Grishaverse – Enneagram and Encaustic

THE DARKLING, THREE

What happens to a Three who lives for hundreds of years? Even success becomes boring eventually. He, Alina, and Mal are in a love triangle, plotwise and also in the Enneagram. Three to Six to Nine and around again. Strengths and weaknesses rebound back and forth. It’s all slightly inbred and squirmy.

He’s not only respected because his power is so overwhelming. He genuinely works to improve his Grisha army. Although his goal is basically world domination, he wants it for his team, not just for himself. It’s possible he cares for Alina as more than a tool. It’s hard to say; over the years he’s whittled away a lot of human frailty. What’s real and what are sales tactics with him isn’t always clear.

Again, Three. He’s fooled himself along with the rest of society. And the threat that he’ll take over all of civilization is not just a product of his evil power. He has the talent and personality of a Three that make his chance of success genuinely possible.

WYLAN VAN ECK, TWO

Unless you’ve read the books you won’t know Wylan, but he’s a wonderful character: the regular guy surrounded by the thieves. His outrage or confusion or ignorance stands in for us the audience, and he’s the vehicle for explanations. Over time we see his traumas, and we develop a deeper affection for and understanding of him. Other characters have pain from tragedy: parental death, slavery. His pain is inflicted by his father, and it’s unbelievably cruel.

My first instinct is to place him as a Head Type. He’s not physical, and he’s not socially adept. But wait. What about a Two? He’s incredibly awkward with his father, even before the abuse starts, and the rejection forms a lot of his character. Are these the actions of a tender heart that’s been damaged? Are his bombs a kind of Two collection?

He’s not a Seven. The underworld isn’t intriguing enough to him for that. He’s not worried or hesitant enough to be a Six. And the odds that he’s a Five when Kaz is one are too long. They don’t have the nerdy impersonal relationship Fives would have.

His gentle sweetness, and his perseverance in the face of deep betrayal, lead me to Two.

JESPER FAHEY, FOUR

He’s tricky because he’s got a secret. A lot of his character is facade of his own making and also of his childhood fears. As a gambling addict he must always present a lie, as any addict will.

Like the rest of the Crows, his show persona matches his book persona. I love the moment in the show when he clutches the goat, it’s so character revealing and clever.

He’s not a strategist. Leave that to Kaz. His is easily socially wounded, so possibly a Heart Type. But he’s also so physically brilliant, so possibly Body. He’s not heroic enough to be an Eight or Nine, and not fastidious enough for a One, though.

Ah, of course, he’s a Four. He’s stylish in his gunplay, lol! The way he masks his gentle heart seems Four-ish, as does his emotional recklessness. He doesn’t really guard his heart, leaving him open to further hurt. Yet he throws himself into relationships and events fearlessly, regardless. Really only a Four is willing to be simultaneously vulnerable and brave with their feelings.

MATTHIAS HELVAR, NINE

If Nina is a Four, Matthias is a Nine. That pull these two numbers share, a conflicted romance, is baked in. We can also see his Nine-ness in his skill: big man. He’s no Grisha, no rogue; he’s pure tank.

He’s basically a Hitler youth who grew up to realize the system he was taught as a child was horribly wrong. To go along unquestioning, seeking the camaraderie of the group and avoiding any conflict of dissent, is Nine. To realize the truth, to reexamine his principles, is also Nine. One of the only things that will move a Nine to battle is justice.

He’s written as stodgy and dense — a bit of a Buzz Lightyear. The joke’s often on him. Underneath, though, he’s a hero in a very traditional sense. He’ll never be the protagonist, as is common for a Nine, yet he has those traits. I think the author could’ve leaned in a little stronger on that aspect. His physicality is given its due, but his innate bravery is turned into comic relief a little too often for my comfort.

NINA ZENIK, FOUR

She’s a Four. This is a character who shouts her Enneagram number to the world.

Her passions are large and out in the open. Everyone feels her joie de vivre. She also has that Four stubbornness — remember, for a Four each day has a 50/50 chance to be terrible, so they aren’t dominated by bad times — that we can see when she’s caged in the ship’s hold. She’s a survivor, even through the worst that life offers.

