#shadowhunters 2A review

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters Season 2A Final Review and Hopes for Season 2B

So here we are. We’re a couple of weeks off from Shadowhunters 2B airing. As I promised in my Season 2, Episode 10 review, I’m going to talk about things I liked and didn’t like about Season 2A as well as hopes that I have for Season 2B. In reality, I meant to write this post much earlier but I needed a break from the Shadowhunters fandom. You spend too much time within a fandom that has a lot of single-minded haters (like Shadowhunters does) and it really wears you down. I needed to take some time away from the fandom to re-charge my Shadowhunters fandom batteries. And it was wonderful. A break was exactly what I needed because it really helped me sort through my thoughts and feelings regarding Shadowhunters Season 2A as well as the show as a whole.

As always, I do have a disclaimer to make. This is a post reflecting my opinions on the show. They, in no way, reflect anyone else’s. Opinions are never right or wrong. I’m not telling YOU how to think and feel; I’m telling you what I, MYSELF, think and feel. I do have positive opinions about the show but I also have negative opinions about the show. If you’re the kind of Shadowhunters fan where you just can’t deal if someone says something negative about the show, don’t read this. If you can’t respect other peoples’ opinions, I don’t want you here and you’ll be of no real loss to my blog. Now, if you choose to stay and are offended by what I may say, understand I will listen to your opinions and discuss them with you. However, I will not discuss your opinions with you if you come at me in a rude or aggressive manner. I won’t even respond to you. I will completely, 100% ignore you. I’ve found that by responding to haters, it only legitimizes that level of behavior and it will not be tolerated. If you follow me and you are disrespectful to me or anyone else who might be discussing on this post, I will block you. Also, when I talk about this show, I am analyzing it as a TV series. It has nothing to do with my love for the books. If I am negative about the show, it’s not me saying the books are better simply because I love the books. It’s me pointing out issues that the tv show has as a tv show. There also are going to be spoilers for the books, movie, tv show, etc.

Sorry, that disclaimer was a little more lengthy than my usual one. I felt the need because last year when I did my Hopes for Shadowhunters Season 2, the amount of hate I got was astounding. Up until that point, I had no real grasp on just how much single-minded hate there was in the Shadowhunters fandom and geez, was I in for a surprise. My ask box was just flooded with hate. People seemed to think that just because I had negative things to say about the show, that meant that I out-right hated it. I’m not a masochist, so clearly I must enjoy the show to a certain extent because I’m still watching it. I do not hate the show. I didn’t even hate Season 1. I didn’t particularly like it but I didn’t hate it, either. There were moments within the season that I did like. I love the Shadowhunters books and I am so happy that we’re finally getting another chance at an adaptation and I do want to support the show. But that doesn’t mean that I’m just going to blindly love everything that the show does. And honestly, there are things that the show does a decent job with and then there are things that the show does a really bad job with. A desire to not want to see the show cancelled is not a good enough excuse to not acknowledge that there are things legitimately wrong with this show.

I thought long and hard about how I wanted to do this post. And I’ve ultimately decided that I’m going to bring back my Hopes for Shadowhunters Season 2 post from last year and go on down the list and see if Shadowhunters made any improvements in the first half of its sophomore season. Trust me, the list is going to cover nearly everything I have to say about Season 2A. And yes, I’m going to be referencing the post that first exposed me to the dark side of the Sahdowhunters fandom but guess what? I don’t care how much hate I got with that post. I still stick to my guns and I still believe that the issues I listed on there were very important issues that needed to be addressed and I will never apologize for that post because, again, those are my opinions. You hated that post? Guess what? You don’t have to read this. Last I checked, freedom of speech was still a thing on Tumblr. Just leave if you don’t like it. Let’s get on with this now.

Hopes For Shadowhunters Season 2 List

1) Everyone involved with the show needs to read the books.

2) The dialogue needs to be fixed.

3) I would like to see more lines from the books.

I have three from the list here because they kind of go hand-in-hand with each other.

Okay, now with these, everyone seemed to think that I wanted the show to be exactly like the books. That is 100% not true. I am NOT a source material adaptation snob. I personally don’t really care if an adaptation follows its source material. I love The Vampire Diaries and The 100 so clearly, I don’t have a problem with deviations from source material. I expected Freeform to take its own path with Shadowhunters. I’m honestly surprised that this show follows the books as much as it does. What I care about is that the adaptation captures the essence, the soul of the source material. And that’s what I meant when I said everyone involved with the show needed to read the books. Because whereas certain elements of the books were there, the first season left me feeling like the showrunner had no respect for the source material – and that includes the characters and story. Season One completely neglected most of the emotional aspects of the book scenes they chose to incorporate in the show.

You may ask, “What do you mean about capturing the essence of the source material?” Well, here’s what I wanted from this adaptation. I wanted the show to develop this wonderful shadow world, create complex, dark storylines (the storylines could be from the books or the show could make up its own; I really didn’t have a preference in that regard), and to have a certain amount of fun with it. Meaning, have the characters be thrust into these dark situations but still make me laugh from time to time. The books have such amazing wit and humor. The characters are super funny, super relatable and all that I wanted from the source material was to have that translated into the tv show. And Season One does try to incorporate humor, but more often than not, the humor falls flat. Maybe because the joke wasn’t really all that funny to begin with or the actor didn’t deliver it right. Essentially, when it comes to jokes in Season One, a lot of times it had to do with the writing of it. A lot of the jokes felt like they were simultaneously being written by both a 12-year-old and a 40-year-old. Not a good combination. In fact, if you look on Youtube to try and find a compilation video of funny Shadowhunters Season One moments (like there are hundreds for Teen Wolf) you’re not going to find a whole lot. You know why? Because the writing wasn’t all that funny even though they tried to be. Clearly, I’m not the only one who thought the humor was off because those videos are really hard to find. And I’m not talking about funny videos with the cast, I’m talking about funny moments that actually exist within the show, itself.

And then, of course there was the cheesy lines. Season One was beyond cheesy. There were times I was watching the show and I had to ask, “Why isn’t this show airing on the Disney channel? This feels like a Disney channel show.” Ultimately, the dialogue felt like it was too young for me. And I’m in my mid-20s by the way. It was really weird. Like, who was this show really trying to cater towards? If you’re not going to do a good job and come up with your own good dialogue, then I would prefer you to just take the dialogue out of the book. At least that dialogue is somewhat decent. Quit making me hit pause on my tv just so I can try and figure out why that joke was supposed to be funny. If you have to think about why a joke is funny, it’s probably not all that funny. Again, my own opinion. Feel free to disagree but I won’t say that something is funny just because you think it’s funny. Humor is completely subjective.

So, did Season 2A improve with these issues? I have to say yes. The humor and wit definitely came out more. The characters just felt more like actual characters in these situations. And I really enjoyed that aspect. Huge steps were taken to make the story fit the characters and not the other way around and as a starting point, the show did really well with that in Season 2A. The dialogue also definitely felt way more organic. There was very little cringe within the dialogue once Episode 4 came around. The characters definitely felt like they were having conversations real people would be having. This is partly due to the showrunner change. The writing, and especially the dialogue, just got so much better after they came on board.

4) I need Jace to start being more like Jace.

Another big one that I got a lot of hate on. Although this one may be on me because of the way I worded it in the original post which is my bad. My problems with Jace in Season One were not because I thought he was too nice to Clary. My problems with him was that he was this super angsty character but with absolutely no wit or humor or charm to him. You remember how I mentioned that it felt like the show’s humor was written by a 12-year-old? The 12-year-old humor was extremely prevalent with Season One Jace.

“Sounded boring anyway”

“Better than binoculars”

Really? Those are Jace lines? Jace is hilarious in the books. I have no idea why the writers thought these weak-ass lines were going to cut it. The writing of him in the show is just so half-hearted and it’s really depressing. Jace was my first book boyfriend so I have strong feelings about him. Here’s the thing. If you want to write Jace as this angst-ridden character, ok that’s fine. It’s kind of how he is in the books, too. I don’t have a problem with that. However, while Jace was an angst-ridden teenager in the books, he was also a sarcastic, smart-ass and was very self-aware that he was a sarcastic, angst-ridden teenager and commented on it frequently. That’s where the humor comes in. If you just have Jace being this angst-ridden character without any other personality to level it out, what makes him different from Edward Cullen/Christian Grey, Stefan Salvatore, Oliver Queen, Derek Hale, Angel?…the list goes on and on. The point is that Season One Jace just feels like a really cheap, lazily written version of every angst-ridden hero we’ve seen in pop culture to date. What makes him different? What about him makes me want him to succeed? With Season One Jace, the answer to these questions is, “not a single, damn thing”. He is a bland ass protagonist in Season One. Just a cheap copy of every other angst-ridden protagonist we’ve seen grace our screens within the past 10 years. And that’s what I have a problem with. And it’s interesting whenever I talk to fans who love Season One TV Show Jace, because they all come off and say that they like him because he’s nicer than he was in the books. First off, I don’t know where they got Jace being nicer than he is in the books. Season One TV Show Jace was pretty much a complete douche to everyone except Clary. He was absolutely horrible to Alec. Some say Alec was also kind of a jerk to Jace as well but I say Jace had it coming. You don’t tell your brother, your parabatai, “Maybe your mother was right. Maybe your best isn’t good enough” and expect me to see you as anything other than a jerk. And he also doesn’t even apologize for saying it. Poor Alec just accepts it. During my reviews in Season One, I did not call Jace by his name. I called him The Douche because I simply could not associate him with Book Jace anymore. Honestly, if you ask me, Alec is the real angel for essentially forgiving Jace for saying such a horrible thing to him. Second of all, if you think Book Jace is mean, I don’t know how you survive in the real world. I crossed the street using a crosswalk, I had the right of way, and was almost hit by a car…and the driver was cursing ME out. I’ve definitely come across people who are far meaner in the real world. A lot of them, I’ve met right here on Tumblr. Book Jace does say some mean things but there’s always a reason for it. He is never mean just for the sake of being mean. If you think that the use of sarcasm is mean, I don’t know what to tell you. You would not be able to survive in my family, I can tell you that much. My family uses sarcasm to express our love for each other. And really, I can’t even imagine having a conversation that doesn’t incorporate sarcasm. I guess, if you have that issue with Book Jace, you and me just are not compatible as friends.

So, did Jace improve in Season 2A? Absolutely. He was so much better. His sarcasm finally started to shine through and it was great. Especially Episode 7 of 2A. Those scenes with him in the bar were just phenomenal. It was everything I ever wanted from sarcastic, witty Jace. At first, I thought Dom’s American accent was what was throwing him off with the humor but I guess it really was the dismal writing in Season One. I legitimately laughed at the things he said instead of laughing because I was making fun of what he said. He also definitely added a little something extra in his emotional scenes as well. I really felt connected to him in 2A. Particularly in episode 3, Parabatai Lost. That final scene where he’s holding Alec and begging Alec not to die and leave him…so many feels. My eyes were starting to tear up a little and that never happened in the first season. I’m really proud of the new writers and Dom Sherwood for how they wrote him this season. He was soooooo much better.

5) Clary’s personality needs some work as well.

I suppose my main issues with Clary is that she’s treated as this perfect, flawless, little angel who can do absolutely no wrong. Everyone besides Alec pretty much worships the ground this girl walks on and for the life of me, I cannot understand why. She’s self-centered, self-entitled, and oddly abrasive towards people she needs help from. She’s selfish while being toted around as selfless at the same time. It’s very weird and not in a compelling sort of way. Her selflessness comes across as very cheesy. She’s so selfless it’s cheesy. That’s a really odd phrase to say but think about it a little. Ordinarily, someone being selfless is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s an attractive quality. However, when that selflessness is the character’s core personality trait, that’s when it becomes too much. Basically, her character is missing some sort of relatability and complexity. I’m also not a fan of how self-entitled and abrasive she is. She expects the shadowhunters to help her. She expects Magnus Bane to help her. She expects Ragnor Fell to help her. She’s pretty much, “it’s either my way or the highway.” I would never treat anyone I needed help from the way this girl treats people. She’s completely unwilling to bend on anything that goes against her own interests. And most of the time, she doesn’t even have a solid plan to begin with. Hell, most of the time she doesn’t even have a plan. She just runs in hoping she won’t get caught and she, inevitably, always is. Now, to a certain extent, Clary is like this in the books. The difference is that characters call her out on it in the books. That doesn’t happen in the show. Alec calls her out on it and he’s reprimanded for being too mean to her. I don’t mind Clary being an impulsive character because it’s part of her charm in the books but I do want others to call her out on it. In the show, she basically suffers no consequences when she’s impulsive and dumb because everyone forgives her because she’s this precious little snowflake…for some reason.  I don’t see it at all. There is absolutely nothing interesting about her personality in the show. God, I hate Mary Sue characters. Even her physical appearance is absolutely flawless. She’s supermodel thin. This girl’s hair is always perfectly curled…even when she gets out of bed. She also emerges from bed with full-blown make-up on as well which I legitimately laughed at. I really wish I looked as good as this girl does when I get out of bed but I normally emerge as a cross between Medusa and a zombie. And also, Season One Clary’s hair was absolutely ridiculous. I don’t care what kind of genes you have, no one’s hair is that orange. The actress even said in an interview that the color is a little more bright than what she would normally go for. It was toned down a little later on in the season but when I first saw it, I was like, “Whoa! This girl’s hair could light up a neon sign.”

Now, has Clary improved in Season 2B? Eh, it depends. They did tone down the red in her hair so it definitely looks more natural. I also like her new wardrobe. It definitely feels more Clary-like. It always bugged me in Season One when she says, “I’m a jeans and t-shirt girl” when I’d barely seen her in anything but leather and high heels and not once complaining about it. She’s still impulsive and self-centered and Alec is still the only one who really calls her out on it. And he still gets reprimanded for it. They threw us in for a loop when Izzy got angry at Clary for hiding something from her so that was nice. But Clary ultimately didn’t really seem to care. She was all, “I know I messed up but we need to stick together.” And everyone just kind of accepts that. Clary, that may be how it works in your friendship with Simon, but sometimes other people need time and space when they feel betrayed by a friend. Why are there two guys in love with her again? Clary still puts up a hissy fit whenever she doesn’t get her way and again, no one calls her out on it. I can forgive book Clary for behaving this way because she’s 16 but in the show, she’s 18. She’s an adult, she needs to fucking act like one. TV Show Clary really is kind of a weak character but the show totes around that she’s strong and then completely back pedals. There’s moments even in 2A where she completely kicks ass against hordes of rogue shadowhunters and then struggles later on with one or two of them. Besides all of that, I always hated how quickly she picked up shadowhunting. I’ve always thought it was incredibly unrealistic. Jace gives her a 30 second seraph blade training session in a graveyard (ugh, I hated that scene so much) and she’s an expert at sword fighting. Alec gives her a 10 second staff-fighting training session and she’s an expert on that, as well. Only about a month has passed since the beginning of Season One to where Season 2A ended. I’m a martial artist so I can attest that you cannot pick up fighting that quick. It doesn’t even make sense in show canon either. All of the other shadowhunters have been training their entire lives and she becomes an expert in a couple of weeks. Come on. She saves the Lightwoods continuously by poking the demon one time. It completely devalues just how dangerous demon-fighting really is. Really, it’s too late to go back and figure out how she learned how to fight. That ship has sailed but the show now needs to make a decision on what kind of fighter she’s supposed to be. They need to quit going back and forth between her fighting skills just for plot convenience. Is she going to be a bad-ass, is she even going to be a competent fighter, or is she going to be someone who doesn’t really know what they’re doing when it comes to fighting? The show really needs to make a decision on that front. And there’s no reason that she can’t jump from any of those levels into a different level; the show just needs to develop it. And that’s not what they’re doing here. Ultimately, I don’t have a problem with Clary being impulsive and self-centered and even selfless, I just want everyone to stop treating her like she’s a perfect, flawless, little angel. See her for exactly who she is, then I might believe these two guys are in love with her. Clary needs some sort of complexity to her personality. She is such a Mary Sue right now and I cannot take her seriously as a character.

But I’m not completely ragging on her character. She did have some nice moments in 2A. I really liked that moment in A Door Into The Dark when she goes to the Art Institute and starts painting. I thought that was a really nice moment for her character. The new Clary trying to get in touch with the old Clary again. I did like that she asks Jace and Simon to kill her if it ever looks like Valentine may legitimately be able to use her to destroy downworld. I also liked her moments when she was dealing with her mother’s death, particularly in episode 5, Dust and Shadows. I thought she was very realistic in that episode. So yeah, even though I ragged on her a lot in this. I don’t 100% hate her. She does have some nice moments.

6) The chemistry with Jace and Clary needs to get better.

7) A dark passionate portrayal of the incest storyline.

Again, these two kind of go together. Oh Season One Clace, how you disappointed me. Really, Season One was just a huge disappointment when it came to romantic pairings, in general. The show wanted so badly to get fans that they pushed every relationship in a way that was completely inorganic. They completely missed the point on why people like fandom relationships. It’s not important if these two character are together, what’s really important is how they got together. I hated the way Clace was developed in the first season. I hated their first interaction, I hated the graveyard scene, I hated the motorcycle scene, I especially hated their first kiss. The one scene I wouldn’t have minded (the 90% slap scene in the pilot) was filmed but they chose to cut it and I will never understand why. In the first season, their relationship is so cheesy that it’s impossible for me to take it seriously. After a certain amount of time, I was asking myself, “Are they trying to make a Clace parody? Is the intention to make fun of Clace?” It was that bad. And then, they had the first kiss which was extremely disappointing and rushed. I didn’t feel that Clace needed to be kissing in that moment. I wasn’t really feeling any Clace feels. Maybe other people were, who knows. I saw them kiss and I legitimately said to my screen, “What the hell is this shit? Why are they kissing? This makes no sense.” I guess Clary remembering how Jace said, “You have the sight” to her back in Episode One was just too much for her to handle. She just couldn’t resist him, his douche-baggery, and his non-existent charm anymore. What was even worse was that this scene takes place in the middle of the Institute with everyone watching. It boggles my mind as to why they swapped out the greenhouse scene for this shit. I will never understand it. In the book, their first kiss was a very romantic moment that was important to them as characters but in the show, it was nothing more than a make-out scene and that’s what I despise about it. They took out all of the emotion, everything that made their first kiss so special. The Clace chemistry on the show is also just plain weird at times. This could be because of the writing, though. Kat and Dom always felt really weird to me in Season One as a couple. They just didn’t feel like they were this ultimate pairing that I wanted to route for. They did get better later on in the season after the sibling thing was announced. That’s when their chemistry really started to improve. I don’t know if it was just because they were more comfortable around each other or if their chemistry just worked better as siblings. But regardless, it was much better towards the tail-end of the season.

