#sam rewatches shadowhunters 2022

[couragehopelovefaith]

I posted 6,242 times in 2022

That's 896 more posts than 2021!

221 posts created (4%)

6,021 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sobernatural

@buglovescas

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@deanshauntedmidnights

I tagged 5,141 of my posts in 2022

Only 18% of my posts had no tags

#supernatural - 3,446 posts

#destiel - 2,716 posts

#deancas - 2,712 posts

#dean winchester - 587 posts

#castiel - 288 posts

#fate the winx saga - 260 posts

#shadowhunters - 177 posts

#tvd - 170 posts

#ftws - 143 posts

#teen wolf - 134 posts

Longest Tag: 132 characters

#the moment when you're supposed to be the responsible employer and see something like this and try to hold back screaming and crying

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Riven and Musa | Cake By The Ocean (S2) (SPOILERS ABOUT SEASON 2) Lilac Edits was really fast with this wonderful Rivusa-edit. Great job! *returns to rewatch it multiple times*

60 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

#4

When you have rewatched Merlin six or seven times but want to go through all that emotional rollercoaster to introduce it to your friend, are nervous about her reactions...and these are her comments during episode two: 

“It seems like the show is developing the thing between Morgana and Arthur, but I would much rather want to see Morgana with Gwen and Merlin with Arthur. There is so much chemistry there already.”

“Gwen and Morgana have such bi-energy!”

[I made a mistake of accidentally telling her that Morgana is going to turn “evil” at some point, and now she has wild speculations of what would lead such a just cinnamon roll into that...and I’m sitting there like I’m constipated to avoid spoiling anything.]

[when Merlin and Arthur are fighting] “Oh, come on, just kiss and make up already!”

Also, she is such a ray of sunshine every time Kilgharrah appears and she has already so many crossover-ideas. 

And let me tell you, the big mix of relief, nostalgic pain and amusement that I felt was like no other. 

My inner voice: “Oh, honey, you’ve got a big storm coming!”

82 notes - Posted May 21, 2022

#3

I’m all too used to having “Yes, they are finally happy! Wait... Oh no, they are too happy right now... something bad is gonna happen any minute!”-moments, but it still sucks every time. 

134 notes - Posted May 8, 2022

#2

The last year and a half has been challenging enough already, and now Merlin is leaving Netflix too? Seriously? Dammit and other curses. 

158 notes - Posted November 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

My opinions about “Fate the Winx Saga” season 2 (MANY SPOILERS!)

If you haven’t seen it yet and want to experience it fully by yourselves, don’t read any further!

- Without any doubt, this season is even better than the first one. Such an emotional rollercoaster with many surprises and great villains. I loved all of the old and new characters and how these episodes deepened their bonds. It took some time for me to get used to the new actors of Rosalind and Ben - the original ones will always have a special place in my heart, but they did a good job with recasting, I think. 

- I have loved Abigail as Bloom since the first episode, but I’m glad she got so many opportunities to shine here.

- I didn’t especially like Skloom in the original animation, but they have stolen my heart in Fate, specifically during this season (episodes two and seven, my beloved). 

- I was both anxious and excited about seeing Flora, but I was pleasantly surprised. She is a badass, fits into group so well, and I like how her and Terra got closer and kind of sorted out their disagreements. 

- Everyone’s storylines and struggles were good and relatable (especially Bloom’s, Sky’s and Musa’s), but Terra’s took the first place for me for multiple reasons. 

- Stella’s and Riven’s character-developments are definitely also worth mentioning.

- My emotions about Dane have been conflicted this season, but I’m happy where we left with him, that the situation with Riven and him seems to be somewhat okay now and he has a chance to real happiness.

- I love Sam as a character, feel really bad for him and want him to find happiness, but Samusa never really was “it” for me (and it’s not just because I have had a soft spot for Rivusa since my childhood).

- When it comes to Rivusa, I really enjoyed their scenes together and can’t wait to see more of them. 

