#This episode was underwhelming BUT...I have a special place in my heart for 'Something weird happened (shrugs)' episodes!

[jakowskis]

Day 28 - Do you like how tragic Torchwood is, or do you wish it was more light-hearted? Do you think the ‘dark and adult themes’ were explored sufficiently?

torchwood's weird bc it exists in this place where, like, the creators + writers were all coming at it from different angles, and i think there was a lot of... internal confusion amongst individuals, too. like, a lot of the concepts in chibnall's scripts are actually profound and intriguing when it come to the characters themselves - but he's also the guy who put a cyberman in a bikini, and the guy who came up with the sex alien, so. rtd, idek his vision tbh - in the director's commentary of i believe the first episode, he says something like "everyone's talking about what a dark, edgy show it is, but we've got a pterodactyl. can we talk about that. like that's ridiculous - it's brilliant." so i think he was partially intending for it to be kinda silly from the get-go. but he also did push the dark edgy adult spin off angle, so idk. the show tried to do both and it's... kind of iconically bad, but also unique and, imho, endearing. you certainly don't see it elsewhere. i love my bad 2000s show.

as iconic as that edgy campiness is, obviously torchwood would've benefited significantly from simply picking a tone and being consistent with it. s1 was criticized for unevenness, but i think it was earnest in its ridiculousness, which i appreciate. it committed. s2 takes itself a bit less seriously and leans into the silliness, which some ppl like, but i find it less compelling. idk, s1 is just special to me; it's so experimental and tonally bizarre, but i love it. i always say torchwood's weird bc it's like they had gold but they somehow managed to bury it in manure. like there's a spark of something magic but you have to wade thru the shit to get to it and even then it's not there for the taking, you're like eternally digging for it and you're constantly finding little tiny pieces of it HFKDSF or at least thts my experience (<- guy who's a year into being insane about this fucking show. it is Not that deep im just ill.)

and a lot of that magic exists in the underlying darkness. torchwood isn't dark when it tries to be; torchwood is dark in the implications. it's haunted by it's own darkness but it refuses to look directly at it. watching it is, like, you're staring at smth simple and underwhelming, but there's something terrifying in your peripheral - but if you look right at it it won't be there. so you're fascinated by what you can't fully grasp at. again, maybe i'm just deranged, but that's how i feel about it. there's so many insane connotations in each episode that feel peripheral and unconscious. it's bizarre. it's probably just the result of bad writing, but i do not control what my bastard brain latches onto and decides is worth painstakingly deconstructing.

so what i'm saying? is where torchwood 'thinks' it's dark, it's not, and what's actually dark isn't even a consistently conscious thing and therefore isn't remotely touched on. so, no, they're not explored well at all. that's what fanfiction's for 👍 im very stimulated with this fixation still, after all this time, bc there's soooo many cool threads that i can pull from and actually put the work and time into playing with in a way the show wasn't willing to, and i love that. i love dark themes in general, i'm very naturally oriented towards miserable things, and torchwood's so tragic and dark but it doesn't live up to its potential whatsoever. so many good seeds that didn't get planted. that being said, i do like the silly shit. but if i could make it stick to a tone, i'd have it commit to the dark stuff, because i mourn what could've been. it's a ghost that follows me 🫵

[susandsnell]

Sorry this is kind of a broad question, feel free to break it into more specific subgenres or mediums, but what are some of ur favorite scifi horror works? Are there any themes or setpieces in particular that ur always excited to see even if the rest of the work is underwhelming? Did u ever watch battlestar galactica?

Don't ever apologize, and thanks so much for sending this!!! Gosh, there are just too many sci-fi horror works to count, so I'll call this a highlights reel that will invariably forget some gems. Cronenberg's entire body (heh) of work, special mention to The Fly (favourite!!!) and Videodrome. The Alien movies are absolutely wonderful, and I'll include classic Frankenstein (and Bride, of course!) for the hell of it. Ex Machina was a delightfully straightforward sci-fi Bluebeard so I think it counts, while the first Terminator really has some great slasher beats. I also adore the Reanimator movies (though I acknowledge the very major misogynistic flaws). Starship Troopers is also in the 'flawed but fun' category. I remember really liking The Blob and The Invisible Man as a weird kiddo, and of course, Metropolis I think? has enough elements? to qualify? Either way, counting it. Godzilla movies, even when they get sillier, are also just the apex of the genre in terms of what it represents and reflects on, taking the 'fi' out of 'sci-fi', but in turn, emphasizing the horror in the sci. And to nod to King, Maximum Overdrive is delightfully bonkers. And while the aliens themselves were a letdown, the tripods in Spielberg's War of the Worlds and the updating of the story as a response to 9/11 were not only genius, but very vividly stick out in my memory as one of the first movies that truly scared the absolute shit out of me. And I do remember liking some earlier episodes of Black Mirror that focused on being scary rather than...whatever they're up to now. And as for sci-fi horror musicals -- Rocky Horror Show, Little Shop of Horrors, and Be More Chill all have a very special place in my heart.

It's hard to pick setpieces and themes too!! I suppose it's easier to just say anything that presents and explores the anxieties and fears present in a particular concept or possibility (the more concrete the possibility in our reality, the better) executes the purpose of the subgenre. Which is a very generic statement reading it over, so I'll also say that beyond the horrors of our possibilities, the horrors of what is within our understanding and how this understanding may be warped or put to terrible use is always a delicious prospect. Or perhaps the natural scientific processes themselves are the horrors; again, abjection of the body fascinates me, similar to the werewolves, but perhaps more intellectualized here. I can't think of any recurring setpieces that keep me watching even if the rest of the work is underwhelming, so I must unfortunately give another very generic answer -- an excellent practical effect, set, and/or soundtrack will keep me hooked. I tried to watch Battlestar Galactica when I was consuming sci-fi for breakfast, lunch and dinner back in high school, but I never got very deep into it! I'm afraid it didn't jive with my attention span. Is there something horrific in it you'd recommend? Thanks so much for this, and I hope you have a lovely weekend. <3333

[purplerose244]

My thoughts on Ninjago the Island!!! 🏝🏝🏝

So, gotta be honest... this is not a Blind reaction thing, I actually watched it in French first so I know most of the stuff already 😅 It's entertaining, it got great animation, but nothing more than that in my opinion 🤷‍♀️

Still there is stuff I liked or I want to point out, and finally I'm seeing the English version so I can actually understand what the HECK they are saying 🤩

Alright, nothing else to say, here we go!

