Kaz is reminiscent of Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders, a sharply dressed outlaw loyal to his own who won’t be pushed around, despite not necessarily being physically stronger or more powerful than his enemies. He’s a self-made man, without the advantages of being Grisha, or of inherited wealth or status.
For fans of the show who haven’t read the books, Kaz is a mystery. We don’t know where he came from or what has driven him to be the way he is, though the show does an excellent job of creating a compelling character without filling in details that may well be explored in further series.
What we do know about Kaz is that he’s resourceful and intelligent. When presented with the opportunity to nab a job worth 1 million Kruge from fellow criminal Dreesen (Sean Gilder) he uses his wits to outsmart his rival Pekka Rollins (Dean Lennox Kelly) to win the job. Even though he doesn’t immediately know how he will cross The Fold and get to the Little Palace to kidnap Alina (Jessie Mei Li), he takes the job anyway, trusting in his own ability to come up with a solution.
Kaz is brave and extremely quick witted. He’s almost always one step ahead of everyone including his team – note the moment he realises Alina has a double, and guesses that Arken (Howard Charles), the Conductor, had his own separate agenda, using both bits of info to set up Arken and gain an advantage over Alina. This results in the death of Marie (Jasmine Blackborow), though not by Kaz’s hand and he’s not about to dwell on it.
Kaz thinks nothing of patrolling the Little Palace dressed as a guard despite having to relinquish his cane. He is also planning to drive the Conductors train through The Fold himself despite how dangerous it is. Though he rarely cracks a smile, we suspect Kaz might be a little bit of a thrill seeker at heart.
Kaz may be amoral but he isn’t judgmental. Jesper might have taken his money, gambled it away and then stolen an insufficient amount of alabaster coal to guarantee safe passage on their journey through The Fold, but Kaz isn’t about to kick up a stink. It is what it is. And ultimately Jesper redeems himself with his marksmanship.
