#simon/maia was good while it lasted and i liked clary/jace in season 3

[to-be-a-dreamer]

I watched Shadowhunters for the first time (don't ask why we all know the reason) and I have. So many questions. But the only one I have the mental capacity to ask right now is: Where the frick do Alec's arrows come from???

Cause sometimes he pulls them directly out of his quiver but he only ever carries like six at a time and we never see him pick them back up. And then sometimes he summons them??? Or something??? I dunno they just kinda appear in his hand in a glow of light??? So are they magic? But we saw him get some out of the armory in Season 1 so he can't just make them out of nothing. And then sometimes he raises his bow and there's just an arrow (or five) already loaded and he doesn't have a quiver on at all.

Where do they come from??? Also, why is Alec the only shadowhunter we ever see using a ranged weapon? Like I get it that we want the main four to all have different specialty weapons but Alec is seemingly the only archer in the entire institute this feels like a massive oversight on everyone's part. Sometimes we see someone throw a spear or a knife but that's not the same and you know it, why is there not an entire division of fighters who specialize in archery?

[noxstellacaelum]

Clary STILL deserved her story

So, Todd Slavkin, the showrunner (along with Darren Swimmer) of Seasons 2 and 3 of Shadowhunters TV, just published a book about his time with the show.  It purports to be a BTS account of his experience running SHTV, with proceeds going to the Trevor Project and a couple of other charities. Sigh.  Every damn time I think I am finally through with this silly, pulpy show, I get pissed off all over again.   

The TL;DR version:  OH MY GOD CAN THIS MAN PLEASE JUST STOP???!!!!  SHTV had the IP rights to the 6-book Mortal Instruments Series.  Clary is the protagonist of this series:  Her journey is the scaffolding upon which the series’ narrative is constructed.  Centering Clary (and her love Jace) in what author Cassie Clare has described as a “girl power” story was an intentional narrative choice in TMI. So why, then, did Todd and Darren treat all of the female characters like garbage and erase Clary’s entire narrative arc in favor of bizarre non-canon plot twists and ancillary characters? Why did they encourage toxic fandom ship wars that pitted fans of Clary (and her love Jace) against fans of Malec?  We NEVER, EVER should have had to choose between representation of LGBTQ+ characters and stories and Clary’s narrative arc.  

Longer version:

First, credit where credit is due.  I am glad that Todd is raising money for worthy charities.  I am a long-time supporter of the Trevor Project, and the show and its fans have been loyal supporters of this organization for at-risk LGBT+ youth for years. Good for him for publicly supporting the Trevor Project once again.

Second, SHTV is to be commended for its racially diverse casting (casting choices for which Todd and Darren cannot claim credit, BTW, since they were brought on in S2) and for its commitment to representation for LGBT+ characters and relationships.  While the show was far from perfect in this regard, in my view -- I don’t think they got bi representation right with Magnus -- credit is due. 

BUT NO AMOUNT OF VIRTUE SIGNALING OR REPRESENTATION THROUGH MALEC CAN MAKE UP FOR THE MESS THAT DARREN AND TODD MADE OF SHTV, ESPECIALLY IN 3B AND THE FINALE. I have gone down this rabbit hole so many times, so I will just summarize here:

In a nutshell, every female character was hijacked.  

- For example, Mayrse seems to have existed in S2 and S3 solely to be punished for her S1 homophobia through a non-canon de-runing, then redeemed by becoming captain of the Malec ship.  In S3, in particular, it’s as though she has no other children. She does not realize that Jace has been possessed by Lilith.  She is never shown helping Jace deal with the loss and heartbreak he experiences first after thinking that Clary was killed by Lilith, and then after Clary’s memory is wiped. Literally the only moment that Mayrse and Jace appear together in the finale is at the Malec wedding -- when she (along with everyone else) neglects to realize that Clary is distraught because her runes are disappearing.  By the end of the finale, Mayrse is surfing in Brazil, worried about the effect of humidity on her hair, while Jace remains suicidal and grieving.  Seriously?!?!?!  Putting aside all of the non-canon fan service plot twists, have the showrunners ever met a mother?  No mother would ignore the pain and trauma that Jace experienced due to his possession by Lilith, or after Clary’s exile from the shadow world.  And, what does show Mayre’s treatment of Jace say about adoption?  For a show so concerned about representation, what about Jace’s story as a survivor of abuse and neglect?

