#shadowhunters awake arise or be forever fallen review

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 17 and 18 -- A Dark Reflection and Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen

Alright, so this is going to be a joint review of Shadowhunters Season 2 Episodes 17 and 18: A Dark Reflection and Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen. Not only am I super behind on these reviews but I just didn’t think these episodes merited having separate reviews. They certainly weren’t bad episodes. They were definitely passable. There were scenes I enjoyed but ultimately, I didn’t have a whole lot to talk about. So I’m going to be talking about both episodes together.

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

As I said, I liked both episodes although they did drag at certain points and there were a few plot issues where I was scratching my head. A Dark Reflection, I found myself enjoying because it had some nice little character moments that I found very endearing and very cute. But on the flip side, it did drag a little. But that’s to be expected. This episode was kind of boring to me but it was also trying to position it’s chess pieces. You know, where the characters are going to be at for the finale and all that. Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen was an interesting watch. I did enjoy it but at the same time it was also kind of, “meh.” Let’s get on with this. 

Malec Development

So in these two episodes, we’re getting some serious Malec development, for better or for worse. In the previous episode, Day of Atonement, Alec finds out that the Clave has been lying about having the Mortal Sword. The truth is they’ve never had it since it was initially stolen by Valentine in Day of Wrath. Alec was clearly torn on whether he should tell Magnus about this and ultimately chooses not to. And as expected, Magnus loses his shit when he finds out that Alec withheld this information. I totally get why Magnus is angry about this. The Mortal Sword is around and no one knows if it still has the capability to kill downworlders or not. And like always, Alec is being crucified in the fandom for this. I try to not take sides with the Malec fights. I’m always willing to look at both sides. So whereas I totally get where Magnus is coming from, I understand Alec too. He had an impossible decision to make. Tell Magnus the truth which would entail Magnus having to keep something like this a secret from his own people (would you want to be in that situation?) or keeping it to himself to ensure an outright war between shadowhunters and downworlders doesn’t occur? By keeping it a secret, he’s trying to maintain the peace. He’s trying to make a decision that will benefit the most people. Was he right or wrong? Who knows? It would’ve been a double edged sword either way. Those who immediately go to blame Alec on this, I would ask that you really take a deep look at this situation and think of the consequences of each situation and ask yourself, what would you have done? Me? I have no idea what I would have done. I probably would’ve left the city altogether to hide in a hole and hope it resolved itself on its own. Take the Stiles Stilinski from Teen Wolf approach:

I’m just saying. That is an impossible decision to make. Either way, it hurts people. He was either going to hurt Magnus or he was going to hurt his people. If there’s one thing about Alec, he has this ingrained aspect of his personality to protect. He always wants to make the best decision to protect everyone. It’s why he had such a strong distaste for Clary when he met her. Despite what some of the fandom may have to say, I feel that very little of it had to do with his feelings for Jace. It had more to do with Clary being this anomaly that he couldn’t control. They knew nothing about her, who she was, where she came from, whether she was telling the truth or not. He saw her as this being that could threaten his people and every day she was in their lives made it harder to and harder to protect them. In essence, he felt like he was failing at the one thing he felt he was always meant to do. But I actually really like what Matt Daddario said on this episode in the Afterbuzz review, though. Alec has to make a decision. Alec is in charge of other people’s lives now. It may seem heartless but he’s in a position now where he can’t just choose love. It’s far more complicated than that. He’s got to make a decision to protect the most amount of people. So yeah, like I said. I’m not saying either party is right in this situation. Plenty of people have called me an Alec sympathizer and I’ve made no secret that Alec is my favorite character in the show. But I can still look at the Malec relationship objectively. I’m always willing to look at both sides and I wish the rest of the fandom could do the same. All I’m saying is that I understand both. I’m a grown adult with my own problems so I’m not going to waste time taking sides on a fictional ship that has fictional problems. I’ll just sit back and enjoy the ride. And hope for more Alec centric storylines…but that’s a completely different issue with the show’s writing altogether.

Although, on the other side, this season, I have not been a big fan of the show constantly turning Alec into the bad guy in the Malec relationship. This relationship is so incredibly one sided and unequal, it’s not even funny. In the eyes of the fandom, Alec is always at fault and Magnus is always the perfect one who never makes a mistake. In a healthy relationship, it shouldn’t only be one person creating the problems. It should be both. I can only assume the show is trying to go somewhere with this. It’s been happening far too often for it to be accidental. Or maybe the writers just have a preference for Magnus more. Who knows? I hope the writers aren’t playing favorites. I hope the point they’re trying to make is that these two have reached a point in their relationship where, as leaders for their own groups of people, they need to figure out a way to overcome this. Neither of them have been in a situation where it’s been a relationship vs their people. Neither of them are equipped to handle it. I definitely feel like they need to break up to figure all of this out. How they want to handle this. They need the space to really understand how they feel about each other.

Which is ultimately what happened in the next episode, Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen. Magnus makes the decision to break it off with Alec because he realizes that he can’t make decisions for his people if he also has Alec on the mind. This of course breaks Alec. That scene where he’s staring at Magnus through the elevator was absolutely heartbreaking. As much as I agree with the decision to break it off, I also have taken myself back to their first date in 2A when they both agreed that their relationship was going to take work. Funny how it always seems like the 20 something year old, newly out of the closet, in his first relationship is more willing to compromise than a 500 something immortal being who’s had tons of relationship experience. It’s something that’s been striking me whenever I think about the Malec angst in Season 2 as a whole. Alec is always willing to apologize and try to find a way to make things work whereas Magnus, whenever something goes wrong in the relationship, he essentially sticks his fingers in his ears and yells, “La la la la” and stomps off. I’m sure I pissed off the Magnus stans in the fandom for that statement but hey, that’s how I interpret it. You don’t have to agree with me but you should still respect it. That’s how ADULT discussions work. No relationship is perfect and has 0 problems. There will always be problems. What matters is how you work through them. I do like how the breakup happened, though. Magnus was very calm with the breakup. He tells Alec that he still cares for him but he can’t be with him because he has his own people to think about. I liked that the breakup didn’t have so much to do with him being hurt but him needing to make the best decision for his people. That being said, I hope the show takes the book approach on how they get back together. I know it’s an unpopular opinion within the fandom but I actually like the break-up sequence in the books. It made a lot of sense to me and I liked how they got back together. It was pretty much Magnus wanting to get back together but Alec saying he’ll only do it if they can have a truly equal relationship. I absolutely do not want to see Alec apologize AGAIN and they get back together. Because while yes, Alec has created issues within the relationship but Magnus also hasn’t been doing the relationship any favors either. He handles these issues very poorly and almost childishly in a way. It’s like, “You did something that made me mad. Grrr. Go away.” That’s not really a healthy response to dealing with your relationship issues. Also, if anyone sends me rude comments or messages about the statements I just made, just know you will be ignored. I will discuss it calmly with you but if you’re rude or disrespectful, you will be ignored. And I’m only saying this because of comments I’ve seen on posts recently. If you try to come at me with some kind of comment like, “You’re only saying that about Magnus because he’s a POC and you don’t like POC,” you will immediately lose all credibility with me. You don’t know the first thing about me or the life I may or may not have lived and you’re going to call me a racist because you don’t agree with me? Because that’s totally a mature way to handle a difference of opinions. 

A comment like that makes me realize you and I are probably not compatible and it also shows you have no respect for me or my ideals so why should I have respect for you. You leave a comment or message like that and I will not respond to you and I will most likely block you. So really. Why waste your time?

But apart from the Malec breakup, we had some FANTASTIC Malec flashbacks in that episode too. They were absolutely beautiful. Those flashbacks, on their own, I loved so much. However, in the context of the actual episode, they didn’t really feel like they had a place. They didn’t really mesh well into it. It wasn’t always clear why Magnus was having these particular flashbacks when he was looking back at their relationship. It was very obvious why these scenes were there. They were fan service, pure and simple. It was the show’s way of saying, “we’ve heard your criticisms on the Malec relationship and we’re going to fix them all in this episode with flashbacks.” The flashbacks were great but it would’ve been even better if they would just do these nice little Malec scenes throughout the season in the first place. These scenes should have been a part of Malec’s timeline right from the get-go. But whatever. The scenes were beautiful so I’ll take what I can get. 