Now, has the Clace chemistry gotten better in Season 2A? This is a difficult question to answer. Simply because they went through 2A believing that they were siblings and the showrunners clearly wanted to stay away from any of the creepy incest-like behavior that happens in the books. Understandable. It’s a very controversial topic within the fandom. But I am a little disappointed that the show didn’t really go into it. And before you haters start hating, I don’t say that because I like incest relationships. They creep me out just as much as you. What I like about the Clace-sibling dynamic was that yes, it was creepy, but it also showed the depth of their emotions. That even if they were siblings, something was still pulling them together and they couldn’t understand why and they couldn’t just ignore it even though they certainly tried to. I have a little head-canon theory that part of the reason why they’re so drawn to each other is because they share the same angel blood. You know, blood calls to blood. But that’s my own head-canon. I don’t believe Cassandra Clare ever stated that that was the reason in the books. And I also liked that those feelings are still very prevalent later on in the series even after the sibling thing is sorted out. They still are very much affected by their experience of being in love with each other despite believing they were siblings. So I am a little disappointed that 2A didn’t really go into those feelings. Jace really did feel like a supportive brother in this season and nothing more. We’ll see how their chemistry goes in 2B. It is interesting with Jace now knowing that Clary is not his sister but refusing to tell Clary because he wants her to be happy with Simon. I really liked that because it shows that Jace’s selfish love for Clary has turned into a selfless love. I get the feeling from the trailers that it’s not going to last very long though which is a shame. And to people who complain that they don’t like Climon, guess what? YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO. Their dynamic is always supposed to be best as friends. People who complain about Climon have no concept of a slow-burn couple. I love slow-burn couples. It may take forever and a day for them to get together but when they do, it is that much sweeter because we actually got a development of that relationship, a development of feelings that those characters have for each other. So Clace shippers, just be patient. Your time will come and trust me, you will be so much happier that the show took it’s time with them as opposed to keeping them together right at the start. Pairings that get together right from the start are boring to me. They are never done right. Trust me, slow-burns are 100% more satisfying.

8) Isabelle getting her own story arcs.

Izzy is a character that never feels like she’s actually part of the story. Most of the time, it just feels like she’s along for the ride. Pretty much, all of her story arcs were just plot devices to move along someone else’s storyline. She’s there to help Jace and Alec and to be a friend to Clary, that’s pretty much it. I guess there’s her relationship with Meliorn but really, their relationship creeps me out due to their lack of chemistry and I don’t find them all that interesting as a pairing. Then there was the whole “Izzy on trial” thing which is a plot point I’m not even going to get into because I have so many issues with the storytelling part of it. Really, that plot point was insanely dumb and absolutely pointless to the rest of the story. There’s also the “Izzy is the best pathologist in NYC” as well. But again, there are a lot of story-telling issues with that. Suffice to say, this plot point came about simply because Ed Dector was trying to turn Shadowhunters into the crime procedural show he really wanted to produce. He didn’t actually stop and think, “Is this really a good idea? Is it going to make sense?” And the show pretty much forgets about this plot point when it’s inconvenient for the story because, again, it doesn’t really make sense and it would hinder the plot more often than it would help. Now, Isabelle is one of my favorite characters in the books and she is also one of my favorite characters in the show (even if they did do a pretty bad job with developing her). Ultimately, I just want to see more story arcs that develop her as a person. At this point, we get it. Izzy loves her family. She wants the best for her family. This isn’t news anymore. I would like to see some more aspects of her personality. Actually, now that I think about it, this is a recurring theme with the characters from Season One. The characters really were rather one-dimensional.

Did Izzy improve in 2A? Yes and no. 2A incorporated this drug addiction plot point which, in the beginning, I really liked. Some fans think its absolute trash but I’m not one of those fans. Granted, no one likes to see their beloved character go through a drug addiction storyline and I certainly do not enjoy seeing strong, fierce Izzy being weak. But that’s kind of the point with a drug addiction story. The fact that even the strongest of us can fall to a weakness at some point. In a story, it is essential for a character to come into conflict. That’s what allows us to explore the character and figure out who that character is as a person and eventually even care about that person. A drug addiction plot can be a good way to showcase that. Up until this point, Izzy has always been toted as this strong, independent person but in reality she’s plagued with self-doubt. She doesn’t think she’s as strong as everyone else thinks she is and that’s why she ultimately falls into the drug addiction. And I found that super interesting. The drug makes her feel strong both inside and out. Drug addictions are never fun to watch but I was interested in this when it first came out because I was interested to see what kind of growth we were going to get from Izzy as a character. Which is what I wanted. I wanted to see more aspects of her besides this strong girl who cares about her family. But, as we went further along in the drug addiction plot, Freeform kept on disappointing me. First off, they chose to use yin fen (the drug from The Infernal Devices) and then changed what yin fen actually is. I’m actually a little unclear on exactly what yin fen is on this show. I’m not sure if it’s vampire venom or if vampire venom is just an ingredient within the drug itself. The show keeps on going back and forth on it. But regardless, I don’t like that they changed it to vampire venom, period. It just completely devalues the horror story that yin fen actually is. I could’ve let it slide if the show just opted to not include The Infernal Devices in its canon and that yin fen was just now going to be its own separate thing. I could’ve been okay with that. But the show continues to dig itself an even bigger hole when they mention that Magnus’ friend, Jem, almost died from it. If you think about what the show is saying yin fen is and then mix it with Jem’s story, it doesn’t really make sense and I really hope that TID does not get adapted into the same story universe as Shadowhunters. Because boy, are there going to be plot holes. Second of all, near the end of 2A, it became very obvious that the reasoning for changing yin fen to vampire venom was so that the show could reveal a new sexuality to the show. You don’t agree with that? There is no other reason that the show would logically change yin fen to vampire venom unless it was to progress a storyline having to do with vampires. That being that Raphael is asexual. Now, Raphael being asexual is not the problem I have with this storyline. I actually think it’s really interesting and I’m excited to see it get explored. The problem I have with this storyline is that once again, Izzy was used as a plot device to push along someone else’s story and not her own. Throughout the course of this drug addiction plot, I didn’t feel that Izzy has really changed all that much or that we even really got to see someone all that different from the girl we got in Season One. She feels pretty much exactly the same. Granted, we still have 2B. Maybe more of this drug addiction is going to be developed in 2B. But still, I was disappointed in the show for once again making this a plot device to push along someone else’s character arc instead of making it abut Izzy. But like Clary, I’m not completely ragging on Izzy. Izzy did have some really great bad-ass moments that did mesh with her character so I really enjoyed those. I would like to see the show incorporate more with her whip but I can understand why they don’t. It’s pretty difficult to fight with a whip and the fight choreographers may not have a whole lot of time to incorporate it.

9) Some tension with Malec.

Another couple that the show feels the need to rush. Geez, this show really has no concept of slow-burn. What was interesting about Malec in the show is that they were actually developing Malec pretty decently when they first introduced them in Season One. I was enjoying seeing their story unfold in a slightly different way than in the books. Then, the writers got lazy. I liked that Malec was being subtly pushed together. It was working well for the show until Lydia Branwell was introduced. Don’t get excited, y’all. There will be no Lydia bashing here. I love Lydia. I wish the show would’ve done more with her. No, once Lydia and the arranged marriage was introduced into the story, that’s when Magnus became increasing desperate and it just did not mesh at all with his character. I didn’t like it. What made it even worse was that of course, they would bring Malec together in the cheesiest, most cliché way possible because this show only knows how to be cheesy and cliché. Whenever there’s a wedding, you know the forbidden love interest is going to show up and put to a stop to it. The Graduate, anyone? Not only was the whole wedding aspect super cheesy, I had a hard time reconciling that 1) Alec would be okay with outing himself to the entire Clave in this moment and 2) that Magnus would expect Alec to be willing to do it. Now, keep in mind, when I say this, I am not saying that it is not plausible for a homosexual adult to come out like this. I am saying that it was unrealistic for ALEC LIGHTWOOD to come out like this given the character development he had within that season. The show had been alluding to Alec being gay and his feelings for Jace and by the time the wedding scene happened, he hadn’t actually dealt with any of those issues so I had a hard time believing that Alec, as a character, would actually do this at this point in time. In the books, in a similar scene, it made sense because he had dealt with his Jace issues as well as his coming-out issues. Really, this wedding scene was just a fanservice product and nothing more. The show wanted to get the Malec fans immediately instead of doing a slow-burn like they kind of are in the books. As I’ve said before, what’s important is not that these two characters got together, it’s how they got together. And Season One just completely missed the mark on that one. And whereas I love the kiss they have in that episode, I still feel cheated that we never got to see any actual development of their relationship that would’ve made that scenario plausible.

I got a lot of hate on the original post for this one so I really felt like I needed to explain myself. Understand, I’m not saying gay people shouldn’t come out in public like that, I’m saying it was unrealistic for Alec to come out like this given the character development he had up to that point. Malec in Season One ultimately turned out to be a disappointment for me. They are one of my ultimate bookOTPs so I had very high expectations for them. Really, I hated that we never got to see their relationship progress in any way. That’s the problem I have with the way Malec is developed in this show. They’re always telling us what’s going on with them instead of showing us. The writers are breaking the cardinal rule of story-telling: You always want to show and not tell.

Now, did Malec improve in Season 2A? Maybe? I don’t know. I’m a little off and on about this one. Malec was very cute in 2A. They had a lot of really nice scenes. The issue I have is that Malec, as a couple, didn’t have a whole lot to do with the main plot. They were given maybe two or three 30-second scenes in an episode and that was all we got and those scenes never had much to do with the central plot. It always felt like they were just slipped in there to appease the fans. And that’s what I dislike about Show Malec. Say what you want about Book Malec. You can say that it didn’t focus on them nearly as much but at least in the books, when we did have Malec scenes, they were done in a way that still made them relevant to the main plot. And that’s what I want from Show Malec. I want them to be relevant to the actual plot of the show and not feel like their scenes were inserted at the last minute.

Another issue I had with them this season is just how quickly they went through the relationship milestones. One episode, they’re going on their first date (which was a fantastic first date, I loved it so much), couple of episodes later, they’re having their first time (I’ll get to that in a few). Couple of episodes later, they’re professing their love for each other. I just wish the writers would take their time with Malec and develop the relationship slowly and organically. If it keeps at the pace that it is, Malec is going to become stagnant before we know it and I don’t want to see that happen.

Lastly, Seaosn 2A had the issue with sex scenes or the non-existent sex scenes as is the case with Malec. Ordinarily, I don’t care about sex scenes. Most of the time, they’re never done right so I find them to be a complete waste of screen time in general but I can say the show dug itself a hole on the Malec sex issue. First off, they brought up Malec having sex front and center, and then they took a fade-to-black approach when it came to the actual act. Now, normally I wouldn’t have a problem with this. The problem is that it’s weird that previously, the show has never had an issue with sex scenes before with its heterosexual couples but yet they’re unwilling to go the same lengths for the homosexual couple. I can definitely understand why fans would be angry. In this context, it would appear the show is displaying passive homophobia. In Season 2B, I really hope the show addresses this. I like the new showrunners and I want them to keep on working but this is going to be a very hard issue to overcome if something isn’t done about it. The network really needs to make a decision on just how “edgy” they want to be. If they want to incorporate sex scenes in their show, that’s fine. I don’t necessarily think it’s important for a show like this but whatever. For a show like this, I think epic-ness is going to sell more than sex. If Freeform chooses to have sex scenes, they have to do it for everyone. It boggles my mind that Freeform did not see this one coming.

10) Please, let us never, ever see Jace and Alec fight again…EVER

Not gonna lie, the Jalec fight in Season One is one of the reasons why I didn’t particularly like the season. Understand, I’m not opposed to main characters fighting. That’s not the issue. I want my characters to have disagreements and falling outs. It’s what makes the relationships feel real. I just did not like the way the Jalec falling out was developed. It was dumb, lazy, and ultimately didn’t really make sense. The parabatai relationship is super important in the series and Season One made it look like it was just friends having a fight. I absolutely did not like it. I never want to see the show take this approach again.

But on the bright side, the show did so much better with the parabatai bond in 2A. There were so many call outs to the parabatai bond to how it actually is and I loved it. As I said before, that one scene in Parabatai Lost between Jace and Alec was absolutely beautiful. There were other parabatai moments that I also really liked. Jace telling Magnus that he better not hurt Alec, Jace being worried about Alec when Alec was stuck inside the institute while it was being attacked. There were so many great parabatai moments. See guys? I’m not completely ragging on the show. Season 2A gets a B on the parabatai improbvement, though. I give them a B because I didn’t particularly like everything that happened in Parabatai Lost regarding how Jace and Alec got into that situation in the first place but I’m not going to get into it here. I have a whole review that talks about it. You can read up on it there. You should be able to find it in my Shadowhunters Review tag. But everything else this season with the Jalec parabatai bond was great. I loved it.

11) Give the extras at the Institute a purpose or get rid of them

These extras, man. They just mess with the logic of the show so bad. Season 2A definitely did a much better job of incorporating them but still, I don’t like that they just kind of hang out at the Institute. Most of them don’t really do anything. They’re just walking scenery. Really, I’ve kind of gotten used to them but I do secretly hope that they will just one day, disappear. I did like the minor characters such as Raj and Lindsey. I think they could be fun as random inserts into the show. In that regard, I hope the show keeps them around. But overall, the extras are really pointless and the show is wasting their money paying extras who don’t really need to be there.

12) Better fight scenes

13) Better CGI

OMG! The fight scenes were such an improvement from Season One. I loved them so much. As I’ve said before, I do martial arts, so fight scenes are important to me and I am critical of them. Particularly the ones in Season One. The fight scenes in Season One, by themselves, are not bad. The show just edited them badly because I guess the show didn’t want to put too much effort into the choreography and CGI, maybe. Regardless, there was a drastic improvement in Season 2A. It was great. The seraph blades actually look like swords now and not light sabers so that’s an improvement in itself. Izzy’s whip turns into a staff which I thought was super cool. I do wish we could see Izzy fighting with her whip more but I understand why the show doesn’t want to do it.

The new CGI was pretty great, too. Magnus’ magic was really fun to watch not to mention the demon in Dust and Shadows was incredibly creepy…like American Horror Story Season One scary. You remember, back in the day when American Horror Story was actually scary. No offense to those who may still find American Horror Story scary. I, personally, find it to be more of a thriller show than a horror show these days. But anyways, I’m so glad we’re past the days of Shadowhunters Season One crappy CGI. The show gets an A+ on that improvement.

14) No more huge, gaping plot holes or storylines that don’t lead anywhere

This is more of a problem with the show’s general storytelling. Season One was just a mess in terms of storytelling, I’m sorry to say. This was the number one reason for why I didn’t particularly like the show in its freshman season. You know how there are CGI snobs? People who will gripe and complain if CGI is not up to society’s current standards? Well, I am a plot snob. If a plot is bad or it has plot holes, I’m not going to keep quiet about it. I spend pretty much all of my free time watching movies, tv shows, anime, reading books and fanfiction, writing stories, etc. Storytelling is incredibly important to me and I will not apologize for holding Shadowhunters to the same standard of writing that I would hold any other tv series. The way this show is written at times is so unbelievably lazy, at times. Particularly in Season One. Plot holes, galore.

Now, did the show get better at its story telling in 2A? Yes and no. I say yes, because at least the episodes are arcing properly now. They weren’t in the first season. I can’t tell you how often a Season One episode chose to end on the climax part of the story and I was like, “Wait. What? Where’s the rest if it?” That’s an arcing issue. You don’t want to end on a climax all the time. It makes the show feel very disjointed. It should be climax, aftermath, and then end credits. An episode can end on a climax but it’s best if a tv series saves that for a finale type episode. Now, I say no that the show did not get better with its storytelling because the plot feels incredibly “easy” at time. So many really convenient things happen in this show and there’s not a whole lot of explanation for why it happened. The team is trying to find a kidnapped girl and the first homeless person they find knows exactly what happened. Convenient. In Day of Wrath, a demon gets into the Institute. How? Well, the demon has cloaking abilities apparently. No explanation for why it has cloaking abilities besides Valentine’s experiments. It’s never talked about again. Convenient. Madsie having the ability to get through the Institute’s wards. Convenient. The Mortal Sword just so happens to have the ability to decimate all of downworld which is exactly what Valentine wants. Convenient. An adamas stone can somehow be used to track a parabatai when it’s never been mentioned before. Convenient. The Mortal Sword doesn’t have to be powered by a bolt of lightning. Valentine can just use an angelic power core that’s located in every Institute. A plot point that has never been stated before. Convenient. You see where I’m going with this. There is no complexity to the world at all. The writers just pull things out of their asses when it comes to moving the plot along. No one actually works for the story at all and I would definitely like to see that changed in 2B. I would like the storylines to be a little more complex than what we’re getting. This show irritates me to no end in regards to its storytelling and if anything, that is what’s going to make me drop this series.

That’s pretty much all I had to say regarding the list I made last year. Here are some hopes I would like to see in 2B.

Luke

I really want Luke to become a more active character in this show. In 2A, it felt like we barely got to see him. He is a main character but yet it feels like he never really has a whole lot of purpose within the story. Luke is a bad-ass character in the books and the show really hasn’t even scratched the surface with him and I would like to see more of him. Hopefully, he becomes much more of an active character in 2B. It definitely feels like the downworlder community is going to play a bigger role in 2B so maybe by proxy, Luke is going to be back on a more consistent basis.

