This week was the midseason finale of Shadowhunters which brought us 2 episodes instead of 1. Magnus tries to rally the Downworlders to help him save Jace, but the new High Warlock of Brooklyn stops him, which leads to a fight between them that will definitely have consequences. Later he goes to Edom to ask his father for a favor which granted him the power to save Jace but also seems to have stripped him of his magic just when Alec needs it the most. Clary almost gets executed (burned alive, to be more specific) but offers to resurrect Valentine, which is apparently something the consul wants (WHY?!) but things backfire when it turns out he’s not that easy to kill a second time. Jace eventually kills him, takes Valentine’s rib and kidnaps Clary because Lilith needs her to bring Jonathan back. Heidi holds Simon’s family hostage which eventually leads to Simon nearly killing his sister. Luckily Izzy and Jordan intervened in time. His sister forgives him but his mother can’t get past it so he makes her believe he’s dead instead. Luke runs into trouble with both the wolves and at the precinct. Everyone meets up to take down Lilith. Clary and Simon trick Lilith into attacking Simon, which kills her, but not before she manages to bring Jonathan back. The force of Lilith’s death knocks Simon off the building (he’s fine, he just missed the good stuff) and destroys the top of the building leading him to think he also killed Clary. Family reunion: Magnus was really selfless this week. He really put himself out there for Jace, to save Alec from the heartache of losing him. These past few weeks I’ve been noticing a look on Magnus’ face when Alec talks about Jace, almost jealousy. He knows how much Jace means to Alec, and that Jace probably means more to him than Magnus does. Technically, that’s kind of the point of being parabatai. That’s why you can’t fall in love with your parabatai because a bond that intense would be too dangerous. But I think Magnus is selling himself short. However, it took guts to do what he did, visiting his father and asking him for a favor, especially knowing how complicated their relationship is. Plus, he could’ve gotten stuck in Edom. But it seems that Magnus has given up his magic to save Jace, which leaves Magnus incredibly vulnerable from enemies. And now that Alec needs saving, it seems that he can’t do the one thing he needs to save his boyfriend’s life.
What the hell: Last week I said Jia Penhallow seemed a bit more extreme than I remembered in the books. Boy, did they take that to the next level. First of all, why the hell was Clary getting the same punishment as Circle members? Everyone, including Clary, seems to have forgotten that when she made the wish, she didn’t know the significance of that wish to the Clave (not that it would’ve changed much). Secondly, how does everyone get burned alive? Again, I feel like the severity of the crime should be a factor here. And the way they organized it, dead of night, barely any witnesses. Do regular Shadowhunters know about this? And last but not least, the hypocrisy, oh my. Jia was trying to raise Valentine. Out of all the bad ideas everyone had in these two episodes, this had to be the worst (and that includes Magnus’). How many Clave laws did she break by overseeing this? I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up blaming the whole thing on Clary.
What did you expect: Speaking of bad ideas, Luke decided to ask the werewolves for help with saving Clary from the Clave. How did he think this conversation was going to go? I’m baffled he would even ask. They’ve never hidden how they felt about the Clave or any non-wolves (remember Simon). And now they’d have to risk their lives by attacking the Clave (and breaking the Accords) all to save Clary? Yeah, I would’ve said no too. In fact, the wolves decided enough was enough and gave Luke an ultimatum. I get that he wouldn’t abandon Clary, but he couldn’t really have done much for her while she was still in Idris. To make matters even worse, it seems his lies in his mundane life have caught up with him as well. Don’t you just hate it when people start asking questions?
Mundane troubles: Similar to Luke, Simon’s mundane life also caught up with him, but in a much worse way. Heidi may be insane, but with Lilith’s guidance, she sure was effective. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of her. As for Simon, he really went dark this week. I didn’t think he’d actually attack his sister, no matter how hungry, but he did and nearly killed her. There’s no telling what would’ve happened if Izzy hadn’t snapped him out of it. I can’t blame his mother for her fear (I did in the books, but things were different there). I’m actually surprised by how well his sister took everything. She got over nearly dying really fast. Simon won’t, though. Which is why I think he compelled his mother to think he’s dead. He could’ve just made her forget, but I think part of him wanted to punish himself and also ensure that he couldn’t visit her anymore.
Best quotes: Valentine: “You are a Morgenstern.” Clary: “Yes, I am. But I’m also a Fairchild.”
Maryse: “I’m sure Magnus is just waiting to make some sort of dramatic entrance.”
Clary: “We can’t let her bring my brother back to life.” Simon: “Sebastian?” Clary: “Jonathan.” Simon: “2 brothers?” Clary: “Same guy.” Simon: “Oh cool, cool. Okay, so what’s the plan?” Clary: “Lilith is afraid of that mark on your head.” Simon: “It’s defensive, not offensive.”
That’s it for the first half of the season. As I’m writing this review, there is no return date yet. Though perhaps by the time this is published there will be. You can check in again this summer for an all-new review and let me know in the comments what you thought of this week’s episodes.
Please be respectful in the comments, any unnecessary rudeness isn't welcome.
