Neurodivergent Alley: Jesper Fahey (Shadow and Bone)

*Jesper-related spoilers.*

I had to do a little Googling to confirm, but this is the first canonical entry for Neurodivergent Alley. Because the Grishaverse doesn’t use the same terminology/diagnoses as our world, it’s never stated in the books or on the show, but author Leigh Bardugo has confirmed that she wrote Jesper as an ADHDer. I’m going to focus a lot on the show here, but I may bring in some book-specific stuff as well.

As far as ADHD representation goes, Jesper follows much of the classic archetype. He’s energetic to the point of restlessness, often spinning his revolvers as a stim; in the books, it’s mentioned that handling his revolvers is one of the only things that can help him feel settled. He’s easily distracted and can lose track of what people are saying or the task he’s been given. This is heightened by his gambling addiction, which gets him into trouble on different occasions, when he neglects his duties and heads to the tables. He’s impulsive and kind of reckless, thriving on the danger of life as a Crow. He talks a lot, sometimes compulsively, and speaking without thinking is another thing that can get him into trouble, like when he overcorrects in trying to reassure Wylan that he doesn’t think less of him for being dyslexic (yep, Shadow and Bone has all sorts of neurodiversity! More on Wylan another day.)

That’s all fairly obvious stuff. It’s easy to spot Jesper being super ADHD when he revels at the thought of a heist, or when he delightedly remembers how he knows Wylan in the middle of them being shot at. Not to knock it, though—it’s well portrayed, and Jesper is a wonderfully loveable character both onscreen and on the page.

However, there are also some less archetypal traits on display as well. Foremost for me is Jesper’s creativity. While Kaz is the Machiavellian master planner, Jesper’s quick thinking gets the Crows out of numerous scrapes (even if they’re occasionally scrapes of his own making.) This is especially evident in how we see him use his sharpshooting skills. To be sure, he’s a preternaturally good shot—unbeknownst to most of the characters, he’s Grisha, a Durast whose affinity for metals ensures that his bullets never miss. But beyond that, he uses his sharpshooting in inventive, outside-the-box ways. When Inej’s exit door is locked during their heist, he shoots the door-release lever, waiting for the exact moment the clock strikes so the guards won’t hear the gunshot. When he’s being hunted by a dangerous Grisha wearing a bulletproof kefta, Jesper immobilizes him by shooting him in the exact same spot three times, the repeated impact bringing him to his knees. It’s also in his shooting that we see Jesper’s hyperfocus, the calm that can come over him in a crisis when he’s confident in his abilities and knows exactly what to do. It’s just him and his bullets, and nothing else matters.

Finally, Jesper’s emotional openness feels very in line with his ADHD to me. He feels his emotions deeply and expresses them strongly. Whether that’s his panic when Volcra attack their train through the Fold, his sadness when he realizes Inej is planning to leave the Crows, or his glee when Alina falls into their lap right as they’re trying to kidnap her, everything he feels is plain on his face. Kaz and Inej play their cards much closer to the vest, so it’s good to have Jesper in the mix keeping things honest. What’s more, by getting his emotions out, he’s able to let them go more readily. He’s furious when Kaz’s vendetta against Pekka Rollins puts all of them in danger without warning them, but he’s sooner ready to make up, even feeding Kaz the apology he wants to hear so they can both move on.