Maia

My hope for Maia is that the show develops her character a little more. I really liked her character when it was first introduced in the show but in 2A, she was doing things that didn’t really make a whole lot of sense for her character. I do understand why Maia wanted to kill Clary. I got that. However, I didn’t like how Maia just immediately jumped to killing when there was a scene earlier on in the season insinuating that she has a problem with killing. I just wish her decision to kill Clary actually had some sort of emotional weight to it. Maia was also incredibly overbearing in this moment, as well. I get that she made a decision to do this but at the same time she was also completely unwilling to accept the consequences that would come with killing Clary. That being she would’ve destroyed any relationship she might’ve had with Luke and Simon. Clary is pretty much Luke’s daughter and she’s also the girl Simon has been in love with since he was a kid. It boggles my mind that Maia would possibly think Simon and Luke would ever forgive her for killing Clary. She comes off in the show being all, “This is what needs to be done. Why are you two ostracizing me? I thought we were friends?” It would’ve been fine if Maia made the cold-hearted decision to kill Clary and that she also accepted the consequences of such an act but the fact that she can’t understand why Luke and Simon aren’t on her side is what bothers me. Particularly, since she knows what Clary is to Simon and Luke. Hopefully, she’ll be developed a little more in 2B.

Sizzy

I kind of hope the show start alluding a little more to Simon and Izzy’s relationship. Of course, I’m not saying that I want them to be together by the end of 2B. As I’ve said before, I’m a fan of slowburns and Sizzy most certainly is a slow-burn. I wouldn’t mind them starting to allude to it a little more, though. I know people are yammering on about Saphael and I don’t mind if Saphael becomes a thing. Or even Rizzy. The asexual thing is kind of interesting. I just want Sizzy to be endgame. That’s really the only thing I want from this show. There’s just something so fun and interesting about the nerd ending up with the hot, sexy demon hunter. I mean, I was hoping for Sizzy before Cassandra Clare even started developing their relationship in the books. They’re just such a fun pair.

Sebastian

Well, of course I have to mention Sebastian. I really hope the show does him justice. Sebastian is such an interesting character and an interesting villain. He is a completely different villain from Valentine and I really hope the show harps on those differences. I’m really excited to see what the show does with him. I saw a synopsis of what his character is supposed to be on the show and whereas it doesn’t really feel like that’s Sebastian, I’m withholding all judgement until 2B comes out.

The Destruction of the Shape-Shifting Rune

This is a really naïve hope that I have. I know there is absolutely no way they’d actually get rid of this rune but it still doesn’t change how much I hate it. This rune is such a huge plot hole. I called it when it was first introduced. I said the writers were not prepared for the huge can of worms that this rune was going to open and I was spot on. The rune completely devalues Tessa from The Infernal Devices. Infernal Devices aside, I hate this rune on principle, alone. It makes absolutely no sense to me that this rune exists, shadowhunters know it exists, they realize anyone can use it, and yet they’re duped by it EVERY SINGLE TIME. I suppose if the show doesn’t want to get rid of the rune, maybe they could create some rules for this rune. It is so important that magic have limits and I hate that this rune appears to have no limits. Also, Sebastian better not be revealed by using that rune. I will be so disappointed with Shadowhunters if they try to use that rune as a plot twist again. It wasn’t that surprising the first time around or the second time around; if they try to use it again, I don’t know if the show will ever be able to recover in my eyes.

Ultimately, I am still enjoying watching this show to a certain extent. They are doing some interesting things with the story. If I could tell the showrunners one thing though, I would tell them, “Quit the fanservice and just tell the story.” A lot of times, it feels like the main plot gets put on the back burner because the show feels the need to engage in the fans’ desires for the characters. I realize this is coming off a little hypocritical since I just finished talking about things I wanted to see in 2B. But if 2B chooses to ignore everything that I want, I would still be happy with the show if they ignored all fanservice desires and just TOLD THE STORY. I go off and on about whether or not Shadowhunters is actually a good show and part of the problem is that the showrunners care too much about what the fans want. For me, what makes a good show is just watching a story unfold and see how the characters develop within that story. If the showrunners were to ignore the fans to a certain extent and just tell the story, the show would definitely be MUCH stronger. But they’re always consumed with doing the politically correct thing and trying not to insult certain factions of the fandom and it’s actually hindering the development of the story. I can already feel the number of hate messages about to hit my ask box but you know what? I don’t care. I just want to see a story unfold and characters develop within that story in a realistic way. That is all I want from Shadowhunters. So if the showrunners were to ignore everything else that I would like to see in 2B, I would still be happy with the show if it, at least, managed to tell a coherent story. I can’t necessarily call Shadowhunters a good show at this point in time. For me, Shadowhunters is a conglomeration of nice scenes but without much of a story in the background and I sincerely would like to see that change. Right now the show is probably at a B- for me, overall.

Well, these are my feelings regarding Shadowhunters right now. Again, these are my opinions. They, in no way, reflect anyone else’s. I would love to hear what anyone else is thinking about 2B. Do you agree with what I said? Do you disagree? As a reminder, I will ignore anyone who is rude so if you are going to send me hate and you want me to respond, you might want to try moderating your tone. I’m an adult and I expect everyone else to behave as mature adults. Really, bullying is beneath us and I will not tolerate it. Let’s create a fandom that is supportive of everyone’s opinions. Fandoms can be so much fun if there’s support but they’re an absolute nightmare if you have to worry about the hate you’re about to receive every time you post. I left for a couple of months and delved deep within the anime fandoms which was great. I really needed the break. And along the way, I found Dragonball Z Abridged by Team Four Star. If you have not seen it, you absolutely need to. It is absolutely hilarious. I love it so much! Maybe even more than the original series… o

[hiddlesgirl]

Shadowhunters Episode Reviews Masterpost

Here are the links to all of my reviews of all the episodes of Shadowhunters; they are a cross between a review, discussion and analysis. I talk about what I liked, what I didn’t like, my perception of the characters emotions and ramble.

Season 1:

·        101: The Mortal Cup

·        102: The Descent into Hell isn’t Easy

·        103: Dead Man’s Party

·        104: Raising Hell

·        105: Moo Shu to Go

·        106: Of Men and Angels

·        107: Major Arcana

·        108: Bad Blood

·        109: Rise Up

·        110: This World Inverted

·        111: Blood Calls to Blood

·        112: Malec

·        113: Morning Star

 Season 2:

·        201: This Guilty Blood

·        202: A Door into the Dark

·        203: Parabatai Lost

·        204: Day of Wrath

·        205: Dust and Shadows

·        206: Iron Sisters

·        207: How are Thou Fallen

·        208: Love is a Devil

·        209: Bound by Blood

·        210: By the Light of Dawn

·        211: Mea Maxima Culpa

·        212: You Are Not Your Own

·        213: Those of Demon Blood

·        214: The Fair Folk

·        215: A Problem Of Memory

·        216: Day Of Atonement

·        217: A Dark Reflection

·        218: Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen

·        219: Hail And Farewell

·        220: Beside Still Water

Season 3:

·        301: On Infernal Ground

·        302: The Powers That Be

·        303: What Lies Beneath

·        304: Thy Soul Instructed

·        305: Stronger Than Heaven

·        306: A Window Into An Empty Room

·        307: Salt in the Wound

·        308: A Heart of Darkness

·        309: Familia Ante Omnia

·        310: Erchomai

·        311: Lost Souls

·        312: Original Sin

·        313: Beati Bellicosi

·        314: A Kiss From a Rose

·        315: To The Night Children

·        316: Stay With Me

·        317: Heavenly Fire

·        318: The Beast Within

·        319: Aku Cinta Kamu

·        320: City of Glass

·        321: Alliance

·        322: All Good Things...

Extras: 

Consent & Sex Scenes: A Discussion

SH 213: Magnus & Dot

Season 3 

[anthony-kate]

hi! did you watch matt's live chat? while talking about malec he said sth about how the sexual aspect of a relationship is not the most important part and mentioned some vague stuff about ppl being angry, which i guess was about 2x07 bc everyone loved the finale. tbh i feel like the producers/actors have not realised why the fans got upset and believe that malec fans just want to see them have sex on screen :/

I did. And I am still not sure of I should be angry at Mr. Sneakers or start losing my shit again because of that fucking comment that there was a motivated reason to have some scruff in 2B. Seriously. Can he not? Stop getting my hopes up, siiiigh. 

I believe Matt mentioning people being angry and such had more to do with the whole poll mess that had happened over the weekend and not with Malec or Shadowhunters. At least if you ask me. But I could be wrong.

That aside, I feel like Matt just talked about the sexual aspect of relationships in general. And not particulary about Malec. Sure, he started with talking about the Malec hug and all. And he also said in his Valentine’s Day live chat that we should look for the little moments after the mess that was/is 2x07. But then again, you can’t expect from him or Harry that they tell in public stuff like “oh yes, the episode sucked, we filmed more stuff, …”. I am just assuming that they did film more. Maybe even some kind of more “sexual/intimate” scene in the end, but we don’t know that. Because in the end, neither Matt nor Harry are responsible for this messy episode. It was Todd’s and Darren’s call.

Maybe I am being naive but I really think (read: more like really hope) that they learned from this disaster. Because yes, the sexual aspect might not be the most important thing in a relationship, but the romance/intimacy is. And the latter clearly lacked in 2A, too. Just saying.

[takaraphoenix]

Review: 3x12 - Original Sin

So, @kimmycup and I just watched the new episode of Shadowhunters! And I have a few thoughts!

Biggest take-away from this episode: Magnus really trying to make the nickname “pup” work but it not working with Alec for either of them has my “Magnus calls Jace puppy”-headcanon just solidifying ten times.

In other news:

Simon and Izzy? Too rushed in a downright painful way at this point. Maia being all “Oh no bringing a werewolf to see an old-timey vampire is a bad idea” but... a Shadowhunter... is?? And afterward, to go to the Seelie Realm, they did not think of going and picking up Maia either? Even though Cain himself warned Simon that there is a risk of death?? And I swear if they kickstart S/zzy with an addiction plotline too I will riot. I swear I have zero sympathy for them fucking this ship over. Season 1 set them up so well and then completely ignored literally any interaction between them in all of 2A, just for 2B to then start building up the S/zzy again and for 3A to then discard it again. Just get your shit straight, if you had done a better job throughout the seasons, you wouldn’t have to rush it now.

So Meliorn proposed a threesome to Simon and Izzy and neither of them even felt the need to correct that they’re not dating, huh. Like not even that baseline of flustered “I have a girlfriend! It’s not Izzy”, huh. Not even that. Like. They already sank Sa/a harder than the Titanic, huh.

And let’s just not talk about how the Cain lives in the New York sewers, yeah? Yeah.

Paris. Waste of money. There was like one (1) significant shot of the Eiffel Tower when C/ace kissed but that could have as well been a green-screen, seriously. The café? The main location they filmed? Could have been absolutely everywhere in the world. When they talked about going to Paris to film, I thought they would film inside the Louvre, because art and Clary. But this was potentially the biggest waste of money this show has ever done. Ridiculous.

Also on the note of Paris: The search for Clary. Holy shit was that badly written. Luke and Jace just portaling over to Siberia and... still... finding... footprints... Like, glad it hasn’t snowed once in Siberia since Clary ran out into the snow storm. But okay. Fine. Sure it hasn’t snowed in Siberia since then. What about that Shadowhunter? The one whose Stele was stolen? And he somehow immediately went back to his Institute to report it and that Institute somehow immediately went and reported... one... lost... Stele... to the higher authorities? Do they do that with every Stele that Jace broke too?? And if he lost his Stele and filed a report again how did he manage to catch up to Jonathan and Clary that quickly? That’s just physically impossible.

Here, have a more logical approach with the same elements: While Jon is distracted, Clary writes a note onto a napkin. Clary places the napkin in the Shadowhunter’s pocket to make him contact the New York Institute. I’d buy that.

I am really not buying them reporting one lost Stele like this and I’m also not buying that Shadowhunter to somehow make it all the way to his own Institute, file a report, go all the way back, coincidentally find exactly the store Jon and Clary went and be there in the short time it took Jon and Clary to get there and talk to Mirek.

Also, what was with that “dramatic reveal” scene? French Shadowhunter saying Clary Fairchild is dead and Clary super dramatically unglamouring her hair like Clary is the only ginger Shadowhunter in existence?? What the heck? Do people outside of New York even know that Clary is a redhead? They probably just know “Clarissa Fairchild, daughter of Valentine Morgenstern”, not “is a super extraordinaire ginger who gingers more than any ginger ever gingered before”?? What was that??

I only have one thing to say about that Magnus plotline at this point: He’s not getting his immortality back. No way. They are so 100% going to prioritize Ma/ec’s ““happily ever after”“ over Magnus’ individual identity as a warlock and somehow write Magnus as totally coming around on the whole mortal thing. And I just don’t even have words for it because this show’s treated Magnus as half of Ma/ec from day one and not as his own individual person so like it checks out but also fuck this.

One last thing, because I still can’t let it go: I hate that they just, without any explanation, made Jace love Clary again. Magnus gave up his magic to break the possession. The possession came from Lilith. The possession was its own thing. Jace no longer loving Clary, or having any feelings for her, was a potion that Magnus made and it just gave way for the possession. It was in no way or shape directly linked to the possession. The potion was so strong that Magnus could not break it. Why in the world would Asmodeus go “So we make a deal about breaking the possession but I could also as an extra add that the boy gets his love for this chick back, yeah son?”... It. Makes. No. Sense.

[banshee-cheekbones]

alright, so I have some kind of accountability when it comes to my fandom goals, here’s what I want to try to do this weekend: 

Finish my reread of It

Finish season 2a of Shadowhunters (only two episodes left)

Watch the newest episode of Preacher

Put the newest episode of The Strain on in the background while I do something else (because I was reading reviews and it sounds fucking awful, I do not care about Zack’s character, at all, he’s a brat)

Write the weekly drabble for the femslash100 community. 

Finish this Camilla/Maia fic thingamajig for the SH ficathon. 

Maybe edit the Clary/Jace/Simon thing I wrote for the newest ROK round so it’s ready for the 2nd. 

Read more of Ella’s SH fics so I’m closer to being caught up (I’m on page 3, so if I can make it to page 2, I’ll consider that a victory)

also, y’know, I have other stuff I need to do, like clean and go to the gym, plus the Ottawa Pride Parade is on Sunday, so I wanna check that out. so basically, tomorrow better be a damn productive day for me. 

[oncethrown]

2x12 You Are Not Your Own Review

Whole Episode Review

So much great stuff. So many problems. So much promise that Shadowhunters is determined to be better than the books.

So much evidence that they might not understand what the initial problems in the book were.

I’m not one of those people who reacts to characters like they are real people, or about the writers “treating a character like that” as though the plot actually happened to a real person. Doing something terrible to a character, or having a character do something awful is not “disrespecting” them— if you deal with the consequences of those plot points and use them to make a plot move forward, instead of just dropping them and running along to the next thing. If a plot point is just a thing that happens, then yeah, it’s a disservice to the character, but you can do really terrible shit to a character if you build it into something interesting plotwise and create character growth from it.

I’m not sure I trust Shadowhunters to accomplish that right now.

Shadowhunters entire premise is based on there being a whole magic world, where Shadowhunters are at the top, and downworlders are underneath them. There are laws in place that are supposed to guarantee some freedom and equality, and everyone knows they are bullshit, but the Shadowhunters don’t care. There’s a villain who embodies the worst of Shadowhunter supremacy ideals… but the Shadowhunters hate him because he killed a bunch of Shadowhunters, not because he threatens the downworld.

The narrative they are trying to push, is that their lead characters, Clary, Jace, Isabelle and Alec, are aware of and against the unfair treatment and oppression of the downworld and in favor of a fairer and more inclusive world. Especially Clary, who as a character from outside the world doesn’t have their ingrained prejudices.

But the writers are failing to a degree that almost seems intentional in the first two episodes.

The Problems:

1. Please Pay No Mind To The Pile Of Dead Downworlders Behind the Curtain

Valentine murdered downworlders en mass inside an Institute and the only time a Shadowhunter has mentioned it is Alec telling Jace that it isn’t his fault. Imogen was brought in to interrogate and torture Valentine— to get the mortal cup back. There has been no nod whatsoever to the Clave attempting to reach out to the downworld. Acknowledge the massacre, assure the leaders of the downworld that they didn’t know the mortal sword had the power to slaughter downworlders. When they bring up that Clary deactivated the sword? It’s done with annoyance that stupid Clary broke the Truth Magic.

Even Luke and Maia’s scene, where Maia is upset that most of the pack got rolled off the Institute floor and probably onto a truck to be dropped into the Hudson for all anyone seems to give a damn, gives Luke the less than compelling emotional reaction of “Meh, more wolves where those losers came from, my nosy gay partner is annoying me right now.”

The show did something catastrophic to a population that it explicitly uses to represent oppressed people, and sidestepped dealing with it further than wringing a Malec moment out of it. There is no emotional impact to dozens (hundred? We don’t know) of dead downworlders.

Everyone of the main Shadowhunter characters (except Jace) is in or has been in a significant romantic relationship with a downworlder, and none of them seem to be thinking about the impact of this massacre in any larger way either.

2. Business as Usual, Side of Evil

Shadowhunters encourage torture. Mundanes call that a war crime, but it’s whatever! Imogen tortures Valentine for information about the Mortal Cup. Imogen wants him dead because he won’t give up the mortal cup. The Clave wants him alive because he might give up the mortal cup if they just keep torturing him.

And then Clary McWhiteSavior handwaves all the torture and dark shit going on in the basement of the building she lives in, because Imogen lost her family… in a warrior culture, where people die all the time and most people lost a lot of family 15 years ago. When Imogen tells Alec that the Clave won’t let her kill Valentine, but she’s going to do it anyway… Alec is concerned… but concerned like a Republican senator, where he’s shocked and dismayed… but isn’t going to do shit about it (other than guard the door until it turns out that maybe it is his body-swapped boyfriend after all).