Clary. What is there even to say.  

- For one thing, the show completely botched Clary’s love life.  First, there was the jumping into bed with Simon, her lifelong best friend, without any sense of struggle/ uncertainty about her feelings, followed by episode after episode of Climon shipping.  Book Clary is conflicted -- she doesn’t always treat Simon very well, but she’s 15 (in the books), and she’s dealing with her identify as a shadowhunter and her feelings for Jace (and the whole incest story line (which I am glad the show dealt with reasonably quickly)). Show Clary seems almost entirely unconflicted.  It’s as though sex with Simon was no big deal -- even though the show suggests that Simon (HER BEST FRIEND) may well have been her first sexual experience, and forgetting the fact that she’d clearly been falling for Jace (who she now thinks is her brother). 

-Second, the Dark Clary storyline is creepy, at best, especially regarding Clary’s sexuality.  Think about it.  Clary  does not sleep with Jace on the show until after Lilith puts the twinning rune on her.  (Despite having jumped into bed with Simon no problem.)  And then, full-on Dark Clary is shown going down on Jace in a club, and assaulting him, when he was grief-stricken and basically roofied. (Apparently, the only time women on the show get to be sexually assertive is when they are evil (read-Lilith) or possessed (Clary)).  None of this made any sense. 

-Third, the memory wipe is total bullshit.  In what TMI universe would Clary, the protagonist, be left alone on an NYC in a skimpy party dress, with no money, no identity, no memories of the past 4 months, no apartment, no mother, no father figure, no love of her life, no best friend, and no chosen family?  In what universe would her love Jace not have seen her runes disappearing?  In what universe would Jace have let Clary walk about the door sobbing, especially when she had just killed her last living relative to save the world, and after she had only just returned from the twinning rune/dark side?   In what universe would an angel have exiled Clary from the shadow world, and taken away her memories, after she saved the world?  Especially when literally every other character got to keep the Sight despite their bad acts (read, Valentine, Aldertree, Jace as the owl, possessed Alec after killing Clary’s mother, Sebastian/ Jonathan after mass murder ...)

Maia’s random Jace hookup. ‘Nuff said.

And finally, the Jace character was basically collateral damage for all of this.

- The show vacillated between blaming Jace for Magnus/Alec/ Malec problems (Magnus losing his magic to free Jace from Lilith) and erasing the parabatai bond between Alec and Jace entirely, especially in 3B, even though though the parabatai relationship is core SH canon.  Alec doesn’t realize Jace is possessed for most of 3A.  He tells Jace to suck it up in 3x11 when Jace is clearly grieving and suicidal.  And, he is shown mixing cocktails in Alicante with Magnus in the finale without a care in the world for Jace’s struggle in the year following Clary’s exile.  It’s all Malec all the time for Alec.  Yes, Jace/Alec have their ups and downs in the books.  But they work through them.  And, the parabatai bond is a source of strength for both book Alec and book Jace. With a couple of exceptions, this nuanced and lovely book relationship is lost in the show.

- In fact, the show deprived Jace of every relationship.  As noted above, Mayrse doesn’t seem to remember that Jace is her child in S3.  Alec is focused entirely on his relationship with Magnus most of the time.  Jace and Clary have basically no screen time as a couple.  And, no one really seems to give a shit. Not for Jace the son/sibling/parabatai.  And not for his mental health, or his trauma after a childhood of abuse and neglect.

