Books vs. Show: Compare And Contrast

[Meredith Quill]

This is the place to discuss how the show so far differs from the books and to ask any book related questions. Show only watchers - enter at your own risk!

[Haleth]

Something is bothering me.  I've read the first book and never is the Darkling referred to as anything but the Darkling.  Why do you think he was given his name in the show?  For the first 1.5 episodes I kept wondering who Alexander Kirigan was until it finally occurred to me that that is his given name.  It wasn't until the 3rd episode that the title "the Darkling" is even mentioned, and that by a Fjerdan guy.

[MissLucas]

I wondered about that too. Maybe because they thought the name was a bit too much on the nose? I don't know, just reading 'Darkling' didn't actually make me think that the guy was evil, dubious maybe. But Darkling plus the visual of Ben Barnes clad in black leather is a lot to keep a neutral or at least ambiguous mind about the character. 

[Llywela]

I haven't read the books so had no idea his given name wasn't used there. From my perspective, it seemed entirely fitting that the name and rank of this important general would be used in a military setting, with his less conventional moniker more of a whisper among the ranks. That seemed completely believable and made the character more grounded than if everyone called him by that nickname only.

[Black Knight]

On 4/30/2021 at 10:41 AM, MissLucas said:

I don't know, just reading 'Darkling' didn't actually make me think that the guy was evil, dubious maybe.

Not a reader of the books, but when I heard it on the show, I immediately thought such because I took it as a nod to the P.C. Hodgell fantasy series in which Perimal Darkling is the Big Bad. (I'm not giving away any twists in mentioning that as it is established upfront.)

[xfuse]

On 5/1/2021 at 10:12 AM, Llywela said:

I haven't read the books so had no idea his given name wasn't used there. From my perspective, it seemed entirely fitting that the name and rank of this important general would be used in a military setting, with his less conventional moniker more of a whisper among the ranks. That seemed completely believable and made the character more grounded than if everyone called him by that nickname only.

Darkling is not a nickname, it's who he is. He creates darkness.

In the books only two people know his real name. We don't find out his name or his history for a very long time and it's very important and a big part of the story.

[angora]

Quote

1. For the Fold being impenetrable, people cross it a lot. I mean, a LOT.
2. I try to pay close attention, but I literally have no idea what side of the Fold the characters are on. I just know they cross it, or go into it a little and back out again. I was convinced that Mal and Alaina are starting on the WEST side, and journey to the EAST, while Kaz and the Crows are on the EAST and travel WEST. But I may have that backwards.

In one instance, Kaz and the Crows go to a lot of trouble to cross the Fold, and the next episode they are heading right through it again. So what was the point? I really, truly have no idea which way people travelled through the Fold. As someone else said, this show would benefit from a Game of Thrones style opening credits, showing which cities/areas are going to be focused on this episode. I realize I could stop, look up the episode online, and orient myself, but I think it would take me out of the show too much. Plus, I am worried about learning spoilers by reading any Wiki articles. Game of Thrones put me off reading Wikis in the middle of a show:

From the 1x01 thread.

I agree that the geography is pretty murky in season 1, and it gets tricky to keep track of where we are. I appreciated getting the quick shots of the map in season 2 as we were moving from country to country.

If you're still fuzzy on how it all works, here's the map:

The Fold separates a small portion of western Ravka from the rest of the country. The eastern side is where most of the population lives, and where the capital city is, home to the royal family and the Little Palace (where the Grisha live/train.) The western side has access to the sea, so their they're the ones that get all the trade/exports. In order for eastern Ravka to get supplies/food they can't make themselves, a skiff has to bring materials through the Fold. There's no way around, because Ravka's at war with the countries on either border (Fjerda and Shu Han.) In season 2, Nikolai's flying machine is still a prototype, so flying over the Fold isn't really an option for them at this point.

At the start of the show, Alina and Mal are at a military camp on the eastern side of the Fold, where there's about to be a crossing to pick up supplies and bring them back east. When the skiff is attacked by volcra and Alina uses her power for the first time, they're closer to the east than the west, so they turn around and go back to the camp. That's where Kirigan tests Alina and takes her to the Little Palace (all in the east.) Alina's mapmaker friend Alexei, who got thrown/jumped(?) off the skiff during the attack, is the only one who winds up on the western side to tell them what happened.

General Zlatan, the non-Grisha military guy in season 1, was a leader from western Ravka. He wanted to break with the royal family and make the west its own nation, leaving the eastern majority of the country to rot/starve without its shipments of supplies. But his push for western independence doesn't really work if there's a Sun Summoner who can tear down the Fold, so he enlists Arken to kill Alina during the Crows' heist, preserving his own political power.

Kaz and the Crows aren't from Ravka at all. Ketterdam is on the island nation of Kerch (southwest on the map.) It's a bustling port city that attracts people from all over the region--Inej is Suli (part of a traveler culture originally from Ravka,) while Jesper is Zemeni (from Novyi Zem, northwest on the map.) Ketterdam has tons of trade, lots of pleasure houses, and plenty of criminals. When the Crows get hired for the heist in season 1, they take a ship to western Ravka and then use Arken's train to get through the Fold. They spend the rest of the season in eastern Ravka, and they don't cross the Fold again until the season finale, when they con their way onto the skiff that Kirigan is bringing Alina across on. At the end of episode 8, everybody is at a port in western Ravka, boarding ships to leave the country. The Crows are going back to Kerch/Ketterdam, and Nina is going there too (because that's where Matthias is being taken to jail as a "slaver.") Alina and Mal are going into hiding, and they end up in Novyi Zem.