I get that Valentine is essentially the Shadow world equivalent of a White Supremacist. If he were burning crosses in Mississippi instead of… being menacing on a boat carousel?(seriously, Shadowhunters, figure out your damn aesthetic) I wouldn’t really give a damn about him getting a little bit mysteriously dead during a security tape fritz. (Except of course I would, because those sorts of “mechanical failures” only ever function to excuse the deaths of non-white people, and let killer cops back out on the street. That’s the actual pattern.)

But the Law is the Law. Shadowhunters are supposed to be dispensers of cold justice in strict accordance with ancient tradition. Having Imogen go rogue like that, and DRAG ALEC, ONE OF THE OFFICIAL GOOD GUYS along with her, and at no point have the plot acknowledge that she went off the rails is ludicrous. Even Casserole Clam managed to fit that part in. In the books Imogen breaks the Law to torture Jace, and the narrative kills her for it. It’s not okay for Shadowhunters to just walk away from that point, especially after tying a main character up in the mess.

3. Must Be This White or Male Not To Be An Addict

Season 1 Izzy was the youngest forensic pathologist in New York, a formidable fighter, a loving sister, a good friend, and a total badass. Season 2 Izzy is a frail drug addict who has yet to deliver a line to a man who isn’t playing savior or trying to bone her, or both! She is also the only non-white Shadowhunter from Clary’s stupid pre-credit intro monologue and she’s completely lost control of her sexual and romantic agency (Technically I know Alec has to be Latino… but Matthew Daddario isn’t so I think the point still stands).

Izzy and Meliorn had a relationship lacking the romangst that characterizes everyone else’s smooching time, but that seemed perfectly healthy and functional. Izzy even got to save him from the evil Clave imprisoning him with no evidence in a place that would kill him (remember when that became important in the story? Neither do I, must have gotten cut for more time for Jace and Clary to say sibling words over and over again in case we didn’t hear them the first time) but now she’s drug denning with Raphael until he turns her out in the street to save her life, and then she’s being saved by the mysterious blonde english boy who takes her home to save her life, and she doesn’t think it’s fair for Alec to not like Sebastian just because Alec wishes that he had been the one to save her life. Even Simon, who I have basically no qualms with, gets a scene where he gets to give her information about addiction and be respectful of what she might be needing in recovery, and has family experience and doesn’t judge her.

And it might have seemed sweet if Isabelle’s story line hadn’t stripped her of everything that was cool about her in season 1.  

Gag. Choke. Barf.

4. I Feel Like You Want Me To Think Boy-Touching is Gross

Remember all the hand holding and closeness and casual intimacy between Magnus and Alec in 2A?

No. Cause it wasn’t there.

Other than the greeting kiss in 2x11, every time Alec has touched Magnus like they are two people who are in love and are having and enjoying sex with each other,  it was actually Valentine, and the camera focused on Valentine being super weirded out by it. When it was Magnus touching Alec in Valentine’s body the disgust made sense in the context… but with everything else going on in that plot there’s still a yuck factor to the touch that makes the fact that the only time Alec and Magnus are together, in their own bodies, there is too much hurt and distance for them to touch each other.

5. And Like… I Don’t Want Homophobia in Fiction But…

What is going on culturally with Alec Lightwood The Only Gay Shadowhunter? No one mentions it, no one brings it up. And it would be a really good thing to explore in the current cultural moment. Homophobia (and racism) can be present without being overt. It can affect people’s lives and careers, even with everyone putting on an accepting face.

It could be something that forces Alec to think a little bit more about the wisdom of the Clave, and maybe make him think a little bit about how he was raised to think about downworlders. It would move him out of the dominant culture of his world into a weird gray space where he could learn. Because they gave him the impetus for that in Aldertrees “I loved a werewolf as though she was a person but it turns out she was just a downworlder” speech.

If Jenji Kohan suddenly took over as show runner, it might even be interesting to see Alec learn how not to be a White Gay ManTM, like the assholes joining facist movements because they think their sexuality gives them an excuse to hate Muslims, or the rotten toenail fungus suing the Alamo for hosting an all women screening of Wonder Woman because he can’t handle not being welcome in a space for women when he could go see the fucking moving anywhere else in Texas. (What an asshat).

6. And Since I Brought Up Disrespect

Again, doing bad things to characters isn’t disrespect.

But patterns in the writing for certain characters is.

1. Why is Izzy a pathetic damsel now, repeating the same experience, and the same fucking lines over and over again?

2. Why do Clary and Simon get greeting make outs and Alec and Magnus don’t? Why have we seen Clary and Jace dive into passionate full body kisses with a wide enough lens to see their bodies pressed together and not gotten the same for Magnus and Alec? Why have we gotten a cutesy morning after scene for Clary and Simon, and not gotten anything similar for Magnus and Alec, even in an episode where their fist time having sex was a B plot?

3. Why is Izzy always being put in the position where sex is being exchanged for something? (She goes off to have sex with Meliorn when they all need a backway into the hotel Dumort. Her attempts to get a bite from Raphael are all highly sexualized. Aldertree offered Izzy Yinfen in exchange for “dinner”.

4. Why is it that in the two sex scenes we’ve seen with people fully or mostly nude (Jace and the Seelie girl and Izzy and Meliorn) the woman is so much more sexualized than the man? And why have we only seen this much skin in these casual sexual relationships and not in the main romantic pairings?

5. Why has Clary  never listened to anyone, and never had to experience any real consequences for her actions (with the exception of getting thrown into a rape cage at Iris’s after trying to bring her mother back from the dead). Why does she keep saying she cares about downworlders (and always downworlders of color) and then fucking them over and forgetting about them? She tased Luke, for fuck’s sake, and went on her merry way like a fucking sociopath. 

While Watching Thoughts

Azazel is a good small arc villain. Sinister and handsome and powerful.

Kat Mcnammara is actually good at this cutes-y romcom shit. It comes across much more genuine than everything else she’s asked to do…but somehow it makes me hate Clary more. I like my female leads smart enough to realize that maybe Simon being a Daylighter is super rare, and maybe could mean trouble and maybe there’s a reason for Simon to be jumpy (Vote 1 of this reaction post for Maia as main character)

UUUUGGGGHHHH remember season 1 Izzy, who occasionally  did something other than make doe eyes at men who were actively harming her while she credited them with saving her life?

I would like to see Clary, Jace and Isabelle’s willingness to bring Sebastian onboard obviously tied to him being a Shadowhunter. It would make a lot of the anti-downworld stuff coming up pop more and give Clary’s character something to actually work with going forward-- “He’s a shadowhunter, I’m a shadowhunter, we are part of the shadowhunter club, my mom is dead and my father is evil and jace isn’t my brother, so shadowhunters are my FAMILY”

Valentine trying to do magic is great, Harry’s changed physicality doing Valentine is great. I wish the next day makeup made more sense.

I can’t tell if it’s sweet or needy that Alec marches directly to Magnus’s apartment after that phone call, especially since there was a huge fucking massacre and then they made him summon a greater demon that nearly killed them all?

Umm… okay with the matrix shot.

It’s…not awesome that the most affectionate touch we’ve seen Magnus and Alec have is when it’s being used to freak out Valentine.

Goddamnit Clary. Could you listen for just one fucking time? If only so I don’t have to hear you whine about it when the consequences fuck you over.

Interesting that Valentine thinks to call Dorothea.

I hope they make this Imogene the Sadist thing go somewhere

Please let this be the end of this fucking druggie storyline

Simon is sweet. He would have been a much better main character than Clary. Imagine, instead of this love-struck white girl— witty Jewish boy who deeply cares about people actually like… fucking notices the problems in the Shadow world society. Actually cares. Actually brings it up to the people around him other than just when he needs their help for stuff. (Remembers that Luke is basically his Dad)

This scene makes me wish that Valentine wasn’t the most boring fucking villain. I had no idea Alan was a good actor cause his character is such a mildly menacing blank space. His face when Alec shoves him away. His Magnus voice.

This is not the worst way to introduce the Herondale thing… but I don’t  want this Imogene/Clary scene.

Oh hey- Simon caring about someone again. Caring about the guy who has threatened him multiple times because Isabelle humanized him. Hmmm…. What an interesting trait in a main character brought into a repressive society against their will. Hmmm.

I like Alec trusting Jace with what just happened to him.

I don’t think Magnus actually calls Alec Alexander this often.

Haha. Valentine faking magic.

I hate gratuitous torture scenes. I gave up on Supernatural after the Samandriel thing. This had better be fucking moving toward a point. About the Clave being Nazis.

Please let this episode be the last I need to hear about the incest plot

Whoa. Raphael. This is the only time I’ve ever liked Raphael a little bit.

Oh good. Isabelle being a junkie is a plot point again.

Simon! So Stupid! Don’t wave it at everyone!

Luke knows he’s everyone’s dad.

Again. Make this Imogen thing do something.

Alec… isn’t really going to allow this to happen is he? Not just because it might be Magnus… but because he’s supposed to respect the rules. And like… there should be too much doubt in his mind to go this far. Especially with the weird phone call and visit earlier.

Ooohhoooo This is much better reveal of Jace’s parentage than the books. Buuuuttttt…. Imogen believes the Magnus/Valentine switch with way less evidence than Magnus gave Alec. Not great.

I wonder if this Herondale reveal reads as total left field bullshit if you haven’t read the books? 

Magic has to be harder than that.

Good point Alec. You are now here with the untrained shadowhunter and the random dude who according to his own story, just went rogue. There are real shadowhunters at the institute, where are they.

Ooohhh, Alan got that magnus-move down really well. It’s too bad he has to go back to being a frowny face with a overwrought backstory.

I feel bad for Kat that she got cast to be a cute red head and now that they have real money to work with they can afford people as talented as Alisha and Will. She can’t keep up.

Magnus must be a better fighter than that. What the hell was that?

Like… are they going to talk about the fact that Magnus’s first thought at every point has been protecting people… and Alec is a Shadowhunter… who was just going to guard the door while his boss tortured a prisoner? That’s some dark shit. And it sort of carves Alec down to just another Shadowhunter… another in a long line of the monsters who have hunted Magnus and his friends for centuries. How could Magnus have thought he would be different? Is it naive for him to really have believed that it was possible to love a Shadowhunter?

Alberto could have chemistry with a ketchup stain

Oh good. More incest. I was so very worried we might go four fucking seconds without it.

Is Jace just… hanging out and petting a sword?

So… did Imogen storm into Magnus’s and demand jewelry, probably without apologizing him for the torture and unlawful imprisonment? (Of course she did. Did Alec Say anything?)

We aren’t going to deal with the irony in her statement about what’s good and right… when she was all tortury and rogue murdery? We’re gonna let that go? Okay then. 

[kaeppsong-your-life]

Shadowhunters 2x18 review/thoughts/feelings

I don't do these publicly at all, and I have no friends to talk about it so I just threw all I felt here. It came out horribly long but I needed to let it out. I’m no expert by the way, and english isn’t my first language so go easy on me. Let me know what you guys think! Maybe I’ll do another for the next episode if I feel like it. 

I applaud Amanda Row and Jamie Gorenberg for executing an episode so wonderfully, first and foremost. The amount of attention of detail and overall “groundness” is phenomenal. The lighting was perfect in almost all the scenes (something that I undeniably had an issue with in 2a but has gotten so much better in 2b), not only because you could actually see the people in the screen but because it added to the emotion of the scenes. The music selection was just great and the editing was smooth. These are things that people don’t realize really affects viewing experience. Lighting, music and editing play a large roll on the emotions the creator wants viewers to feel and it was so well executed so THANK YOU for that, really. 

There were many things happening in this episode so I’ll go one by one, not really in chronological order. 

We have Maia and Simon dealing with a mundane-turning-werewolf. A very interesting topic because it adds more knowledge on how this world works, hence expanding it in my opinion. The only people we’ve seen experiencing such a physical change has been Simon. Clary as well, but she kinda upgrades into something that is revered. I absolutely love that they didn’t leave it at that and they used this opportunity to delve more into Maia’s character. Alisha performance was on the nose in her monologue, and it’s this scene that makes Maia a regular in the show. I saw some people who haven’t read the books asking why she is to become so and I believe this will shone light as to why.  Her past (hopefully) makes viewers understand why she is the way she is, why she seemed to see the worst immediately in the people around her and why she cares and respects Luke and the pack. She isn’t just a character there to push the plot anymore, the plot will not be able move without her eventually and this was a great way to start bringing her in. I loved it. (Also, Jordan can choke....for now)

While on the topic of werewolves we have Luke proving his alpha status when he is challenged (to the death) for the position. Did anyone doubt he wouldn’t come through? I didn’t, but it was so needed to see on screen. Luke is known to be wise and maure (expect when it comes to keeping certain important meetings in places where they should be held- a more hidden place, maybe? One that no random mundanes can stroll into?) and it showed how he is a great leaders for the wolves. I just truly hope in season three we explore why is that, because I stand by my belief that it has a lot to do with the fact that he was a shadowhunter before a downworlder. His character is so complex and needs to be addressed more, please and thank you. 

In the Institute things are tense. Since the show’s main plot  is about the mortal instruments, I’m so so so glad we finally got to it. We’ve been running in circles for long enough in my opinion and wow, did they not disappoint. Let’s be real, the whole mortal instruments and Valentine’s schemes are very complicated and not easy to unfold so I was worried, but it was great. I actually really liked that they went with the ruse of the compact mirror because it added a bit of humor (all of this for a compact mirror, really?) and throwing off us book readers for a bit.

Oh, Jonathan. It was lovely to see you actually panic, even if it was just a little while. Will’s acting is so good, wow! I can’t believe the way he just grabs your attention and makes you feel pity, disgust and rage all the same time. He is taking on a massively complex character and puling it off magnifically. I have no idea how he does it but he makes viewers experience Jonathan, not just watch him. We are not physically in the story but I bet I’m not the only one that feels like he makes me feel like I’m with him. He is terrifying and you feel it to your bones when he is on screen, I love it. 

What I don’t love is how he hurts our youngest (possibly smartest) Lightwood. In true @abnormallyadam​ fashion, “don’t fuck with the Lightwoods.” (A motto that I feel would be the focus of the next episodes). Max ends in critical condition and the tension can be felt strongly. I feel like Jonathan got too cocky (serves him) when he thought he would die on his own, and our baby is alright. I personally don’t know how I feel about this per se yet. I’m very torn, as a person with a heart I’m glad an innocent kid gets to live, but I also truly belief that the Lightwood’s need his death to develop more, especially Isabelle. We’ve explored the cheating and the horrible way of raising and caring their children. Besides dealing with the clave against their morals, there isn’t mush else to get into right now, a sense of revenge and guilt and strength at full scale would be great. However the show’s not done, he might still die...or maybe he doesn't and their sense of family is so deep that just this injury and close call is enough to propel them into the path I want them to take.

IMPORTANT: I’m aware Jace got the least screentime and it’s easy to gloss over the little scenes he had but I love the way he reacted to this situation. We’ve spent this whole season with him dealing with his identity and the way he was just as affected by Max’s situation as the rest of the family speaks volumes. Dom has said this but this really shows how no matter the last name, Jace is a Lightwood. This is his family, he cares for them and would do anything for them. His character plays off the bad boy and cocky part well but deep down he is just this kid that was abused as a child by the person he believed was his father, only to be given away. These people took him in and gave him everything and he doesn’t give a damn about no mortal instrument when his family comes to harm. 

Clary is smart, I’ve always known this. She was great in this episode, not annoying but smart and actually productive (wow). I’m so pleased with the way she handled her brother. I was afraid she would continue with the whole redemption thing but holy shit the girl didn’t hesitate!!! I’m so proud of her. Clary is a character that has so much potential, but past writing has made her come off and annoying and jarringly in the way. Hope this rationally and smart lady stays around. 

And now, to the shit that actually made me sit down and write this: Magnus (Not malec per se, sorry).

I’m a huge malec shipper, everyone knows that. It is undeniable how good they are together, this isn’t up for discussion. However, I love Magnus Bane more (that says a lot). 

As a character he is so interesting to me because despite being arguably the most magical in the show, he is so human. He feels and feels and feels. He is so compassionate and good despite having centuries worth of experiences and reasons to be bad, and I feel like this episode put this in the spotlight (finally). Magnus is a leader and as one he has duties to fulfill. Duties that I feel, he has been neglecting. 

Now, I do believe you can have a balance between duty and love, Alec being a perfect example. The guy obviously loves Magnus, but hasn’t turn back from his duty. I feel like Magnus has come to realize he needs to do the same. Through the situation they’re in, Magnus has learned that he can’t focus on love only and I believe that in a future situation that he can’t focus on duty only either. He is smart, he will probably get that balance is key, I just don’t know fast. 

A separation is the least we want for these two but it is time for Magnus to show how human he is. I read somewhere how someone was annoyed at the fact that he walked away because they didn’t believe there wasn’t that big of a reason to do so, and it felt like he was running away cowardly. While I don’t agree with everything in that statement (a conflicting nature of race and ways of living is a big reason to put a relationship on hold) , I do believe there is a part of Magnus that is running away. He is so scared. He loves this shadowhunter so much, more than he expected or has before, and he’s afraid of the power Alec has over him (whether he knows it or not). In other words: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!! Also, they parting so reluctantly and maturely speaks volumes of the health of this relationship and I'm so glad they didn’t go for a petty route for it. 

The flashbacks were so perfect and needed. Up until now, we’ve all loved malec because we know they are more than a kiss on a wedding or representation on a show and we finally got all that more on screen. Seeing, how much they love each other or better yet, feeling how much they love each other is so needed. I got tears in eyes because of these flashbacks. I got tears, not only because of happiness because of their happiness but because the world now gets to see how a lgbtq+ couple is just two people falling in love, fears and all, not unlike your typical straight couples out there. 