UNCHARTED

I haven't actually seen anything Clutch Powers related before Ninjago, is he always like this? I love that he is a jerk honestly, just wondering 😂

Press F for respect for intern Dwaine (at least he seems to like being... used?)

Clutch: It's just a bunch of rocks! It's not alive!

Totem: I'm about to end this man's whole career

Wait, Misako is part of the explorers club? ... that would have come in handy in season 11 to get the scroll of Forbitten Spinjitzu from the club instead of begging uncle Powers for it... *sighs* I don't mind plot holes in Ninjago like most fans I think, but if you wanna make Misako relevant again at least pay attention to the details 😅

Wow, after the end of season 13 I would've thought Wu was going to go through a midlife crisis, not Misako 😂😂

Oww, everytime I hear I get 😢 Bless your soul Kirby, always in our hearts 🖤🖤🖤

Well hello Brian

Always nice to see you 😊

Twitchy Tim must have been pretty interesting to voice 🤔 I like him enough, he's fun and all, maybe not at the level of the characters we got last season

Okay, the place is called the STORM belt, there are LIGHTNINGS, and the sand of the beach is BLUE. Are we gonna address any of these similarities to our Bluebell here or not? 😅

Wait, Tim was giving a hot air balloon tour, does that mean other people where with him? What of them? Are they dead? Did he let them die on the island?... am I reading too much into this? Probably 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Alright, the part of the boats? SO COOL 🤩🤩 I literally can't say anything bad about the animation at this point

Why did they think leaving Kai, Jay and Cole on one boat was going to be a good idea 😂 Also Zane just randomly doing sick tricks on his vehicle, love that nindroid

I'm guessing Nya is keeping her water abilities for her season 🤷‍♀️

Yep, yep, this is why the creators try to keep Pixal out of the adventures, with her everything is way too cool and easy to access to 😎😎

Twitchy Tim: There are statues that become alive!!

Lloyd:... so it's a season 2 stone army ripoff, we've seen worse

It's a cute episode overall 👍

THE KEEPERS OF THE AMULET

OKAY THE INTRO IS SO FREAKING COOL 🤩🤩🤩🤩

So Twitchy Tim has temporarily taken over Jay's role of spazzing out and complain about worse case scenarios... in another occasion they might have bonded over this, maybe 😂

Okay, survival position? MOOD

Nya: DRAGOOON 😱

Me: DRAGOOOOOOON 😍😍😍

Why am I not surprised that Jay was the one that named him Zippy? 💙 Also HE'S SO CUTE 💕💕💕 Love how in every adventure, we always get very different types of dragon in this show 👌 I'm a simple person, I see a dragon... 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

Oh-oh, it's the "Lloyd's done with this crap"'s face

This means serious business... am I that used to LEGO characters that this way of crossing arms on the chest looks almost normal to me? 😅

Soooo, Master of the Mountain clearly gave Cole too much development... because now he got demoted to "the one who is always hungry" 🤦‍♀️ I'm all for Cole's endearing love for cakes, which is super relatable, but if you're gonna push it on his fun side, at least be coherent 🙃

Is it just me or it feels like the writing of this special was made by someone different from the one of season 13? Like, it's not bad, just less engaging and witty. For now. Maybe I'm being premature 🤷‍♀️

New way of nerfing powers, we got... weird, sucking power totem thingies... OKAY

My gosh I really can't say anything about the animation, look at that! It's all cinematic with such a light! YES!! 🤩

I'M SORRY

WHY ARE WE LOOKING OVER THIS??? IT LOOKS LIKE COLE'S LAVA PUNCHES BUT THEY ARE JAY LIGHTNING FEET??? IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT AGAIN??? WHY ARE WE IGNORING THIS??? 💙💙💙💙

So they at least addressed that lightning isn't a Jay's thing only anymore 😅

Alright, Jay having a mental breakdown because of a bridge because it always breaks, that's the Bluebell I know and love 😂😂 Nya telling him to keep moving was cute too 💙❤💙❤

Okay, I'm sorry but this really bothers me, what kind of lightning can instantly knock out the MASTER OF LIGHTNING??? Like, my gosh, really??? I hope they give us an explanation, like it's some sort of special lightning, because this really doesn't sit right with me. Jay is lightning proof, we've seen it in Skybound, we've seen it in Sons of Garmadon, I DON'T BELIEVE HE WOULD JUST BE KNOCKED OUT LIKE THAT 😡😡😡

Soooooo, storm amulet? Being one with the lightning? Is that the reason why Jay got to be the sacrifice? 😅

THE GIFT OF JAY

Alright, I am kinda looking forward for this one, what did Bluebell actually say or do to get him into trouble this time 😂😂

Oh, he just... introduced himself... well that was underwhelming

SENSEI👏YOU👏ARE👏A👏FREAKING👏GOD👏STOP👏GETTING👏KIDNAPPED👏BY👏RANDOM👏VILLAINS👏

Bring ooooon Lloyd Grills 💪

Okay I did like the little speech, definitely resonates with how Lloyd survived this long even though everything wanted him to give up, even his father... I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING 😭

Jay out there making the real questions 😂

Awwww Edna used to call him gift of Jay? I can totally see it, so cute 💙💙 Makes even more sense if Libber actually left Jay at the Walkers' door...

Pff, Jay made the connection I would've done honestly 🤷‍♀️ Like, him being the master of lightning really didn't give these dudes any impression or inspiration? Any cool idea, full Road of El Dorado style? 🙃🙃

Lloyd out there abusing of the animation budget 💚💚💚

Somehow these ninja never actual sneak in, it's always a huge mess everyone knows about beforehand 😂 It's familiar though, I'm used to it and happy with it 👍

I might not be the biggest Misako fan, but you know what I am a fan of?