After all of this, the wedding was just icing on the cake. Alec and Magnus’s marriage is well-earned in Clare’s books. They get married after five years of a healthy, loving, committed relationship.  They remain -- in addition to their relationship with eachother -- son/sibling/parabatai (Alec) and a brave and loving downworlder (Magnus).  None of this let’s get married the day after Jonathan’s mass slaughter and after Clary is forced to kill her last living relative, after three or so months of mostly unsuccessful dating.

I want to be clear that I LOVE the Malec relationship, and that representation of this relationship as loving, healthy and joyous has a great deal of personal meaning to me.  But I should never have had to sacrifice Clary (and her love Jace) to see a meaningful relationship between Magnus and Alec on-screen.  We ALL deserve nice things, after all.  Lifting up Malec NEVER, EVER mean we had to destroy Clary, Jace and Clace.

SO, I’ll be donating on my own to the Trevor Project.  Maybe someday Todd and Darren will reflect upon the damage that they did.

[prettygraceful]

ok, i’ve been telling my dad this for months and i thought i’d finally share here. here is my dream scenario for when shadowhunters comes back (since i still keep hope that it will). and by that i mean what should happen- within realistic parameters- that i think would bring the show more general positive reactions, a larger fanbase, and stable success to ensure many more wonderful seasons. so we pick up shortly after where the epilogue left off- with the mains divided into the new york group and the alicante group- and they stay split up. this allows for 2 “A” storylines to run concurrently to allow for a wider audience to stay invested and more character dynamics to be fully explored, instead of shoved into rushed, very limited screentime “B” and “C” storylines. i’m thinking similar to daenerys and jon snow (pre s7) in GOT, aka equally important main leads.

clary remains the hub of the NY squad, as she’s always been. she is the favored female of the fandom, and this still honors the spirit of the books. alec becomes the hub of the alicante squad. he is the favored male of the fandom (tv time’s recent poll had him at more votes than the next 2 guys combined. he had over 700,000 while jace and magnus only had over 300,000 apiece. clary was at over 200,000). ok, we’ve got the chosen by logic “hubs” so let’s talk the “spokes”. 

NY squad includes jace, obviously, and simon, izzy, maia. but instead of sizzy or saia, they slowly develop into a polyamorous throuple. this accomplishes many things: 1st, the shippers could make peace. 2nd, maia would have a solid link to who’s always been the center of SH: the lightwoods family. and 3rd, it could trim the fat, so to speak. instead of having supporting character wlw (heline, ollie, sam- all stereotypically characterized tv wlw, who only ate up screentime that should’ve gone to the downworlder mains imo) the wlw rep could be izzy and maia- already fleshed out mains. after spending time together resulting in unlocking some feelings, they could all get together since they both still care for simon too. now they’d have to be bi/ pan obviously- so no lesbian rep- but as a lesbian myself, i’m averse to the idea that every show has to “check every box”. quality over quantity. a trio of only POC is original vs just another wlw pair with 1 white person. as long as it was written properly, it could avoid bi stereotypes. 

now the NY squad has all the different dynamic options to explore that this fandom seems to love (clace, climon, clizzy, claia, sizzy, saia, jimon, and jaia. and the jace/ izzy dynamic can finally get it’s dues!) and with a 3 POC to 2 white ratio, it’s better diversity than when things always revolved around the squad of shadowhunters in s1 thru s3. meliorn can join the fun sometimes. clary gets her powers back, but hopefully without the “mary sue” aspect. when the solution for everything was often just being shown new runes and drawing them, where was the earned achievement? (versus like when valentine was defeated, she did that!) generally, self-made heroes- rather than “born special”- are more relatable and inspirational. like arya vs daenerys- who was born able to hatch dragons in fire. she achieved so much, but without the dragons- like clary’s angel powers- none of it would’ve been possible. then again, i know daenerys is very popular, so my preference in hero types obviously isn’t universal. so either way, i guess.