The details in these flashbacks captivated me! I’m so glad I’m not the only one that noticed the way they used a rose, a charm, or just hands to transition seemingly into these beautiful scenes. In them, we see first two people confused on why they trust each other and feel things for a person they are well aware they shouldn’t feel such things for. The long awaited first time, showing how innocently giddy they were to explore each other in a way they hadn’t before. This wasn’t just about having sex, it was about wanting to be as close as possible to a person, the fear with that want, and acceptance. In a way, these flashbacks let us peek into their vulnerability and that is powerful. 

I seriously give it up for Matt and Harry for the phenomenal work they did in this episode. It isn’t easy to have to portray so many drastically different parts of their characters in one episode. Going from sorrowful, conflicted, reluctant and resigned, to guarded and confused; from giddy, happy, and hopeful, to fearful, ashamed, and accepting. Just wow. It was so amazing how you can tell how much they care for this characters and I appreciate that a lot.

I layed in bed yesterday thinking and thinking about this episode and as I write this I’m teary. I am not part of the community, but knowing that people of the lgbtq+ community will look to their screens and finally be able to see themselves in it in a positive light just moves me to tears. I feel a weight in my chest of all the emotion because there are people out there that feel like they are alone and that what they feel is wrong. This episode is for all of you. Here’s to more equality in this show, please, shadowhunters. 

[dominicaharris]

Shadowhunters 2x11 Advanced Spoiler-Free Review: "Mea Maxima Culpa."

https://www.basicshadowhuntersstuff.com/reviews/2017/5/26/shadowhunters-2x11-advanced-spoiler-free-review-mea-maxima-culpa EXCLUSIVESWHAT WE DOREVIEWSFANDOM Shadowhunters 2x11 Advanced Spoiler-Free Review: "Mea Maxima Culpa." After the catastrophic events of 2A’s winter finale, many are anticipating the show’s return. 2B’s premiere is a quality hour of television that continues the show’s upward trajectory. It’s a casual weaving of the right moves and an essential time out following the insane pace of recent events - a breather episode that allows a closer look at it’s players and the relationships they have, while serving as a wind up for what comes next. Shadowhunters picks up not long after the events of ‘By The Light Of Dawn’, where both the residents of the New York Institute and the city’s Downworlders are trying to deal with the aftermath of Valentine’s deadly attack. Valentine himself is being held for interrogation in the Institute’s basement level, and with Aldertree being reprimanded back in Idris for his leadership failures, Alec has absorbed the responsibility of overseeing the Institute’s day to day activities. Everyone is dealing with the joys and fallouts of their own personal lives, but time isn’t on their side when they discover a greater demon is making its way through the city. ‘Mea Maxima Culpa’ is an episode that finally showcases the full influence of it’s new showrunners. Where the season’s premiere was, for all intents and purposes, an impressive tonal reboot of its first 13 episodes, 2x11 makes 2A seem like a transition period. Looking back on it now, the first half of the season appears to have played it safe in its makeover; a quick fix-all while they tested what they really wanted to do with the show. If this episode is indeed the Shadowhunters they intend to make from here on out, then we’re in for a real treat. The characters and their relationships are even more settled now, and that has a lot to do with the cast. Each performer appears more certain of their own footsteps, and their portrayals feel snuggly with greater authenticity. It makes all the difference between watching actors act and seeing the characters we’ve come to love alive and breathing on our screens.  Katherine McNamara’s Clary is surefooted and determined in this Shadowhunter role she’s been thrown into, believably confident and blissfully optimistic of her path in life, and especially love. Simon is much the same, his sunny disposition a reflection of his new sun-tolerance. Alberto Rosende has an ease and flow in the way he moves, a charming middle ground between finesse and clumsiness that gives his scenes heart. A failed, one-sided attempt at hugging Jace, his new savior, will have fans laughing. Dom Sherwood’s Jace, on the other hand, is struggling deeply beneath the surface, riddled with guilt for the part he played in the massacre of the New York Institute. He absolutely shines this hour, nailing every single one of Jace’s nuances in a way only Jace Wayland himself could. One particular scene opposite Matthew Daddario will greatly satisfy Parabatai fans - another, also opposite Matthew, will hit you where it hurts. Matt Daddario’s Alec is a gigantic softie and a pillar of strength who is trying to hold together the pieces of those he loves most. His chemistry with Dominic and Emeraude is off the charts, portraying best friend, confidante and big brother as one seamless entity. Isabelle is in bad shape, stuck firmly between fight or flight, unable to reconcile what she needs with what she wants. Emeraude Toubia locks in her best performance of the series in a way that is unglamourous, undignified and yet still founded on Isabelle’s beautiful vulnerability. On the receiving end of her questionable behaviour, David Castro’s Raphael displays a sincerity and care that now appears to come from a real place, and the way he makes amends works, in some small part, to redeem his recent poor choices. Magnus Bane is still the best dressed character on the show - his black, rhinestone coat in particular deserves its own runway. Harry Shum Jr makes a rather restricted appearance, but it doesn’t make his part any less enjoyable and it certainly isn’t for nought. This hour sets some big plays in motion, particularly for Magnus in ways you can't even imagine. The 'Malec' relationship is also there, and while they are certainly not the focal point, the episode firmly establishes them as a couple; a team. It’s now comfy and familiar, casually intimate in a way that has been lacking.  Isaiah Mustafa’s portrayal of Luke is steady as always, though we get to see some much needed smiles after all he’s been through. Maia proves to be a surprising source of strength for him when the chips are down, and the makings of a coupleof storylines are also on the horizon, involving both his path as Alpha and his new partner-in-training, Ollie. We don’t know much about her yet, but rest assured she’s not a replacement for Jocelyn (Ollie contributes to the LGBTQ spectrum of the show). Besides Ollie, there are a couple of new faces we meet this outing, namely the hotly anticipated introduction of mysterious Shadowhunter, Sebastian. He is everything I expected: affable, sympathetic, a hint of a dark past - the lovable, super hot, bad boy cousin. Will Tudor fits seamlessly into the story and plays him with an understated charisma that is dangerously disarming (it’s not just the swoon worthy british accent), and the way he infiltrates our Shadowhunters squad and develops with the ongoing plot will surely be a thing of intrigue. Alan Van Sprang’s latest turn as Valentine is impressive and fascinating to watch. He delights in manipulation as always, and his untouchable facade is still very much in place, but Alan allows us to see Valentine’s mind ticking away behind it as he tries to find openings and exploits in those around him. He’s a little less controlled, which makes him even more unpredictable - though the new villain in town makes him look like an abandoned puppy. Azazel, a greater demon and Prince of Hell is topside and making waves. Brett Donahue is a welcome guest to an already stellar cast, wallowing deliciously in Azazel’s bored, elitist swagger. His voice is commanding, powerful and spine tingling, unnerving in the way it will both raise the little hairs on your neck and melt you into a puddle of goo. The episode’s weakest point was it’s first handful of dialogue. Writing exposition can be difficult, especially when you’re trying to establish to an audience what has and hasn’t happened since they last tuned in. But what followed was a Parabatai scene I’ve been personally hanging out for all series long - books included - and it was a fitting way to kickstart the second half of the season, if the slack-jaw grin on my face was anything to measure by. One particular stunt later in the episode didn’t look any better on second viewing, but I chose to ignore it in favor of the brilliant, diabolical twist that unravels over the episode’s final minutes. It’s going to give fans a great deal of anxiety, but if you’re a sucker for emotional stakes like me, there will be much satisfaction when the plot pays off. Michael Reisz turns in a script that ticks a lot of boxes. It’s a little heavy-handed on the exposition in places, but that is easily overshadowed by the plot building and myriad of fantastic character moments. Book fans are possibly going to throw fits at some of the new bends in the mythology, but as someone who is against a plot-for-plot adaption, I am thoroughly living for it.   Matt Hastings is clearly experimenting and playing with the Shadow World in ways he hasn’t previously. The camerawork has gotten more creative, complementing situations and characters like a beating pulse. The hardware itself seems different with it’s sharper, cleaner film quality. There is a whole spectrum of colour in almost every single shot. The show’s lighting seems to have found a happy middle ground. Everything, somehow, gets grittier without sacrificing anything. Visually, it’s the most stunning episode of Shadowhunters yet.  Besides the aesthetic, the performances are some of the strongest. The emotions conveyed are honest, raw. The characters are finally real. It feels like the ‘click’ we’ve all been waiting for, and that’s pretty damn satisfying. Shadowhunters is proving itself one of Freeform's greatest assets, and if you've been keeping up with the slew of new shows announced at this year’s upfronts, it is also a show that has paved the way for wider demographics. 2B looks to be paving a thrilling new path in its storytelling - both visual and written - and the results are good. Really good. We may be 23 chapters into the story, but if ‘Mea Maxima Culpa’ is anything to go by, Shadowhuntersis only just getting started.  Shadowhunters returns Monday June 5th 8/7c on Freeform, and Tuesday June 6th internationally on Netflix.

[tmisource]

'Shadowhunters' Season 2A Review: An Improvement That Still Needs Some Work

#Shadowhunters Season 2A Review: An Improvement That Still Needs Some Work

When Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer took over former showrunner Ed Decter, there was this renewed sense of optimism for Shadowhunters following a freshman season that was anything but impressive. The new showrunners promised a more character-focused story while alluding to some stronger book representation. While Shadowhunters second season has been a significant improvement from its first…

[theparabataipodcast]

Episode 043 - Better in Black

BEWARE SPOILERS!

It's a 2A recap & 2B Hypotheses by Meredith & Poppy!

Become a Podcast Patron @ https://www.patreon.com/theparabataipodcast! 

News & Extras

The Parabatai Podcast Turns One! Giveaway winners were announced!

All the mentioned Hidden Remote interviews with SH cast

SHTV clips, thanks Freeform!

Basic Shadowhunters Stuff non-spoiler review

We were interviewed by Basic Shadowhunters Stuff previously.

Check out this episode!

[basicshadowhuntersstuff]

This week in Shadowhunters news, updates, sneak peeks, and behind the scenes. All the stuff you need to stay up to date.

Official Promotion

Dominic Sherwood Tells Us His Secrets And Impersonates Matt In This Video!

Showrunners Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer Discuss S2E10.

15 Behind-The-Scenes Moments From The Winter Finale. [1]

Three Original Shadowhunters Songs Have Just Been Released! Listen To Them Here.

Shadowhunters In The News

Reviews for 2x10: By The Light of Dawn: Spoiler TV, TV Fanatic, TV Source Magazine.

BSS (Article): Season 2b will premier June 5th!

Nerds of Color (Interview): One-on-One with Shadowhunters’ Harry Shum Jr.

In Style (Interview): 8 Things to Know About Shadowhunters Star Alberto Rosende.

Screener (Interview): Matthew Daddario dishes on that swoon-worthy Malec moment.

Access Hollywood (Interview): Matt Hastings Talks About What's Next After The Midseason Finale.

TV Insider (Interview): Showrunners Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer talk about Love Triangles, Soul-Sword and Those Three Little Words.

TV LIne (Interview): Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin answer questions about the midseason finale.

Entertainment Weekly (Interview): Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer talk about Jace-Clary revelation, Malec's big moment, and more.

Video & Audio Interviews

AfterBuzz TV: Joshua Butler (director of 210) helps recaps the midseason finale.

Twitter & Social Media Stuff

The cast announce on Facebook Live the premier date for 2b.

Matt (Alec) has a Facebook Live chat. Kat (Clary) comes in towards the middle.

“No matter what you can’t separate us!!” Dom (Jace) shares behind the scenes photo of him and Matt (Alec).

Alisha (Maia) shares on set photo of herself, Joel (Alaric) and Isaiah (Luke).

Kat (Clary) shares on set gif of herself, David (Raphael), Dom (Jace), Isaiah (Luke), Alisha (Maia) and Harry (Magnus).

Isaiah (Luke) shares behind the scenes photo of himself and Kat (Clary). [2]

“Downworlders loitering.” Harry (Magnus) shares behind the scenes photo of him, David (Raphael), Isaiah (Luke) and Jade (Meliorn). [3]

Kat (Clary) shares behind the scenes gif of Alberto (Simon) and his special effects makeup.

Alberto (Simon) shares behind the scenes video of him getting his prosthetic and special effects makeup removed.

Harry (Magnus) shares video from live chat of the winter finale.

Jade (Meliorn) shares on set video of himself, Alisha (Maia), Joel (Alaric) and Isaiah (Luke) from 210.

Stefanie Terzo (hairstylist) shares on set photo of Harry (Magnus), Isaiah (Luke), David (Raphael), Jade (Meliorn).

Paul Wesley (director) shares photo of script for 216. [4]

“Truth Sword, I finally had to tell @domsherwood I really loved working with him. He seemed confused.” Alan (Valentine) shares photo of himself and Dom (Jace) during winter finale live chat.

Kat (Clary) shares photo of herself and Will (Sebastian) on their way to stunt rehearsal.

Zoe Broad (writer) tweets that our prayers that Jace gets some happiness in 2b might be answered.

Tsarevna Gray (production assistant) shares photo of herself and director Paul Wesley prepping for episode 216.

Jade (Meliorn) shares on set video of himself in Meliorns’s armor.

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweets: Thanks fans for love, support and constructive criticism for 2a.

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters Season 2 Review and Thoughts for Season 3

Alright, it’s that time again. It’s time for me to give you all the low-down on Shadowhunters Season 2 as a whole. My thoughts, my feelings, and improvements I would like to see made in Season 3. Season 2 was definitely an improvement over Season 1 but trust me, it still has its issues.

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding this show. 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 do not hate Shadowhunters; I am being critical and analyzing the flaws as I would with any other show. There are positives but there are also negatives. It’s great if you want to promote positivity with this show (and I encourage you to do so) but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t acknowledge the things that are legitimately wrong with it. Also, keep in mind that despite the fact that I do love the books, me being critical of this show has nothing to do with my love of the books. I don’t really care if the show deviates from the source material as long as it’s good and it makes sense. My problems with this show are problems that I would have with any show or book for that matter. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to take issue with a show that has plot holes, shoddy world-building and inconsistent characters. There will be spoilers for the books and movies.

I want to preface this with I am neither PRO nor ANTI Shadowhunters. I see it as neither a good or horrible show. It’s serviceable. That’s really what this show is. Ultimately, as far as tv shows goes on their own, it’s nothing all that special. It could be -- it certainly tries -- but at the end of the day, it falls flat. It’s a show where it’s interesting to watch and see what’s going to happen, but I also don’t find myself all that excited to watch the newest episode. This show has never gotten me to the point where I was counting down the days until the next episode airs. Usually, I’ll watch an episode and then I’ll be like, “Ok. That was alright. I’m ready to go watch something else now.” There’s no, “OMG! That episode was insane. When is the next one coming out?” That has never happened to me with this show. This is going to be spread into two different sections. The show’s storytelling and the characters and their relationships. So let’s get on with this.

The Storytelling

If there is one good thing I have to say about Shadowhunters in its sophomore season, is that compared to Season 1, vast improvements were made to the writing. Granted, the bar wasn’t set all that high considering how nonsensical and ridiculous Season 1 was but hey, it was an improvement. It was an improvement in the sense that at least now, the episodes are arcing properly. I may not have been a big fan of how a lot of the actual story was being told, but at least it was arcing. But, I do have to say that overall, Season 2 had a very clunky feel to it. There were a lot of different plot points going around and most of them were dropped without having any real resolution. Izzy’s drug addiction was completely dropped, her insecurities toward Alec were dropped, Aldertree served absolutely no purpose in the overarching plot in season 2, Jocelyn’s death did absolutely nothing for the story. It didn’t drive Clary in any way which was actually the idea behind it. While under a spell, Alec attempts to commit suicide because of the guilt he has for the part he played in Jocelyn’s death and then that’s completely dropped. The demon-shadowhunter baby plot point never shows up again. Trust me, I could go on and on. I haven’t even hit 2B yet. But I don’t want this post to end up being 15 pages long so I’m going to stop here. Let’s not get me started on the dumbness and pointlessness that is Azazel. I’m sure you guys get the point. I do feel like Season 3 is probably going to be written a little better than Season 2. For Season 2, we had new showrunners and I think ultimately, they were using Season 2 to filter out a lot of the weird plot writing that Season 1 had going on. With a lot of those weird plot points closed out now, Season 3 is probably going to arc much better. Or at least one can hope. I am definitely going to use Season 3 as a factor in deciding whether or not I’m even going to stick with the show.

I’ve talked about the show’s issues with arcing, dropped storylines, now let’s talk about elements of writing that drive a show. Let’s begin with pacing. Pacing was a HUGE problem with Season 1. Now, Season 2 episodes were a little bit better paced but there were still points when characters jumped to conclusions about something and you’re just like, “Wait, how did we get from Point A to Point B?” If I have one critique to make regarding this show’s pacing, they need to stop having 3 or 4 plot points going on in a single episode. This show has so much potential to be really awesome if they could focus on the characters and their interactions with each other. The characters, their actions, their motivations is what should be moving the plot forward but it’s the other way around in this show. And that also adds to the clunkiness of the storytelling. An episode should have an A plot and a B plot and that’s it. But sometimes we’re getting C, D, and even E plots at times in a single episode. All of these are characters are super interesting. Let’s spend less time with the plot and more with the characters.

