In tonight's episode of Shadowhunters, Alec sends Jace and Clary to meet with the Seelie Queen as she'll only meet with "Valentine's Experiments." Simon tags along and while there, major drama unfolds after a kiss is manipulated by the queen. Meanwhile, Alec is trying to make the Downworlders feel welcomed at The Institute and Luke is on a mission that brings him face to face with Valentine.
This was easily my favorite episode of the series to date. I think the only qualm I ever had with the show is that The Institute was always a little too high tech for me. I felt like the fantasy, gothic,
Buffy-esque campiness was lost a little from book to screen. This episode, though, handles the fantastical Seelie Realm beautifully with scenic design that brought me back to my first time reading the book. Moreover, this episode has such strong writing from first time writer, Taylor Mallory. She paced the episode well, played up the various emotional and political dynamics brilliantly, and handled the epic kiss scene from the book perfectly.
The other storylines in the episode work well too. Raphael, Sebastian, Izzy, and Luke have compelling scenes and progression in their storylines. Matthew Daddario is especially strong as he showcases Alec's leadership side, making tough calls and sending people out on missions. But most importantly - Maryse is starting to get likable. Never thought I'd see the day, but she's finally making amends and isn't as awful as she's been. Overall, I'm really excited for everyone to see this episode. It's a little more character driven than previous ones, while also having some great action and call outs to the book series.
Extra Teasers:
-"You read?" "Why does everyone find that so hard to believe?"
-Murder Tree!
-There's a fun casting choice made regarding the Seelie Queen
-Sebastian's scenes with both Izzy and Jace are awesome
-One character is distrustful of Sebastian
-Luke gets extra serious and shady
What are you most looking forward to in this episode?
Shadowhunters airs tonight at 8:00 PM on Freeform.