- Musa is still my favorite Winx altogether, even though I adore all of them.

- Aisha deserves everything beautiful and good in this world, dammit!

- I’m thrilled how much Silva-content we got this season. 

- Transformations and magic in general were done great.

- A good nod to Trix, I must say.

- That ending scene got me so emotional it was almost ridiculous. 

Aaand the downsides...

- Farah will always be the headmistress of Alfea to me and many, many others. The scenes we got with her, and her one last valuable lesson, were touching and I’m thankful for them, but she deserved so much more. There was an amazing build up of Golden Trio in season 1, and it was all thrown to waste. My Silrah-heart had so much hope and now it’s broken. And yes... I cried my eyes out. But when it’s all said and done... I just wanna thank Eve Best for portraying Farah so marvelously (and read loads of Silrah/Golden Trio-fanfics).

- Even though Andreas was very... questionable, I’m sad that there were so few scenes between him, Sky and Silva. 

- Stellatrix belongs to my “had so much hope”-department and well ... </3 

Such a great season, and a heartbreaking cliffhanger. We gotta get season 3, as soon as possible.

268 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

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[starlightswait]

sam rewatches shadowhunters 2022, 1.02 the descent into hell isn't wasy

“clary is there a war going on that i don’t know about?” “there is now” makes me think about how this situation is actually pretty new for this younger generation of shadowhuners. and just a few mins in the show goes out of its way to highlight how censored knowledge of the revolt and the circle is. yes they face demons everyday but they only have a vague understanding of their sordid history re: the uprising. so like, as many mistakes as they make, they’re making them not only bc they’re flawed (though that too obviously), but bc this is new territory. that’s not to excuse any of the shitty things alec, jace, and izzy might do down the line, bc everyone does shitty things and it’s important they be acknowledged, but to say - knowing this lends some sympathy to the lightwoods. (and yes jace is included in this. jace is a lightwood. i have an agenda.) (i use a jace wayland tag bc no one ever really calls him jace lightwood in the show but still. i digress) anyways i’m willing to have some sympathy bc of this, but not excuse what shouldn’t be excused. also it’s a damning critique of the us education system LMAO

i know they make a point of acknowledging it later, but clary’s just wayyyy too okay with all of this. she got to have exactly one (1) breakdown and now she’s totally on board with the very nature of the reality she lives in shifting. meanwhile i would still be processing DEMONS??? with simon lmao

i always get frustrated when a show isn’t clear about whether a character knows about their best friend’s crush on them or not. like if they don’t that makes sense if they do that makes sense just pick one or the other? the awkward glance between her and simon and her gently correcting that they’re best friends makes it seem like she at least has an inkling?? and then other times she just seems completely clueless abt it.

lmao i love how for these first few episodes, most of what alec does is just stand quietly in the bg and then make snarky comments. also it’s very subtle bc he could not be Less in the foreground if he tried (almost like... they’re doing camerawork to set up part of his character... inchresting) but he smiles when jace makes fun of izzy’s cooking and as izzy is introducing herself/kinda toying with simon and it’s just a real cute little background detail like. he loves them both a lot. 

he’s still being kinda snarky but jace warning simon not to eat izzy’s food is kinda nice considering we learn pretty quickly that it is legitimately that bad. although i’m also wondering if it’s supposed to a very brief shovel talk wrapped up in a weird metaphor? bc like, he shows concern/annoyance when simon shows an interest in izzy, so maybe it’s not that nice lmao, idk

yk, luke being so desensitized to killing a member of the circle could actually make sense, bc he’s had to do it before probably. but it also highlights how the same shouldn’t be true for the lightwood trio. the ease with which they killed the circle members last ep and will continue to do feels jarring, makes it seem like they’re more used to it than they actually are. i mostly see it as a failing in the writing - this show chooses weird emotional and moral stakes to focus in on or ignore at times - but i guess it could also hint at the way shadowhutners as raised as child soldiers and that desensitizing them to violence in general - something that is ALSO woefully underexplored even though it would’ve been a really interesting commentary on cycles of trauma.