on to the alicante squad (my personal favs)! magnus and luke have obviously already joined alec here, and they’re rebuilding the shadowhunter homebase to be an accepting environment. there has to be an actual lengthy, difficult power struggle here- an extremely prejudiced regime like the clave wouldn’t just topple overnight. maryse is here too and should be bumped up to be a main. then it’d be 4 women to 5 men as our mains- much more balanced. then 1 or 2 new lady characters could be introduced. let’s get some new blood on the show! and to appropriately fit into the already existing dynamic here, it’d be best if they were 30+ in age. (and hopefully they cast taller ladies, cuz aside from the mother roles- jocelyn and maryse- all of them have been 5′2″ to 5′5″ and it’s time to mix it up). they can develop solid friendships with our squad. also the parabatri needs to finally get it’s dues, since we’ve been robbed long enough. ok, and so with 1 shadowhunter, 1 downworlder, 1 sh turned dw turned sh again, and 1 sh turned mundane, there’s a lot of different perspectives here. and the new ladies could have their own unique perspectives as well. so it’d be very interesting for there to be problems they all must solve, but they each have their own ideas on how to go about it. thru compromise at times- and deferring to the one who’s perspective lends a better insight other times- they’d have innovative solutions.

to address why mizzy instead of either with clary, why the new women would probably not be wlw, and why the “hubs” are both white- it’s cuz the point of this post is me throwing in my 2 cents on what changes could be made- in the hands of new showrunners and now that we’re free of the book material- but is still possible, realistic, and viable given the way the industry machine works, and the demographic of this fandom. i’d also like to note that i just really want raphael and catarina gone, since they refuse to let magnus interact with them! they each only had 4 eps with him, yet they’re his “family”? it became beyond absurd! raphael= none in s1. 1 in s3. catarina= none in s1/ s2. only 1 in 3b- 3x22 doesn’t count cuz they didn’t talk at all. and for those who’d balk at alec being separated from jace and izzy, i say- have you never met adult siblings? it’s healthy, normal, and encouraged in society, that when siblings grow up, they go their own separate ways and live independent lives. forge their own paths. it does not mean they love their siblings any less. i have a sister, i should know. 

in conclusion, the 2 separate squads would have their own adventures in the first 8 episodes of each half season. i think most everyone agrees that politically driven themes- dealt with symbolically thru this fantasy world- would make for better story arcs rather than just good vs evil (val, jonathan, lilith) all the time (esp since SH doesn’t have the budget to make fantasy elements very exciting). since there is a nice ratio of shadowhunters and downworlders in each squad, the set up for these themes would already be in place. and then much like any show that has divided storylines, at some point you’ve got to bring them all together. this could happen in the 9th episode. a wedding or holiday celebration or whatever. they could all sit around a giant table and have a feast and this ep could just be warm and fuzzy. lightwood family time- including magnus/ jace’s long overdue friendship- and a chance for them all to reconnect, until the last scene of the ep when some big bad guy dramatic problem could arise. then the final ep of the half season could be them all working together (as a whole or separately in smaller groups) to defeat the big bad (save the budget and the big fantastical sets/ creatures for the finales). end on an exciting cliffhanger. ta da! 

[thereallifecath]

Hail & Farewell

This is my formal letter to Shadowhunters and my thoughts on the ending. The show ended on Tuesday, but I wanted to wait a few days to gather my thoughts so I could deliver a clear response to the finale episode.

I've been a fan of Shadowhunters for quite some time. I watched the 'The Mortal Instruments' movie once, sometime after it came out in 2013. I liked the movie, so I went and found out there were books and read them. Needless to say, I became a fan. Malec was basically the first OTP of mine, the first ship of mine.

So, when the tv show got put on Netflix in 2016, my sister and I watched it, and well, we actually, in total honesty, didn't like the show at first. We thought it was bad acting. So, we put it aside and got hooked into the world of werewolves and Scott McCall. Which was fine until we got a bit sick of complaining.

