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Shadowhunters of the Week: Alec and Magnus
Previously: Izzy’s treason charges are cleared when Clary hands over the Mortal Cup to the Clave; Clary finds comatose Jocelyn; and Valentine tells Jace and Clary that they’re siblings.
What Happened
Clary and Jace work together with Magnus (and, on Jace’s part, ignore the elephant in the room) to figure out that one of his old friends, the warlock Ragnor Fell, had created the potion for Jocelyn. They go to Ragnor’s place in Idris, but they’re joined by a demon sent by Valentine that mortally wounds Ragnor — but not before he tells them that the spell was from the Book of the White, which Jocelyn had also hidden for safekeeping (she’s like a squirrel, that one). Fortunately, Ragnor had kept the bookmark from it, which Magnus uses to track the book back to its owner: Vampire Camille, who’s currently locked up in the basement of Hotel DuMort.
Back at the Institute, last-minute wedding prep is in full swing — incl. Clary and Alec burying the hatchet, and a heart-to-heart masquerading as a bachelor party for Alec and Jace. After yet another unsuccessful attempt at getting Alec to call off the wedding, Magnus has all but given up the ghost, until actual Ghost (I think) Ragnor convinces him to fight for Alec. Magnus walks into the ceremony, juuuuuust in the nick of time before the wedded union runes are cast. Alec, upon seeing Magnus, can’t go through with marrying Lydia, who is super chill about all of this. So then Alec emphatically calls off the wedding by MAKING OUT ALL OVER MAGNUS’ FACE, MALEC FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN.
But wait — how did Valentine know about the Ragnor Fell visit? Jace thinks that the Institute has a mole, even suspecting Lydia at one point. Of course, the saboteur isn’t the bride-not-to-be, who gets attacked on her way back to Idris with the Mortal Cup, by none other than Hot Hodge, working in cahoots with Valentine in return for breaking the former’s punishment runes.
Shadowhighlights
- We hardly knew ye, Ragnor Fell! Although it was a lot of fun for Magnus to have a
frienddear little cabbage outside of the Shadowhunters.
- Men’s fashion is usually not that interesting, but the guys were all rocking cool textured suits.
- Wait, y’all aren’t going to make out RIGHT THERE in front of everyone for the first time, are you? OH, YOU ARE.
- The kiss itself was en fuego. (The jacket grab! The “wait, no, I want more!” from Magnus before they went again!)
- The Silent Brother head tilt!
Shadowlowlights
- NOT ENOUGH KISSING. Yeah, I rewound.
- The Institute being a giant Room of Requirement for all of this show’s settings. (See also: last week’s trial.) At least this one makes sense, but how the frick big is this abandoned church supposed to be? Basically, I can’t wait until the show finally goes to Idris so that there’ll be a second Shadowhunter venue.
- I know my hating on Simon is curb-stomping a dead horse, but UGHHHHH then he does something new to annoy me, like a cringeworthy reenactiment of The Graduate. I would have bought his incredulity of no one having heard of it — a movie more than twice as old as everyone aside from Magnus, mind you — if he broke out some Mrs. Robinson references, rather than squawking an endless (although situationally more appropriate) stream of “Ben!” and “Elaine!”.
Shadowhunters of the Week
MALEC OBVIOUSLY. (Never mind that Magnus is a Downworlder, Maryse!)
Say What?
Clary: “Alec, I know you and I don’t always see eye-to-eye on things. Actually, we never see eye-to-eye on anything.”
I just like this because Clary and Alec can also physically never see eye-to-eye because of their height difference, tee hee.
Magnus: “You know how I hate to drink alone.”
Magnus, I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE.
Magnus: “While this conversation is no doubt scintillating, remind me why we couldn’t do this at my place? At least there, we’d have cocktails.”
Clary: “It’s 9 in the morning.”Magnus and Clary, with SO MUCH quality Magnus side eye.
Magnus: “Oh, it’s happy hour somewhere, my dear.”
Magnus: “I came with you to escape my relationship drama, not get a front-row seat to yours.”
Magnus Bane, reluctant incest mediator.
Swimfan Says
Here’s Shadowhunter Chronicles expert, Meredith (@legallyblonde), with her thoughts!
- I love how you can tell Magnus’ feelings about Alec based on whether he calls him Alec or Alexander (mostly-platonic vs romantic, respectively).
- The foreshadowing of Hodge being the mole was actually really subtle, which is something I didn’t know the show could do. Related, I’m now concerned for Lydia, who was very gracious about the lack of wedding and everything.
- The wedding scene was fantastically done, especially given how much I disliked that plot line, including everyone’s reactions to the KISSING. And Alec’s “who invited the vampire?” line was the most Alec line.
- Jace and Alec talking everything out and actually discussing feelings was probably my favorite non-Malec scene of the episode.
- The Book of the White and its cure is a nice nod to the books, as is Hodge’s motivation for giving the Cup to Valentine.
Burning Questions
- The Silent Brothers also offer wedding services? Then why bother going to the City of Bones if the Silent Brothers travel to the human world so much?
- What’s the timeline of Hodge being a mole supposed to be? Has he been one all along — like, back to the downfall of the Circle? Because it’s not like he could have gotten that Valentine decoder ring recently.
- Will this be the last that we see of Lydia? I do hope she comes back next season in a better storyline. (Although not as a love interest, which is what I was seriously concerned about in her scene with Jace. But even this show wouldn’t start a ship right after someone gets dumped at the altar, right? RIGHT?!?)
- Was the buildup worth it, Malec fans?