okay i’ve always thought jace is a little too okay with allowing hodge to be tortured by his rune to get information and like. he is? but he’s also holding himself back from feeling about it, there are a few twitches that i used to read as anger that now make a lot more sense of recontextualized as feeling bad about hodge but believing what they’re doing is necessary. and he doooes go to catch hodge... only to say “we don’t have a choice, you understand that right hodge” and like. this so shakily walks the line between a well-meaning ends justifying the means mentality and emotional manipulation. for all jace’s rule breaking and bravdo, he’s still a student of the clave.

“dot... you can’t trust anybody” “you’re absolutely right” :( not much to say here, but i’m having a lot of dot feelings this rewatch. and these events breeding distrust even amongst two representatives from diff factions of the downworld is interesting and will continue to be relevant

“it’s not good for any of us” something i do like about izzy is at a certain point, she does know when the jokes stop. she’s a fun loving playful person by nature but when asked by simon the nature of the threat to clary - and all of them - are facing you suddenly understand how scared everyone should be. bc izzy is terrified. just hiding it well. (i think izzy and magnus have a lot in common just fyi)

honestly clary’s interest in jace has a lot less meaning behind it, at least as far as i can tell, than his with her. like, she’s just plainly attracted to him. and that’s fine! it’s honestly a healthier starting point than where he’s coming from. but given the stakes they’re currently facing, it seems weird for that to be any degree of a priority for her when i don’t really see the emotions there yet.

the way izzy touches clary’s hair? is gay as hell. we love to see it. (i can actually really easily see them going for a sapphic storyline for izzy, and i can even see a way for it to make narrative sense and not pull away from alec’s own coming out narrative. the caveat is that in this magical au in my head, it wouldn’t really work until s3, but there would obvs be signs before that)

“actual demons with tentacles that wanna murder us” “one google search away!” clary and simon are a golden comedic duo

jace batting izzy’s hand away while she’s touching the weapons and going “no, izzy” like... it’s interesting that they’re often seen as partners in crime against alec’s Only Sane Man archetype, but i do think jace sees it more as a tactic and izzy kinda just likes chaos jdjhdhshs. i might change my mind about this later bc the show goes back and forth a lot on who has the braincell between him and izzy.

“the little girl” alec stop that’s sexist. like it is more about how she’s a baby fledgling shadowhunter that’s gonna get them all killed and/or in trouble with the clave (which is not a position you wanna find yourself in) which is a reasonable concern, but don’t frame it misogynistic language, okay alec?? okay??

pragmatic as he’s being, magnus is still helping as many of his fellow warlocks as he can and offers the same protection to dot. like... i love him.

i love dot too though and like :(( she’s trying her best!! to not die and also protect clary!!

i usually like how in-sync alecnizzy are with each other but they’re simultaneous “absolutely not” / “don’t even” is a bit stilted. but i do like jace’s slight amusement at how quickly they both understood what he was saying and them both being #concerned and in sync about it

the rotating circle effect is fun, i will admit

so is izzy grabbing simon’s arm to hold, though i think it’s less flirtation and more her wanting to keep him in-reach for the sake of protecting him

“if something happens to her, that’s on us, you know that don’t you?” ugh alec is so interesting and i’m gonna get progressively more annoyed as the season presents his very valid concerns as just jealousy or pettiness. like, snarking aside, alec doesn’t trust clary or know what to make of her, but he doesn’t want her to DIE. their whole thing is protecting people. and aside from that, if she dies - it will be their fault in the clave’s eyes bc it seems that they’re not supposed to have taken her to the silent brothers without seeking an audience officially. alec’s insistence on following the clave’s rules is partly loyalty to the clave bc of the way he was raised, partly because logic, structure, and rules make sense to him and are part of what has kept him alive so far, and partly bc - the clave is rigid and unforgiving. alec knows this and doesn’t want their family to give them an ammunition that could be used against them. which is. unfortunate and we will literally see that he's right about where the blame will lie later on.