Jonathon and Clary Scenes

We had some interesting scenes with Jonathon and Clary in these two episodes. It starts off with Clary first off, finding out that her brother is still alive. Jace is very adamant about that if Jonathon gets in the way, he will take measures to stop him. Clary, all of the sudden, has an issue with killing, it would seem. When she was complaining to Jace about killing Jonathon, I was like, “And how many Circle members have you killed, Clary, without batting an eye?” Those people, although terrible people they may have been, most likely have family of their own. I certainly don’t remember her being all that remorseful about that. Or is it only an issue if she has a connection to the person? No, then killing is suddenly not alright. It takes Jonathon to kill Elliot, Dot (maybe, honestly she’s escaped death so many times that I’m not going to believe it until I see a body and even then, maybe not), and Max to be injured for her to get over this no killing thing. But whatever. It’s a trademark of a Mary Sue to have this whenever it’s convenient for the plot. As always, Will Tudor kills it as Jonathon. He’s genuinely touched that Clary is still willing to give him a chance. So much so, that he goes as far as kissing her. His own sister. Eew. I gotta hand it to Freeform. I was honestly surprised that kiss happened. Considering how vehemently they were against the Clace incest, I didn’t think they were going to do this. It was really great to see. And no, I’m not an advocate for incest. I enjoyed that moment because it really showcased just how messed up Jonathon is. Because of what was done to him and the upbringing he had, he can’t really differentiate between the different aspects of love. What should just be fondness for a sister that doesn’t want to kill him outright, he interprets as himself in love with her and he doesn’t see anything wrong with that because he hasn’t had a healthy upbringing where someone taught him the differences. All the different forms of love get mixed together into his head as one thing: possessive love. It was a really interesting character study on the micro level for Jonathon that I enjoyed. I thought it was super interesting. Granted, I’m still not a big fan of the show Disney-fying him and turning him into this grotesque burnt corpse but in the context of this moment, I felt the show gave us a deeper understanding of Jonathon and his feelings towards Clary. Keep in mind, still don’t like the burnt corpse idea and him killing flowers and whatnot. I am not legitimizing that plot point at all. It’s so overdramatic that I can’t help but laugh at it whenever I see it. It’s not the fact that he is a burnt corpse that I have an issue with. Ironically, he’s just not as intimidating in that form. I find Jonathon to be a really good villain when he’s Will Tudor being creepy as fuck. Because that mental instability makes him unpredictable. It’s like, what’s he planning? What’s his endgame? That’s what I like about the Will Tudor form and why I can’t take that burnt form seriously.

Then Clary manages to trap him and sees him for the irredeemable monster he is and he has this really great scene with her in the elevator where he’s lamenting that he wanted her and the mirror but if he can’t have both, dot, dot, dot. Just the way he was touching her face and Clary being visibly creeped out by this was really fun to watch. That must have been an interesting scene for Will and Kat to film.

Sizzy’s Back…For A Little At Least

Some really nice Sizzy moments as well. I was almost ready to throw in the towel with Sizzy, you know. Because let’s be real, the Sizzy that I want is the Sizzy from the books. I love their dynamic in the books so much but that dynamic will be impossible to reach with Show Sizzy because they changed so much of Izzy’s character. I’m not saying the changes are bad. Just that the particular dynamic from the books isn’t going to work on the show with the Izzy personality we currently have. I was willing to throw the towel in and just let Simon and Maia be endgame. But then we had some really nice moments here where Simon was helping Izzy train Max and I really enjoyed those scenes. I kind of like the Sizzy dynamic right now. That they don’t put up any fake airs when they’re with each other. They’re so comfortable around each other that they feel like they can just be themselves. And that’s the beginning of a really nice dynamic and an excellent start to an endgame foundation. Obviously, if the show decides to pursue Sizzy, they are going to be a real slow burn but if the show plays the cards right, I could like this version of Sizzy just as much as I like the book version. 

Luke the Badass

So Luke was finally a badass in this episode. If you’ve been following me a little bit, you know how off and on I am about Luke as a character. He’s slated as a main character but yet he never feels like he has a whole lot of purpose within the show. He’s the pack’s Alpha but he’s extremely passive in how he manages them. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that he actually is the alpha of an actual werewolf pack. Most of the time, I forget he’s a werewolf. Hell, if it weren’t for Clary telling me at the beginning of each episode, I’d forget he’s a NYC cop. I don’t know how he still has a job with the NYPD. He never seems to be working. I also wish the show would just write off his partner. I think she’s annoying and the plot is way too complex to be including her, as well. She is completely unnecessary to the story, right now.

But finally, we got that Alpha fight that I wanted at the 2B premiere. It finally happened. It wasn’t as spectacular as I would’ve liked. It would’ve been so much more awesome if they were in their werewolf forms but budget, you know. I won’t fault the show too much for that. It was great to see Luke finally take charge and tell everyone this is what’s what. That’s the Luke I want to see.

Max’s Death…Nope

So Max’s death didn’t happen and I was a little disappointed. I know I sound like a horrible person. Damn you, Shadowhunters. Why didn’t you kill the 10-year-old kid? It’s not that I want a kid to die. That’s not what I want at all. But there is a certain emotional response that’s going to be needed and his death is a good way to get that. Actually, I was discussing this with friend of mine on Tumblr, and we kind of agreed that Max didn’t really have to die to push the story along. We would’ve been perfectly fine if maybe he just got seriously injured. Something that would’ve been permanent. Like say, he got paralyzed. Because for a shadowhunter, not being able to fight is a punishment worse than death. The emotional response that would’ve given to his family would’ve been phenomenal. Or I even had this theory that Jonathon didn’t kill Max. He just injured Max so badly that Max fell into a coma that he was never going to wake up from. And the Lightwoods would have to make the decision to kill Max themselves. Thereby, making them Max’s killers instead. The grief and the pain that would’ve caused them, I get chills just thinking about it. Sadly, neither of those things seem to have happened. Max does fall into a coma but then he goes through an operation that supposedly kills most shadowhunters and he miraculously survives. Ugh. So basically, there are no consequences. Which is the real issue that I have with how this played out. They brought this dangerous and unstable person into their lives that they trusted way too easily; so from a story telling perspective, something horrible and permanent should’ve happened to Max as a result. Max got better so it feels like there’s no real consequence to Jonathon being let into the Institute besides a few nameless shadowhunters we don’t care about being killed by him. That entire plot point was completely anticlimactic that led nowhere besides Jonathon having to forcibly leave the Institute. There was no lasting impact. Again, I’m not saying they should’ve killed Max. For one thing, Shadowhunters does character deaths very badly. Ragnor, Jocelyn, even Alaric, they were all brushed under the rug and I have a huge problem with how those deaths were handled. I did not want them to kill Max if his death was going to be treated like Jocelyn’s or god forbid, Ragnors’. I also understand that seeing how Freeform is a family based channel, they probably felt a little uneasy about killing a child character. But on the flipside, this a show about a shadow world. These people lead very dangerous lives. Every time they go out on a mission, they run the risk of never coming back. Just one second of not paying attention or a freak circumstance or even a demon just plain outsmarting them once, could mean a shadowhunter’s death. Very rarely do shadowhunters live long enough to die of old age. Most of them expect to die young. Death is a huge part of their culture. And just like in our world, the worst deaths are the ones that are unfair. And Max’s is certainly one of those. My point being, this world has consequences for the lives they live and the decisions they make and I hate how the main shadowhunters don’t seem to be privy to those consequences. That the show hasn’t really explored that bad things do happen to good people and how that affects the characters that are still living. So maybe Max didn’t need to die, but I still feel like something serious and permanent needed to happen to him. But who knows. Maybe they’re going to kill him off later. Maybe they didn’t want the book fans to predict his death. Even though his death would’ve been predictable for me in this moment, I still would’ve been fine with it because it would’ve fit given the circumstances our characters were in. It would’ve worked. But oh well. The show has been teasing at SDCC that there will be a death and I only hope it’s a big one and it’s someone that’s going to shake us to our core.

