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Shadowhunter of the Week: Clary
Previously: Simon struggles with being a vampire; Alec sides with Lydia and the Clave, instead of our Shadowhunters; and Meliorn offers to help Clary find Valentine.
In case you missed the news earlier this week: Shadowhunters has been renewed for a second season! So this was an especially good time for the show to have a strong outing to justify that renewal. (Thankfully, it did!)
What Happened:
Taking a break from his vampire training with Raphael, newly appointed werewolf ambassador Simon pays Luke a visit at the slightly hostile Jade Wolf. But Luke helping Simon to control his bloodlust takes a back seat, when Internal Affairs Dick Fisk catches up with them, using the words “epic fail” to remind us all of how horrible he is. To clear Luke’s name once and for all, he and Simon stage a hostage sitch with Fisk, in which Luke rescues Fisk and ‘kills’ the ‘real’ demonic killer, Simon.
Meliorn takes Clary and Jace to the Seelie Glade, a hub of dimensional doorways where Meliorn sends Clary to an alternate dimension in her alternate self to find the Portal from which her Portal shard necklace originated. (Find the Portal = Find Valentine.) In this dimension, Shadowhunters won the war against demons long ago, with the latter extinct and the former no longer needed, and Downworlders try to blend in with mundanes. And OH YEAH — Valentine’s still totally together with Jocelyn and not at all evil. He also runs a tech company out of the Institute, which is also conveniently the location of the Portal that Clary’s looking for.
Back at the real Institute, Izzy has been arrested for high treason for sabotaging Meliorn’s transfer. To save her from being stripped of her runes and banished, Alec offers to trade the Mortal Cup in return for Izzy’s freedom… but, of course, it’s no longer in the vault. In order to track Jace, Alec risks weakening and breaking their parabatai bond — and inflicting mondo pain upon them both.
But it’s all for naught (if, by ‘naught’, you mean ‘Alec shirtlessness’), because Alec isn’t the first one to find Jace. The open portal in the Seelie Glade attracts demons, one of which Jace follows to the alternate dimension. He and Clary take down the demon without runes or seraph blades — but not without Jace sustaining a boo-boo — before going through the Portal to Valentine’s hideout in the home dimension. Daddy Dearest isn’t home — well, not that one, anyway, because Jace recognizes a man that Valentine had locked up as… his father. You know, the same dude that Jace had seen die before his eyes. DRAMZ!
Shadowhighlights
- SO MUCH about the alternate dimension! (I don’t mean to shout everything, but that’s just how much I liked it all!)
- Be still, our
pantshearts: Luke owns a rare bookstore! - JACE RUNS A FOOD TRUCK CALLED JAVA JACE. But I’ve never noticed how long his hair is until I saw it un-slicked back; omg he is so peak hipster. And also a bit clingy, if he can’t even go half a day without Clary texting or calling him back.
- Welcome back, Simon’s glasses!
- Party planner Alec! Geeky Izzy! (… who has an inappropriate crush on Valentine that I’m choosing to ignore and hoping won’t foreshadow anything in the home dimension.)
- MAGNUS’ CATS: Chairman Meow and Church.
- OMG OMG PREPPY MALEC. With Alec taking the initiative and literally flipping the script! (“Playing hard to get. I love a challenge.”)
- The makeup artists and the cast all getting a break from the runes.
- Be still, our
- Simon’s little wave to Luke across the room full of werewolves at the Jade Wolf.
- Nerdferatu! Pretty clever, Simon (and writers).
- Clary mimicking Magnus’ magical flourish, OBVS.
- Canadian actors REPRESENT: Shadowhunter Raj Sav (who apparently appeared in the previous one, too, but is a douchebagel re: Izzy’s relationship with Meliorn) and Jace’s dad (who also played a paranormal YA adaptation dad in the dumpster fire that was The Secret Circle).
- This isn’t from this ep, but looking through old promo pics reminded me of when the show tried to do facial hair on Harry Shum, Jr., which was a terrrrrrrrribble idea in retrospect. Thank goodness for course correction!
Shadowlowlights
- No more alternate dimension foreverrrrrrrrrr. (What will become of Preppy Malec?!) Not that I’d want the show to keep going back to the same well, so it’s for the best that this is a one-off. (Although there are countless dimensions to explore… )
- The Alterna-Institute is supposed to be heavily guarded, but all I see that’s stopping riffraff from entering is Alterna-Shadowhunter Sav and his tablet.
- And for such a big event on the social calendar, the Mad Hatter party wasn’t exactly hopping. Although the Alice in Wonderland falling-into-another-dimension theme is on brand with this show’s subtlety.
Shadowhunter of the Week
This clearly has to go to Clary, who bounces back from a couple of episodes stuck in friendship angst. She’s so much more fun when the show lets her be her own hero!
Say What?
Meliorn: “I see Isabelle is the smart one in the family.”
Meliorn, with a dig at Jace.
Luke: “And you decided to go to the one place where you could be torn apart by wild dogs?”
Luke, questioning the practicality of Simon’s visit.
Simon: “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Magnus: “All I see, Shadowhunter, is that you could use a serious tan.”
Alterna-Magnus might be lacking in magic, but definitely not in sass.
Swimfan Says
Here’s Shadowhunter Chronicles expert, Meredith (@legallyblonde), with her thoughts!
- I loved all the little details of the alternate Shadow World, mainly, the Seelie Portal door looked like the movie Institute’s Portal door, Luke is a bookstore owner, and they even got Chairman Meow and Church right (cat casting is totes important, obvs). AU Jace was super adorable, and AU Alec has fierce party planning skills, y’all.
- I also loved the Malec parallels in AU world, which was a fun role reversal of their real interactions.
- Meanwhile, Lydia and real Alec continue to make bad decisions in the name of following the letter of the Law rather than the spirit of the Law. Alec’s parabatai tracking isn’t a book thing, so I’m curious to see the effects of that in future episodes.
- We all need to immediately discuss that very last scene, because what does it MEAN that guy that is Jace’s father?!
Burning Questions
- Alternate dimensions typically have a big too-good-to-be-true aspect, but I’m struggling to find downsides to this one. Aside from it not being our Clary’s home dimension and the absence of Hot Luke, why wouldn’t she want to stay there?! (I know, I know — big damn heroes, etc.)
- If the Alterna-Institute houses employees like Izzy, then why do the Morgensteins live offsite? I guess 4D internet inventors get to be choosy?
- Speaking of: I know I shouldn’t even bother getting fixated on this, but how exactly is 4D internet supposed to work? You can’t just put words together and not expect me to have questions, Show.