i also like how many small alec and simon parallels we get. “we don’t even know these people,” simon says to clary. and like! yeah! and you’ve both got valid concerns! but, yk... plot!

also clary’s insistence that she felt something was missing from her life has never really resonated. i think if they were going to go that route, they needed to establish it more in the first ep, with more time being focused on her being a fish out of water in her own life and the plot heavy stuff only coming in at the beginning in the flashforward and at the very end. yes, evidently a lot of these rewatch notes are just going to be me rewriting and restructuring the show

dot being captured by valentine and forced to take his injections. ugh. never going to be over how brutally she was treated and little the writers seemed to care about her character.

jace smiling as simon rants... #soft “you’re not that funny” YOU’RE FUCKING LYING JACE AND YOU KNOW IT

“the problem is now i don’t trust you” honestly very fair, so far simon has very little reason to trust any of these people and jace’s prank did not help lmao.

“i can’t be here anymore” *gestures to simon* “so jace i’m gonna go mind the perimeter” jdshhshs rude ? yes. also pretty funny. what’s doubly funny is i’m positive he was planning to go check the perimeter anyway, he just wanted to bitch first

"and it's cooler than a flashlight" hshdhdsh one of the charms of this show is when it cops to its own cheesiness

"me?" simon is adorable ans him being genuinely surprised by izzy asking him what he wants breaks my heart a bit. like the alec and simon parallels are very noticeable this time around but i don't think they play into that much later on?

okay was luke's plan just to like? wake clary up ans tell her everything in this flashback? (she wasn't asleep but he and jocelyn clearly thought she was). at least wait til breakfast my dude!!

alec does has have legitimately concerns lafter the clary revealbut aside from expressing them too brusquely, it's also just not a good idea to reveal that distrust in front of her? speaks to alec's like of guile

this scene with simon being kidnapped and he and clary screaming for each other works a lot better than the scene last ep with clary and jocelyn screaming for each other as she sends clary through a portal. like this is still melodramtic but less forced somehow.

i get that izzy probably thought he would get in the way or distract her but. i think it would've made a lot more sense to keep simon with her when she was checking on that noise

anyway so far these eps are really fast paced is what i'm noticing. i think it works a bit better here than ep 1 bc it felt like a lot happened to move the story along, but i still think they should find some time to slow down and do some more intricate world building...

[starlightswait]

sam rewatches shadowhunters 2022

1.01 the mortal cup

clary does read like a bit too much of an everygirl for my taste? in the first scene she comes off quiet and shy and a fish out of water in the fancy art studio, later she’s very easy going and playful, later tries to come off as a bit edgy with jace but is more flirty and it’s like... it’s not that these traits couldn’t go together, but they don’t feel cohesive bc the writers, as of yet, are really not committing to them. i’d really like to understand who she IS a bit more, given that she’s the main-main character and the first episode she’d arguably revolve around establishing her the most

i didn’t read most of the books, but from what i remember of the first, jocelyn was a lot stricter with clary? here she’s concerned but is implied to otherwise be a pretty fun, chill mom and clary later goes on to describe her as being a lot like a friend. no real point here, it’s just kind of interesting. almost like jocelyn’s trying to make up for the world they come from and the memory wipes by otherwise having a good rapport with clary.

