About:
Shadowhunter Downworlder Guest Star of the Week: Sarah Hyland
Previously: Clary figures out that Sebastian is Jonathan, but he escapes from the Institute; and Clary also realizes that the Mortal Mirror being guarded is a decoy for the real Mirror, Lake Lyn.
How naïve I was to think that Sebastian’s secret being out would put an end to the name confusion, because both are still being used on the show — and therefore here as well. But anyone reading this should already know that Jonathan is Sebastian, Ben is Glory, etc., and I can just indiscriminately flit between the two, right? Right.
What Happened
With Valentine and Jonathan both on the loose, Alec looks to his Downworld cabinet leaders for help. But they answer to a different power now: the Seelie Queen, who has no regard for following the Accords anymore. Fortunately, her objective currently aligns with the Clave’s, with each Downworld faction searching for Valentine. But he finds the Seelie Queen first, making her an undisclosed offer that she seems to have no intention of refusing.
After Clary and Jace combine their angelic powers for foreplay to track the untrackable Jonathan, the two Jonathan Christophers face off, with Izzy lending an assist. Jonathan gets in a few good stabs, but it’s Jace who pulls off the finishing move, sending Jonathan to a watery grave.
Shadowhighlights
- Clary, Jace, and Izzy walking around in broad daylight and clad in leather make for a funny visual; they look like a really pretty biker gang.
- You know Clary means serious business since her hair was tied up during the Shadowhunter missions!
- The cold opens have been fire emoji lately. The show always seems to hit its stride just as it’s about to go on hiatus!
- IZZY AND RAPHAEL. It’s not much, but dammit — I WILL TAKE IT.
- Also on the road to reconciliation: Clary and Simon as platonic BFFs!
- The rune scene and KISSING, FINALLY. Although kind of not enough of it after so much buildup? I know more will probably be on the way, but we already had to endure half a season of Clary/Simon; HAVEN’T WE SUFFERED ENOUGH? (As always, I say this as not even a Clary/Jace shipper.)
- Turning mourners into demons is one of the more despicable things that Valentine’s done, but did it ever make for a great mini horror movie.
Shadowlowlights
- First, Maia couldn’t stand up to Russell on her own, and then she eats off a customer’s plate before it gets served?!? WYD?
- For a supposedly large gathering of warlocks, there were like five of them. Or maybe mention the low number since the population’s been depleted because of Valentine! (RIP, Dot and Elliot.)
- Reeeeeeeally finding it difficult to side with a leaky and dysfunctional governing body like the Clave nowadays.
- What tf kind of CGI wolves are these? They remind me of Chow Chows.
- Getting strung up was not good for Jace’s hair. (Or, y’know, health.)
- I’m kind of disappointed that Clary didn’t get to take on Jonathan. But that only further supports him not being dead, because no way can he be killed off without that confrontation happening first.
Shadowhunter Downworlder Guest Star of the Week
Sarah Hyland takes over as the Seelie Queen’s new vessel. (Trying to think of a more delicate phrase than Supernatural‘s “meat suit”.) While I’m mildly amused that she and boyfriend Dominic Sherwood basically swapped accents, I’m not really a fan of her Seelie Queen. Or, rather — how differently she plays the character from the child actor who originated the role. Ironically enough, I find the new Seelie Queen more childish, in addition to lacking the aloofness of the initial characterization.
Say What?
Catarina: “Mundanes. Can’t seem to get out of their own way, can they?”
No, we really can’t.
Valentine: “Are you with me?”
I know Jonathan’s evil and all, but I still find his devotion to Valentine sad and tragic. HE’S NOT WORTH IT, JONATHAN.
Jonathan: “Until the bitter end.”
Jace: “No more Shadowhunters die today.”
Pretty much guaranteeing a death with these prophetic words.
Clary: “Help me find a blank spot.”
Smooth pickup line, Clary.
Jonathan: “Hello, brother.”
Does this make Jonathan the Buster of the Morgensterns?
Luke: “Give Maryse my best.”
KEEPING THE SHIP ALIVE.
Swimfan Says
Here’s Shadowhunter Chronicles expert and co-host of The Parabatai Podcast, Meredith (@legallyblonde), with her thoughts!
- I was looking forward to the scene in the trailer where Clary and Jace’s runes are activated, and it did not disappoint. *fans self* Their final scene where they made out was also quite great. (I have too many feelings on this topic to be properly eloquent about it this week.)
- The showdown between Jace and Sebastian, which Izzy later joins, paralleled the book version in a terrifyingly intense way. It was a masterfully adapted scene.
- While Sebastian had a point earlier about how Raphael and Izzy’s relationship began, that isn’t its sole factor, as Raphael rightfully pointed out. This is further complicated by all of the political tensions between the Downworlders and Shadowhunters, and all of this was woven into this scene between the two (on top of me wanting them to make out).
- We finally met Catarina! Hi, Catarina!
Burning Questions
- Does anyone actually think Jonathan is dead? CORPSE OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
- This is probably, like, the last thing to think about during the rune scene, but wouldn’t activating all the runes at once be not great? (That’s what was happening, right? Because why would they glow otherwise? I should really shut my brain off and just enjoy the shiny sexual tension.)
- Also in overthinking: doesn’t the NYC-wide ward lockdown of Nephilim blood seem like it could be easily misused? Especially by, say, a faerie monarch with no love lost for the Clave who’s now entertaining business proposals from Valentine.
- Going into the season finale, what do y’all hope will happen? Which storyline would you like to be resolved? My first instinct is to wish for a Malec reunion, but I also feel like the chasm between them right now is too big to overcome that quickly and satisfactorily.