LEGO HUGS 😍😍😍😍😍

Dang it uncle Powers, you just got here to make a mess did you 😅

Not the first person of the fandom to say this, but Jay looks absolutely lovely with that flower crown 🌺🌺🌺

Oh poor greenie

Lloyd just has the worst luck 😓

Jay: Why would I be the gift?

Kai: Yeah who would want Jay?

Nya: Huh, me?? 😡

Got some very good Jaya for this little special, can't complain 💙❤💙❤

I mean, not matter how big of a snake Wojira might turn out to be, we've already seen the biggest and the second biggest snake of all so 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Whoa, at last... IT WAS THE FIRST SPINJITZU MASTER THAT HAD SOMETHING HE SHOULD'VE TOLD WU A LONG TIME AGO!! 😱 Wu, you got pulled a Wu, how does it feel? 😂

Again, Jay freaking out, kinda my jam it's too funny 💙💙

Wow Kai way to be hominous offscreen 👏👏 I miss talking about my flame babe, this really isn't his time 🤷‍♀️

THE TOOTH OF WOJIRA

So when I first watched this I was genuinely, really excited about knowing the truth behind all this. It turned out very different from what I first thought, but at least in this case it's okay (besides I was pushing with the lightning meaning just to see Libber again 😅😅😅)

I feel like the guys get their powers stolen or blocked so much it takes them a minute to remember "Oh wait I can literally burn my way out" 🤷‍♀️

SPINJITZU YAY 🤩

I... forgot that Misako knows how to fight 😅 She knows how to do spinjitzu too if I remember correctly...

NYA BEING LIKE "OUT OF THE WAY IMMA SAVE MY BOYFRIEND AGAIN" ❤💙❤💙

Gotta love how they were all crazy worried about Jay, like, this is something that never changes through the show. They really care so so much for each other 💕💕💕

Ooohhhh, okay, so Wojira does seem to be the main villain of next season according to the story. I remember Tommy saying that we needed to have faith and this is probably why. The special was okay, nothing too much, and hopefully that too much we will see in Nya's season 😍😍😍

What the- pff, I didn't notice this the first time 😂

At this point I can't tell if that one short with the chicken of the movie carried a hate or a love for chickens in the actual show 😂😂

Nice to see Jay standing up for himself at least for a little while 💪 Also Lloyd being "He's our trouble", aww family 💜

THERE IT IS

MY BRUISE HEART IS SOARING 🖤💙🖤💙

Gotta give props to the voice actors, voicing an explanation while fighting must be pretty hard! WE ARE BLESSED WITH AN AMAZING CAST!!! 🤩🤩🤩

And there he is, our favorite jerk... shaved Ronin 😂 He does look a little weird, but it's fair, new animation and all. Not the weirdest until now 🤷‍♀️

I genuinely had to make a mental check to see where we are with Ronin now, like, he started as a villain, then a partner, he betrayed us, became an ally, he hunted the ninja, then joined them, that timeline was erased, he was around in SoG and... wow this man is chaotic 😂😂

Yaaaay, Twitchy's last minute redemption act! Lloyd is too good at motivational speeches 👏👏

A bit of Lava OTP/BrOTP

Cause it's good for the heart ❤🖤❤🖤

Okay, Scooby doo reference, why not? Also honestly, I'm confident Ronin has seen A LOT of jails and prisons... probably won't stay behind bars for long 😅

Mammatus: sorry for imprisoning you and almost killing your friend

Kai: no biggie, that's how we make friends in this show

Alright the "And Clutch Powers" gag made me chuckle 😂 ... wait where is he- DANG IT UNCLE POWERS

Okay, this is the last time I say it I promise, but I mean. I MEAN

THE ANIMATION GUYS 😍😍😍

Aaaaand sensei you jinxed it 😅 But you apparently awakened Nya's season so I'm gonna forgive you on this one 😉

FINAL THOUGHTS

There are a few little details that bothered me a little, and it wasn't as exciting as I maybe hoped it was going to be, but it was fine. Enjoyable still. These characters make me like the show, even when it got nothing too impactful 🤷‍♀️

But I got triggered about that lightning thing with Jay 😅 I guess I'll just fanfic whatever I had in mind...

Don't have to repeat myself about the animation *chef's kiss*

The writing was really less engaging, a little normal in a way? Idk just a feeling. Nice to see Ronin again though, I really like him. And nice to see Jay freaking out, I really like that too 😂

To be honest I wanted to put down my thoughts on this one because I REALLY wanna do the same with Nya's season ���🤩 I already know that Maya is gonna be there and I am so HAPPY already!!! 💙💙💙

So that's it from me! Thank you for reading me ranting, see you next season! 😊

[kpopgerapitico]

End of Year Review 2018: K-dramas Part 1

A/N: I had to break this into two parts, hence this being the starting point, and being posted today.

This year was a year of dropped dramas this year. I dropped more shows than I watched to completion, and more than you would expect. I think I finished maybe a total of 10 shows over the course of the year (9 of which are on this list), and most of the ones I dropped I will be leaving abandoned (except for the 1 that finished up this list). Suffice to say, I was underwhelmed by this years taking. And honestly, my top 10 only has like 3 or 4 shows that I don’t have major problems with, mostly in the back half of the shows.

My format takes a page from the very good Josei Next Door (if you like anime, her end of year lists are a must read, and hold many of my current favorites), and then follows my own loose commentary structure, because I can’t be bothered to organize half the time. So, anyways, here we go with the bottom half (i.e. good shows I enjoyed but I don’t love)!

Bottom 5: These shows are unordered, because I honestly had no clue of what order to put them in. So, alphabetical it is!

Come and Hug Me

Episodes: 32

Station: MBC

Director/Writer: Choi Joon Bae (The Sons), Lee A Ram

This is the only show on this list I haven’t finished. And that is in no way a comment on the show, because I really loved this show. It is the most dramatic show that I watched this year, and I was strung along for the whole damn ride. I cried, multiple times on this show, in the same episode.