I have a difficult time with Nina in both the show and the books. Her character is fine, but her romance with her captor is deeply problematic. This is a man from a culture that kills her people, a culture that has imprisoned her for being grisha, and she has every expectation that when the ship reaches port she’ll be tortured and put on trial with no hope of reprieve. She can come to see the good in Matthias, that he, too, is a victim of a culture that raised him from boyhood to hate her kind, but not as quickly as she does. The whole relationship is too fast, and it taints my impression of her character. It’s a shame, because she’s brave and loyal. There’s a lot of heroism in Nina, but it’s buried by this cringe-inducing rush to romance.

MAL ORETSEV, NINE

Mal is a man’s man. He can shoot, he can fight, and he can hunt. Women swoon.

Of course he’s a Nine. Physically, he dominates, even against grisha power. Conflict finds him, not the other way around. He wants a quiet life and ends up at the center of a maelstrom, valiantly heroic.

It also explains his relationship with Alina. He is her Enneagram strength number, she is his weakness number. This is why she’s drawn to him and he shies away from her.

In the first season of the show we don’t see how complicated their relationship is. They’re portrayed as hesitant romantics. In the book, though, they’re much more co-dependent. Because Alina has stuffed her sun summoning power, she’s psychologically and physically harmed. And Mal carries the weight of the trilogy (spoilers, darling), which shapes his character in ways the show has not yet addressed. Like Alina, the book version of him is not as likable. His Nine-ness, his reluctance to engage and shape his destiny, turns to nihilism, and the heroism a Nine carries is more of a burden for him. I like the actor and how he plays Mal; I hope the show can sidestep some of the darker aspects of his arc.

ALINA STARKOV, SIX

If you are unfamiliar with the “Grishaverse”, I sympathize. Until I watched the Netflix show, and then deep-dived into the novels, I had never heard of this IP. The Crows, the underworld gang characters, are much easier to scan and appreciate. How they’re written in the books is basically how they’re played in the show. They’re clear and extremely enjoyable.

However, Alina, the protagonist of the Netflix series and of the Grisha plotline, is portrayed very differently in each work. Because we only have one season, talking about the show is difficult. The novel, though, is complete. We can look at this particular Alina and make some choices.

Throughout the Shadow and Bone trilogy, is Alina a consistent character? Can the changes to her be explained by her summoning power? I don’t particularly like Alina, and I’m curious why that is.

INEJ GHAFA, ONE

Without a doubt this is a Body Type. The Wraith is an athletic phenomenon. She’s small, which suggests a One. Is this true?

Of course. She’s no Eight, certainly. Anger and impulse are not part of her character. She’s a dart, an arrow. A stab. These are not the movements of a Nine. Her quickness, litheness, and stealthiness all say One.

The orderliness of a One is there, too. Her gathering of secrets, her accumulation of knowledge, it’s like a filing system in her head. The city, its rooftops, are another filing system to Inej. Everything is so tidy.

She’s a One and Kaz is a Five. I love them both, but I don’t have high hopes that these Enneagram numbers will make a match if their story were ever to continue.

KAZ BREKKER, FIVE

He’s ruthless, of course. Incredibly smart. (“Is that scheming face?”) Iron-willed. That he can dominate even with his damaged leg suggests he isn’t a Body Type. His dexterity suggests he is. Are his lockpicking skills inherent, or a product of his determination?

Loyal. Patient. He doesn’t need instant gratification: his revenge plans go on for years.

He’s a Five. It’s his observational skills. He can find the best crew, and he can concoct the most efficient plans, because his brain is always processing data. Inej surprises him when she approaches him at the Menagerie. He didn’t know she was there, and he’s super impressed by that. Immediately he arranges to buy out her contract and offers her a job. After that she never surprises him again. He heightens his ability to observe her. He knows everyone’s tell, and realizes the moment he’s shown one of his own. It’s that uber-consciousness that identifies him.

Also, he loves his crew but he never shows it or even thinks in those terms. His loyalty and his planning are how he proves himself. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t do those things. This is very Head Type.