So these episodes, I’d give them a B-. Plenty of the scenes were enjoyable but the episodes as a whole, I didn’t find all that impressive. I am very excited to see where the finale is going to take us. The promos look really interesting. All I’m saying with all this hype, I better be wowed. The show’s cast and crew have been nonstop hyping this finale. It’ll be interesting to see what 2B is going to leave us with. Me, personally, even though I feel 2B has arced very well, the individual storylines have been very lackluster. A lot of dropped plot points, plot inconsistencies, plot holes, out of character moments. As I’ve said before, it always feels like the writers are writing safe and I really hope that the finale will allow them to throw caution to the wind and just go for the crazy. I like a little crazy in my shows. It makes them unpredictable. And sadly, this show has been very predictable with its writing. This show has done very little to actually surprise me.

Well, that’s all I got for you guys. As usual, I encourage mature, rational discussions. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Just remember that we are individuals so everyone has a differing opinion. I ask that you please be respectful. The fandom has been particularly bad this season.

[snarktheater]

Shadowhunters — Episode 2x18

It's the plot point no one was excited to get to! Or…well, at least I wasn't. I don't know about the rest of you, but after a whole episode of people discussing how totally fine it is that Max Lightwood should be a child soldier, the fact that he went and confronted the literal demon spawn by himself, without even first telling anyone about it, and that Max died in the books in a pretty similar scenario, this isn't really something I'm looking forward to.

And if you thought the show would show some restraint with regards to giving Simon some unnecessary screentime about an unrelated subplot, you're wrong! Apparently no one thought that giving Simon absolutely no input on Max's situation in this episode might make him seem completely removed from the main characters and be a problem if they're still going for a Sizzy endgame. Am I the only one who thinks of these things? Maybe I am. What do I even know.

So, yes, as usual: the Simon plot. In today's episode, we introduce Bartholomew "Bat" Velasquez, this beloved character from the books, with all his memorable moments like…um…there was that time where he and Maia were bros…and wasn't he a DJ at Luke and Jocelyn's wedding, or something? But wait, Jocelyn's dead in this continuity, so we won't even have that in the show.

Could it be he's just here so Maia can share her own experiences right after turning and introduce Jordan (at least as a concept) to the audience for when (I assume) he shows up next season? Because that's pretty much all that happens in this subplot. Well, that, and also Maia and Simon kiss, after this horribly gross exchange.

"I'm not good at the whole trust thing…letting people in…" "I'm not good at the whole giving up thing."

Learn the meaning of "no", Simon.

This subplot does introduce something else, though. The wolf who scratched Bat (and turned him) is Russell, the guy who left with a bunch of werewolves from Luke's pack because they didn't like his leadership or whatever. He's back in New York, and is trying to establish his new pack, which, when Luke confronts him about turning mundanes, leads into a duel for the position of alpha.

Which, I've gotta ask. Is the duel to the death thing even necessary? Because Russell clearly was his pack's alpha right now and he never dueled anyone, he just left. And now they're talking about it like it's just tradition. Also, Luke doesn't kill Russell when he wins (oh, come on, of course he wins) and Russell's pack accepts him as alpha again anyway. So…what gives? Is killing people necessary or not? And if not…shouldn't that have its own moral implications, considering Luke did kill an alpha to get where he is?

The show will of course never even ask these questions, let alone answer them. Instead, they get their heart-warming get-together at the Jade Wolf, complete with cheering together as if you hadn't just tried to murder one another.

Bat's included in that welcome ceremony, having made it past his first full moon with Maia and Simon's help, and he seems fine being in the presence of the guy who intentionally mauled him and turned him in order to get more recruits. Why would anyone have a problem with that?

What's the point of all of this, you ask? Well, remember Ollie, Luke's partner? If I keep introducing her like that, it's mostly because she feels like an afterthought every time she shows up. Maybe it's just me, though, because she's finally paying off! Yeah, turns out she and her girlfriend (well, "other partner" as she puts it) came back to the Jade Wolf under the pretense of, well, eating, since it's a restaurant and all. But she also left a camera behind, and with it, she catches Luke's speech about welcoming werewolves to his pack.

"Now do you believe me?"

Wasn't Raphael supposed to have erased your memories of the Shadow World? I guess we'll find out next time.

In the meantime, let's finally check on the main plot and Max. We open the episode exactly where the previous one ends—literally, you could probably string the two together and not even require any edit to make it look like it's just the continuation of the same scene. There's some minimal banter, then Max tries to kill Sebastian/Jonathan, but of course you can't just stab the guy to death.

Sebastian knocks him out by tossing him headfirst against Alec's desk, but before he can finish the job, Clary comes looking for Alec herself. He hears her coming, because I guess he has supernatural hearing too, so he manages to hide Max under the desk and pretend like he himself was waiting for Alec. And then, because we need drama, they both get an urgent summon to a briefing, meaning Sebastian has to leave Max there. Oh, the tension! Will Max manage to warn someone on time?

Well, I don't know, but I'm still wondering why he didn't warn anyone before going up against Sebastian, so I have a hard time caring here. Sebastian's obviously going to get away with it anyway. We all know it. The biggest question is: will other people know that it's him or will he manage to keep his cover intact? Which I guess could serve as a source of tension, but…apparently even the writer didn't think that was the case, since instead, we keep going on about the Mirror.

Yeah, Sebastian's still trying to get to the Mirror, since he didn't find it in Alec's office. And by "trying to get it" I mean he flat-out asks Alec where it is. Alec, thankfully, will still have none of that.

"The elite guards are the only ones who know its location."

Well, I say "thankfully", but I'm still left wondering why Sebastian is at this briefing at all, when the only other people who are even included are, well, the main cast. If Alec doesn't like or trust him, why include him in discussing how they'll protect the Institute against Jonathan's next attempt to retrieve the Mirror? Your main characters aren't supposed to know they're main characters, you know. At least, not in most stories.

I mean, I get why Sebastian's at the briefing: it's so Max has time to leave the office and be found by someone else (specifically, Isabelle). But you should justify it in-story too, you know.

But yes, Isabelle finds Max, except he's passed out and/or in a coman from his head injury. An iratze rune wasn't enough to heal him; in fact, he can't be Portaled to Idris either for more expert healing. And they can't Portal someone here because…I don't know, let's chuck that one to "the Clave are assholes", because it's a safe bet even if the episode doesn't specify it.

While Jace and Clary investigate, they find that Max had gone back to get the box of Jocelyn's memento, and deduce that he must have been attacked by Jonathan. Since the Mirror is still safe, they figure Jonathan is still at the Institute, glamoured as a Shadowhunters, and engage a lockdown. Meanwhile, Isabelle's staying at Max's side, and Sebastian keeps trying to convince her to leave him alone with Max, and it's just utterly ridiculous that he's almost successful at one point, and is only thwarted by Robert and Maryse arriving. If you know Jonathan's here under a glamour, shouldn't you be suspicious of basically everyone?

Speaking of people you should be suspicious of, Sebastian asks Alec to spearhead the Institute's outside guard once lockdown is engaged. Because nothing like immediately express your desire to leave during a lockdown to…look perfectly innocent?

But anyway, I mentioned Robert and Maryse. Well, they were talking to Brother Enoch, of the Silent Brothers. They do have a way to heal Max, a "rare procedure" that reboots his brain and has a low chance of survival, but the alternative is he stays in a coma, possibly forever. Alec and Isabelle aren't thrilled by the idea, which leads us to this episode's other subplot.

See, last time, Magnus was headed to the Seelie Court. And, well, the Seelie Queen offers them an alliance to "unite the Downworld to hunt Valentine", but only if they stop playing by the Clave's rules completely. Which…I don't know what Magnus expected, exactly, since it was obvious that was her intent in the last episode already. So he asks for some time to give his answer, and the Queen gives him a rose, which will progressively turn black to act as a timer until her offer expires.

How very Beauty and the Beast.

So for a few scenes after that, we see Magnus, moping and flashing back to various meaningful moments of his relationship with Alec. Specifically: the first time Alec slept over, after that time in season one where Alec allowed Magnus to draw from his life force to save Luke; Magnus and Alec making out and Magnus angsting when he loses control of the glamour over his eyes, and Alec assuring him that his cat eyes are beautiful; and Alec asking Magnus what he's truly afraid of.

"The key to having no fears is having nothing to lose. […] I guess that's why I haven't opened my heart up for over a hundred years. Then I met you."

Well, in the midst of all that flashing back, Alec shows up at his door.

"I know I have no right to ask for favors, but I need you."