Another issue this show has is payoffs. This kind of goes along with pacing. The show isn’t always evenly paced in its plot which is why we sometimes have moments within the story that kind of come out of left field. If you have an idea of where you want your character to be at a certain point in the season, you need to pace that character development out. So when that character has that really epic moment, it completely “wows” your audience. This is what’s known as a pay-off. If you don’t pace it well, the pay-off is very bland and uninteresting. A good example of this is in the Season 2 finale. That moment when Clary was about to be executed and Jace manages to break free and save her. The pay-off could’ve been amazing but I found myself asking, “Why didn’t he just do this in the tent?” All throughout 2B, Jace has never been depicted of having problems using his angelic superpower and yet now, he’s only willing to use it to break free of the chains when Clary’s about to be killed? This would’ve worked fine if throughout 2B, we’d seen Jace having issues using this power and then in this moment, when he sees Clary about to be killed, that’s when he’s able to turn it on. That is what’s known as a pay-off. And it could’ve added something to the Clace dynamic. Then, of course, the other big thing I’ve talked about is Clary’s fighting skills. This is something I wish they had paced out a little more evenly so when she killed Valentine in the finale, it would’ve been far more impactful. Everyone likes to talk about how Clary was so bad-ass in that moment but for me, it was a “whatever” moment. I’ve lost count of how many Circle members Clary actually killed without pause through the duration of Season 2. And I’m supposed to be impressed that she killed Valentine? What would’ve been far more impressive is if throughout the series, we see her learning how to fight, stumbling through at times (because that is far more realistic), her mother’s death driving her to be better and then finally in this moment after watching Valentine kill Jace, knowing Valentine’s actions led to her mother’s death and the destruction of her brother’s soul, she’s able to call forth everything she’s learned to exact her revenge. To finally destroy the man who took everything from her. Once again, that’s a payoff. But instead, it just falls flat. Yes, it’s great to see a girl be a bad-ass but at the same time, it’s nothing I haven’t seen her do before. Why should I care? Because it’s Valentine this time? In Season 3, I would definitely like to see a greater emphasis placed on character motivations and payoffs.

This show has a huge subtlety issue as well. Now this pops up in various forms throughout the writing. Sometimes, it’s through character actions or sometimes it’s over-explaining things through dialogue. Either way, it leaves the audience with the impression that the writers think their audience is stupid. Now, my most hated scene in the Season 2 finale is that moment when Alec was given the specific job to take care of the demons while Magnus closes the rift. And Alec takes one shot and misses and then decides he needs to abandon the mission and go to Magnus pleading for help. Alec would never do this. His job was to keep the demon off of Magnus and instead he leads it directly to Magnus? It makes no sense particularly since earlier in the episode, Alec took multiple shots to slay the demon that was flying around Manhattan and it never phased him when he missed. He was chillin like a melon. And it goes completely against what we know about Alec to begin with. He is not afraid to sacrifice himself to save the people he loves. He would not have retreated back to Magnus. He would’ve continued fighting until he killed the demon or the demon killed him. Because in Alec’s eyes, the life of Magnus and his sister is far more important. I get what this scene was going for. They wanted to showcase that Magnus still cared about Alec but there are hundreds of ways they could’ve done this. But I guess the writers were afraid that it wouldn’t have been clear that Magnus still cared about Alec if it wasn’t this big huge moment of Alec pleading Magnus to save him? If you don’t have subtlety in your story telling, you also lose a lot of the impact. The dialogue also needs some work in this as well. The show has the tendency to spoon-feed information that can be inferred by the audience. I feel like this show is trying to gain the early to mid-20s audience. If this is the case, how about treating us like we’re intelligent 20-year-old adults? Exactly how bad do they think the public school system is that we can’t infer what something called “a Kill Tree” does or that Edomi are demons that come from Edom? The dialogue at times gets a little clunky because of this need to over-state everything.

I also have a problem with how this show deals with conflicts. And this stems from the arcing as well as the pacing problem. This show resolves conflicts within the story alarmingly fast. There are conflicts that can’t be resolved easily and every time the show does, you lose the impact of these characters feeling like real people. It also hinders the plot because it makes the plot feel very disjointed. 

Now let’s talk about the adaptation part of the story-telling. My problem with this show has never been them not following the books. My problem is them following the books, then not following the books, and then going back to following the books again without keeping with the changes they made. Let me better explain this, as I know it’s a little confusing. This show will make changes to a particular plot or character point that doesn’t exist in the books. And that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with that. My problem is that they’ll make those changes and then take another scene 100 pages down the line out of the book and use it nearly verbatim. When you made that original change, the context has changed as well which means that scene isn’t going to work the same way. You have to change that scene to fit the new context. An example of this is the infamous Seelie Court kiss scene. Previously in Season 2, the writers had made the change that Clary was really enjoying this new-found romantic relationship with Simon. Or at least, there weren’t any hints that she was secretly coveting Jace in episodes prior. She had even told Simon that despite knowing Jace isn’t her brother, she had no plans to break it off with Simon. She wanted to be with him. And this change would’ve been alright but the show still tried to keep the Seelie Court kiss scene more or less verbatim as it is in the books. In the books, this scene and how it plays out makes sense because the reader could always tell that even though Clary didn’t overtly hate her romantic relationship with Simon, it didn’t make her feel the same way she felt when she was with Jace. None of that is applied in the show. The show goes on stating that Jace is the kiss that will set them free as it is the kiss Clary most desires but there was no set up to this revelation so the pay-off of the kiss scene doesn’t work. Because you were never really led to believe that while Clary was dating Simon she wanted to be with Jace. As I said, they made a change and as a result the context has changed so the future writing also needed to change…which they didn’t do. When authors write certain things at certain points in their books, it’s for a very calculated reason. Everything more or less has a purpose. When you adapt a book to any kind of film, it’s a given that changes are going to have to be made and that has never been my issue with the show. It’s always been them making a change and then not having the rest of the story change along with it to support that change. Ultimately, at the end of the day, I wish Shadowhunters had taken The Vampire Diaries or the The 100 approach to their writing. I wish they had taken the bones of the source material and then told their own story and created the characters and their personalities in their own way. When Shadowhunters was first announced, initially, that’s what I thought they were going to do. I can’t help but feel like maybe this show might’ve been better written and executed if it weren’t for them being so bogged down by the source material. As much as I love the books (and trust me, I do), this show could have really benefited from a Kevin Williamson level of adaptation. For those of you who don’t know, he was the one who developed The Vampire Diaries for tv adaptation and I was always really impressed with how it was adapted. And I will never apologize for liking Vampire Diaries. Yes, it got a little convoluted in later seasons but seasons 1-3 are fantastic. I am more or less excited for Shadowhunters Season 3 because we are starting to delve into the second half of The Mortal Instruments series and I feel like the second half is going to work much better for adapting. Shadowhunters made the decision to create the show with an ensemble cast in mind however, the first half of The Mortal Instruments isn’t very conducive for an ensemble cast. You pretty much follow Clary and Jace and that’s about it. But the second half starts focusing much more heavily on the other characters. And I feel like it’s definitely going to be easier to adapt. Season 1 and 2 were bogged down by the fact that in the source material, there isn’t a whole lot that characters like Alec, Magnus, Izzy, and Luke are actually doing. Clary and Jace are the ones that are driving the story. And it’s very clear with the storytelling in the show, that the writers didn’t really know what to do with them. This is definitely something I think is going to be improved in Season 3.

Season 3 also needs to work on their world-building. More specifically, their use of magic systems. I continues to grate my nerves that there are no rules to their magic system. As I’ve said before, rules are so important in a fantasy and most importantly in the magic system within that fantasy. If your magic system has no rules then you can do anything with magic. If you can do anything with magic, what makes it compelling? All it does is become a convenient plot device. And I love magic systems. I don’t want to see a magic system be used as a cheap plot device. I want magic to be its own character in a way.

So there are certain themes I’d like to see explored in Season 3. Well, really only one theme. And that is, “consequences”. This show has a huge problem with it’s characters never facing any true consequences for their actions. In the finale, it was laughable to me that when Jace mentions to Clary that she can’t just bring someone back from the dead without a consequence and she’s all, “not this time. This time there won’t be any consequences.” This line is funny to me because it actually implies that Clary has faced consequences for her actions before, which she has not. I really hope the show goes into this theme in Season 3. That they really bring to the fore front that Clary’s selfish nature is the root cause for these horrible things that are going to happen. I really hope the show has the guts to go this direction. They probably won’t considering how much they love to paint Clary as this Mary Sue who is beyond special and could never do anything wrong because she’s so selfless and wonderful (ugh, I just vomited a little in my mouth writing that). But as Season 3 hasn’t aired yet, I’m going to hope for the best. It’s not just Clary that has this issue either. It’s the show’s story-telling as a whole. Their inability to have any truly impactful consequences. The best example is how Max played out in Season 2B. Now, I’m not saying that Max should have died, as he does in the books. I’m saying something resonatingly impactful should’ve happened to him. My own dark theory was that Jonathon hurt him so bad that it put him in a coma that he would never wake up from and that was the driving force for Izzy to go after Jonathon. And it kind of sort of happened. Max does go into a coma but then he gets a miracle treatment from the Silent Brothers and he’s perfectly fine now. It has no lasting impact. Essentially there was no consequence for anyone letting Jonathon into their lives besides a couple of nameless dead shadowhunters. Max recovers and then they go after Jonathon. Yes, they’re mad about what Jonathon did to Max but ultimately, it’s not going to leave a lasting impression on their psyche. It definitely felt like the writers chickened out. There are a lot of different directions the theme of consequences could take Season 3 and I hope the writers are brave enough to take it because at this point, they really need it.

Characters and Their Relationships

Let’s talk about these characters and their relationships now. How these characters are depicted gets very uneven at times. And this show has an issue with slow-burn. They do not know how to do a slow-burn. It stems from their pacing and subtlety issues. They want people to like this show so badly that they’re forgetting why people cling to fandoms in the first place. It’s not that two people are in a wonderful relationship that leaves you in a pile of goo everytime you see them together on screen, it’s how they got there, how their relationship developed, how they as characters develop. That’s what leaves you in a pile of goo. And I haven’t had that experience with this show yet. Yes, I love Malec but there are so many problems with the writing that prevents me from having that gooey feeling. This show is by no means bad but i wouldn’t call it good either. The times it leans closer to the good spectrum are when the characters are driving the story. Let’s start talking about these characters.

First up is Clary. Oh boy. I’ve made no secret about my distaste for Clary. And it’s really difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is about her that grates on my nerves. There’s a lot of little things that bother me. Ultimately, it’s the Mary Sue-ness of her character. As I said earlier, it’s her doing really selfish things but everyone else ignoring it because they think she’s so selfless and wonderful. Now, I don’t have a problem with Clary being a selfish person. At her core, that’s what she is. She follows her heart and that leads her to doing selfish things. It’s perfectly human. Humans are selfish beings. Even when we go out of our way to help others, there’s still a selfish undertone – for a lot of us, it makes us feel good knowing we helped someone, it benefited us in some way. But the fact that no one calls Clary out on her crap any more is what I dislike. Clary does these selfish acts because it’s a way to push the plot forward but it’s never used to push her character forward and that’s the issue I have with her. If the show didn’t tote her around as this perfect being and just own up to the fact that she is selfish, I would have no issues with Clary. Dare I say it, I may even like her. Which is why I mentioned earlier when I talked about the consequences theme for Season 3, I would like to see her selfish nature be called to the fore front. For Clary to really be held accountable for her selfish decisions. For her to really look at herself and be like, “oh, no. I’m causing this. Everything bad that’s happening is all because of me.” Really, I just want the show to do something that will make this audience think, “Yeah. She’s not perfect. She makes mistakes.”

On to Jace. I fluctuate a lot on my feelings for Jace. Dom Sherwood does a fantastic job of portraying him. That’s never been my issue. He is fantastic at bringing this very angsty feel to Jace. Which is important because Jace is quite angsty. And I do love it when male characters show their vulnerable side. However, sometimes the writers take Jace’s angst to an absurd level. Just how easily this guy gets moved to tears, I find a little ridiculous. This guy is more emotional than I have been in my entire life. And I say that with the time period I went through puberty in mind where getting a B on a homework assignment was enough to drive me to tears. It’s really hard for me to believe that a 20-year-old, whether they be male, female, unspecified gender, whatever, would be crying over some of the things he cries over. My feelings might be hurt a little but I don’t think I’d cry over some of these things. But I’m also a really sarcastic person and sarcastic people usually don’t let too many things bother them. We believe in hiding our insecurities through jokes. It’s probably why I like Book Jace so much. A lot of the fandom thinks Book Jace is mean. I don’t know where they get that. I think he’s really funny and whenever the fandom says that he’s mean, I really have to question how they, as a person, functions in the real world. Trust me, there are some genuinely mean people in the real world. Some of them are located right here in this fandom. If you think Book Jace is mean, how do you deal with those people? But don’t take this to mean I hate Jace. I haven’t genuinely hated Jace since Season 1 Episode 6 when I changed his name (temporarily) to The Douche. I like him much more in Season 2. His motivations and his character development as a whole is super interesting. And I love it when he gets snarky. Doesn’t happen nearly as much as it should, though. I live for the moments when Jace gets sassy. I really like what Christine from polandbanannasbooks said about the kind of person Book Jace is. He’s a more sexy and angsty version of Chandler Bing. I’d like to see that guy pop up more in the show.

With Clary and Jace talked about now, let’s take a brief interlude and talk about Clace now. Clace is definitely an example of a couple they rushed when they didn’t need to. It’s not that Kat and Dom have bad chemistry, They have this fun, breezy chemistry about them that works super well when they’re just hanging out. However, when it gets to the point where they’re being forced into having a romantic, epic moment, it’s just that. It feels forced. The show also doesn’t do them any favors by making them so generically YA at the same time. They fall for each other simply because “they were meant for each other.” No work has actually been put forth into developing their relationship, what it is about each other that they like so much. It’s just bland, cheesy, YA tropes. And not the good kind of YA tropes. My hopes for Season 3 is that we’ll get moments where they’re start actively learning about each other on an intellectual level.

For Simon as a character, I’m not really super interested in him. He’s super funny. The show clearly gave all the Jace snark to him. But at the end of the day, even though it felt like he had a lot to do this season, it also feels like he didn’t really accomplish that much. For me, as a character leaving an impact on the season, he didn’t really factor all that much. I am very interested to see how his character is going to progress in Season 3 as it looks like they’re going completely off-book with him. Like I said, I almost prefer that the show would go off-book.

I guess we’ve got to talk about Izzy, now. Izzy has always been a character that routinely falls on the wayside for me. A lot of the fandom seems to really like her but I find her kind of dull at times. And she is a bad-ass but she never contributes a whole lot. The show never really knows what to do with her. They like to tell us she’s a bad-ass but she has very few character moments that actually lend to that. She seems to only serve as a support function for Alec and Clary. I was super excited when they started introducing this drug addiction for her character. A lot of people say this ruined her character. In my eyes, it’s hard to ruin a character who was on as shaky foundation as she was to begin with. She has no real consistent character foundations. I liked the drug addiction plot because something interesting was finally being done with her character. And no one comment saying, “Oh but Izzy is so great because she’s the best pathologist in NYC. That’s a contribution.” I hate the whole “Izzy is the best pathologist” angle. First of all, it is such a Mary Sue angle to make her the best. Second of all, what exactly makes her better than all of the other pathologists? Third of all, I find it insulting that this 19-year-old is the best pathologist in NYC when you have people who spend 10+ years receiving their medical training. At what age did she begin her training? When she was 6? Not to mention, there are so many plot holes with the pathologist angle that I don’t even want to get into right now. Basically, for Izzy, I hope that she gets written better in Season 3. They were going an interesting angle with the drug addiction but then she got a miracle cure and it’s never mentioned. There was absolutely no point to that plot at all.

I’m very much on the rocks about whether or not I want the show to go the Sizzy route. The Sizzy that I love is from the books. And Izzy’s personality has changed so much that we’re not going to get Sizzy from the books. Now what the show is currently doing with Simon and Izzy could lead to some really interesting foundations in their romantic relationship IF they keep it a slow-burn. But this show also sucks at slow burns so I don’t know how optimistic I should be.

Next up is Alec. My favorite character in both the books and show. He was already pretty good in the books but the show did a really great job with figuring him out as a character in the show. I just really enjoy him. He is a little inconsistent with his logic. And like with Izzy, I wish that he would do more in the fore front of the story. He fares much better than Izzy does in the story telling but his plot points always feel like they’re just kind of added on and then subsequently dropped. He has all of these great B plot ideas that never really seem to affect any of the main story and as a result, they’re usually dropped. And then of course, a lot of the fandom doesn’t perceive Alec as his own character. They see him as one half of Malec. And if he’s not doing something that’s going to forward the Malec plot than it’s automatically trash.  I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing Alec spend a bit more time away from the Malec plots and really give us a chance to see more of him as a person.

As I made in my previous point, we can’t talk about Alec without talking about Magnus. I am very off and on about Magnus as a character. Honestly, this guy’s motivations and his changes in motivations were starting to give me whiplash. I care about Magnus in the sense that he’s a really interesting character and when he’s allowed to be snarky, he’s great. But the way that he reacts to situations, it doesn’t feel real. And I’m not talking about the acting. I’m talking about the writing. He reacts to things in a very childish and vindictive way.

Which means I have to stop beating around the bush. I have to talk about Malec this season. Oh boy. This is going to be long. Malec in this season was great…when they have absolutely no conflict. When they’re hanging out and having fun, supporting each other, you love them as a couple. However, when they’re in a fight, Malec grates on my nerves. I had gotten to the point in 2B where I straight up didn’t care about what was going on in their relationship. I became apathetic to Malec. The world must truly be ending. Now, this is not me saying I don’t want Malec to ever fight. This is a dig at how poorly written the Malec fights are. Here’s the thing, the ideas behind the Malec fights are actually really good but the flaw is in their execution. There’s a very childish tint to it. I hate what happens in these Malec fights and I hate how they’re resolved. Here is the specific formula on Malec fights:

1) Alec does something that angers Magnus

2) Magnus tells Alec to get out (because that’s a totally healthy way of dealing with your problems)

3) Alec apologizes and Magnus forgives him but Magnus (in his eyes at least) has nothing to apologize for

Rinse and repeat. It happens this way every couple of episodes. And I hate how unequal this relationship is. And this is not me being mad that my favorite character is the one at fault in his relationship, this is me being mad that it’s being written like everything is always Alec’s fault and Magnus never does anything wrong. Even though it’s not true. He also adds to these fights but it’s never called to attention in the writing. This is not a very healthy way to approach a relationship. And with it always highlighting that Alec is at fault, this could very easily be interpreted as an abusive relationship. You have one party believing he’s at fault for a conflict, he apologizes, and the other party gets to continue thinking he’s the perfect one in the relationship and can proceed to blame his lover for anything that goes wrong. Because that’s the way it’s always been. Now I know that’s a little extreme. Granted, Malec isn’t quite there yet, but if this formula keeps up, it won’t be that big of a stretch to call this an abusive relationship. A relationship is all about equality. You cannot have a successful relationship if one person holds all of the power. I really hope Season 3 is going to address this. I really hope there’s a reason for why Malec conflicts were written this way and not just because the writers really like Magnus. I’m hoping Season 3 is going to explore Alec noticing these tell tale problems in his relationship with Magnus and starts questioning it. Maybe this will lead to them breaking up for a much longer space of time because he doesn’t truly believe that Magnus respects him or his position in this relationship. I really did not like how Malec got back together in the finale. I believe the exact words I said in response to Alec saying “I can’t live without you” was “oh, please. Come on.” Seriously, they had been broken up for barely 1 episode. At most, it was a couple of days. You need to be broken up a little longer than that before I’ll accept that sort of declaration.

