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And then the first book, before the Darkling even came into the picture, starts with this:

"When we’d first started our military service a year ago, Mal had visited me almost every night. But he hadn’t come by in months."

You clearly can see how desperate Mal is to spend time with Alina when nobody is preventing him from doing so. Practically doesn't leave her side for a second. And she certainly doesn't note in an extremely bitter tone how his attention is focused on other, prettier girls.

Besides, if the Darkling "isolated poow Alina to make her feel lonely and therefore easier to manipulate", he clearly didn't do his job well: Alina kept complaining that he wa almost never in the LP, and even when he was, he was minding his busines. Alina interacted more frequently with literally anyone in the little palace than she did with the Darkling.

And then again, having Genya burn the letters didn't seem to work too well in terms of making Alina forget Mal.

But he had gotten my letters. What had he done with all of them? Had he even bothered to open them? Had he sighed with embarrassment when the fifth and the sixth and the seventh arrived? I cringed. Please write, Mal. Please don’t forget me, Mal.

Yeah, very helpful, now she is moping even harder.

But you know who motivated her to let Mal go? Baghra, apparenty.

I stood up, knocking my chair back with a clatter. “This is a waste of time.” “Is it? What else do you have to do with your days? Make maps? Fetch inks for some old cartographer?” “There’s nothing wrong with being a mapmaker.” “Of course not. And there’s nothing wrong with being a lizard either. Unless you were born to be a hawk.”

It's a shame we forgot about this thesis by book three, and Alina was made an otkazats'ya despite being born to be a Grisha.

Where are you going?” she called after me, her voice mocking. “What’s waiting for you out there?” “Nothing!” I shouted at her. “No one!"

See? Baghra is doing a much better job at "cutting Alina off Mal, reminding her that there is no one waiting for her anywhere else. And look, it's working:

Baghra was right. I’d thought I was making such an effort, but deep down, some part of me just wanted to go home to Mal.[....] It was time to let go. That day on the Shadow Fold, Mal had saved my life, and I had saved his. Maybe that was meant to be the end of us.

And as soon as she decided to let go, she was able to summon her light.

That grief flooded through me, dissolving a knot that I hadn’t even known was there. I closed my eyes, feeling tears slide down my cheeks, and I reached out to the thing within me that I’d kept hidden for so long. I’m sorry, I whispered to it. I’m sorry I left you so long in the dark. I’m sorry, but I’m ready now. I called and the light answered. I felt it rushing toward me from every direction, skimming over the lake, skittering over the golden domes of the Little Palace, under the door and through the walls of Baghra’s cottage. I felt it everywhere. I opened my hands and the light bloomed right through me, filling the room, illuminating the stone walls, the old tile oven, and every angle of Baghra’s strange face. It surrounded me, blazing with heat, more powerful and more pure than ever before because it was all mine. I wanted to laugh, to sing, to shout. At last, there was something that belonged wholly and completely to me.

All she had to do was to stop clinging to her shitbag of "a childhood friend" for a second, and look how much happier she is! And that's not even "an eeeevil, corrupting amplifier", it's just her magic she was born with.

When it comes to redemption, however, he is still a long way from it. He still carries a part of the brilliant boy he once was, but he is far from innocent. And when he makes a threat, he truly means it. He is not a man who speaks empty words—his words are every bit as calculated as his actions.

Sorry it took me a minute to reply, I was spending time with my family over the 4th of July.

Please know that this is not meant to be hate or disdain towards you or your beliefs, merely an analysis of your words and why I disagree with what you said.

Firstly, Aleksander does not "have some very human qualities" as you put it: He is human, irrevocably and unchangeably. While he may be much older than your ordinary human, he still feels and thinks and acts dangerously, achingly human. He loves his mother and puts up with her cruelty and bitterness, even though that is the last thing she deserves, because like all people, he desires nothing more than to give and receive love (as evidenced by how SHE IS STILL ALIVE AFTER ALL THIS TIME. A real monster would have killed her the second she got on his nerves. Aleksander does get openly irritated with her behavior, yes, who wouldn't. But it takes her betrayal in sending Alina away for him to finally DO something to her. And as several people on this platform have pointed out, there is no good reason presented in the text as to why she could not remove the shadows over her eyes herself). He is fiercely devoted to and protective of the Grisha, because they are his people, his culture, his lifeblood (Even though little to nothing has changed regarding the treatment of Grisha - go read Demon in the Wood and compare how the Grisha were treated then vs how they are treated in other nations during the Grisha Trilogy - he has remained in a position of servitude and stuck with the Grisha rather than disappearing with his dear ole' mum or striking out on his own). And I believe that he truly loved Alina -perhaps not entirely romantically, but he cares for her despite her flaws, despite the fact that she made them enemies (How and why could he have trusted Alina with the truth of who he was? Why did he laugh at her frankly unfunny jokes? Why did he never take advantage of their tether to manipulate her into coming to him, or at least break her mentally? He didn't even really say anything to her until that night she asked him why he didn't leave her alone!). Aleksander has not become uncaring and cold in the endless centuries of pain and loss. That's very clear to me in the text. He was born human, he died human, and even in resurrection was human. You will not and can not convince me otherwise.

"Whenever he doesn't get what he wants, he behaves like a wounded child" so first he's not really human and now he's a child. Please, pick a lane. And please give me an example of him acting "like a wounded child" because I quite frankly do not recall any such instances. Aleksander's a good bit emotionally constipated, alas, but he is very much a man. A very thoughtful, careful general, mind you. One who has BEEN LEADING A BLOODY ARMY FOR ABOUT 400 YEARS.