trying to approach this rewatch through a lens of pretending I'm watching for the first time and not assuming opinions are the same as they previously were. obviously i’m not gonna be perfect abt this and wills till probably call forward to later moments to draw parallels or make sense of what’s happening now, but gonna try to remain present in whatever epsode i’m in. so like? alec as a character seems interesting, I'm always a sucker for the "only sane man" trope, but I don't really get enough alec screentime have a whole lot of feelings in this one episode. other than that, so far simon is the character who's drawing a lot of focus for me - he has this genuine nerdy charisma and charm and humor that juuust keeps him from teetering off the edge of the dreaded ""Nice"" Guy" trope, at least for now

i appreciate the lack of animosity between clary and maureen. granted, clary doesn’t know simon’s feelings for her so hasn’t given a lot of thought to the reciprocity or lackthereof of her own, but still, they are technically in a love triangle, but i like that even as maureen is hurting over simon’s fixation on clary, she never really takes it out on clary herself. part of my wishes that maureen had been a bigger part of the show bc i think there could have been a fascinating plot about what it looks like for a human to be involved in the shadow world, but a big part of me also fears she would’ve ended up dead to make the point that mundanes really can’t be involved without it getting dangerous so. i’ll just enjoy maureen’s character while the show has her <3

"to me it was like a blink of an eye" something something about the shadowhunters trying to bury their own history to the point where alec, izzy, and jace actually know very little about the circle or uprising pre-season one. vs magnus literally feeling like this happened yesterday and having to constantly be on guard against a people that weaponize ignorance. also like... this pragmatism says a lot for the emotionality of his character. yes, his heart is guarded bc it’s he’s been romantically burned in the past, but it’s also guarded because he’s literally just had to put himself on guard for the sake of his own safety and that changes how you form relationships with people.

the way magnus (briefly, but still) tortures those circle members is brutal. not to say that they didn’t deserve it, but it complicates my reading of him bc later moments in the show will prove him to be a very kind person. and again, that’s not to say he’s not kind! but this moment gives him a lot of complexity, i think. he's a pragmatist. he can hurt people if he deems it necessary, even as a necessary precaution. not knowing the full history yet as a viewer, this scene makes magnus look ruthless - and there are ways in which he can be. it's fascinating.

i think i used to like the clary/izzy parallel of respectively using their "feminine wiles" as a tactic more than i do now. I mean it's still an interesting parallel - but the izzy scene is uncomfy. it’s falling into that trap of like... yes, she’s being smart and using the male gaze as a tool for her own agenda and i know it’s supposed to be empowering... but it’s kinda... not? to me at least. like at the end of the day, outside of her character motives, this is a scene that the writers crafted in order to subject her to the male gaze. does having an in-universe justification for that really make it better? and to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with izzy being confident or owning her sexuality. this scene just comes off as a missed mark at female empowerment for me, made especially weird by the way jace rushes her into it? like don’t get me wrong, she chooses to do it, she seems to enjoy it, it might have even been her idea, but there’s something a little off-putting about this male figure in her life rushing her to objectify herself so they can kill demons faster.

i actually like clary's moment where she grabs the demon’s arm and compliments him a lot better - it's less of a focus on her body and instead establishes her instincts (she knows something weird is going on in the back room and is determined to find out what) and that she's actually pretty smart to be able to appeal to a guy's ego like that to get what she wants. on a literal level it's the same thing that izzy's doing - but it's a less objectifying frame. as much as i'm frustated with clary's personality, it's even more with izzy - clary gets put up on this pedestal by the narrative as this romantic everygirl dream girl and izzy's presented so far as this very one dimensional sex-kitten with a rule breaking streak. this episode hasn’t done a lot to give izzy complexity and while i do know that that will change with time, it’s maybe especially jarring given that she’s a latina character being presented in this way and i can see how it would come off stereotypical and with racist implications.

just general, it's a disservice to both of their characters that they don’t get better establishing character moments in this episode, even knowing they’ll get more later.

okay to her credit clary sees perceives to be) a woman getting attacked by a man in a club and immediately intervenes. impulsive, yes, but it's a good moment to establish her kindness. i’m actually in this weird place where i never hated clary, but saw that a lot of people did and was honestly kind of confused by it. yes she has flaws but the show wouldn’t be interesting if the characters were perfect. my biggest issue with clary is less about her impulsivity or her other flaws and more about the fact that... she’s kinda boring, at least as of rn. but this is a scene where i have a lot of respect for her.

