Warning: Spoilers for Shadow and Bone season 2 and the books.
The ending of Shadow and Bone season 2 introduced a new drug named jurda parem and it has the potential to upend the power of Grisha. The second season of Shadow and Bone saw Alina and the Darkling once again squaring off, with Alina and her allies working to destroy the Shadow Fold. Along the way, the young king Nikolai Lantsov worked to get the First Army and the Grisha to set aside their mutual distrust and work together to save Ravka.
However, a twist was unexpectedly introduced in the Shadow and Bone season 2 finale when a Fjerdan assassin who appeared to be unwell infiltrated the coronation of Nikolai and attempted to assassinate him. Juxtaposed with this were scenes of the Crows with Kaz Brekker explaining that there's a new drug on the market known as jurda parem, and it gives Grisha terrifying powers. Considering the ferocious and uncontrolled power of the Heartrender assassin, jurda parem will change the game in Shadow and Bone season 3.
Jurda Parem Explained
It's Kaz who explains the potential danger of the drug and how it came to be. There was a chemist who created it and, once he discovered what he'd done, he fled to Kerch to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. However, the Fjerdans intercepted him. Considering the Fjerdans' lust for war and their eye on Ravka, there will be nothing that stops the militant kingdom from taking over Ravka, if not the world.
This is the setup for the Crows' own spinoff books, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, and, if rumors are to be believed, for the Six of Crows spinoff in the works. In the books, the Shu chemist Bo Yul-Bayur accidentally creates jurda parem when attempting to create a drug that will suppress the powers of a Grisha and prevent detection. Instead, it does the opposite, and when he attempts to flee the country with his son, he's instead caught by Fjerdan spies and imprisoned. It's up to Kaz and the Crows to infiltrate the Ice Court and do the impossible – spring Bo Yul-Bayur from prison.
How Powerful Does Jurda Parem Make Grisha?
Jurda parem makes Grisha incredibly powerful. Unfortunately, it is also immediately addictive; the more a Grisha uses it, the faster it kills them. The Heartrender assassin in Shadow and Bone season 2 was just a taste. While barely even trying, she was capable of crushing the hearts, blood vessels, bodies of an entire room of dignitaries, even other powerful Grisha. Jurda parem takes what an amplifier does and makes it look like child's play. As Kaz explains, "If Grisha take it, their power is amplified a thousand times over."
That power comes with a price, though. Not only does the drug weaken the Grisha who take it, but so does the unnatural amount of power coursing through them. Jurda parem is so addictive that it's impossible for a Grisha to stop using it, though, and they'll do anything to get another dose. Considering the Fjerdans' hatred of Grisha, it's entirely likely they'll create an army of Grisha addicted to jurda parem to use as weapons (and in the books, that's exactly what they attempt). Using Grisha as disposable weapons is fine by the Fjerdans; they have no problem burning through Grisha and discarding them when finished. Whatever happens, it certainly raises the stakes for Shadow and Bone season 3 and beyond.