@thewillowbends replied to your post:
I really hoped they’d correct that misstep from the book since it’s a rare example where a love triangle would have made a story more interesting, but I guess they didn’t want to upset readers? A redemption plotline would have done there series good, though, and the drop in quality in the narrative in ep 7 is noticeable for it. What they want us to think of the Darkling is incongruent with the dirt they gave him. And as for Mal... better than he was in the books, but where’s the tension now?
*past not dirt lol. The show might actually be worse because he was played MORE sympathetically, IMO. The Fold is clearly not an intentional mistake but an act of desperation, just one that he reconciled the guilt of by choosing to rationalize it as a weapon.
You can literally pinpoint the moment this series stopped being the flawed but otherwise well-done adaptation of an even more flawed book and just began pulling shit out of its ass, and that was in Episode 5 or 6. And even then I can’t really blame it since this was the exact direction of the books, but if I were in charge of the adaptation that would have been the first thing to change, imo. The original book was bland trope porridge with (1) strawberry and that was the Darkling-Alina connection (also the passion scene between them at the winter fête and the Darkling legit asking Alina if he could be with her tonight was straight out of a bodice ripper romance and I just. Had to be impressed by the sheer gutsiness of Bardugo just going there).
On the other hand, the changed origin story in the show does open the door much more widely to a redemption arc, definitely. The Darklina scenes were so delicious, despite Bardugo’s involvement, that I’m sure there must have been some rogue writers who know exactly where the narrative’s logical progression, what it means vis-à-vis the romance, and are just rolling with it. As for Ben Barnes, I am one hundred percent convinced he got one eyeful of Book!Darkling’s continual vilification throughout the series and said, “Nah son villain is just Mr. Rochester and Mr. Darcy’s hotter broken hero emo love child I got you” and just played him accordingly. (And everybody clapped!!!). But there is only so much he could do if the writers insist on following Bardugo’s nonsensical plot beats, which wouldn’t work on this version of the Darkling anyway.
So yes, this is the one series where a good and proper love triangle would have worked, (and to be fair they do seem to be doing some fair amount of playing and baiting on both sides), symbolizing Alina’s torn desires between a humble, ordinary life and her new Grisha identity and role to play in larger politics. So if the writers could please avoid the subtle sexist double standard of male heroes unflinchingly choosing the latter and being empowered by it but heroines having to renounce their power because “corruption”...that would be greeeeaaat.