the sound effect between alec throwing jace his blade would have been cooler and more effective if they'd been separated more than like, three feet.

so far harry shum jr is hands down the best actor. that scene where he bumps into clary at the club and is at first annoyed but his expression quickly melts into recognition and "oh shit" is sooo telling but it's also like. so so subtle.

clary freaking out about whether or not she was drugged and that she killed someone is so far the least clunky dialogue she's been given. the writers are good at writing panic and desperation, I'll give em that.

okay nvm on that last point maybe. ,,, not to be mean to actress who plays jocelyn but that last delivery of "clary!" was cringe-worthy. i try to be forgiving of the the show's cheesiness, esp in the first season bc that was a bit more of the vibe, but this moment just always sticks out as one of the worst in the episode bc I'm supposed to feel bad for jocelyn and instead I just cringe. I don't know whether it's just the acting or the direction or both but #yikes.

I do want to take a moment to say poor dot. In terms of the recurring, rather than main cast, I think she gets shafted the most often and it's very often for the sake of plot. She doesn't get a lot of moments to be her own person.

idk if I'm supposed to feel a lot when jocelyn downs the potion but like a) we just haven't been given enough time for her and b) any and all emotion in this scene just feels... nonexistent. and all the plot and worldbuilding hints don't really intrigue me bc this scene just falls flat overall. that being said, I think her character either goes ignored entirely or gets a bad rap, and while I won't deny that she's flawed, it's incredibly noble of her to take herself out of the game just so there's less of a chance that valentine and the circle find the cup.

i will also say i feel clary’s loss a lot more than i feel jocelyn’s sacrifice. she’s lost literally everything in the span of one night - her eighteenth birthday! yikes. hope the institute throws her a kickin 21st bday one day to make up for it - and she just saw the one person who her mother said she could trust seemingly betray them. and now her mom is missing and her home is destroyed and the closest person she’s ever had to a father is someone she can’t turn to like. what would she have DONE after this if that was somehow just it? if the demon hadn’t come and jace hadn’t saved her? she has simon still, but still... yikes. also the scene with clary screaming and crying on the floor of her destroyed home... yeah. kat mcnamara can act already in this episode, full stop, 100 percent, so i’m excited for the day when the dialogue she’s given is a bit less clunky. (i do think the acting gets better as the show goes on, for basically everyone, but this moment does a lot to prove kat as a contender acting-wise)

okay weirdness of being drugged (by something else, but still) and a strange guy you don’t know approaching you aside, the scene where jace checks on clary, informs her she’s been poisoned, and promises to help her is actually pretty tender and sweet. his immediate fixation on her is a little bizzare, but honestly not as forced other parts of this first ep.

i’ve always thought the scene where clary wakes and knocks into izzy is just meant to be a bit lighthearted and funny and like it IS good tension relief but also. it’s a recurring visual theme of clary being present in a slightly disruptive way and/or just straight-up in someone’s way, bulldozing her way into this world with varying degrees of intention. grabbing that demon’s arm and flirting with him, bumping into magnus, this moment with izzy. the fun thing about izzy, that’s also pretty telling, is that she’s barely even annoyed. she says “ow” but other than that is unbothered and immediately amused by clary’s cluelessness and fascinated with her arrival.