There's…kind of a pattern here, to be honest. I mean, it's true, but still. I thought the show had done a decent job downplaying how much the main characters relied on Magnus's magic, and now really doesn't seem like a good time to fall back on that, you guys.

Anyway, Alec wanted Magnus's second opinion, which seems fair enough when your first opinion is "low chances of survival". Magnus can't heal Max, it turns out, but still, it was worth asking. Also, Magnus lingers at the Institute after that for moral support, which is very sweet of him.

Unfortunately, now that there are four Lightwoods and a warlock outside Max's room, Sebastian switches gear. Instead of trying to kill Max, he goes straight for the Mirror. Which is disgustingly easy for him. I mean, he literally finds one of the so-called "elite guards" Alec mentioned, threatens his family…and the guard immediately gives up the location of the Mirror. "Elite" my ass.

Jace is sent to guard the Mirror himself when that guard's death is found out, but he gets a convenient text from Alec saying they "lost Max", and because Jace is totally the best Shadowhunter around, he doesn't…I don't know, call to check if it's true while still remaining on duty or anything. No, he immediately rushes out to the infirmary, leaving the path right open for Jonathan to kill all the other guards and take the Mirror. Good job, Jace.

Thankfully, the show's protagonist, when she's allowed to do stuff, is much more effective. See, Clary found in Valentine's research that Jonathan can't touch electrum, because it burns him. So she borrows Isabelle's whip, extracts some of the electrum from it (…somehow), and they lift the lockdown, but force anyone who leaves to hold the electrum.

"Well I'm very impressed. Seems Jonathan's finally met his match."

Before Sebastian submits to the test himself, he asks Clary what she'd do if she caught Jonathan.

"I used to believe that Jonathan could be saved, but after what he did to Elliot, and Dot, and now Max…I'll kill him with my bare hands if that's what it takes."

You know, it would have been fine to see her come to this conclusion, but…okay. Moving on. Clary's plan is a good one…and it almost mostly fails for stupid reasons. See, Sebastian holds the electrum shard in his hand, then just…drops it back into Clary's hand, and she doesn't make him show if he's burned because he showed no reaction. I'm not even sure what makes her run after him to check, but then again, he was obviously creepy for his entire time at the Institute, so, you know. The real question is "what took you so long, Clary?"

So…yeah, she unmasks him and stabs him, but triggers the lockdown doors again, isolating them in the Institute's entrance hall.

"After ten years of torture in Edom, I have learned to endure pain. In fact I rather enjoy it."

Okay, I'm kinkshaming you, dude. Too much information.

And speaking of kinkshaming…

"I wanted you. And the Mirror. But if I cant have both—"

Yeah, the incest train is still coming. You know it.

Thankfully, Clary pulls out another blade, cuts the Mirror from him and stabs him again. It doesn't do much, but it gives her enough time to use one of her super runes to block up the door and make it back into the Institute, and Jonathan runs away.

Also, Clary figures she's had enough of this nonsense, and uses the same rune that nullified the Soul-Sword's powers on the Mirror. Except it destroys it completely, so our protagonists figure out that it can't have been the true Mortal Mirror.

And then…

"What if the mirror I destroyed isn't the Mortal Mirror. […] Maybe she thought it was. […] Maybe whoever made it wanted it that way." "To distract people from finding the real one." […] "The Mirror is Lake Lyn."

Okay, i'm fast-forwarding that scene a little bit, but seriously, this goes by really fast. And sure, Clary's had her visions of the lake, but it still feels like a very quick assumption. But hey, at least they figured it out.

I know what you're asking. What about Max? Well, Max is okay, the procedure went fine, and he immediately asks if they caught Jonathan, which the show treats as charming instead of a mark of a pretty unhealthy lack of care of his own wellbeing. But hey, I'll take Max being alive. I think. It all depends where they go next with this. I would like some consequences for the child soldier thing, but I don't really need the actual child to die for that. I'd prefer something like…I don't know, Max growing up to realize how fucked-up this all is and refusing to talk to anyone in his family.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?

There's still that subplot to wrap up, too. Magnus leaves after Max wakes up, and after a Meaningful Look™ from Isabelle, Alec goes after him, to thank him for coming and apologize for hiding the truth about the Sword from him.

"I made a mistake. But you and me, we always seem to find our way back to each other. Magnus, I love you." "I love you too. But as a leader, there are difficult decisions I have to make to ensure the survival of my people. The only thing holding me back from doing that is you. I can't have both. […] You once asked me what I was afraid of. It's this."

And so he leaves. Oh no. The horror!

Well, it's a better to break up Malec than Alec trying to turn him mortal without his consent, I guess. Although that might still happen. I'm just hoping it doesn't.

That said…I do have to wonder how exactly "the survival of his people" is improved by joining the Seelie Queen in basically open war against the Clave. Stopping Valentine is fine and all, but I'm pretty sure wars are generally…bad things? Just a thought.

But this where we end. I'm not even sure Magnus's deadline has arrived yet, though, so for all I know he'll change his mind in the two episodes left in the season.

[thefandomentals]

Shadowhunters Sets All the Pieces in Place

After last week’s homage to the villains, Shadowhunters takes the final step to set up its great finale. With only two episodes left until the season is done, it is time for the heroes to shine. And they do, by the best way possible: protecting the innocent.

But it is not only the heroes of the story that excelled. All kudos should go to Director Amanda Michael Row for putting together the best-paced episode of the show. Shadowhunters often has a problem with visual storytelling, but not this time. As we approach the end of the season 2, the production team has risen to the occasion just as much as the characters.

And the results are showing in both cases.

Keep Reading

[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

2x19 Trailer: A Shift In Power

2x19 Sneak Peeks: Jonathan and Valentine, Raphael and Izzy, The “real” Sebastian is found.

Fall In Love With Will Tudor Even More With This Exclusive Interview.

Go Behind The Scenes Of The Lightwood Family Reunion. [1]

Can We Talk About That Heartbreaking Malec Goodbye?

Every Wonderful Malec Moment Is Perfectly Captured In This Beautiful Playlist.

Shadowhunters In The News

Promotional photos and synopsis for 2x20: Beside Still Water: Official Press site, Hidden Remote

Advanced Review of 2x19: Spoiler TV, Fandemonium Network, Hidden Remote.

Reviews for 2x18: Awake, Arise, or Be Forever Fallen: BSS, Freeform, TV Line, Hollywood Life, TV Guide, Spoiler TV, Purefandom, Movie Pilot, Screen Spy

TV Insider (interview): Will Tudor (Sebastian) on Jonathan's Next Move; Plus, Check out Malec at Comic-Con

Buzzfeed (article): 25 LGBT Characters On Television That Viewers Absolutely Love (Malec at #22).

Loving Series (interview):  Exclusive Interview with Eileen Li.

TV Guide (video): Who's Down for a Game of Mortal Flip Cup?

Video & Audio Interviews

Afterbuzz TV: Will Tudor joins them for their 2x18 recap show.

Twitter & Social Media Stuff

Shadowhunters TV shares a behind the scenes photo of Will (Sebastian) and Kat (Clary).

Alexandra Ordolis (Ollie) shares a behind the scenes photo of herself and Tarah Joshi (Samantha) from episode 218. [2]

Nicola (Maryse) shares a behind the scenes photo of herself.

Kat (Clary) shares a behind the scenes video from episode 218.

Peter Binswanger (writer) shares a behind the scenes photo of Matt (Alec) and Harry (Magnus) from episode 218.

“Max post head bonk” Peter (writer) shares a behind the scenes photo of Jack (Max) from episode 218.

Alisha (Maia) shares a behind the scenes video of herself and Kevin Alves (Bat) from episode 218.

"Their biceps are bigger than my head" Amanda Michael Row (director) shares a behind the scenes photo of Isaiah (Luke) from episode 218.

"THE MIRROR IS LAKE LYN!" Kat (Clary) shares a behind the scenes photo of herself from episode 218.

Alisha (Maia) shares a behind the scenes video from episode 218.

"Dont' worry, those were posturepedic crates." Peter (writer) shares a behind the scenes video of Isaiah (Luke).

Amanda Michael Row (director) announces she'll be back for season three!

Isaiah (Luke) shares a behind the scenes video of himself from episode 218.

"Family Portrait!" Nicola (Maryse) shares a behind the scenes photo of herself, Paulino (Robert), Emeraude (Izzy), Jack (Max), and Matt (Alec) from episode 218.

