Shadow and Bone Season 2 concluded with more unanswered questions than anything else. What’s up with Alina (Jessie Mei Li)? What’s up with Nikolai (Patrick Gibson)? Are the Crows getting the spin-off they deserved from the start? Most importantly of all: where was the goat?
Yes, I’m talking about Milo. Known as Sankta Milo to fans and haters alike, Jesper’s (Kit Young) emotional support goat stole the world’s hearts in Season 1 with just a few accumulated minutes of screen time. The internet created memes as only the internet can, the official Shadow and Bone Instagram account released a Milo-only cut of Season 1 (because game recognizes game), and the bleating superstar made Inverse’s Scene Stealers of the year list. I’m not going to blame Season 2’s semi-muddled storyline purely on the lack of Milo, but we also can’t deny the amplifying (wink-wink) power of such an icon.
Milo Gave Jesper His First Big Moment
Season 1 had the unenviably tricky task of introducing the Crows separate from Alina’s story and merging the disparate groups in a climatic finale. For the most part, it was an organic achievement that allowed the Crows’ moral ambiguity and individual personalities to shine. Kaz (Freddy Carter) had his secrets and reserved intelligence; the compassionate Inej (Amita Suman) fought for her freedom; Jesper received a characterization grace note through a completely unexpected comedic foil. Enter Milo.
Once the trio agrees to retrieve Alina in exchange for a large sum of kruge, they ally with a local smuggler known as the Conductor (Howard Charles) so they can safely cross the Fold. The Conductor knows from a single glance that Jesper, good-natured and fabulously snarky by default, needs something to ground him during the dangerous journey. Naturally, of all the animals in the world, the Conductor chooses the fluffiest little goat known to man. And Jesper does indeed panic when volcra attack the train, leading The Conductor to shout, “I need you to calm down. Hug the goat, shut the hell up.”
Witness the birth of an instantaneous fan-favorite line. Jesper cuddling Milo in the heat of the moment gives the gunslinger the calming presence of mind necessary to move with clear focus and assured intent, shooting down volcra with effortless ease. If Jesper had failed to eliminate the threat, it’s very likely the Crows wouldn’t have survived. Add in some well-placed slow-motion and the camera spinning around his gun in close-up, and Jesper receives his first moment of true badassery courtesy of a white-and-black spotted goat.
Milo Inspired TV Magic
And let’s be honest: including Milo led to other iconic moments such as the perpetually gloomy, dour-faced Kaz deadpanning, “I’ll get the goat” and then attempting to 1) brood and 2) bond with Inej while carrying a metaphorical elephant in the room under his arm. Milo worked hard for that Netflix money and earned it; he was a surprisingly effective element and inspired viral moments that might have boosted the series’ word-of-mouth. Who’s the Darkling (Ben Barnes)? Never heard of him. It’s all about Milo. (I’m joking, Mr. Barnes, I promise.)
But we’re not done yet! Milo even proved crucial to Mal’s (Archie Renaux) escape in Episode 7. The bleating cuteness waddles over for a treat and Mal makes use of the bullet Jesper gave Milo to “remember” him by. Overall, it’s a sweet little callback to a semi-ludicrous but highly entertaining scenario.
Then there’s the icing on top of the cake: the Season 1 blooper reel. Fans can watch the gift that is one of Milo’s two “actors,” Ugri and Bugri, shrieking in Kaz’s arms with flawless comedic timing. Freddy Carter tries to save the scene before just giving up and turning around to try again, leaving Amita Suman cackling. Apparently, Ugri and Bugri were little menaces to their human costars, which tracks with what we know of goats.
The Haters Gonna Hate (And They’re Wrong)
As is the arc of the internet regarding anything popular, however, an inevitable backlash followed. The “#CookMilo” phenomenon popped up on social media following Season 1. As explained by Carter in a quiz video where the actors identify online slang, #CookMilo is “a hashtag used to denote negative feelings towards Milo after some fans felt there was too much emphasis on the goat in the weeks after Shadow and Bone Season 1 release.” Netflix Geeked themselves argued that Milo is overrated, a supposedly unpopular opinion that nevertheless earned agreement from some fans. In the same video interview, Kit Young showed confused outrage and quite emphatically disagreed with the notion. “Who did this?” he demands; we can imagine Jesper taking the same stance. (If it weren’t obvious, we at Collider also strongly, but politely, disagree.)
In contrast to their Season 1 debut, the Crows felt somewhat awkward and out of place in Season 2. Technically, the group doesn’t require a continued comedic foil, but at the same time, Milo was a delightful running gag and a sneaky way to establish the characters. Therefore, it’s time for Milo to return. He’s distinguished enough at this point to become the honorary seventh Crow, am I right?