“distractions are dangerous in our line of work” this is explained to clary SOOO early and yet. it’s actually really a nice moment though bc izzy is very gentle when she tells clary this, not rebuking her for her actions at the club, just warning her - this is the way things our when you fight demons so like, be prepared. 

i don’t honestly know how anyone doesn’t see this scene between alec, izzy, clary, and jace, and not immediately read him as autistic. also the sincerity with which he tells izzy he loves her back before immediately reverting to snark is undeniably endearing. (i’m trying so hard, and failing, not to already be biased in alec’s favor)

i know we’re at least sort of supposed to read it this way, and i know izzy certainly does, but i don’t see his upset here as being primarily about jealousy? he was annoyed by this disruption of their normal world order, yes, but only starts to seem genuinely hurt when jace asks him to leave. there are SEVERAL beats of silence and thought alec’s not super facially emotive in this first season especially (until he IS but shhh that’s later), you can tell he’s upset by the change in his voice when he asks “what is with you?” i’m probably breaking my own rules bc i don’t think this scene would be as fascinating to a first time watcher, but i find this one of the more resonant and relatable moments of hurt in this episode. i feel clary’s hurt and sympathize with her - but it’s certainly not relatable to me. this much quieter moment of alec being hurt that clary show’s up and suddenly their dynamics of trust have shifted, however? yeah. 

in the past i’ve loved izzy and while i still have fondness for her character and especially her relationship with alec, i’ve recently come to terms with some of the less savory parts of her character and talking about alec’s feelings for jace out in the hall when he hasn’t given the okay for that isn’t great. like, he’s not out. she knows that. and even if it weren’t for that... it’s just kind of a dick move to bring up your loved ones unrequited feelings for someone if they clearly don’t want to talk about it. as a stand alone moment, this isn’t all that terrible, but (again, briefly breaking my own rules) this is the start to a pattern. we need people in our lives who push us a little bit and a big part of alec’s character arc IS learning to be open but like. there’s a point where you can go to far and using izzy as a tool to push alec’s character arc is a) bad for her character, because it means she gets less of her own story and b) doesn’t always frame her in the best light.

“all the legends are true.” SHUT UP THATS A COOL TAG LINE BUT ITS SUPER VAGUE ALL THE LEGENDS ARE /NOT TRUE/ WHERE ARE THE MERMAIDS!! this is such a petty agenda to have and i know “some legends are true” isn’t as cool but like. it would be more accurate.

jace’s insistence to that the demons they killed at the club weren’t people is,,, uncomfy to say the least. like he’s not factually incorrect and they were doing something dangerous and harmful and the show’s established lore does a lot of work to make viewers see demons as irredeemably evil, inherently, no holds barred. but given the theme of downworlder oppression throughout the show and downworlders connection to demon blood and given that these particularly demons are sentient  - it’s hard to take the inherent immorality of demons at face value, and even if it’s true, that has kinda weird implications and shows that the show is a bit ... vague or inconsistent on the way the narrative treats this discussion. the show has moments where it does well at addressing this line of thinking and others that try but just miss the mark, but i don’t think this is a moment even really meant to criticize it at all.

clary's reaction to jace killing a circle member while simon can't see is SO cheesy it's actually funny, so I'm gonna give it a pass. melodramtic acting gets a pass when it amuses me, i’m not ashamed to admit.

"we'll never stop hunting her" "this is for my father" okay i'm actually starting to like. GET jace's immediately fixation on clary in a way i haven’t before and this line is the biggest reason why. the circle killed jace's father (to his knowledge) and now they're after clary as a prime target. jace, having a lot of guilt and trauma surrounding that part of his life, would naturally latch onto someone who needs his help, especially in circumstances that so perfectly remind him of said trauma. it's pretty blatant hero complex stuff, but gives a bit of genuine depth and sweetness to how much he wants to protect her, even if it’s, yaknow, not the healthiest foundation to build a relationship on.

clary being stuck between jace and simon is a pretty obvious set up for a love triangle BUT i’ll cut it some slack because it’s a good directorial moment to visually represent clary being stuck between the mundane and shadow world and having to choose.

this episode is surprisingly fast-paced for an intro episode of a supernatural show and part of me likes that and part of me wishes that they’d slowed down enough to do more actual worldbuilding bc rn we’re in a sandbox and the castles are half-baked