"Jonathan does not play." Shadowhunters TV shared behidn the scenes photos of Will (Sebastian) from episode 218.

Isaiah (Luke) shares a behind the scenes photo of himself, Dom (Jace), Kat (Clary), and Matt (Alec). [3]

"Couple of Downworld tough guys" Isaiah (Luke) shares a behind the scenes photo of himself and David (Raphael).

"Margnus, anyone?" Shadowhunters TV shares a behind the scenes photo of Nicola (Maryse), Harry (Magnus), Matt (Alec), Emeraude (Izzy), and Paulino (Robert) from episode 218.

"Somebody call the ambulance because these #LGBTbabes are straight fire." Shadowhunters TV shares behind the scenes photos of Harry (Magnus) and Matt (Alec). [4]

Shadowhunters TV shares a behind the scenes photo of Kat (Clary) from episode 218.

“Taking #BehindTheScenes to a whole different level.” Shadowhunters TV shares a behind the scenes photo of Harry (Magnus).

"Proof: their biceps are bigger than my head." Amanda Michael Row (director) shares a behind the scenes photo of Isaiah (Luke) and Noah Danby from episode 218.

“All these kids in one room. What could go wrong?” ShadowhuntersTV shares a behind the scenes photo of Jace, Raphael, Clary, Magnus, the Seelie Queen, Luke, Izzy, and Alec at the Institute. 

Brian Q Miller (Writer) tweets: "At least one shirt gets slashed, bled on or altogether removed every twelve minutes in this one".

Taylor Mallory (writer) tweets: "Get ready for romance, action, & bloodshed..." in episode 219.

Zoe Broad (writer) tweets: “Episode 219's going to be pretty rad.“.

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweets: "A bridge, a chain, a deep kiss, death do us part, Raphael, Meliorn, a special warlock nurse, and much more", says people “kind of” die in episodes 219 and 220.

Events: San Diego Comic Con (continued).

Kat (Clary), Dom (Jace), Matt (Alec), Harry (Magnus), Isaiah(Luke), Emeraude (Izzy), and Alberto (Simon) attended San Diego Comic Con July 20-23 (#ShadowhuntersAtSDCC).

See our San Diego Comic Con 2017 “Mini” Round-Up and last two weeks news round ups for more from SDCC. Here are a few new things you may have missed:

My Take on TV interview with Matt, Harry, and Isaiah.

My Take on TV interview with Emeraude and Alberto.

My Take on TV interview with Kat and Dom.

My Take on TV interview with Matt Hastings, David, and Todd.

Justine Magazine interview with Kat, Dom, Alberto, and Emeraude.

[theparabataipodcast]

Episode 051 - Awake, Arise, or Be Forever Fallen

Meredith & Poppy discuss Shadowhunters 2x17 "A Dark Reflection."

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

Leave us a 5-star review on iTunes & we'll read it on air!

News & Extras

BSS is hiring!

We designed Shadowhunters t-shirts & partnered with CraftsbyCasaverde on Etsy - grab one you like today!

Parabatai rune t-shirt

Voyance rune t-shirt

Angelic Power rune t-shirt

  Check out this episode!

[spoilertv]

Shadowhunters - Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen - Review + POLL http://dlvr.it/PZvvKY

[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 

[fangirlishsite]

'Shadowhunters' 2x18 Review: 'Awake, Arise or be Forever Fallen' http://bit.ly/2uSdkgN

[dreamofopinions-blog]

Review: Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 18 "Awake, Arise or be Forever Fallen"

Review: Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 18 “Awake, Arise or be Forever Fallen”

This episode contains a lot of filler, from Magnus’ flashbacks which are meant to serve to reinforce the state of him and Alex before they got together but simply seem repetitive and unnecessary, to the show’s desperate attempts at trying to keep Simon relevant. However, again ‘Shadowhunters’ finds success in its main narrative, especially when it places emphasis on both the wider mythological…

[thefandomnet]

SHADOWHUNTERS Recap & Review: "Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen"

Secrets and threats are finally coming to a head on Shadowhunters with a few interesting twists. And did we mention all the Malec?! Things start off right where they left off: Max and Jonathan in Alec’s office, where Max soon realizes he’s in way over his head. He impales a blade into Jonathan’s...

http://bit.ly/2hikplU

[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

2x15 Trailers: A Problem of Memory, “Your love for Clary will be your downfall.”

2x15 Sneak Peeks: Alec and Magnus [1], Clary and Izzy. 

“These Videos Of The Cast Filming Season 2 Episode 14 Make Us Love Them Even More.”

“Listen To The Songs From Season 2 Episode 14 Here, Including New Music By Ruelle.”

Shadowhunters In The News

Reviews for 2x14: The Fair Folk: TVLine, BSS, Movie Pilot, Spoiler TV, TV Fanatic, TV After Dark.

Synopsis for 2x16: Day of Atonement: SpoilerTV, Official Press Site.

Synopsis for 2x17: A Dark Reflection: SpoilerTV, Official Press Site.

Synopsis for 2x18: Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen: SpoilerTV.

Hidden Remote (Article/Recap): We need to talk about Sebastian.

Hollywood Life (Interview): Dominic Sherwood gushes Over Girlfriend Sarah Hyland: She’s ‘So Wonderful’ On Shadowhunters.

CarterMatt (Interview): Jade Hassouné on Meliorn, story ahead, web series, and more.

ShumDario News (Interviews): Interview with Jade Hassouné, Interview with Alisha Wainwright.

The Young Folks (Interview): Interview with Jade Hassouné.

Spoiler TV (Article): Spoiler Room: Scoop on Game of Thrones, Blindspot, OUAT, and more. (NOTE: discusses Sebastian’s character). 

Video & Audio Interviews

TV Guide: Shadowhunters Cast Plays “Who Would You Rather Kiss?”

AfterBuzz TV: Jade (Meliorn) joins them for their 2x14 recap show. 

Twitter & Social Media

Taylor Mallory (writer) shares a behind the scenes photo of the Seelie Court from 214.

Taylor Mallory (writer) shares a behind the scenes photo of Dom (Jace) giving Alberto (Simon) a back rub between takes. 

“Looks like the #Jimon friendship is caught in a twist.” ShadowhuntersTV shares a behind the scenes pic of Dom (Jace) and Alberto (Simon). 

ShadowhuntersTV shares a behind the scenes video of Dom (Jace) filming a stunt from 214. 

Isaiah (Luke) shares some behind the scenes pics of himself from 214. [2]

Isaiah (Luke) shares a behind the scenes pic from Valentine’s cell with Alan (Valentine), Matt (Alec), and Will (Sebastian).

Isaiah (Luke) makes a short video thanking us for tuning in. 

“Thank you so much, this day was unreal. I'll love you guys forever.” A fan shares a behind the scenes pic with Alberto (Simon), Kat (Clary), Dom (Jace) and Lola (Seelie Queen) from a set visit for 214. 

“No dentist for the Queen.” Lola (Seelie Queen) shares a pic of her prosthetic teeth from 214. 

“The Kill Tree... not so menacing behind the scenes...” Kat (Clary) shares a behind the scenes photo from 214. 

“More than entire generations of us missed out on seeing Asian families represented on television...” Shannon Kook (extra) shares a heartfelt message about Asian representation in media, as well as an onset pic with Harry (Magnus) from 214. 

“Handsome fella #1 #2 & #3.” Michelle (Kaelie) shares an on set video with David (Raphael), Shannon (extra), and Jade (Meliorn). 

Jade (Meliorn) shares behind the scenes pics of  Will (Sebastian), Emeraude (Isabelle), David (Raphael), himself as Meliorn, Matt (Alec), Emeraude (Isabelle), and himself [3], Nicola (Maryse) and Matt (Alec), himself with Alexandra (Ollie), Will (Sebastian), Emeraude (Isabelle), David (Raphael), and himself at the Institute, Isaiah (Luke) and himself, Harry (Magnus) and himself. 

“Look how cool this is! What we were playing with during the #downworlder cabinet.” Jade (Meliorn) shares a behind the scenes video of a media interactive. 

Isaiah (Luke) also shares a video of the shadow world media interactive. 

“Now we know @DomSherwood1's food addictions & zombie apocalypse survival tips. Stay tuned!” Young Hollywood shares pictures from their upcoming interview with Dom (Jace). [4]

“Moments before the tequila was poured.” Michelle (Kaelie) shares pic of her and Dom (Jace) from 213. 