Not only do I have a problem with Alec always being the bad guy in the relationship, I also have a problem with how Magnus deals with conflicts. Essentially, when a relationship conflict crops up, he responds with, “You’re making me mad. Get out. I don’t want to deal with you.” That is not a healthy way to deal with relationship woes. Why does a character who has 500 years worth of relationship experience behave like a 16-year-old yet his partner, a 20-year-old is far more willing to stick it out and compromise right off the bat. And I have to ask, is this how he’s always going to deal with these relationship conflicts? Is this how he’s always dealt with them? If that’s the case, no wonder he’s had 7,000 relationships. He’s probably never made it past the first fight. He probably tells each of his lovers when they have a fight to get out and leave him alone and they’re probably all, “You know what Magnus? You’re a cool guy and all but I need someone who who’s going to behave like an actual mature adult so I’m going to peace the fuck out.”

When this guy gets his feelings hurt, he becomes ultra vindictive and childish. I mean, just in the last 2 episodes of season 2, he was absolutely horrible. He was actually willing to let NYC be destroyed because he didn’t want to help Alec. As much as I do like Magnus – and I really do, don’t misunderstand me – but Alec deserves better. Like I said, I hope the writers are going for Magnus’ behavior to be called out in Season 3 but I also know better. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Well, I think I’ve ranted on Malec for long enough, let’s talk about Luke. Luke has the potential to be a really great character but he also suffers from much the same things that Izzy and Alec suffer from. The story not really knowing what to do with him as a character. I mean, there are long stretches of time where Luke just kind of disappears. Hopefully, this will change in Season 3 and he’ll become a much more active agent in the story. I also hope he quits his day job as a detective because he is the worst detective ever. I don’t even know how he still has a job. He never seems to be working.

And a little side note. I’m also low-key shipping Luke and Maryse. I think they could be really interesting as a couple. 

Now we’ve got Maia. I actually really like Maia but for whatever reason, the show just cannot write her in a decent, consistent way during a finale episode. In the 2A finale, they had her automatically jump to killing Clary with no real development into her making a decision like that and in 2B she’s all damsel in distress in the Seelie realm. Never mind the fact that she’s been depicted as a bad-ass werewolf in earlier episodes, but in the finale she was just really quiet and meek. It was very strange. Definitely for Season 3, they need to make Maia more consistent with her character development and not just change her personality whenever it suits the plot.

Will Tudor was also amazing as Sebastian/Jonathon. I’m not a fan of the burnt blob he turns into. I find Jonathon a much more threatening villain when he’s Will Tudor being creepy as fuck as opposed to the burnt blob the show decided to add. I’m really hoping he returns as Will Tudor and not the burnt corpse.

Not a whole lot to say about Valentine. Ultimately, I’m very disappointed with where he went as a villain. I always found Valentine to be moderately interesting in the books and the show just took away everything that was interesting about him and left us with a Disney villain. Alan Van Sprang did the best he could trying to humanize Valentine but the script wasn’t doing him any favors. Hopefully the next super-villain this show has will write their villain in a less cheesy and cliché way.

In my Season 2 Finale review, I had also had this theory where I was hoping Maxim Roy will come back to play Lillith in the form of Jocelyn. I think that would be really interesting. And no, I don’t keep up on the Season 3 spoilers/behind-the-scene stuff. I want to be surprised when it airs. So no one tell me that Maxim Roy isn’t returning. I’d prefer to be disappointed on my own.

One more thing I want to mention is the Jalec parabatai bond. The show has taken a lot of steps to improve the parabatai bond and I love that they have. However, they seem to only highlight the angsty parts of it or to use it as a plot device. The parabatai bond is super interesting in both the positive and negative effects it leaves on those who have it. The show loves to talk about the negative effects of it. I would like to see the show start to show the benefits it has. They also need to make this bond more consistent and equal. A lot of times, it feels like Alec experiences the effects more than Jace. It was beyond weird to me in Season 2 Episode 3, that Jace finally makes it off the ship but yet can’t tell that there’s something wrong with Alec. And then Jace cuts his hand, and Alec has no problem feeling that? If there’s one thing I’d like from the parabatai bond in Season 3, it’s the consistency.

At the end of the day, this show tries really hard to be epic. It really wants to be on Vampire Diaries caliber but the writing just isn’t there. The acting is. That isn’t the issue. I love the actors, I love the way they portray their characters. Even the ideas the writers have are actually really good ideas. It’s just the execution that they have a problem with. Once the writing catches up to the actors’ talent, I think we’ll have a truly amazing show on our hands.

Well, that’s about all I have about Season 2. Again, I am neither PRO nor ANTI shadowhunters. In my eyes, it’s neither a good or bad show. It’s just bland. What I’m doing here is just looking at this show and telling you what it makes me think and feel. Do you have to agree with me? No. But you should still respect it. So, with that said, I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings about Season 2. Are there changes you think could be made that I didn’t mention? I’d love to hear how other people interpret this show. This is why fandoms are so much fun but they’re horrible places when can’t people can’t respect each other’s opinions. So please, respect make the dream work.

And with this blog post out of the way, I am now going to go see American Assassin and proceed to fall in love with Dylan O’Brien’s talent to create strong but vulnerable characters.

[hiddlesgirl]

SH 313: Beati Bellicosi

Before we get into this review I just want to say that I am always honest when writing these, when I don’t like something I will always say it and explain why. I am stating this because there are several moments, scenes and content that I did not enjoy in this episode; and I will explain each one.

While I was a little disappointed and underwhelmed with this episode, there were several scenes and story points that I really liked. I really loved Izzy’s scene with Magnus, and her scenes with Alec; her storyline with the Clave looks to be like an interesting one. I enjoyed the Luke and Maryse scenes; and although it was sad I really liked the Simon and Maia scene, it was a very sweet, heartfelt and mature scene.

The first scene is one with Jordan and Heidi, I did not particularly care for any of the Heidi scenes in the episode (I will explain why as we get to each scene) but I can kinda understand where they are trying to go with the story. In this scene I find it a bit weird that a baby vampire can not only throw a dagger with pinpoint precision but that she escapes from what 4, 5 wolves? It seems pretty advanced for someone who has only been a vampire for a month tops, and the majority of that time she spent locked up and sedated.

I mentioned in my last review that I didn’t particularly like Simon biting Izzy (as to why is explained there) but I am glad that they aren’t just forgetting it or sweeping it under the carpet, they are showing that it has had an effect on her. I love Izzy so much because she will do anything for those she cares about including endangering herself; she also doesn’t want Simon to feel guilty because it was her choice to let him bite her which is why she makes the ‘drained’ joke. She knows that he will be beating himself up for triggering her addiction, especially because he knows how difficult addiction is as his mother suffers from it.

I love Simon because he immediately offers to leave if he is a temptation for her cravings; he knows that it is easier to recover if all triggers are removed and that for Izzy he is a potential trigger. He is so terrified of hurting people, and feels guilty enough for biting her, that he does not want to be the reason why she regresses and is willing to do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening.

I feel bitter and a bit cheated that we did not get to see a reunion between Luke and Clary, he is her father and if it weren’t for Luke they never would have suspected that she was alive. I really wanted that father daughter reunion, especially because they haven’t really had any moments like that in a while that was just about their bond and not other situations or problems. Also, I was so unhappy that we did not see her reunion with Magnus; they released promo pictures of their reunion so we were expecting it. Yes, I know that they are taken while filming and in the time since they were taken the episodes have been edited, but I just wish that the promo pictures were looked over before being released and that any from deleted scenes are removed and not released. All we saw of their reunion was them standing with each other in the wide shot when we hear Simon’s voice, very disappointing.

But I did really like Clary’s reunions with Simon and Izzy, to see the relief and joy on all three of their faces at being together again was so wonderful. For Simon doubly so, because not only does he have his best friend back but he has the reassurance of knowing that he didn’t kill her in the first place. My eyes misted up a bit at Simon’s line ‘That’s what family’s for Fray’; they all love and care about each other so much.

I know that some people thought that Magnus hitting the keyboard trying to get the computer to work was a sign that he was not competent with technology, but if you look at the screen he has already drawn the ley lines onto a map so to me it seems like the map crashed which is why he was getting frustrated with it.

I love that Izzy decides to go to Magnus for help, although it is mostly because she thinks he will have the root she needs it also shows that she trusts him. She knew that he would offer support and help, which he does. He knows how much courage it took her to not only allow herself to be bitten but to come to him afterwards. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the root and she shoots down his offer to ask another warlock, I’m not sure why she declines this; is it just because she doesn’t want to cause him any trouble or is it because she doesn’t want anyone else knowing about her addiction (which would be understandable because it is a very private issue)?

I do absolutely hate how Magnus’ face falls though because it is written all over his face how utterly useless he feels at not being able to help her, it is just another little slight reminding him how powerless he is now. Although Izzy did not mean it that way at all, it is just another reminder to Magnus that he can’t be as helpful or useful to those around him without his magic and that cuts him to the bone. With the Iris situation and all these small reminders it is no wonder he goes looking for a way to get his magic back; magic is part of his identity and to be without it is like losing a limb, he doesn’t really know how to function anymore.

We learn that in the stead of Luke leaving Russell has once again taken up the mantle of pack Alpha, what I don’t really understand is why Luke didn’t put someone in charge before he left. He knew how badly Russell wants to be Alpha and how terribly he behaves as one, so why would he not appoint someone or at least facilitate something so that Russell couldn’t just take over.

Maia has always shown great leadership skill and always has the best interests of the pack at heart; she knows that Russell is being completely unreasonable and that his power grab is not healthy for the pack. I am very excited to see her step into the Alpha mantle.

Simon wants to help Jordan apprehend Heidi because he feels responsible for her as her sire, even though his part in her turning was completely unintentional. He knows how much harm she has caused to him, his family and innocent mundanes; she cannot be allowed to stay in society as she is because not only is she a danger to mundanes but she is a danger to the secrecy of the entire Shadow World.

Jace wants Clary to take a moment to relax and take a break from her desperate search to learn all she can about the twinning rune; not only is he scared of her burning out but he wants to be able to have a quiet moment with her now. He thought he would never see her again and now that she is in front of him he wants to make the most of every moment, and to have time away from the crisis that is Jonathan to just be them.

Clary understands Jace but she feels that she can’t rest until she severs her link with Jonathan, he feels like a constant shadow hanging over her. That she is never going to be able to enjoy her life while she is connected to him because he is always going to be there in the background tainting all these little moments.

We find out that Magnus has told Alec about Izzy’s slight relapse and cravings because he is offering her candy which we have never seen him touch before. I really like this moment because we know that Magnus was honest with Alec and knew that this was too important to keep from him; after everything that happened the first time he cannot keep any information about her addiction from him again (even though the first time he really did not know what was happening until that last moment). It also shows the growth in their relationship; plus, Magnus knows that Izzy is going to need Alec’s support but that she probably isn’t going to ask for it herself.

Also, Izzy doesn’t get mad at Magnus for telling Alec; she knows how important honesty is in their relationship and that she couldn’t expect Magnus to keep something that important from Alec. She knows that Alec means well and just wants to help her, she just feel vulnerable because she doesn’t want to be seen as weak. I adore Alec’s line ‘I wish I was a strong as you on your weakest day’, to him she has always been the strongest person he knows and seeing her recover from her addiction only solidified that. He loves and admires her so much and he cannot bear to let her think that of herself.

You can see Izzy’s fear when she tells him that her addiction is never going to go away and that it will be a shadow hanging over her for the rest of her life; she hates that the temptation may always be there and hates the feeling of not being in control. Alec tells her that he has been researching the groups that she goes to; this shows just how much he wants to understand and help her, he wants to have as much information as possible to know how best he can help her through it. He wants her to know that he is going to fight it with her, she doesn’t have to do it alone and that she has people who care about her who will be there to support her every step of the way. Best big brother in the world. I’m not crying, I just have something in my eye.

Heidi encantos this woman she knew from school, again this seems way too advanced for her. We saw in Season 2A how difficult it is to master an encanto and it took Simon several tries to be able to accomplish it, so how the hell can Heidi successfully encanto a mundane off the bat? Surely Raphael wasn’t teaching her that.

I really enjoy seeing Maryse and Luke reconnecting because they are several things in common; they have both been exiled from the Shadowhunter community, lost their purpose in life and in the process of finding a new one, have relearned their opinions of each other, have both lost the person they thought they would spend the rest of their lives with (albeit in very different ways) and their sole focus in life is their children.

Maia goes to Luke for help with Russell because she doesn’t know what else to do, she doesn’t feel confident enough to stand up to him herself but something has to be done before he destroys the pack. She is surprised and confused when Luke says that she is the Alpha the pack needs, she has never seen herself taking on that role and doesn’t know how to be a leader. She feels like her own life is a mess, so how is she supposed to help others.

I liked this scene because Luke was showing his confidence in Maia and her abilities, even if she might not see it in herself; but I do feel like it ended quite dismissively when he said ‘you’ll figure it out’ and walked off. It just felt strange because we know how deep their bond runs that he would just completely leave her to her own devices, I know that he wants her to gain confidence and make her own path, but with her inexperience and their relationship I personally think that he should have said something along the lines of ‘I’ll be here if you need advice’ before walking away, giving her that reassurance that he is still there for her and that he can be there if she needs a little guidance.

I was so confused by this next scene, when the woman tells Jordan that she overheard Heidi’s conversation and her location why the hell did they not check for encanto immediately. I know that they are probably underestimating her because she is a young vampire, but they are the Praetor. Surely they have dealt with enough vampires that checking for encanto should be one of the first things they do with a mundane victim.

Plus, why would he not let Simon go with him? Why on Earth did he not let a vampire go with him to visit a clan of vampires to discuss another freaking vampire? Especially because Simon is a Daylighter who is respected or a little bit feared by the vampires, Simon is also very level headed so could prevent the situation from getting out of hand.

Of course the Praetor going to the Du Mort goes absolutely terribly, Jordan goes in completely hot headed and even pushes around the Head of the Clan. He completely lets his emotions and anger control him which he should not be doing as a member of the Praetor. It is just completely stupid and ridiculous that Jordan goes in and accuses the Head of the Clan on the word of mundane, especially knowing how tenuous the peace between vampires and werewolves is at the best of times.

I know that the Simon and Maia break up wasn’t well received by some and I am sad to see their relationship end too because I absolutely loved their bond, but I think that it was handled very well. In 311 you could sense the distance between them and the lack of intimacy not only physically but in the scene itself, something had definitely shifted in their relationship and that happens sometimes for no reason at all.

Maia clearly still has feelings for Simon but she has made the decision that the pack comes first especially because she wants to have a bigger role, she knows that it will need her full attention and commitment. That would force her relationship to take a back seat and her partner would come second to the pack; she doesn’t want that for Simon, she cares about him so much and sees so much good in him that he doesn’t deserve to come second. She wants him to have someone who can love him entirely and will be able to put him first, and she knows that she can’t do that right now or for the foreseeable future. She knows that the kindest thing for both of them is to let go now before they start hurting each other which would be inevitable if their relationship continued as Maia goes forward in becoming Alpha.

Simon understands her decision, he knows how important her pack is to her and doesn’t want to stand in her way; he can see the potential in her to be an amazing Alpha and doesn’t want to be selfish in holding her back from that. He knows that they have both felt this shift in their relationship too, so much has happened and changed over the course of their relationship that they have changed a little as people which has changed their relationship. They both feel that distance and that the spark has faded. It is a very mature conversation and decision on both of their parts to mutually agree to let go now and move back into friendship before they can hurt each other.

I really don’t understand how Heidi is able to completely manipulate and hoodwink everyone she comes across, and why is the Head of the Clan allowing a baby vampire to dictate his moves and push him into violent retaliation. It seems a bit like lazy writing to have this month old vampire have all these skills and cunning to move all these players into doing her bidding, I know that there is probably a bigger storyline they are heading up to (maybe the return of Raphael) but giving her all this influence is just ridiculous as a viewer.

Maruke is real! Luke and Maryse share a steamy kiss, Maryse showing that Alec gets his boldness from his mother as she moves in for a second kiss similarly to Alec in 112. They part quickly with Maryse seemingly embarrassed before she rushes off with a parting smile, it seemed very abrupt but it is probably the first time she has kissed anyone who is not Robert in a very long time.

I know that some think that they are moving too fast, and I slightly agree, but with a show like this the story moves so quickly that the emotional side has to move quickly along with it or it would be devoid of meaningful, emotional connections. The entire timeline of the show from Season 1 to now is about 4-5 months which is absolutely ridiculous, really you just have to forget about the timeline and enjoy.

I am very confused at the complete turnaround Clary has in attitude towards the twinning rune, only a few hours ago she was threatening to cut it out of her flesh and now she just wants to forget it’s their and enjoy the moment. I understand the journey and wanting to get her to this point but I think that her lines earlier were much too dramatic to have such a quick turnabout, if her lines in earlier scenes were a bit less severe then it would have made a little more sense.

