as Zoya Nazyalensky, Danielle Galligan as Nina Zenik in episode 206 of Shadow and Bone. Cr. Dávid Lukács/Netflix © 2023

At the workshop, Mal hears Alina fighting with Kirigan inside, and Baghra joins the fray by connecting to him through their shared blood. She tells Mal to let the place burn and her with it after she manages to kill her son. Baghra breaks Kirigan’s connection to Alina, and Mal forces her out, telling her he knows where to find the Firebird. In Baghra’s final moments, she tries to summon enough power to use the cut but cannot. Instead, she calls just enough to cut off his hand.

“Ni Weh Sesh” shifts back to the Crows as they suffer at the hands of The Disciple. It comes to an end when Kaz arrives with another gentleman (Simon Armstrong) in tow. It turns out that he is the actual art thief known as The Disciple, and the woman protecting him is his wife. And in another twist of events, that woman is the real Sankta Neyar, the creator of the blade.

Kaz refers to The Disciple as Sankta Neyar’s weakness, and she drops some heavy advice on him about finding true love and finding strength in that. Living alone and shutting out from the world isn’t living at all. Let’s just hope that Kaz heard that loud and clear. They explain what they need the blade for, and Tolya tells her about Alina and their hope for uniting the two countries. She agrees to lend them the blade but will only give it to Jesper.

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Inside, Sankta Neyar calls out Jesper for his terrible skills as a Durast and tells him not to waste his power. Jesper realizes she is right and thanks her for the poison that let him see his mother. Outside, he passes the blade to Kaz before rushing to find Wylan. He tells him that he is done hiding who he is, not just for himself but for Wylan as well. The two seem to have finally gotten through the issues and are on their way to their happily ever after.

Zoya, Nina and Tolya share a quick quip about whether it is worth falling in love and losing everything. Zoya feels like Sankta Neyar is only setting herself up to fail, while  Nina can’t wait to be away from all of this and happily in love with Matthias (Calahan Skogman). Kaz and Inej believe everyone else lost their minds in the room. Now if only Inej would open up about her hallucination.

“Ni Weh Sesh” returns to Ravka, where Alina and Mal regroup with Nikolai and the others. She informs them of Baghra’s sacrifice and no longer being able to feel Kirigan. Though to play it safe, they decide to treat the situation as if he still lives. The team decides to break into two, one to head straight to face Kirigan while the other goes with Alina and Mal to retrieve the Firebird.

Once alone, Mal tells Alina everything. He tells him about their connection and who his family is, and that he is the Firebird. Knowing Mal will have to die, Alina tries to persuade him to run away with her. He won’t have it, though. He is willing to sacrifice his life to ensure that she doesn’t just live but saves Ravka. It’s a bittersweet yet touching moment as the two finally allow themselves to find comfort in each other.

The episode comes to a close as Kirigan fuses with Baghra’s bone dust to create an amplifier and a new hand. As he relives her final moments, he learns that Mal is the Firebird.

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And you get a plot twist, and you get a plot twist, and you get a plot twist. What a way to catch us on our toes. Now that Alina and Mal know the truth about the Firebird and the Crows have the blade, it looks like the last two episodes are leading us to the big battle. But will Alina really sacrifice Mal, and will the blade be enough? On a side note, it was crushing to see Baghra go, but she did want she needed to protect Ravka’s only saving grace.

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