Claire Hupy (showrunners assistant) and Zoe Broad (writers room assistant) tweet about the writing underway for season 3. 

Taylor Mallory (writer) tweets “Have you BEEN to middle school?" Awesome improv by @arosende in this scene.”, “Now I can explain this cryptic comment from way back! In book 5, the SQ uses a glamour to age Alec up. Our play on it: aging herself DOWN.”

Darren Swimmer (showrunner) tweets the Seelie Queen is “not a child, she's just in the form of a child.”

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweets 215 will have Indonesia, Alicante, Aline, Ollie, Indian food, plasma, the closet, blood, more blood, and a river of tears, Madzie is now living with Catarina, the banners hanging during the cabinet meeting represent the different factions of the shadow world, Magnus and Maryse interactions in s3, Magnus family history in 215, more of Ollie and Sam, history of Sebastian, Clace, Robert Lightwood, and new rune in 216. 

[basicshadowhuntersstuff]

Read Sam Pedley’s review of Shadowhunters’ 2x18 “Awake, Arise, or Be Forever Fallen”.

[hiddlesgirl]

SH 218: Awake, Arise, Or Be Forever Fallen

This episode is one of my favourite episodes of the series; Malec flashbacks, Maia back story and Luke being a badass. We get a few very emotional scenes, yes I cried three times during this episode. A new character, three characters return and Clary finally finds out who Jonathan is masquerading as. So much gratitude to the writer, Jamie Gorenburg, and director, Amanda Row; they did an amazing job and I hope they are back to work on Season 3 (Amanda confirmed she is back for a couple of episodes in Season 3!).

(Again, I will be using Sebastian for Jonathan’s glamoured form, and Jonathan for his true, burnt form.)

While Max had good intentions in finding Jonathan it is clear that he doesn’t quite comprehend just how much danger he is in right now; but it soon because apparent when Sebastian’s face changes. You can see Max register the danger as Sebastian beings slowly advancing on him, closing the office door; Max is undoubtedly brave for attempting to injure Sebastian. When he smashes Max’s face against the desk not only is it shocking to watch, but it is also a testament to how screwed up his morals are; he is willing to hurt, even kill, a child to keep his cover. It is another example of just how unpredictable and dangerous he truly is.

Clary finds Sebastian sitting on the couch in Alec’s office; he had been alerted to her presence when she spoke to Lindsey outside the office. She seems a little suspicious of his strange, cagey behaviour, but she shrugs it off; he really has done a fantastic job of integrated himself not only into the Institute but the inner circle that consists of Clary, Jace, Izzy and Alec. Getting close to them in order to have a better advantage and make it easier for him to operate; made extremely easy by Alec’s decision to place him as the Head of Security.

(We really need to question how quickly Shadowhunters trust their own kind sometimes; did they even do a back ground check? He has only been in their lives for a few weeks and he is given such a pivotal role in the Institute? How many other qualified people were overlooked when he was given that job? I know that Alec was grateful to him for saving Izzy’s life. Like the Shadowhunters ingrained Prejudice against Downworlders they seem to have an ingrained blind trust for their own kind, which is what lead to this situation. We saw that Alec was wary of Sebastian, but he didn’t act on his gut instinct; he really needs to learn to listen to his gut more.)

As Clary and Sebastian leave we see that he has stashed Max’s unconscious body underneath Alec’s desk, where he is bleeding onto the floor. Again, this shows just how little remorse he feels for his actions, for him the means definitely justify his end game, not matter what he does.

Maia and Simon walking home from their date was very cute, the reference to Simon hitting some ducks made me laugh; I wonder if it was a nod to Jace’s (and the Herondale) fear of ducks that is mentioned in the books. The find a mundane who has been scratched by a werewolf, his name is Bat; I know that this is another character from the books and it will be interesting to see what role he is going to play in the show.

After a briefing Izzy can see that something isn’t right with Alec, guessing that he told Magnus about the Sword and that it didn’t go well. She knows the conflict he has been struggling with because of the Sword; that he was conflicted about what to do and who to tell for the best outcome. She comforts him, wanting him to know that she is there to support him and as someone to lean on if he needs it. She knows how important Magnus is to him and she feels sympathy that he is hurting right now because once again his duty is clashing with his feelings for Magnus.

Magnus and Luke are meeting with the Seelie Queen to create an alliance in order to stop Valentine; however she wants to do things her way, separate from the Clave and Shadowhunters. It has become abundantly clear that she doesn’t like or trust the Clave at all, and is trying to manipulate and alienate any Downworlders she can (beginning with Simon and now Magnus). She uses Magnus’ feelings for Alec as a weapon against him; manipulating him while he is hurt and angry; forcing him to make a rash decision while he is in a more vulnerable state of mind. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, pushing her agenda and vendetta against the Clave. It will be interesting to find out what her end game is; to destroy the Clave? To posses the Mortal Instruments in order to control the Clave? She is a very interesting, albeit frustrating, characters and I am curios to find out what her end goal is.

Izzy finds an unconscious Max, bleeding, in her room; he must have been looking for help once he regained consciousness. It soon becomes obvious that his injuries are very severe when he cannot be taken to Idris as he would not survive the transfer. You really start getting worried for Max; Alec is very scared and angry feeling desperate to find out who did this, he wants to be able to do something, otherwise he would feel useless because he cannot do anything to help Max’s condition right now. Jace calms him down, he is feeling the same but knows that those emotions and rash actions aren’t going to help Max and they need to act rationally.

Magnus ignores a call from Alec, unknowing of the situation at the Institute; he wants to be able to think about his current predicament and make a decision without any distractions. I love the first flashback, from 1x06 after Alec and Magnus had drinks; it was lovely to be reminded just how far they have come. Especially Alec, who was extremely closeted at the time and was terrified of not only his own feelings but what others might think. Also, to see how far they have come as a couple; Magnus’ hesitant behaviour in the flashback in contrast to how affectionate and comfortable they are with each other now.

It also shows that they trusted each other almost immediately; despite not knowing why they knew that the other could be trusted. I think that, that also helps show just how much Alec’s lie hurt Magnus; even before they really knew each other they trusted each other, now after dating and falling in love Alec has betrayed that trust. I really liked this little moment, an insight into their relationship prior to their romantic involvement.

When Magnus comes out of the flashback the rose (given to him by the Seelie Queen, when it turns black his time to decide is up) has already started to wilt. This shows that he is expected to make a huge decision about the future of his kind, and their relationship with the Shadowhunters as allies, in just a few hours. The Seelie Queen is forcing him to make a rash decision while in a hurt and betrayed state of mind.

Luke finds Ollie and her girlfriend Sam at the Jade Wolf, it is clear the Ollie hasn’t let go of her suspicions of Luke and is still intent on investigating him; it leaves you to wonder if Raphael’s encanto worked fully.

Maia seems quite anxious about her first time supervising someone who is turning for the first time which is understandable, it is a big responsibility; not only does she have to keep them safe but she has to make sure that they don’t hurt anyone. I liked the effects used for Bat’s turning; they were very realistic and well done.

Sebastian tires to get Izzy to leave Max; at this point I am screaming at the TV for Izzy not to leave because it is obvious that if she does Sebastian is probably going to try to kill Max. Luckily, Maryse and Robert show up; unfortunately the only thing that will save Max is a dangerous procedure carried out by the Silent Brothers, most Shadowhunters don’t survive it. Seb leaves the room with a smirk on his face; it’s clear that he doesn’t care about the consequences of what he does, his priority is keeping his identify a secret. He wants Max dead to keep himself safe and he doesn’t care about the ramifications for the Lightwoods of that.

It kills me that Magnus is holding the omamori during the next flashback, he loves Alec so much and he is important to him; he doesn’t want to let go of Alec. We flashback to 2x07 and it is glorious! It’s their first time and it is so real and wonderful; Alec stumbling, they are smiling and laughing. It is so genuine; Alec’s desire and hunger, Magnus’ playfulness and joy at being able to be intimate with Alec. I adore that Alec smiles when he see that Magnus is smiling, like Magnus’ happiness is infectious and Alec cannot help but smile in return.