Chang Ki Yong is someone I have known since his first ever role on It’s Okay That’s Love. And 4 years later, he has grown into a totally different actor. The first few episodes, I was pretty sure he was a really bad actor who had managed to get the lead role of a show on a big channel. Instead, he had his character so integrated that took a long time to reveal the layers of that character. Jin Ki Joo is beautiful and delicate and wonderful. She was completely believable from moment one, and carries tragedy so well. She also has one of my favorite clapbacks of all time (that I gifed way back when).

This show is a heart wrenching and does not let up. And I don’t usually go for shows that are quite that sad. But dammit all if this show didn’t draw me in and refuse to let me leave.

Fox Bride Star

Episodes: 32

Station: SBS

Director/Writer: Shin Woo Cheol (Gentleman’s Dignity), Kang Eun Kyung (Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim)

In A Sentence: The trials and tribulations of the daily life of airport employees.

Okay, I will talk a bit about the main characters in the show. I love Lee Je Hoon, even if I don’t like any of the projects he has chosen since Signal. And I love Chae Soo Bin, ever since I’m Not A Robot. And they sort of mostly totally have chemistry. And the whole robot arm/leg thing is something interesting I guess.

Can you tell that the leads weren’t the reason I watched this show? Well, now that that is out of the way, let’s talk about the part of this show you should love. The Security Couple. Kim Kyung Nam and Lee Soo Kyung have enough chemistry to run the whole show, and they have the cutest storyline by a lot. I was rooting for them throughout, especially since Lee Soo Kyung’s character felt a lot like Lee Min Ki in Because This Is My First Life. Also, I need Kim Kyung Nam in a drama as the leading man in a sort of mob boss in a rom com sort of show. Because he would kill it.

The machinations of the show were often weird and didn’t fit. But the security couple. The whole asshole brother plot line was unneeded. But the security couple. Now maybe you know why I included this show.

Judge vs. Judge

Episodes: 32

Station: SBS

Director/Writer: Lee Kwang Young, Seo In

In A Sentence: The trials and tribulations of the daily life of judges.

The first half of this show is something special, and the second half is not the worst, so it deserves to be mentioned. I love the case of the week style, and more importantly the whole mentor-mentee relationship of the judges. And Yeon Woo Jin is adorable as a serious judge who plays by the book, and across from Park Eun Bin’s emotional judging. It is so redeeming after the crap that Yeon Woo Jin had to fight through last year.

Also, the whole plot line with the assistant and the judge friend was adorable, and made me giggle every time I saw their interactions.

This show is nothing to write home about, but it does well as a whole, and has a few shining moments that make it noteworthy for me this year.

My Secret Terrius

Episodes: 32

Station: MBC

Director/Writer: Park Sang Hun (Romance Full of Life), Oh Ji Young (Shopping King Louis)

In A Sentence: He is in hiding, as a nanny, because reasons.

This show was mostly a vessel to have So Ji Sub be endearingly cute the whole time. And I for one am not complaining, because that is wonderful. So Ji Sub needs to be in rom coms for the rest of his life, and I will accept nothing less.

The plot of this show mirrors that of the writer’s previous work, with quirky characters who do weird things with almost no reason and a ton of heart. And it again brings a lot of heart to a show that has no right to have any. From nose kisses with the kids, to cops that are incapable while the neighborhood moms group can catch a kidnapper, no problems. Kang Ki Young is a scene stealer when So Ji Sub isn’t on screen, and brings out some of Terrius’ funniest moments when they are together.

This show has no depth, nor should it. Enjoy it for the silly pleasure it is, as the spiritual if not actual successor as Shopping King Louis.

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim

Episodes: 16

Station: tvn

Director/Writer: Park Joon Hwa (Because This Is My First Life), Jung Eun Young

In A Sentence: His secretary quits to live her life, and he fights to keep her.

I love the idea of this shows plot. The whole ‘my secretary quit because I’m a dick and she realized that she is worth more’. I love the adjustment to the plot that the show makes over the course of its show to ‘my secretary quit even though she realized I’m not a dick because she wants different things now’. Did the love line make sense from the start? For him sure, but definitely not for her. But once the show got past that initial weirdness, it settled into a much cuter place.

Park Seo Joon is great, because he always is, and Park Min Young is equally great in hers. They play off of each other so well, which is incredibly important for a show that is all about 1 relationship.

Do I wish that they dropped the second lead? Do I get confused by why Chansung doesn’t get more screen time as a hilarious side romance? Yes and Yes. But there is great stuff in the middle, and a solid cast in most of the roles who do great work. Don’t expect depth, but expect a nice ride.

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 4 -- Day of Wrath -- Review/Discussion

The day has finally arrived…that’s right. We finally got our first episode with the new showrunners. Shadowhunters Episode 4 – Day of Wrath did not disappoint. Don’t get me wrong. This episode was far from perfect. There are still weird things going on with the plot and pacing but if this episode was any inclination, I think we can expect the show to get better episode-by-episode from this point forward. The new showrunners gave us exactly what they promised us, a story that revolves around characters and not plot. Which is what Shadowhunters should have always been.

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding this episode. If you’re the kind of Shadowhunters fan where you only want to hear positive things about the show, this is not the place for you. If you decide to stick around and get offended by what is said, then that’s on you. I warned you. Just know that if you send me any rude comments or messages, I will 100% ignore you. I find that’s the best way to deal with bullies. I work 14 hour days. Do you really think I want to waste my incredibly valuable free time dealing with derogatory comments? Hell no. This review will consist of my honest opinions. Opinions are never right or wrong. I’m not telling you how to think and feel. I’m telling you what I think and feel. So please, let’s discuss with dignity and respect. If I’m critical about the show, it’s only because I want it to get better. There is, in fact, a difference between hating a show and being critical of it. I am not hating on Shadowhunters; I am being critical and analyzing the flaws as I would with any other show. There are positives but there are also negatives with this show. It’s great if you want to promote positivity with this show but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t acknowledge the things that are legitimately wrong with it. There will be spoilers for the show and spoilers for the books and movie.

