When Netflix’s Shadow and Bone returned for its highly anticipated second season on March 16, 2023, dedicated fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse were thrilled to dive back into the fantasy epic. But amid the supernatural battles, intricate heist missions, and the dark powers of General Kirigan, something caught viewers off guard. Season 2, Episode 6 featured a simple yet profound title card: a dedication to Gary Fryklind. Almost immediately, curious fans turned to Google, searching “Who is Gary Fryklind?” The answer reveals a touching story of family, artistic influence, and the quiet legacy of a man who shaped the very soul behind the series.
Gary Fryklind wasn’t a Hollywood executive or a famous producer whose name you’d recognize from blockbuster credits. He was something far more meaningful to the show’s co-showrunner, Daegan Fryklind—he was her father. And while his name might not have appeared in entertainment headlines during his lifetime, his impact on Daegan’s creative journey and, by extension, on Shadow and Bone itself, cannot be overstated.
The Man Behind the Name: Gary Fryklind’s Life and Legacy
Gary Fryklind passed away on April 22, 2021, leaving behind a legacy that extended far beyond his professional accomplishments. Known affectionately as “Gary Fryk” to his students and colleagues, he dedicated much of his life to teaching high school art. Anyone whose had a truly great art teacher knows the kind of lasting impression they leave—the way they don’t just teach technique but encourage you to see the world differently, to express what’s inside you that you didn’t even know was there.
But teaching wasn’t Gary’s only passion. He was a man of diverse interests and simple pleasures. Golf courses knew him well, as did his workshop where he’d spend hours on carpentry projects, crafting things with his hands in that meditative way that creative people often do. California road trips were another favorite, those long drives where the landscape changes and you have time to think, to talk, to just be present with the people you love.
His grandchildren have their own special memories: afternoons at the movie theater, watching stories unfold on the big screen (perhaps unknowingly planting seeds for his daughter’s future in television), and the warm, comforting smell of his homemade cinnamon buns. These details might seem small, but they paint a picture of someone who understood that life’s richness comes from these everyday moments of connection and creativity.
Gary also worked in television production himself, contributing to supernatural series like Bitten and The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco. So the entertainment industry wasn’t entirely foreign territory for the Fryklind family—there was already a foundation there, a understanding of what it takes to bring stories to life on screen.
Daegan Fryklind’s Tribute: A Daughter’s Love
In June 2021, just weeks after her father’s death, Daegan Fryklind shared a photograph of Gary on Instagram. The post was raw with grief but also filled with gratitude for the time they’d had, especially during the difficult months of the global pandemic when so many families were separated or struggling. She wrote about his smile, about the spirit he maintained even when the world felt heavy and uncertain.
Father’s Day that year must have been particularly difficult. Daegan reflected publicly about what she missed: watching the US Open together (Gary’s love of golf extending to following the sport’s biggest moments), their text message exchanges that kept them connected across distances, the phone calls where he’d ask about her work and genuinely want to understand the creative challenges she was facing.
What stands out in Daegan’s memories is how her father supported her career in tangible, meaningful ways. He wasn’t just proud from a distance—he engaged with her work, understood the pressures of being a showrunner, and offered the kind of encouragement that only a parent who truly believes in their child can provide.
The Artistic Foundation: How Gary Shaped Daegan’s Creative Path
In a 2015 interview with Nice Girls TV, long before Shadow and Bone came into her life, Daegan Fryklind spoke about growing up in a household where creativity wasn’t just tolerated—it was celebrated. Her childhood was filled with poetry, art, and dreams that some parents might have gently (or not so gently) tried to redirect toward more “practical” pursuits. Not Gary and his wife.
They did something remarkable: they framed Daegan’s poems. Think about what that means to a young person trying to find their voice. Your parents don’t just stick your work on the refrigerator with a magnet—they actually frame it, treating it with the same respect they’d give to any professional artist’s work. That kind of validation tells a child that their creative expression matters, that what they have to say is worth preserving and displaying.
This wasn’t accidental. As an art teacher himself, Gary understood fundamentally that artistic paths are legitimate, valuable, and worth pursuing even when they’re uncertain or unconventional. He knew from his own experience that teaching young people to express themselves creatively was some of the most important work anyone could do. So when his own daughter showed artistic inclinations, he didn’t just accept it—he actively nurtured it.
That foundation, built over years of encouragement and support, helped shape Daegan into the artist and showrunner she is today. When she works on developing characters like Alina Starkov or the complex dynamics between the Crows of Ketterdam, when she’s making decisions about pacing or emotional beats in episodes like “Ni Weh Sesh” or “I Have No Heart,” there’s a part of her father’s influence in those choices. The confidence to trust her creative instincts, to take risks, to believe that stories matter—those came from somewhere, and that somewhere was home.
Shadow and Bone: Where the Tribute Lives
The dedication to Gary Fryklind appears in Season 2, Episode 6 of Shadow and Bone, a series that has captivated audiences with its adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s beloved Grishaverse novels. The show weaves together storylines from the original Shadow and Bone trilogy (which includes Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising) with elements from the Six of Crows duology, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected characters and plots.