"He craves the love of a desperate nation" he craves love period. Because his mother never gave it to him and his relationships with anyone else will always be shadowed by the sad fact that he will eventually lose them all. Because that's part of what makes him human. Are you wrong for wanting the love of your family? For wanting people to like and understand you? Or does that make you and me just as depraved and "inhumane" as him?

I also don't think it's only love he seeks. I think he also craves acknowledgement, to be appreciated for everything he's done not just for Grisha, but for all of Ravka. To cease to be their monster. To be recognized as the savior for once in his life. For someone to look and say "good job, you did well". But that could very well merely be me self-projecting myself onto him.

Need I remind you why Ravka is so desperate to begin with? Because of the incompetence of mortal men, particularly the Lanstov line.

"And he craves power" well why does he? What does he intend to use that power for? I always understood it as him wanting power so he can finally enact lasting change for the benefit of Grisha and Ravka. There are also several others on Tumblr whom I follow and repost often who have reached the same conclusion. Ones like stromuprisahat, lilu787788, rotteddesires, and starrfettii, to name a few, who are Darkling supporters who often post detailed analysis on Leigh Bardugo's work and the Shadow and Bone Show that I highly recommend you take a look at.

"When it comes to redemption, however, he is still a long way from it." This I actually agree with you on. Because Aleksander needs no redemption. Merriam-Webster defines redemption as "the act, process, or an instance of serving to offset or compensate for a defect". Usually people use the term redemption to refer to villains or antagonists changing their ways and joining the protagonist's side.

Sasha has no major defects that require offsetting, nor would I EVER want him to change or join ALINA'S side of the fight. He's perfect just the way he is.

"He still carries a part of the brilliant boy he once was, but he is far from innocent." Nobody in the bloody Grishaverse is an innocent. Alina murdered an entire skiff full of ambassadors and soldiers, for crying out loud. As for that "brilliant boy part"... *sigh* Listen, one of the reasons I hate Alina so much is because she can only ever seem to compare Aleksander to a child or a monster, never the man he is. And you seem to have the same problem. Please, try and form an independent opinion on the state of this man's soul outside of the verbatim Alina constantly spews before talking to me again.

"And when he makes a threat, he truly means it." I SHOULD BLOODY HOPE SO, given that HE'S A MILITARY LEADER who seeks political power!!!! Seriously, what's even the point of making a threat if you cannot or will not follow through on it? If you don't follow through on your word, it shows that you don't have the strength or integrity to be seriously considered trustworthy, and it undermines your authority. That's just common observation skills, dear.

"He is not a man who speaks empty words—his words are every bit as calculated as his actions." Again, THAT'S A GOOD THING, AND NOT SOMETHING TO HOLD AGAINST HIM, UNLIKE THAT GOOD-FOR-NOTHING HUMAN FLASHLIGHT AND THE PUPPY PRINCE.

The only thing about Aleksander that does exceed human capabilities is actually his patience. Because your regular human would have burned the whole circus down centuries ago.

Show Darkling be like: "Okay, I'll go to her, try and talk to her, try and gently get her to see my point of view. She may be incredibly difficult right now, but I'm sure she can be convinced to see the truth."

How anyone can like this bitch in any other than love to hate way? She loves lying and manipulating these young and stupid girls and then shift the blame on her son.

…so the theory that Ilya created the Shadow Summoners is canon for the show? Then what Alina is?

“Kirigan didn’t want me to have an amplifier. So he didn’t teach me about this. Maybe there’s another way to do this.” How does she keep pulling this shit out of her ass? She should pull her head out instead.

Alina is stupid fucker who doesn't know the fuck mercy is, not peasant at all, privileged cunt so fine with the Stag's suffering, AND

I hate that they changed the dagger on the Cut.

“Torches,” he said. I heard flint striking and two torches burst into flame, lighting the clearing, the soldiers, and the stag, which lay panting on the ground. The Darkling pulled a heavy knife from his belt, and the firelight glinted off Grisha steel. “We’ve wasted enough time here.” He strode forward and without hesitating slit the stag’s throat.

/Shadow and Bone, Chapter 19/

The right way.

“You murderer! You stupid fool!” Who said oink? Oh, it was Alina? Then I'm not surprised. It's not my problem if they race-swaped this swine, blame the writers, she was one in the books and is one in the show.

I hate Inej, I hate Kaz, should I say more?

They… did the whole collar thing stupider than in the book, trying to make the end with Alina taking control over light look less stupid, congratulations! What's new?

Um… Alina is disgusting, disgusting thing, but even S1 Genya is more pathetic and stupid than S&S Genya, which is very sad. Shame on the writers.

Someone explain to Alina what the fuck a "soldier" means, I'm afraid Ravkan not her native language after all, which is expected considering her orphanage.

I won't comment how stupid it is, because the whole Crow's plot is stupid as fuck, these disgusting rats has no place in this show, TGT had enough of them already, namely Alina, Mal, Baghra, Nikolai, Zoya…

Did they seriously put on the bigoted otkazat'sya lips, words how he would hunt down and bring to the king the head of the ancient member of a persecuted minority that still is being hunted, tortured, and raped, as if it were a damn sport? And I should what, applauding 👏?

…did anyone on the set tell Archie that these duck-like lips didn't make him look more serious?

Look, if I was here for the adaptation I would be so disappointed, they cannot let the Darkling has his lines, but fortunately I'm here for more content to ship the Bookling and the Showling and to have a little more of Ivan. Alina is stupid bitch who's acting like the coup is something bad, using Genya's rape for her little feelings, making up bullshit and acting like that wasn't she who fucked up everything, but what's new?