I’ve made no secret of how underwhelmed I am with this show. It’s very frustrating if you have to watch an episode and then ask yourself seriously if the writers even care about this show or if they’re just collecting a pay check. Because let’s be real, guys. Some of the things that have gone on in this show have left us scratching our heads with, “why?” The show has plot holes galore, it has no real plot arc from episode-to-episode, and some really shoddy world-building (and I mean that in the sense that there is no world-building). These are professional writers. You can’t tell me that they don’t know what they’re doing when they’re writing these scripts. I’m sure they realize their story is full of plot holes; they just don’t care. And to be clear, my problems with the show have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the show not following the books. When I watch this show, I watch it from a TV series standpoint and I see the flaws the show has as a TV show. Vampire Diaries and The 100 certainly don’t follow their source material and I love those shows (well for Vampire Diaries, at least season 1-3; I have a love/hate relationship with the later seasons). But this episode showed me everything the new showrunners promised us. A story centered around characters and not plot. There are still things wrong with this episode, primarily the plot and the pacing but it was a step in the right direction.

A Clace Dynamic…Finally

Probably some of the best scenes in this episode were the scenes that took place between Clary and Jace, which I never thought I would ever say about this show. I have made no secret about how underwhelmed I have been with the Clace dynamic in the show. Granted, Malec is my OTP for the book series but Clace also has a very special part in my heart. I really enjoyed their dynamic of constantly challenging each other while supporting each other at the same time. But the show just was not doing Clace well. Originally, in Season One, I thought part of the problem was that Kat and Dom had no chemistry with each other but another problem was the material they were being given, as well. The show wanted to press the romantic ships so hard in the first season in an attempt to get as many fans as possible that they forgot why people care about tv relationships. It’s not the fact that two people are together, its HOW they got together. Instead of just letting the relationship develop organically, they pushed everyone together far too quickly. On tv shows, everyone loves a good slow-burn couple. Me, personally, am a huge fan of Stydia from Teen Wolf and Bellarke from The 100. People that are going to take forever and a day to get together. What can I say, I’m a masochist. I’m a 27-year-old adult. I need a stronger foundation for a relationship than seeing a guy shirtless and him taking me out for a motorcycle ride after he allowed me to be compelled by vampires (ugh, I try not to think about that scene). All throughout Seaosn One, I was scratching my head asking, “Why are these two into each other?” It also didn’t help that I found TV Show Jace and Clary to be beyond annoying and possibly, two of the dumbest characters I have ever come across in a serious TV show setting. These two had A LOT of lapses in logic in Season One and it annoyed me. 

Ironically enough, I didn’t really feel the Clace chemistry until after they were revealed to be siblings. Their chemistry was just working better as siblings. They were far more comfortable with each other. And I was dreading the day they were finally going to be reunited but their dynamic in this episode felt really nice and really genuine in a way they have never been before. The characters have also been written slightly differently in this season. Clary has a much more innocent personality which is so much better than that sultry, seductive air she had in the first season. I was not fond of her in Season One. I thought she was overly cocky for someone who just got introduced into a new world and behaved like a self-centered little brat most of the time. And it irritated me to no end that no one ever called her out on it because they all thought she was this perfect little angel who couldn’t possibly do any wrong. In this season, she definitely comes off as more of a flawed character than she ever did in Season One which is what I want. And people actually call her out on her crap now. Thank god. I HATE “perfect” characters. They are beyond annoying. Dom has also been playing Jace with a far more vulnerable streak which I like as opposed to the cocky, self-serious attitude which I did not like. Dom is very good at playing Angsty-Jace. As soon as the writers start writing decent snark for Jace, then I will have nothing to complain about as far as Jace goes. With these new personalities being exhibited this season, it made the Clace dynamic feel much more real.

The scene with Clary and Jace in the City of Bones was really great. It had everything from Clace that I ever wanted. The feeling that they know they belong together coupled with the feeling that they know they can never actually be together was really powerful in this episode. A lot of other reviews talk about how they find it to be a little creepy. Newsflash: It’s supposed to be creepy. If you haven’t read the books, this relationship resolves itself, eventually, in a really awesome way but until it does, just revel in the creepiness. That’s the point. This story is not a sunshine and dandelions kind of story. It is dark and trust me, it only gets darker from here. If you can’t handle this level of creepiness, I don’t know what you’re going to do later on in the series. The whole point of their attraction to each other are the results that come out of it. They know they’re siblings but they can’t help how they feel and as a result it leads to them questioning themselves and who they are. It’s a great story arc. If you can’t handle a little darkness than scurry on over to the Disney Channel or quit complaining. I’m sure everyone would like to think that if they were in a relationship with someone and then found out they were that person’s brother/sister, they would be repulsed. But honestly, you can’t judge Clace for that unless it’s actually happened to you. How can you honestly say you wouldn’t still have some very confusing and mixed feelings about that person if it’s never happened to you before? But anyways, I just really liked the dynamic between the two in this scene. It really highlighted the essence of the relationship from the book. The show also really made the effort to make the City of Bones look even creepier which added to the effect. 

Malec First Date Tease…and some actual Shadowhunting? *Gasp*

So we finally got our first hints that there is eventually going to be a Malec first date which I’m really excited for. They had an awesome first date in The Bane Chronicles. Obviously, the date can’t go exactly like it did in the book because the characters’ relationship is in a very different place than it was in the books but I’m still excited for it. This scene only lasted about 30 seconds but I still liked it. Alec was thanking Magnus for everything he did in the previous episode and then asks Magnus out on a date now that their lives have seemingly moved on to a more stable point…or so they think. But Raj pulls them away because Alec has to go to a demon briefing. I did enjoy Magnus putting Raj in his place. The first date is to be continued. 

But Alec heads off to this demon briefing and Jocelyn pulls Clary to the side and tells her that the Clave is reassigning Jocelyn to Idris and she would like Clary to come with her. Clary, is of course, hesitant. Her entire life is in NYC, after all. I hadn’t actually realized that Jocelyn had rejoined the Clave but okay. Then Alec and Izzy pull Clary off to help with some shadowhunting. This is something I don’t understand. The reasoning behind Alec and Izzy taking Clary, an untrained shadowhunter, on this hunt is because they’re a man down because Jace is in the City of Bones and apparently everyone else is patrolling. I thought everyone was at this briefing. And furthermore, why would you take Clary, an untrained shadowhunter and not someone else readily available…say Jocelyn? At least Jocelyn is fully trained. She was standing right there. This is where the logic of having the Institute full of people fails. You keep on having instances like this. It is better than Season One, though. At least these extras are actually being acknowledged now. Before, it was just Jace, Clary, Izzy, and Alec who went out on missions and everyone else just fiddled with the computers. I thought that it was slightly ridiculous that Alec is complaining that Clary wouldn’t have been his first choice when Jocelyn is standing right there. And are you telling me that all 50 of these other shadowhunter extras are out patrolling? Perhaps the Institute needs to divide their manpower better.