For those unfamiliar, the series follows Alina Starkov, played beautifully by Jessie Mei Li, as she discovers she possesses rare powers that could be the key to saving her war-torn world. Her childhood friend Mal, portrayed by Archie Renaux, stands by her side as they navigate the dangerous politics of the Grisha (people with magical abilities) and face the dark ambitions of General Kirigan, the Darkling, brought to life by Ben Barnes in a performance that’s both charismatic and chilling.
Season 2 expands the world considerably, bringing in fan-favorite characters from Six of Crows like the sharp-shooting Nina Zenik (Danielle Galligan) and the brilliant but underestimated Wylan Hendricks (Jack Wolfe). The Crows operate out of Ketterdam, a city inspired by Amsterdam’s canal culture and criminal underworld, where they run schemes from their base at the Crow Club and face off against the ruthless mob boss Pekka Rollins.
The show doesn’t shy away from complexity. Characters travel through the Fold, a supernatural darkness filled with mythical creatures that has divided the world. Heist missions unfold with the precision and tension that made the Six of Crows books so beloved. Each episode builds on the last, creating momentum that keeps viewers invested in these characters’ fates.
And in the middle of all this fantasy and adventure, there’s that title card. A quiet moment acknowledging that behind all the magic and storytelling, there are real people with real losses, and that sometimes the best way to honor someone is to dedicate your work to their memory.
Why the Tribute Matters
You might wonder why a dedication card in a fantasy series sparked so much curiosity and online searching. The answer says something important about how we consume media today. Audiences are more connected than ever to the people who create the shows they love. We follow showrunners on social media, we read interviews, we want to understand the creative process and the humans behind it.
When viewers see a dedication like this, they recognize it as something significant—a departure from the usual credits and acknowledgments. It’s personal in a way that feels different from thanking a mentor or acknowledging a consultant. This is someone who mattered deeply to the person creating the art we’re enjoying.
There’s also something universally resonant about the parent-child creative legacy. Many of us have had people in our lives—parents, teachers, mentors—who believed in us when we weren’t sure we believed in ourselves. Who told us it was okay to pursue the impractical dream, to write the story, to take the risk. Gary Fryklind was that person for Daegan, and through her work, his influence touches everyone who watches Shadow and Bone.
The Broader Impact of Creative Encouragement
Gary Fryklind’s story isn’t just about one family or one show. It’s a reminder of how creative support ripples outward in ways we can’t always predict or measure. As a high school art teacher, Gary likely influenced hundreds of students over his career. Some of them probably went on to pursue creative fields themselves. Others might not have become artists professionally, but they learned to see beauty differently, to express themselves, to understand that creativity is a valid way of engaging with the world.
And then there’s his daughter, whose work on a major Netflix production reaches millions of viewers worldwide. People in dozens of countries have now been introduced to the Grishaverse because of the show Daegan helped bring to life. They’ve fallen in love with Alina and Mal’s story, they’ve been captivated by the Darkling’s complexity, they’ve rooted for the Crows as they navigate impossible odds.
That’s the thing about creative influence—it doesn’t end with one person. It spreads, it grows, it touches lives in ways that would be impossible to trace or quantify. Every viewer who felt something while watching Shadow and Bone, every person who was inspired to read Leigh Bardugo’s books or to pursue their own creative projects, is in some small way connected to the encouragement Gary Fryklind gave his daughter decades ago.
Remembering Gary Fryklind
So who is Gary Fryklind? He was a father who framed his daughter’s poems. An art teacher who understood that teaching creativity is teaching hope. A craftsman who found satisfaction in working with his hands. A grandfather who made cinnamon buns and shared movie afternoons. A man who enjoyed golf, road trips through California, and supporting the people he loved in their dreams.
He was also, though he might not have thought of himself this way, an essential part of what makes Shadow and Bone the show it is. Not because he worked on it directly, but because he helped shape the person who did. The values he instilled, the confidence he built, the creative foundation he laid—these are all there in the show, invisible but essential, like the structure beneath a beautiful building.
The tribute in Season 2, Episode 6 ensures that Gary Fryklind’s name is now permanently part of the Grishaverse adaptation. It’s a small moment in screen time but a significant one in meaning. It tells us that behind every story we love, there are other stories—of family, loss, love, and the quiet ways we shape each other’s lives.
For fans who searched “Who is Gary Fryklind?” and found themselves reading about a high school art teacher from California, maybe it served as a reminder that the people who make our entertainment possible are human, with their own joys and griefs, their own loved ones and losses. And maybe it reminded some of us to think about the Gary Fryklind in our own lives—the person who encouraged us, who believed in us, who helped us become who we are.
That’s a legacy worth celebrating, worth remembering, and absolutely worth a title card dedication in a fantasy epic watched by millions around the world.
