Previously on Shadowhunters, Clary and Jace tried to find the mortal mirror and her brother Jonathan, and Max gets instructions to go on his first sanctioned mission, but his excellent skills and natural curiosity got the better of him and he was the first one to discover the true identity of the elusive Jonathan.
This episode picks right up where
'A Dark Reflection left off, with the confrontation of Max and Jonathan being shown. Max is discovered in the aftermath, and the entirety of the New York Institute rallies around him, including Jonathan. With time running out before his discovery, Jonathan makes one last bid to retrieve the mortal mirror, which could lead to some devastating consequences for multiple Shadowhunters. We get to see Will Tudor bounce from being sweet, to being a warrior, to being creepy, and he really plays up each side of Jonathan that we've seen previously. It's a great episode for him to really show off exactly who this character really is, and the complicated relationship he has with Clary.
In the other big storyline of the week, Magnus and Alec still haven't reconciled following Alec not being totally honest with Magnus, which leads Magnus to think about Alec and their relationship for most of the episode.
Oh boy, the Magnus and Alec scenes in this episode. If you're a casual viewer of the show or you don't follow or read what the people involved say about what's to come on the show then you may be unaware that some Magnus and Alec flashback scenes were promised. Well, they arrived in this episode and they absolutely delivered on them. There are
multiple flashbacks from
multiple episodes. There is nothing at all that I can say to prepare you in the slightest for what you'll be seeing. We get both flashbacks and present day scenes and it's definitely the most screentime they've had together in 2b. It's truly a journey, and it may just be me but I think we get to see the exact scene where Magnus realises the true magnitude of his feelings for Alec. We get a greater and more intimate insight into their relationship than we've ever seen before. It's beautiful, incredibly soft, and Harry Shum Jr and Matthew Daddario perform their hearts out in every scene they are in both together and apart. You get to see the progression of their relationship from almost guarded hostility, to unsureness and exploration of feelings, to absolute security in what they have together all over again but in unseen scenes. Their chemistry is electric, so much so that even them kissing is enough to make a centuries old warlock, who we've seen in previous episodes has excellent control of himself and his magic, actually lose control enough to show his warlock eyes.
The flashbacks are used to help Magnus come to an incredibly difficult answer to a question that has been asked of him, and we get to see Magnus struggle with reconciling his feelings and needs as a leader, and those of him as a person. If you are a fan of the Malec relationship then this is absolutely an unmissable episode.
Elsewhere in this episode, Luke and Magnus visit the Seelie Court to consider a proposition from the Seelie Queen, with the two of them having slightly opposing views on the matter, and Simon and Maia discover a mundane who has been attacked by a wolf and help him as he discovers whether he will turn, or whether he will die. Whilst helping the mundane who was attacked, Maia is thrown back into her past and a lot of lingering feelings are stirred up within her which leads to a confession to Simon about how she feels and where exactly she received the prominent scar on her neck. This episode is incredibly intense and fast paced, with a lot of action taking place on screen. Honestly, in my opinion, it's up there as one of the best episodes that
Shadowhunters has done to date. This is what the show is truly about and we get to see a balance between drama, romance, and fight/action scenes.
Although the synopsis may not make it seem this way, this episode is truly one that lets the Downworlders of the show shine. We get to see tough decisions made by the seelies, the warlocks, and the werewolves in this episode. What scenes are you most hoping to see in 'Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen'? Remember to tune in Monday at 8.00 on Freeform.
And with that I'm going to leave you with a few teasers to tide you over until Monday:
- The viewers get to find out exactly why Jonathan has been burning his hand so much in previous episodes.
- There are two really well choreographed and intense fight scenes this episode, including one involving Luke.
- One of the Silent Brothers returns in this episode.
- Someone from outside the Shadow World finds out one of their secrets.
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"Your love for the Shadowhunters weakens you."