It was nice to see the shadowhunters actually doing some shadowhunting, though. I did enjoy seeing Luke actually being a cop. The show uses that particular plot point so infrequently that sometimes it’s easy to forget that he actually has a day job. And we got to see Izzy as a pathologist again. I still don’t completely buy that aspect of her story. I still feel its a little cheesy and not well thought out. And when I say that, I’m not saying that I have a problem with it because she’s a woman in a pathologist position. I’m saying that, as someone in a medical field, it doesn’t make sense how she got into that position when she’s only 19 or 20-years old. Medical training for humans can take up to a decade depending on which field you’re getting into. Imagine how much more complicated it has to be for shadowhunters. You also have to add in the demon element of their pathology. When exactly did Izzy start studying? When she was 10? I think it’s a little disrespectful for those who actually do put in all those years of medical training. How exactly does she have time for everything that the show is implying that she’s doing? You can’t just say she’s super smart. You actually need to back up the claim. I’d kind of like the show to explore Izzy’s interest in pathology at some point. It’s not something that exists in the books which isn’t the problem. They just need to do something to support this particular aspect of her story. This is fiction but that doesn’t mean the show shouldn’t be grounded in some sense of realism. At least they’re not toting around that she’s the best pathologist in NYC anymore. That was what really added the cheese to the story. But Izzy decides to take this dead body back to the Institute to do an autopsy, I guess. I’m not sure why an autopsy needed to be done. It was fairly clear what happened. There was a huge hole in the chest, after all. But I guess she wanted to check for demon toxins.

Then we have Alec and Clary scouting the area for demons and we’re introduced to another new rune. The demon-heat-sensing rune. I swear, it’s becoming more and more obvious that the only reason runes transferred over from book to tv show was so that they could use it as a cheap plot device. It’s like the writers are thinking, “what would be most convenient to have happen? I know, let’s make a rune for it.” Next thing you know, they’re going to make a rune that causes demons to inexplicably burst into flames so the shadowhunters don’t actually have to go through the trouble of stabbing them. The visual effects were so much better when you compare the visual effects they used when the night vision rune came into effect back into Season One so I’ll give the show that. And I did enjoy the conversation that Alec and Clary have. Matt and Kat have always had fantastic chemistry so any one-on-one scenes with them are always really great. I wish the show would put the two of them together more often. Alec is talking to Clary about Idris and there was something in his tone that he’s almost a little jealous that Clary is getting the chance to go to Idris. Clary chalks it all up to Alec just wanting to get rid of her. And she’s not wrong. For Alec, she is a liability. She keeps on putting herself in these battles and she’s an unknown element because she has no training. But Alec also had this really honest tone when he was saying that Clary was really going to like Idris. It’s something that I’ve always enjoyed about Matt’s portrayal of Alec. He always has this very honest way of talking. He never says anything just to be mean. If he’s saying something, it’s because he feels that strongly about it and that is an attribute that I adore about Alec in both the books and tv show. Alec and Clary eventually find this girl that was possessed by the demon and then we never see this girl again. What happened to her? We just had a scene where Clary tells her everything is going to be okay, that they’re going to help her and then she just disappears off the face of the earth. 

Magnus and His Downworlder Children

Back at the Institute, we have Raphael meeting with Aldertree regarding the disappearance of Camille. Aldertree wants to make Raphael pay for the vampire den nonsense in The Guilty Blood. It’s still unclear to me why he feels the need to punish Raphael and his clan considering everyone knows its Camille who did it but whatever. This show employing actual logic…please, don’t get crazy on me just yet. I think at this point, whenever Aldertree is in a scene, we can expect that he’s going to do something douchey. That’s the only personality this show is apparently going to give him. So Aldertree decides to torture Raphael in an attempt to find out where Camille is and also to punish Magnus for attacking a shadowhunter and smuggling Alec out of the Institute in the last episode.

Raphael goes to Magnus’ because he had nowhere else to go. So Magnus heals him and I really enjoyed the dynamic these two had. You can tell these two have a past and there’s a mutual respect. Just the fact that Raphael initially didn’t want to enlist Magnus’ help in finding Camille because he knows what Camille means to Magnus just spoke volumes to me. It was such a good scene. And then Simon shows up and I enjoyed the dynamic of Raphael and Simon at each other’s throat with Magnus being the mediator. That was fun to watch. It’s then revealed that the box Simon is trying to open is actually full of Camille’s graveyard dirt which can be used to summon her. The box is eventually opened with Simon’s blood since now Simon’s blood is Camille’s blood. I have to question Camille’s logic in sealing her dirt in a box that can be opened by anyone in her sire line, though. I get that most of her sire line is probably loyal to her but surely one day, she was going to sire someone who wasn’t going to be loyal to her. Something like that that can be used against her, you would think she’d have much stronger protections other than keeping the dirt in a box that can be opened by anyone in her sire line and that she just left lying around in her home in India. 

We also get this nice little scene between Simon and Magnus. Simon is trying to convince Magnus to turn in Camille to the Clave and Magnus tells him it’s not that easy. Simon may see her a certain way but Magnus sees her in a completely different way. Simon sees her as evil and Magnus tells him that Camille lives in a grey area. She’s not completely evil. I didn’t really like the whole bit where Magnus was saying that Camille saved him from jumping off a bridge, though. It felt a little cliché and cheesy to me. I might be more okay with the story if they ever get to the point where they talk about why he was willing to commit suicide. But his reasoning in this episode was, “I was in a dark place.” It got a little too late 90s early 2000s angsty for me. But Magnus sends Raphael and Simon off to get some ingredients before they summon Camille but it’s really a ploy so he can summon Camille and talk to her on his own. 