I like the sweet Clace moment of them telling each other ‘I love you’ because they haven’t has many opportunities to have moments like this in a very long time, they keep getting separated. I also really like Jace’s line about loving in until he dies and in the next life, I think it’s from the books; but it really helps give you a sense of how deeps his feelings for her go.

Okay, the sex scene, oh boy. Don’t misunderstand me, I am happy they got one because let’s be honest it’s over due and I am happy for their development as a couple in taking that next step. But, I didn’t like how it was shot; it felt like too much and became uncomfortable to watch. First of all they jumped straight from gentle kissing to being naked which I felt was too quick for it being their first time, it would have been more intimate if they had shown them kissing while Clary was removing Jace’s shirt and then moving to being naked. You missed out on the newness to this sort of intimacy by jumping straight to being naked.

I felt that the kisses were shot too close to their faces, it would have looked much better if they had been a bit further away so that their entire heads were in the shot instead of just getting an entire frame of their interlocked lips.

And the lighting, holy fuck did I have an issue with the lighting which I know a hell of a lot of people did. The room was lit with just freaking candles but you could see everything. It was lit up so freaking well and that got me a little (okay a lot) mad because the majority of Malec scenes, especially the more intimate ones, you can barely see their fucking faces never mind their lips (I am sorry for all the swearing but I just get so riled up).

It is showing a complete double standard, that all of Clace’s kisses and even there sex scene is lit up like a freaking Christmas tree when the only Malec kisses that I can think of that were lit well was their first kiss, the one after their date in 206 and the one after their first ‘I love yous’ in 210. Three fucking kisses out of the many (I am too mad to have a think and count them all) they have had; their first time was lit ok but nowhere near Clace’s and Malec had the fucking lights on, even the training scene kisses were in darkness.

It may not seem like a lot to some people but it is such a kick in the teeth to all the LGBTQ+ viewers who look to Malec for healthy representation, don’t get me wrong I love Malec and their relationship. They have amazing representation, Harry and Matt are amazing, and I would not change a thing about the content of any of the Malec scenes because I love them the way they are. The issue is that the same sex kisses and sex scenes are shrouded in shadows and you can barely see their faces sometimes, yet the heterosexual couples are lit up so much you can see every strand of stubble and eyelash. It is not showing them equally because it feels that the same sex couple’s intimate moments are being hidden when the hetero couple gets put in the spotlight (literally).

I honestly do not intend to offend anyone and I do genuinely like Clace, it just makes me so frustrated that their intimate scenes get treated so differently especially when Malec is such a great healthy couple and representation.

We learn that the words the Clave guard muttered before he died means ‘Heavenly Fire’ which is a secret Clave program that very few people know about. Maryse tells Alec and Izzy to stay away from this and to drop their investigation, she is terrified of them being hurt or killed because they asked too many questions, especially because she can do absolutely nothing to help them now. She has no position in the society anymore, never mind within the Clave; if they get into trouble she can do nothing but watch, which would kill her.

Despite their mother’s warnings and worry there is no way that Izzy and Alec are going to let this drop, they have too strong a moral compass to let it be. They will not stand by while Downworlders are being tortured by the Clave, especially when they both have such strong connections to Downworlders. They cannot stand by while they know injustices are being carried out by the people that are supposed to lead them.

Clace is cuddling in bed which is cute (I need Malec bed cuddles okay, especially because we saw that Alec loves cuddles and was refused them in the last episode) but to me it looked like Clary was laid in a very unnatural position. I know that Kat was getting ready to sit up but surely there was a better way to lie that would have looked more natural. Jonathan goes Harry Potter and carves out ‘I miss you’ into his own arm so that Clary sees it, has he never heard of texting? No joke though, it was creepy as hell.

Jordan appears at the Jade Wolf to say goodbye to Maia, I am a little confused as to why Maia looks happy to see him and sad to learn that he is leaving. With everything that has happened between them it seems really strange, I thought that she might be a little less hostile with him but would still keep a distance; it just seems like a complete attitude change. I know she learned the truth about his behaviour but that doesn’t change what he did.

Also, he’s here telling Maia that he lost control and Heidi played him; why the hell has he not gone back to the Du Mort to apologise to the Clan leader? He knows he was in the wrong and that he acted inappropriately, I don’t understand why he hasn’t gone to apologise and explain Heidi’s actions that led to what happened.

Once again Heidi is manipulating Griff into doing what she wants, goading him and his clan into attacking the Jade Wolf while she stays out of the way. Again, it seems completely weird that she is able to persuade a clan leader into doing something he knows is reckless and will lead to all out war with the wolves, he knows that it isn’t a smart decision and he lets himself be led into it anyway. This whole storyline has just been a jumble of confusion and ridiculousness because a baby vamp should not have been able to do all this.

I make no qualms about saying I don’t like Jordan okay, Chai is a great actor, but I really dislike Jordan. Even after Maia let him say his piece in 3A he still persisted in trying to talk to her after she told him to leave her alone, he wouldn’t respect her wished even then. And now he is giving her this speech which seems a little self pitying to me saying that he is of no use to anyone and that there’s no reason to stay in New York. Plus, I don’t like that after he attacked her those years ago he didn’t seek help for his anger issues which he is clearly still dealing with; that even after the way he treated her and knowing he has control issues he still didn’t seek help.

I love seeing Maia being an absolutely badass taking out the vampire who was going to attack her, but I thought they would have been a little more prepared to put up more of a fight with the big speech Russell gave earlier in the episode. I also felt a little cheated in that we didn’t get to see Maia challenge Russell and earn the position of Alpha, instead now she is going to become Alpha in the wake of a massacre that killed the previous Alpha. I wanted to see her be confident enough to fight for it and win it from Russell because the pack had faith in her to lead them.

I understand that Maia wanted to hide somewhere secure because Jordan was hurt but I didn’t like that she locked them in the same room Luke locked her in during 209,210? We saw how drastically she reacted then and it just felt uncharacteristic for her to put herself in that situation again, even though I know it was because she is trying to protect someone else and in that instance she puts her own comfort second. But surely they could have found another storage room or gone out the back door and hid in a storage container instead? Maybe I’m just nitpicking.

Okay, that’s it for this episode, I know I did a lot of criticizing but as I said I have to be honest and this is just what I felt. I still enjoyed several aspects of the episode, but I hope that the rest of the episodes are a bit tidier and more polished.

As always, if you want to talk about anything I have (or haven’t) written about in my reviews my ask box is open and I welcome discussion.

In 314, Magnus goes to desperate measures to regain some magic, Maia is freaking out in the storage room and Clace go on a date. I heard that we’re also getting protective Alec, who’s ready?!

[anthony-kate]

how do we know the "get out" scene is in episode 12 though? have there been bts pics that would suggest it? because otherwise the "get out" scene could also be in episode 13 or 14 etc?! that would definitely explain why their clothes are different!

Well, Freeform tends to only use scenes for promos from the first 3 eps. They did that with 2a and I am guessing they did this with 2b, too. 

So, basically, we know that Magnus is wearing (because his clothes are the best indicator lol) those black pants with the golden stripe because of bts from very early filming for 2a. And taking into account what some reviewers said and knowing that they will summon Azazel we know that Magnus is indeed wearing this said outfit along with that rhinestone coat in 2x11. Since he is wearing that same coat in 2x12, it’s obvious that 2x12 follows directly 2x11.

Magnus wears something different in the “Get out!” scene; some black pattern jacket and that blue shirt with the stripes and that snakeskin collor. So I am assuming that this happens in 2x12, too. He definitely loses the coat later on, when the scene with (we are assuming Dot?) is happening. You know, the dancing and the “I’ll drink to that.” He also doesn’t wear the coat, but that snakeskin shirt, when the kiss is happening. 

So yes, it can also happening in 2x13, true. And I am also still confused where to put into that scene where Alec lies on floor. But since the synopsis talked about the fear of a downworlder uprising and I am also thought that Alec’s line “Shadowhunters are being slaughtered” would fit into it, I am for 2x12. I could be totally wrong, though.

Either way, it looks like the eps are pretty much directly follow each other. Which means.... a cliffhanger every week? Oh boy.... lol

[alloutshirt]

a shadowhunters 2a review : are we Done with the blond demon ??? they can’t all be ready to die for his ugly ass. also get jordan away he’s useless and maia deserves better

[aang-shadowhunters]

Shadowhunters season 2A review

I'm going to review all 10 episodes of season 2A in this post. Do not read this if you haven't watched all 10 episodes yet.

Here is my Shadowhunters season 2A review. I'm going to talk about my favorite and my least favorite things by each episode. This took me so long to write, but I hope you guys like it:

- Episode 1: The Guilty Blood

Things I Liked: - The fight on Valentine's ship -  The new title sequence - Malec reconciling - Climon friendship moments - Clary and Izzy's training scene

Things I Didn't Like: -  Victor Aldertree becoming head of the Institute - Malec fighting ( I know it was a stressful time, but they both kind of lost their tempers on each other) - Jocelyn trying to kill Jace ( it was honestly just incredibly random) - Jocelyn locking Clary and Simon in the shipping crate ( Jocelyn was one of my least favorite characters this season) - Valentine and Jace's conversation about spaghetti ( it was just an oddly placed moment, and it was incredibly awkward) - The infamous shape-shifting rune ( it starts to get really annoying as the season goes on) * The first episode of anything is always rocky. I give this episode 6 out of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Episode 2: A Door Into the Dark

Things I Liked: - Izzy and Alec going to the different fight clubs to find Circle members - Clary and Izzy's sisterly moment - Magnus and Simon's mission in India ( I think Magnus is a good Downworlder role model for Simon, other than Raphael that is) - Simon encanto-ing Camille's cobra ( I just love Simon this season, he's adorable)

Things I Didn't Like: - Jocelyn's flashback of the demon baby killing flowers ( it was just a creepy scene) - Alec yelling at Clary ( I love you Alec, but that was a little harsh, even though what you said was true) - Dot coming back ( I felt that she was an unessessary character last season, and even more so this season) - Jocelyn convincing Alec to use the Parabatai adamas stone (I think you can tell how much I dislike Jocelyn) - Alec using the adamas stone to track Jace ( my heart broke when he had that seizure-like episode) * This was an ok episode. I give this episode a 6 out of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Episode 3: Parabatai Lost

Things I Liked: - Flashbacks to when Alec and Jace first met ( I got a lot of Will and Jem from Clockwork Princess feels from this scene) - Magnus trying his absolute hardest to use his magic to bring Alec out of his coma (it breaks my heart seeing how much Magnus cares about him, and how he can't bear the thought of loosing him) - Magnus's moment with Alec in his apartment ( he honestly thought that Sleeping Beauty kissing Alec was his last resort *sob sob*) - Flashback to the Parabatai ceremony/ Jace coming to Alec's rescue ( I just loved this scene so much, I will always have a special place in my heart for Parabatais after reading TID. It's on of my favorite aspects of the Shadow World) - Jace constantly saying that he needed to save his brother - Maia's introduction (I wasn't a big fan of Maia's character in the books, but I definitely like her better in the show)

Things I Didn't Like: - The werewolves trying to kill Jace (I mean, why do they just assume that it was him who killed Gretel?) - Aldertree trying to keep Magnus from continuing to try to wake up Alec ( sometimes I just think he just makes up rules on the spot to suite his needs) * I really enjoyed this episode. I give it 9 out of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Episode 4: Day of Wrath

Things I Liked: - The demon sensing rune that Alec put on Clary - Alec asking Magnus out on a date ( well, in his own "Alec" way) - Magnus telling Simon about his attempted suicide (I know that is wasn't a good thing that Magnus tried to end his own life, but I think it showed a lot of insight into his character on how loneliness is truly his undoing) - The nice sibling moment between Alec, Jace and Izzy at the end of the episode

Things I Didn't Like: - Jocelyn's death (Even though I really disliked her character this season, I don't think she deserved to be killed) - The demon possessing Raj, Alec and Izzy ( it caused so much heart ache this episode) - Camille ( she knows how much power she has over Magnus and how manipulative she is,many I don't like seeing Magnus struggling) * I really enjoyed this episode. I give it 8 put of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Episode 5: Dust and Shadows

Things I Liked: - Simon going home to his mom (I know it's dangerous for him to do so, but it was good that he was able to see her again) - The funeral scene ( Even though it was a sad scene, I think it showed some insight into Shadowhunter culture. We also hear the infamous phrase "we are dust and shadows") - The sunlight rune (it is such a well known fact about Clary in the books that she can create runes) - Magnus talking to Alec on the fire escape ( it was a touching scene, and it gave Alec the push he needed to try and make things right with Clary) - The sweet moment between Alec and Madzie (Alec is just a big softie underneath all the grumpiness and sarcasm)

Things I Didn't Like: - Then scene with Simon and Becca in Simon's room ( I can't put my finger on it it something about that scene really bugged me) - Alec being so guilty over Jocelyn ( it's just really hard seeing a beloved character so emotionally broken) - Iris Rouse ( I knew something wasn't right with her the minute we saw her in the promo pictures. She seemed suspicious to me) - Iris Rouse's demon (that whole situation was so messed up in so many ways) - Aldertree getting Izzy hooked on Yinfen (one of my least favorite things that they changed from the books, I actually liked all of the changes so far, is that they turned Yinfen from a highly addictive demon drug into vampire venom that you can wean yourself off of in only a week. This was a pointless story line) * This was an ok episode. I give it 7 out of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Episode 6: The Iron Sisters

Things I Liked: - Magnus and Alec's first date (I know a lot of people thought that they didn't get enough screen time, but I really enjoyed it. Especially the pool scene, that was really funny) - The Adament Citadel - "1700....17,000!? (I just thought that was hilarious) - The Iron Sisters (they are just awesome in general) - Alec making his and Magnus's relationship official (he's been through so much already this season, just please give him a break) - Simon and Maia bonding

Things I Didn't Like: - Aldertree continuing to give Izzy Yinfen (😑) - Aldertree making Izzy spy on Clary - The Yinfen is Izzy's blood keeping her from entering the Citadel - Cleo just randomly killing that Iron Sister (when she did that, I was like 😮 !?!?) - Izzy finding out that Clary could create new runes (she was definite not happy about it) - Luke turning in and out of werewolf form through out the episode * This was a pretty good episode. I give it 8 out of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Episode 7: How Are Thou Fallen

Things I Liked: - Alec giving Magnus the gift (it was just really sweet how Alec bought him such a special present with a special symbolic meaning. It was sad how Magnus was surprised to receive a gift because it's been so long sense he's received one) - Magnus gushing about his gift to Maia at the Hunter's Moon - Magnus name dropping Jem (I was so happy when I heard this, he's my fav 😊) - The other two Malec scenes (I know a lot of people were uncomfortable with the "first time" scene, but if you pay attention to Magnus's body language, you can see he was just as into it as Alec was despite being hesitant at first) - Simon and Maia's "kind of date" - Clary and Jace's vision (looks like we're getting some foreshadowing 😏)

Things I Didn't Like: - Izzy being mad a Clary for not telling her about her rune power ( they're supposed to be besties, not fighting 😬) - Izzy tracking down a Yinfen dealer - Cleo's whole plot in this episode (I felt they could have dealt with Cleo's story line better) - Jace disguising himself as Simon (the other parts of that scene were funny, but that part was kind of dumb) - Valentine holding Ithuriel * This was an ok episode. I give it 7 out of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Episode 8: Love is a Devil

Things I Liked: - Magnus caring for a small group of cats (it just seems like a very "Magnus" thing to do) - Magnus thinking that Jace could feel him and Alec having sex through the Parabatai bond - Magnus throwing Max's party (well, he is the master party thrower) - Max's rune ceremony - Alec and Max's conversation at the beginning of the episode (it was just a really cute exchange) - Climon getting together ( I'm not necessarily a big fan of their relationship, but I definitely like them better in the show than in the books. They were just a really awkward couple in the books) - Alec comforting Maryse at the end of the episode

Things I Didn't Like: - Iris infiltrating the party - Alec almost committing suicide (he was just trying to get over his guilt, and now it's back again. I've noticed that they've tackled a lot of sensitive topics this season) - All of the hallucinations in general - Robert cheating on Maryse (this story line had a huge role in the books. I was hoping they weren't going to use this story line because it seems like Maryse and Robert swapped personalities in the show) * I really liked this episode. I give it 8 out of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Episode 9: Bound by Blood

Things I Liked: - Downworlder squad having a meeting (it was cool seeing our favorite Downworlders in one place) - Alec taking over as Head of the Institute (it's about time...) - Magnus talking to Alec about his attempted suicide ( it was great seeing Magnus talking to Alec about this, and telling him about his own struggles with depression) - Alec trying to rescue Izzy from her unhealthy relationship with Raphael (I mean, someone had to do it)

Things I Didn't Like: - Izzy and Raphael's "relationship" (I mean, they were pretty much getting high off of each other *shudders*) - Alec getting mad at Magnus (Alec, just take a deep breath...) - The whole blood bound situation with Clary (it started to get pretty intense there in the end) - Valentine using Madzie for her powers *  I really liked this episode. I give it 8 out of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Episode 10: By the Light of Dawn

Things I Liked: -  It was a really good ending to the mid-season finale - "I could've killed you" "I would've let you" (a nod to the books) - Malec's I love you's - Malec hugs - Simon becoming a Daylighter (*whispers* yessss!) - Jace finding out that him and Clary are not brother and sister - Magnus saying that Jace and Clary's vision had to do with a "demonic" Morgenstern (*cough cough* foreshadowing *cough cough*) - Izzy breaking free of her and Raphael's unhealthy relationship

Things I Didn't Like: -  The Downworlder massacre in the Institute - Valentine continuing to use Madzie for her powers - Raphael going against Magnus, and trying to kill Clary (Raphael, noooo! You and Magnus are like family!) - Jace activating the Soul Sword (I know he didn't mean to, but still... So sad 😢) *  I really liked this episode. I give it 9 out of 10 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks for reading this! I will probably do another one of these after 2B.