Teen Wolf was a great show don't get me wrong, but my sister and I got tired of the lack of proper representation. It bothered us that fantasy/supernatural shows didn't have the representation they should, so in an effort to try again, I went back to Shadowhunters, my sister doing the same not too long after me, and we got stuck into it.

We binge-watched the first season and became obsessed with Alec and Magnus and that incredible episode titled Malec. We fell in love with every character except you know, Valentine, and Raj - oh how we hate Raj. But yeah, I also found myself in so many of these characters, and it felt nice to not have to complain about a tv show.

And that was the most important part I guess. There was nothing to complain about. Yeah, there was some bad writing and acting in the first season, but by season 2 it was a hell of a lot better, and by season 3 - the best.

It was an incredible show for one huge reason I have said time and time again like a broken record - representation. This tv show had more than one main character who was Latinx. It had more than one main character who was black. It had more than one main character who wasn't white. There was Alec who was gay, and Magnus who was Bi, plus Ollie who was a lesbian and in a loving relationship with her girlfriend.  And not forgetting Underhill - another Shadowhunter who was gay - and Aline Penhallow and Helen Blackthorn - both lesbian and end up together by the end of the show.

It also represented women right. Not in a half-assed, pit women against other women, women always have to be strong or always have to be girly, way. It showed that women can be badass and fight better than men, but they also can be totally into fashion at the same time. It showed women to be strong, smart and quick learners, but also to be sensitive and creative. It didn't pit the 'pretty girl' against the 'new girl'.

This show let men show emotions, it let men be weak, it let men cry, it let men be sensitive and not good fighters.

This show conveyed themes of trauma and mental illness well, it conveyed themes of racism and misogyny and religion well. It handled every important issue so well.

For those reasons, I'll miss this show dearly. But I'll miss this show, also for the cast, and the family that was created along the way. This show brought so many people closer together and for that, I'm so very thankful.

The ending, I was worried about. Mainly because endings of shows, and movie series, can be disappointing, they have been disappointing. So, I was worried it would be a letdown, or it would be anti-climatic. But, it wasn't.

It was the best ending I've ever seen. It had amazing parallels, and some beautifully happy moments compared with some tragically sad moments.

The beginning of All Good Things... was just beautiful with all three couples waking up all happy. The music, the way Sizzy finally got their time to shine, the way Clace finally got some time back together, the way Malec woke up as an engaged couple... it was all so beautiful.

The bittersweet plot of this episode was just... whoever decided to create this plot, you should pat yourself on the back. It was just incredible. The fact that Clary gave up her runes, to save the world, was just hauntingly epic. And that scene with Clary, destroying Jonathan, that made me cry so hard. It was so sad to watch Jonathan try and fail to change, to be better.

Of course, what I really want and should talk about is the end. It made me cry sure, but I feel like it was a perfect ending. Clary slowly losing her runes, and then her memory and ability to see the shadowworld... it was so heartbreaking but it made for a good ending. After we got to see things from the books make their way into the show, with Maia opening Takis, and then after getting to see the characters have a happy ending. Like Alec being the new Inquisitor of the clave, and Magnus being the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Downworlders and Shadowhunters finally living in peace while Izzy runs the New York Institute with Simon by her side.

That last scene with Jace going to Clary's art school, and standing off to the side and just watching her, with his glamour on. And then she goes up to him, looks at him, and talks to him. And he says the line, the same line he said in the very first scene of this entire show - 'You can see me?'

It was just beautiful. This story began with those words and then began again with those words. Perfect ending.

The show may be over, it may be done, but the family that this fandom created, the friends I've made through this show, the belonging so many people felt... all that will never go away. That's for life.

I'll be forever thankful for this show, this cast, this fandom, this family, for everything they did, and everything they gave me.

Hail and Farewell Shadowhunters.

[dreamycloud1]

Think Piece for 3/20

SHADOWHUNTERS

I cried like a little BITCH! Maryse told Magnus that Alec meant to propose and it was then and there Magnus Bane decided nothing was going to come between him and his king.

