EPISODE 7 RECAP
We start out with the story of how the Darkling created the Fold. After he was driven away from his palace advisor job, the Darkling and his Grisha friends were hunted by the king. A Grisha woman — could be either his friend or his beloved, it isn’t clear here — was killed. When cornered, the Darkling was so mad he used dark magic on them and the Shadow Fold was the byproduct.
Back to the present day. Alina and Mal find the stag, their plan was to let Alina kill the stag and get his horn to make her amplifier, this way the amplifier will serve her and Darkling won’t get any more powerful or crazy than he already is. But Alina hesitates when she stands in front of the stag. I get it, it’s cute and you used to draw it or whatever, but people, including you, might die, if you don’t do something. So hurry up.
The Darkling gets there on time, catches Mal and makes Alina choose between him and the stag. It’s a difficult choice.
Just kidding, not really. Not for Alina, anyway. This girl has made it clear that she will choose Mal over everything.
The Darkling kills the stag and has both Alina and Mal dragged back to his campsite. Alina confronts the Darkling about his lies. She implies that “Aleksander” is not even his real name. This ticks him off. That’s right, the Darkling can take any amount of insult. “Murderer”, “stupid fool”, etc. But “fake name”? You’ve gone one step too far, girl.
The failed date the other day aside, the Darkling says he only wants to destroy the Fold and asks for Alina’s cooperation. Alina agrees and then looks shocked and betrayed when he has the stag’s horn embedded on her collarbone so that he can control her light. To be honest, it shouldn’t come as that much of a shock. Did Alina really think the Darkling was completely honest about working together? She decided to trust Baghra completely about the Darkling’s evil intentions after what, 2 minutes of contemplation? So what’s the surprise here?
Inej and Kaz talk. Kaz finally admits that the sun summoner is real. The Crows decide to go back home. Never have I imagined the Crows to fail so miserably in a mission. They plan to sneak onto the skiff that the Darkling and Alina will be on the next day to demonstrate their joined power to the visiting ambassadors.
Alina is mad at Genya, who explains that she did what she had to do to survive, including withholding the truth from Alina. As long as she is the Darkling’s ally, she will be safe from the current lecherous king, who has harassed her before. That explanation might be too deep for Alina at the moment, though. Her mind seems to process only one thing: The whole world is against me except Mal.
The Darkling comes for a talk. Alina is beyond mad, and I don’t blame her. Look at that horrendous, unremovable piece of jewellery on her neck! Centuries of experience and this is the best design he could come up with?
The Darkling says that whatever he does is to create a safe world for Grisha, and he won’t let anything stand in his way. Alina makes him give an explanation for his plan to overthrow the king. Er… I never got the impression that you cared about your king or your country that much, Alina. And the old guy abused and harassed Genya, did you not listen!
Alina pushes on, the Darkling doubles down. They break up. D gets some unshed tears in his eyes again because Alina says she really believed they could have been together.
They walk out and get ready to get on the skiff. The Darkling expects Alina to do as he says about the Shadow Fold or Mal will die.