He summons her and locks her in this cage. They have a nice little conversation before he finally decides to send her to Idris. This was actually a very well-written conversation. I really enjoyed it in script form I just was not liking how Camille was delivering her lines in this scene. I wouldn’t say she’s a bad actress but something was just off in the performance. I wasn’t really feeling, “this is Camille.” I did like how Magnus said, “You can sire more vampires. You can have children. I’m a warlock. I can’t have children and so the downworlders I take in are my children.” By turning Camille in, he may be forsaking her but he’s also protecting his children, Raphael and to a certain degree, Simon. This is an aspect of Magnus’ personality that I am so glad is finally being brought out in the show. His need to have a family.

The Trial

We’re at the City of Bones and Jace is having his trial with the Mortal Sword. I also really enjoyed this scene. I liked how Aldertree was manipulating the questions to make Jace go a certain way in his emotions. I like how Aldertree forced him to admit that his emotions for Clary are not emotions a brother should be having and I liked that Aldertree forced him to admit that he can’t be 100% loyal to the Clave. It was just really great seeing Jace’s internal conflict when answering these questions. You could tell he didn’t want to but the Mortal Sword makes you tell the truth. The phrase, “the truth hurts” comes to mind in this particular instance.  

Aldertree is going to recommend that Jace face a lifetime imprisonment in the City of Bones for his actions. This also leads me to thinking how incredibly ridiculous this show is in the terms of punishment. They were going to de-rune Izzy for talking back to Aldertree but they’re going to lock Jace up for life for “joining” Valentine? I don’t really understand the punishment system in the tv show’s version of the Clave. But I’m pretty sure Jace’s punishment is going to get rescinded since Jace chose to save Aldertree’s life instead of going after his father and the mortal sword. 

Institute Battle Ground

So Izzy takes the dead body back to the Institute so we can have some very inappropriate jokes made by Raj. Considering this body is never touched again, I’m going to assume this was the primary reason for this body being brought to the Institute besides the whole demon possession thing. I did enjoy seeing Lydia put Raj in his place because those were some seriously inappropriate jokes. Not to mention, the actor didn’t even land them anyway. If your show is going to make inappropriate jokes, that’s fine.  But at least find an actor who can actually land them. Writing the joke is only half the battle. You still have to find an actor who can deliver it. I’m glad that some of these other shadowhunters are actually getting a place in the story but would it kill the writers to make the characters a little bit likable? 

But while no one’s watching, some black smoke comes out of the body and begins possessing people right and left. I don’t really understand when they brought this body in, how alarms didn’t go off that there was demon smoke in the body. The Institute is protected by wards. That’s why their home base is in the Institute. The show kind of addresses it by having Izzy say, “the demon must have some form of advanced cloaking ability.” Could the show BE anymore vague? This is writer speak for “we don’t know how the demon got in either but we need the demon to be in here in order to push the plot forward.” It’s lazy writing is what it comes down to. It tells me the writers can’t even be bothered to come up with a plausible reason. Apparently, this demon will possess anyone who has any negative emotions which can equate to just about anyone.   

We also have this scene between Izzy and Clary. Izzy is asking Clary if she’s going to go to Idris with her mother. I did like at this point that Clary remarks the Institute must have some sort of twitter feed. But Clary also mentions she doesn’t know since she and her mom are still not seeing eye-to-eye. Izzy remarks that at least Clary’s mom wants to be around her unlike her own and Clary goes on to continue complaining that her mom lied to her and blocked her memories and blah, blah, blah. Because a mother lying to her child and blocking said child’s memories to protect them is TOTALLY worse than a mother slut-shaming her daughter and essentially abandoning her children. But you go ahead, Clary. Continue on with victimizing yourself. Geez, at least this time Izzy actually has the guts to tell Clary she’s being a brat. Normally, that role is only reserved for Alec so I’m glad we got to see Izzy do it too. I did like Izzy’s line, “Of course I don’t want you to go. No one in Idris is going to teach you how to fight in five inch heels.” Very Isabelle.       

We have Raj getting possessed and attacking Lydia and I don’t understand why the shadowhunters are being so dumb about the Institute being attacked by a demon that can possess shadowhunters. Never mind that it doesn’t make sense why shadowhunters are being possessed in the first place since they have protections put on them at birth to prevent it which actually becomes important later on in the series but whatever. The point is that they know what this demon is capable of but yet they’re treating the person they’re patrolling with as completely trustworthy. THE DEMON CAN BE ANYONE AT ANY TIME. Stop being so trusting and actually question when your partner is doing some weird sociopathic crap. Lydia’s arm gets broken in the altercation but luckily Alec saves her. 

We cut to Jocelyn hanging out in Clary’s room and Clary entering. Because a demon loose on the Institute is totally normal so we can take a break in-between demon possessions. It’s not like anyone’s getting their ass possessed right now or anything. The only purpose this scene had was so that Clary could tell her mother that she’s staying in NYC because she needs to stand on her own two feet. Thank god. I honestly think it’s a little odd how dependent the parents are with their adult children in this show. We have Clary and Jocelyn with a really weird co-dependant kind of relationship and then we have Simon’s mother who will freak out whenever her adult son disappears (presumably to college) for a few weeks. It’s a little weird to me how clingy these parents are. They need to let go. 

It was at this point that I was 95% certain that Jocelyn was going to be the shadowhunter that was teased about dying in this episode. I’m not sure if it was blaringly obvious or because I’ve seen one too many episodes of Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Basically in TV in supernatural settings, if it looks like a character is going to make a peaceful exit off of the show, that character is going to get killed off right before they leave (RIP Aiden from The Originals). It’s a formula that I’ve learned from TV. I have a few issues with killing off Jocelyn. I can understand why the show felt the need to kill her off. Her character wasn’t really doing anything and she was woken up too early to begin with. I think the new showrunners understood that when they took on this show. So this was part of their way to get the show back on track. But whereas I can understand the inclination to get rid of her, what the character has the potential to know is very important later on in the series and I’m not sure how the show is going to bridge that gap with Jocelyn dead. Granted, I’m still not 100% certain that Jocelyn is actually dead. I still stand by my earlier theory that Season 2 Jocelyn is not really Jocelyn. And if she actually was Jocelyn, she was being written very weirdly and very badly. And it also doesn’t make sense that Valentine would send this unpredictable demon to the Institute where his wife (who he is obsessed with; he tried to kill his own parabatai because of his feelings for her) currently resides. I just don’t think he would’ve taken the risk of something happening to Jocelyn unless he knew she wasn’t there. So, I’ll still hold on to the thought that Jocelyn is not really Jocelyn. It’s either that or maybe the writers are going to bring her back from the dead which I’m kind of hoping does not happen. I really don’t like that trope in supernatural TV because it just undermines the finality of death and that these people do live their lives in a very dangerous world. I miss the days in Vampire Diaries when the characters died and actually stayed dead.