I love the exchange after Magnus throws Alec on the bed; ‘That was graceful’ ‘Shadowhunter’. It shows that sex is supposed to be relaxed and fun, that you can smile, laugh and joke in an intimate situation. That is a true mark of them being completely comfortable with each other. I love that Alec pulls Magnus back into a kiss, showing his passion and desire; he never thought he would be able to have this, to be intimate with another man. Now he is with a man that he cares about, who cares about him, and he wants to experience everything that he always denied himself; to enjoy every aspect of their relationship and show Magnus just how much he cares for and desires him.

I adore how it was shot, showing Magnus’ necklaces dragging along Alec’s neck, Alec leaning into Magnus, Magnus running his fingers through Alec’s hair and Alec’s lifting Magnus’ shirt. It captures their desire and passion without making it feel fake; it is so beautiful, made more so by the great use of slow motion. I also really love the song they used here, it’s called ‘Wide Eyed’ by Billy Lockett and I am addicted to it.

I cried during the cat eye’s moment; it was so beautiful, everything I had imagined, hoped for and more. Magnus has always been self-conscious about his demon mark and was so nervous to show it to Alec, a man he cares for, who he opened his heart for but is also a Shadowhunter who is taught to hunt demons. I started crying as soon as that small smile graced Alec’s face, the complete acceptance, fascination and affection he portrayed was breath taking. The line ‘They’re beautiful, you’re beautiful’ absolutely slayed me because in Magnus’ long life I bet that no one has every called his eyes beautiful. The relief and affection in his gaze shows just how much he appreciated Alec’s reaction; I think that this was probably the moment that Magnus knew he was falling in love with Alec, or that he already was in love with him.

Another little thing I (and others) noticed and I would love to know if Harry did it intentionally, is that after Alec calls him beautiful Magnus slowly blinks at him; in cats a slow blink is the equivalent of ‘I love you’. It was a great little touch and I would love to know if Harry made the decision consciously or if it was just his reaction to the scene. I cannot praise Matt and Harry enough for this scene, it was so genuine and beautiful; one of the most realistic and perfect ‘sex’ scenes I have ever seen.

Magnus is brought out of his memory by Alec knocking at his door, asking him for help with Max. Initially Magnus goes to shut Alec out, which is understandable as he is hurt, confused and right now needs to concentrate on making his decision for the Seelie Queen. But when he hears that it’s about Max he can’t shut Alec out because no matter how hurt Magnus is or how strained his relationship with Alec is, he would never let a child suffer, and that just makes me love him more.

We get yet another example of Sebastian’s ruthlessness when he threatens to hurt an Elite Guard’s wife and child just to get the location of the mirror. He is willing to do anything, hurt anyone to get what he wants; he is a very interesting character none the less because you sort of understand why he is that way. He was experimented on, tortured for ten years and has never been taught love or compassion.

Luke finds Russell in a warehouse with a large pack who are presumably mostly mundanes that he has turned, like he did to Bat; he challenges Luke to a fight for pack leader. I really liked the fight scene, it’s not often that we get a fist fight (I think the only other ones were Jace and Alec in 1x09, then Val and Luke in 2x14). It was really well choreographed and it is fantastic to see Luke being a badass pack leader. He wins the fight but shows mercy by not killing Russell, proving to them all that he is a firm but fair leader worthy of their support and loyalty.

Maia tells Simon the story of how she was turned, by her ex-boyfriend Jordan. It is an absolutely brilliant performance by Alisha that made me cry, the agony and sadness she portrayed was heartbreaking. Especially the line ‘this is what love got me’ it makes you understand Maia’s initial reluctance to date Simon; she was scared to get close to someone again because last time ended in tragedy.  I always love to learn more about Maia and I really want to punch Jordan; Season 3 will be very interesting because I am sure I read that they are introducing Jordan next season.

Seb heads to the elevator after finding out the location of the mirror but is beaten by Jace, who is going to guard the mirror; they were both trained by Valentine so Jace knows that he is their best bet at beating Jonathan. Sebastian clearly isn’t ready to reveal his identity yet, so is forced to back off and figure out something else. The only thing that confused me in this scene is that only the Elite Guards were supposed to know the location of the mirror, yet Jace knows where he needs to be to guard it. My only guess is that he, and Alec, knew where in the Institute it was being kept but not which person it was being hidden behind.

Magnus confirms that Max’s only hope is Brother Enoch; Alec is in denial, he knows how dangerous the procedure is and is scared of losing his brother, he doesn’t want to accept that this is the only way to help him. Maryse steps in, reassuring him and making it clear that if Brother Enoch doesn’t begin now Max may die; Alec relents. Magnus takes one of Alec’s hands in both of his to comfort him, but you can see the slight hesitance in his movements, unsure if his gesture would be welcome; and it breaks my heart.

We are flash-backed to the morning after their first time; Alec jokes about leaving for the Institute, it is so wonderful to see this more playful, happy side of Alec that we don’t get to see very often. It is a testament to how relaxed and at ease he feels with Magnus, their smiles are so happy and genuine; it’s beautiful. Alec asks Magnus about his fears; he wants to get to know Magnus more; he knows how old, experienced and powerful Magnus is, he is curious to find out what scares him. I love Magnus’ deflection of ‘acid wash jeans’, he is still nervous about opening up and has a hard time admitting what scares him, it makes him feel vulnerable.

Magnus tells Alec that the key to having no fear is to have nothing to lose, and that, that is probably why he hasn’t opened his heart for almost 100 years. Magnus is scared of losing people, of being lonely; he closed himself off to try to protect himself from that. Alec changed that, he was drawn to Alec and he made Magnus feel again, made him want to fight for love whereas before he hid from it. I love Alec’s smile, he realises how much he has changed Magnus just as Magnus has changed him, Magnus opened himself up to fear and pain so that he could love Alec. Alec initiates their hand holding, wanting to have contact with him and enjoy the moment.

Magnus comes out of his memory to Alec pulling his hand out of Magnus’ to go sit with his family, Magnus stands apart from them; even now he feels separate from them, from Alec. I love the use of slow motion again as Alec pulls away and I really feel that it was a symbolistic moment, foreshadowing Magnus pulling away from Alec later. Alec’s first priority is his family and his people which very rarely clashes with his feelings for and relationship with Magnus. I believe that this moment that Magnus decides that he needs to prioritise his people, his family (we know that the Downworlders he take under his wing, like Raphael, are his family) and unfortunately right now that clashes with his feelings for and relationship with Alec.

Jace receives a text from Alec saying that they have lost Max, he leaves to go to medical; as he exits the elevator Seb enters it and it becomes clear that the text was a decoy sent by Seb to get Jace out of the way. He needed Jace out of the way, not only to protect his identity but to make it easier to retrieve the mirror. It was a good fight scene and clear that Seb enjoys the violence, I expected a bit more of a fight from the ‘Elite’ Guards (the last one dropped his sword!) but Seb was trained by Val so I’ll let it go.

Clary is using Electrum (from Izzy’s whip) to screen people who wish to leave; in Valentine’s journal he wrote that Electrum would burn through Jonathan’s skin and cause extreme pain. Sebastian asks Clary what she would do if she caught Jonathan, she replies that she would kill him for what he did to Elliot, Dot (what the fuck happened to Dot?!) and Max; which is completely understandable. She hoped that he had enough humanity left to be worth saving, but he has proven that he is willing to hurt and kill whoever he needs to and she can’t let him get away with hurting those she cares for.

After reaching Alec Jace figures out that Jonathan tricked him and Alec raises the alarm, with his phone? This confused me because how did Seb send a text from Alec if Alec had his phone on him? Did he clone Alec’s phone? I did wonder if he sent an email, not text, which could be done from any of the Institute computers if he knew Alec’s password or could hack it; but no, it was a text. So I’m confused and it would be nice if this was explained at some point, but I’m willing to overlook it in the long run.

I love that Alec leaves to protect the Institute and find Jonathan; and Magnus goes into Max’s room to protect him. Magnus knows that Jonathan may come back to tie up loose ends and wants to protect Max; plus he probably knows that is he is there to protect Max Alec will be able to concentrate on Jonathan instead of worrying.

