Shadowhunters - The Mortal Cup - Review

Last night the first episode of the new show ‘Shadowhunters’ premiered and I must saw, I was very pleased with the result. There’s been a lot of talk about this show: will it stay true to the books, will the actors be able to pull off playing those characters, what will the special effects look like, … Now this is only the pilot, and we all know the saying “Don’t judge a show by its pilot” but I think the fans will have very little to worry about. I am a fan of the books myself and, even though it’s been a year or two since I’ve read them, I believe that both fans of The Mortal Instruments and people new to the Shadowhunter world will be able to enjoy this show. 

In this episode we meet Clary Fray who just turned 18 and is suddenly thrown into the world of demons and Shadowhunters. While out with her friends Simon and Maureen at club Pandemonium, she runs into (literally) Jace who is very surprised she can see him. A few minutes and some dead demons later, a slightly traumatized Clary arrives home where she is swiftly sent away again through a portal by her mother who is about to be attacked. Her attackers seem to be after something called the Mortal Cup but Jocelyn takes a mystery potion that puts her into a medical coma to prevent them from finding it. When Clary finds her way home again, she finds it ransacked, her mother missing and is attacked by a demon. Jace saves her but not before she’s injured and passes out. Clary wakes up at the Institute (which is a lot more modern that I imagined it) and is introduced to Isabelle and Alec. Simon arrives not long after and, after getting attacked again (talk about a sucky birthday) tries to explain what’s going on. Meanwhile in Chernobyl (I’m not kidding) Valentine learns that Jocelyn has a daughter and is very excited to meet her. Damn, this was supposed to be a short summary. 

Holy Lightwood: Get ready to hear me gushing about the Lightwoods for the next few weeks. I love them in the books, I loved them in the movie (yes I saw it, no I didn’t hate it) and I love them on the show already. Isabelle Lightwood is one of my favorite female book characters (and I read a lot of books) and I have no doubt that Emeraude Toubia will do her justice. Something else you’ll learn about me is that I’m a sucker for a female character who kicks ass. And Alec, … Well just look at him. He’ll be that character that I’ll want to wrap a blanket around (be honest, we all have a character like that, some even more than one *cough* Josh *cough*). 

Favorite casting choice: Now, I’m pretty happy with the overall casting on this show, but I must say that I love Alan Van Sprang as Valentine. I’ve seen him on Reign so I knew he could pull off crazy. They’ll probably try to keep Valentine the mysterious element in the show (although at this point everyone is still pretty mysterious) but I do hope he’ll be featured more next week. 

The elephant in the room: I’m not a fan of love triangles. And I know that the triangle was in the book so they can’t really leave it out. I just hope they don’t put too much focus on it. That’s why that penultimate scene worries me a bit. If they use it as a semi-cliffhanger, it’ll probably play a big role this season. 

Favorite couple: Could this be anyone but Jace and Clary. There may be other couples that will be able to take this title later on in the show but not this week. There may have been a few lines that made me say “Oh god” (not in a good way) but that didn’t really bother me all that much. They look good together, the chemistry is on point and, while there will always be a special place in my heart for Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower’s version, I can’t wait to see more. 

Most adorable character: I believe this title will go to Alec quite a lot in the next few episodes, however this week the honor goes to Simon. While I did love Robert Sheehan as Simon, I think Alberto Rosende will be a much better fit. There wasn’t a moment where seeing him on my screen didn’t make me smile. Except maybe in that last one but I blame the elephant in the room for that. 

Well that was fast: So when they announced that Dorothea was going to be played by Vanessa Matsui, who is a lot younger than the character was in the books, I thought that would mean she’d be playing a bigger role on the show than she did in the books. I certainly did not expect her to die in the first episode. Now she’s still credited in episode two so either she’s not really dead (this is a supernatural show after all) or a demon is impersonating her again. Or a third, but less likely option, she’s featured in a memory. Even though I have a hard time figuring out who would be remembering her since Jocelyn is in a coma and Clary still doesn’t remember much form the Shadowhunter world (but we’ll be seeing the Silent Brothers next week so who knows). 

Best quotes: Clary: “Simon, how can someone as smart and perceptive as you not realize that the person sitting right there is in love with you?” Simon: “I guarantee you, I’m not the only smart, perceptive person to make that mistake.” 
Luke: “You’re singing?” Simon: “Yes, big gig. And by big, I mean not so.” 
Alec: “Really?” Isabelle: “What can I say? Demons dig blondes.” Alec: “Of course they do. That’s white.” Isabelle: “Platinum.” 
Simon: “Clary, what was in your latte?” 
Jace: “Nice choice, Izzy. Demons dig blondes.” Isabelle: “Told you.” Alec: “It’s platinum.”
Jace: “What, no thank you for saving your life?” 

Favorite music: Monsters by Ruelle 

Well that’s it for the first episode. Unless we get another screener, my next review probably won’t be up as quickly (I’m kind of in the middle of my exams, woopsie) but it should be up around the weekend. So check in again then for a new review and let me know in the comments what you thought of Shadowhunters’ first episode.

About the Author - Belle333Black

Jamie Coudeville (Belle333Black) writes reviews for The Originals and Shadowhunters. She's 21, lives in Belgium and her favorite shows are The Originals, Vampire Diaries, Orphan Black, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ...

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