I also want to talk about how badly Jocelyn’s death was done, as well. Not only was it weird just killing her off, it was also weird how her death worked in the plot and the pacing. Pacing was a huge problem in regards to Jocelyn’s death. Whereas certain parts of the episode were handled very well, the pacing is still a major issue. They did not spend nearly as much time with these Jocelyn death scenes as they should’ve. Clary walks into a hallway to find Alec with blood on his hands. It is then revealed that Jocelyn lays dead in the next room. Now, I did enjoy the decision to have Alec kill Jocelyn. I think his character development from this point forward is going to be really interesting. It provides an interesting conundrum for him. Alec is all about saving lives. He believes in protecting people and believes that the lives of others outweighs his own. So the fact that a demon forced him to kill a fellow shadowhunter is going to weigh heavily on his conscience and I really hope the show does this storyline justice. However, this is also where the pacing gets a little wacky. Clary sees her dead mother and is given 5 seconds in the scene to mourn and be shocked. Then the next scene we’re in, we see Alec and Clary viewing the surveillance tapes that shows Alec killing Jocelyn. Alec is trying to apologize to Clary and Clary’s all, “Stop. We have a demon to kill.” How did we jump from grieving to killing? It just moved far too quickly in my opinion. I do agree that the show did need to kill off a character that had some weight on the show. A big problem with the show is that a lot of times it feels like there are no great consequences to the character’s actions. I had already suspected it would be Jocelyn because she’s the only other shadowhunter the show had been amping the story on besides the seven main characters. I just think the actual death was handled badly. They were trying to do too much with Clary’s story arc in a space of 10 minutes. I don’t know about you but I definitely would not have been in any sort of coherent mind state to go on a demon hunt after this. Certainly not coherent enough to watch my mother get murdered on tape and then move on to kill the demon all in the space of 15 minutes. It was just too much too quickly. I honestly feel that Jocelyn’s death should have been revealed at the very end of the episode. They could have tracked down the demon, killed the demon, and then found Jocelyn’s body later at the very end of the episode and I think that could’ve been an extremely powerful scene. But Jocelyn’s death in this episode didn’t make me feel anything. It could’ve if they had fixed the pacing issues but they didn’t and I really felt that it took away from having a truly emotional scene. One of my favorite death scenes, and when I say favorite, I mean I’m bawling like a baby, is Aunt Jenna’s death scene in Vampire Diaries, Season 2. It is so powerful and so sad and so traumatic. You have Jenna facing her death as a newly turned vampire and Elena telling Jenna to turn her emotions off so Jenna could have a chance at peace in the moments before her death. In those moments, you are feeling everything the characters are feeling. Those are the kinds of emotions I want from a death scene and I was very disappointed with Shadowhunters; not that there was a death scene but that it wasn’t done to the potential it could’ve. There was no emotional weight to it.

But they track the demon and we find that it’s currently possessing Izzy. Alec and Izzy fight a little which I enjoyed seeing. I did like that the demon kind of fed on Izzy’s inadequacies regarding Alec. It was really interesting seeing her views on Alec in this negative light. She feels that Alec is the favored son whereas Alec feels that he’s never going to be good enough to have his parents’ respect. Basically, they both have the same problems with their parents they just look at it a little differently. Alec accepts that he’s never going to be good enough because he’s honest even with himself whereas Izzy also knows she’s a disappointment but is allowing it to eat her up on the inside. They have very different ways of dealing with those negative emotions. Then we have Clary showing up and cheesily stabbing Izzy in the shoulder to expel the demon. Now the demon is in its smoke form and she stabs it again. Here we go with stabbing smoke again. I thought we’d seen the last of this in Season 1, Episode 4 but apparently not. Huh, a parallel. I wonder if that was intentional. They’re still bringing back stabbing the smoke one time is enough to kill the demon. I hate how easy the show makes it out to be in regards to killing demons. I really do. It’s not at all realistic. Not to mention, this is supposedly a demon that is different from other demons so shouldn’t it be a little more difficult to kill it? But no, Clary stabs it one time and off to hell it goes.

The episode does with another really powerful scene. The demon is dead and Alec is healing Izzy. And I just really liked the look Alec shared with Clary as he was healing Izzy. Alec is beyond happy that Izzy isn’t dead but he also feels incredibly guilty that they can’t bring back Jocelyn. And Clary is looking at him in a way that says, “Izzy’s alive and that’s good but my mother is still dead.” Then we have Jace and Simon showing up and this is was a really powerful nod to the love triangle that’s starting to build up. Jace wants to comfort Clary but realizes he can’t comfort her in the way she needs to be. But Simon is the one who can. And the way he ultimately chose to be there for Alec and Izzy, his true family, was really great. It’s been a while since we’ve seen these three together. It was just so powerful and I really liked the music choice they had at the end. I thought it ended the episode really nicely.

All in all, I’d probably keep this episode at a B. The show has been pretty consistent in that respect. It is getting better episode by episode. Shadowhunters is so close to having something I would call a good show. Once they fix their plot and pacing issues, I will have far less to complain about. The best parts about this episode were the character moments. If the show can just continue on with allowing the characters to move the story, they are well on their way to fixing those issues.

I hope you enjoyed this. I love to discuss these episodes so if you have any opinions on this episode I would love to hear them. Do you agree or disagree? Did you like the episode? Did you hate the episode? Just remember to be respectful.