Clary is suspicious when Sebastian gives her back the Electrum after holding it (I’m not sure if she saw blood on it or something) so she catches up to him and reveals his burnt hand. She stabs him, determined to try to incapacitate him and prevent him from leaving. He chokes her and seems extremely upset at her reaction, he has been pinning all his hopes for love, affection and acceptance on her and now that hope has been shattered; his only goal now is helping Valentine. Clary manages to retrieve the mirror and escape him, and he flees the Institute.

Maia tells Simon that he doesn’t have to stay to help her with Bat but he stays, her story or Bat turning hasn’t scared him off. He wants to show that he isn’t going to give up on her, he knows of the horror stories Downworlders often have and that isn’t going to deter him from being with her. They kiss and it is wonderful, their smiles are so cute; it is such a sweet moment and they both deserve some happiness, I just hope it lasts. Simon’s fumbling with the key for the boathouse is completely adorable.

The boathouse is trashed and Bat is terrified of what is happening to him; Maia reassures him that he isn’t alone. She knows how scary the first change and adjusting to life as a wolf is; she wants him to know that he doesn’t have to and won’t go through it alone, they are there to help him.

When Alec returns to Max’s room Magnus moves so that Alec can take his place but he never looks at Alec, like he can’t look him in the eye’s right now. He feels out of place, like he doesn’t belong there, he knows that he has to distance himself from Alec which is why he is avoiding him. Max is fine so Magnus leaves, I love that Maryse is smiling at him it shows great character development for her; she accepts how important he is to Alec and is beginning to realise how much he helps them. Alec doesn’t move to go after Magnus; Izzy gives him a look that clearly says ‘really, go talk to him you idiot’ to which he nods and follows after Magnus. She can see that things are strained between them right now and that Alec needs to apologise if they are to fix things.

Magnus is looking at his rose which is almost completely black which means his time is up after only a few hours. Alec thanks Magnus for being there, he was grasping at straws that Magnus would be able to help Max; I think that really he just wanted Magnus there, finding comfort in his presence. As Magnus turns to leave Alec blurts out an apology, he knows that he should have told Magnus about the Sword and hates that he has broken Magnus’ trust and hurt him.

I start tearing up at Alec’s line ‘but you and me, we always seem to find our way back to each other’ because it’s true, in the past no matter what issues they faced they had overcome them and come out of it stronger. Alec tells Magnus he loves him, he is desperate to show Magnus his remorse, to show Magnus he loves him and doesn’t want his lie to break them; he cannot bear the thought that his stupid mistake could be the end for them. Magnus cups Alec’s face and says ‘I love you too’; Alec leans into Magnus’ hand and closes his eyes, taking comfort and solace in the touch.

When Magnus returns his affection you can see his hope that, that means they’ll be okay; then his face falls at the word ‘but’. Magnus knows that right now he needs to protect his people from Valentine but his feelings for Alec are preventing him from making unbiased decisions. The panic in Alec’s face as Magnus talks is utterly heartbreaking; he doesn’t want to believe that this is happening. The small ‘No, no’ he utters shatters my heart because he knows where the conversation is headed and is desperate for it to stop, he doesn’t want to lose Magnus.

‘I can’t have both’ Magnus decides that for now he needs to let go of Alec so that he can concentrate on protecting his people, to avoid another massacre. Alec’s voice breaks as he says ‘Yes you can, we can. We can figure this out’ he is panicking, is trying to get Magnus to make eye contact and convince Magnus that he doesn’t have to do this. He doesn’t want his mistake to drive Magnus away, to be a reason why Magnus leaves; he loves Magnus and cannot bear the thought of him walking away.

Magnus can barely look in Alec’s eyes because he knows that if he does he may change his mind, he hates seeing Alec in pain and to be the one who has caused that pain is killing him. ‘You once asked me what I was afraid of ... It’s this’ Magnus is terrified of losing people and now he is losing Alec because of his duty to his people. He has to let go of Alec to protect his people and it’s killing him.

You can see Alec’s heart breaking as Magnus walks away, he can barely breathe under the weight of pain he is under right now to see the man he loves walk away from him. This is the closest we have ever seen Alec to crying which is a testament to how much he loves Magnus, how much the situation hurts and how much it is affecting him. I am literally sobbing by now, their acting in this scene is so beautiful; they always nail the emotional scenes, and huge kudos to Matt because seeing how close Alec was to breaking down, to cry, literally broke my soul.

I just want to talk about my interpretation of why Magnus made this decision because I have seen that a few people have been saying that he is overreacting and that he should be used to people lying to him because of how old he is. Which is utter bullshit; just because he has lived a long time doesn’t mean he should have to endure people lying to him and that he isn’t entitled to feel hurt when someone he trusts lies to him.

For Magnus the situations with the Clave have continued to build; the centuries of lying and prejudice against Downworlders; the body swap and torture he endured, which I don’t think they even apologised for; refusing to execute Valentine even after that, and everything else he has done; the DNA testing (which Alec participated in); the trackers; and they lied to everyone about the Soul Sword, a weapon that was used to kill hundreds of Downworlders and Valentine intended to use to wipe out all Downworlders.

Magnus cannot trust the Clave to really help them if they need it, and although Alec may not always agree with the Clave he is bound to them and has shown that he is willing to follow their orders even against his own gut feeling. So, Magnus feels that he needs to distance himself of the Clave and Shadowhunters in order to protect his people, his family, to the best of his abilities.

Magnus is still feeling very hurt, betrayed and angry about Alec lying to him especially after baring his heart and soul to him; and after Alec promised a policy of transparency with the Downworld Cabinet. Also, in show timeline their fight was only last night so it is still incredibly fresh.

He always trusted Alec to be honest with him, told him things he had never told anyone; opened his heart for the first time in 100 hundred years to let Alec in. So having Alec betray his trust, especially to hide something that big, it has severely hurt him; he never expected Alec to lie to him, to hurt him like this.

I am not saying anything against Alec, as I said in my last review I understand why Alec felt that he needed to keep it a secret. I am merely explaining why Magnus is so hurt and makes the decision to let go of Alec, at least for now. In the show timeline it has been less than 24 hours since he found out that Alec lied to him, so it is understandable that he is still feeling very hurt. It is very fresh and he is being forced to make a very important decision, in only a few hours, while he isn’t in the best frame of mind.

Luke welcomes the new pack members, and old ones back; he knows that they need to be united for the war with Valentine ahead. They need to be able to rely on and trust each other in order to protect each other and survive. Maia is looking after Bat, reassuring him and integrating him into their way of life; I am excited to see what role he is going to play in future episodes. We see that a camera has been planted in the Jade Wolf and someone is spying on them; which turns out to be Ollie and Sam. ‘You believe me now?’ It is clear that Raphael’s encanto didn’t work, at least not completely; it will be very interesting to see why.

Izzy feels extremely guilty for being the one to bring Sebastian into the Institute, for trusting him so readily; Alec reassures her, they all trust him and brought him further into their lives. What I (and others) noticed is that Alec is not in his usual hands behind his back relaxed stance. Even when he is comforting Izzy he keeps one arm wrapped around his middle in a self comforting gesture; then moves to cross both of his arms across his chest. His whole body language in this scene says defensive, self-protecting and comforting; it is clear that he is very affected by Magnus leaving and is trying to keep his emotions in. He can’t fall apart right now with everything that’s going on.

Clary figures out that the mirror they had, which turned to dust why she tried to nullify it, was a decoy; Izzy inputs that it was to distract people from finding the real one. This makes a lot of sense, using a fake to distract people from the real mirror in order to keep it safe.

Clary then realises that the mirror is Lake Lyn, the visions she was having in the lake was showing her reflections in the water; a reflection of herself and a reflection of the Soul Sword. I am very interested to see how this is going to play out; are they going to tell anyone? Tell the Downworld Cabinet to prevent a blow up like what happened with the Sword secret? How are they going to protect a whole lake from Valentine? I am getting so excited for these last two episodes.

This is an absolutely amazing episode; I loved all the Malec scenes even though they did break my heart; I loved seeing Luke being a badass; and I loved learning more about Maia. I am very excited and anxious for what these last two episodes hold; I NEED Malec to get back together before the season finishes, I don’t think I can survive six months with them being apart. I am so scared because someone is going to die! Probably more than one person! And I am not ready for the heartbreak that is probably coming!

On a positive note though, some fans are speculating that they are going to bring the Alliance Rune into the last episodes; and I know that in the books Magnus and Alec use this rune. So I am very excited to see if these speculations come true.