Clace, even though everyone hates on it. Was actually really good this episode. Jace showed true weakness and emotional instability that seemed genuine when he learned Alicante was being destroyed.

Sizzy had a really good episode too. Izzy proved herself time and time again and in the end she forged the sword that broke the connection between Jonathan and Clary AND saved Simons life.

Jonathan is well... losing it. The trailer shows him with white hair and pretty much he swan dived off the deep end. Clary was the only real thing keeping him from break apart and now that she’s gone he has nothing to stop him from being ‘all-powerful’.

Luke and the Praetor is confusing and interesting. I’m assuming because it’s something they introduced so late into the season that it hopefully will become an important plot point in these last two episodes. I really don’t personally see a point for it if not. I mean it could be a book plot point but at this point it’s the last season and they could honestly do anything and not have to follow the book.

I want to take a moment and appreciate Jordan since his death occurred tonight. He started out as this really really bad dude. I would say aside from Clace I hated him the most simply because he manipulated a lot of people. While he never stopped doing this because after all, it’s a character flaw, he did get better and toward the end he legitimately started caring for Maia more and regretted what he did. He even gave the injection bottle to Maia for her to be happy. Even if it could save him I don’t think he would’ve taken it.

MADZIE IS GOING TO BE THE FLOWER GIRL IM SO READY FOR MY BIG HAPPY MALEC FAMILY.

[jcmorgenstern]

3x12 “review” (aka whining)

Okay so 3x12! First the things I liked, so this doesn’t come off as a gigantic whining list of things I hated. (I feel kind of bad I didn’t do a 3x11 review because I actually really liked that one, but I guess I have more motivation to whine than anything else).

readmore for length and sanity.

So things I liked:

Luke and Jace interaction! Though the pacing was absolutely insane and I absolutely refuse to believe that the Clave has the infrastructure in place to take detailed barometric readings in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE SIBERIA, so detailed that Jace can easily pinpoint exactly where the apartment was. Like I wouldn’t believe they have that kind of detail in rural Iowa, let alone a place that’s colder than balls.

That last point was all whining.The Morgenstern sword!! Y’all have NO idea how long I spent being mad that Valentine didn’t have it in the first two seasons. It now seems a bit odd to introduce it now considering Valentine didn’t in fact ever have it, but whatever. Also Clary being like “fuck Morgenstern weapons” was kind of funny considering her kindjals are waiting at home.

Magnus’ storyline. Though it’s kind of weird and rushed and confused, I’m just glad my man is getting some real focus on him as a person rather than a love interest or idk some overblown “son of Edom” thing.

Cain was, I admit, a really cool and interesting concept, and I already really like Pasha!! I hope he’s continuing to get better after his surgery. Don’t love as much how they’re mainlining Lilith as the Biggest Bad Ever and a Whole Evil B*tch (more on that lovely term of endearment later).

Mirek was really cool, kind of had to laugh at the “demon middle class.” Can’t help but wonder if the “status quo��� thing was a deliberate political joke or not. Either way, Jonathan has never met a structure he doesn’t want to overthrow. Does the Clave spark joy? Apparently not.

MELIORN IS BACK!!!!! And wants a threesome, apparently.

Jonathan peevishly being like “I forgive you for trying to kill me, btw” and Clary just rolling her eyes and ignoring him.

Jonathan’s fucking GAAAY. (Or bi. pan. whatever. You do you. All I’m saying is THIS BITCH RAINBOW). I do not care what the intention was, that’s what I’m choosing to get out of it.

Things I didn’t like:

the plot of this episode is pretty much enough material for an entire season. They compressed it so much people are calling it a filler episode. Jace and Luke figure out the secret of the apartment (which is untraceable), go to Siberia, figure out Jonathan is alive, find Clary and rescue her and that’s only about 15 minutes of footage overall. That could be spread out over 15 episodes.

On the Simon side: they find the first fucking vampire, become his new bestie, get the only thing in the world that could rid him of the mark without any sort of price or even really having to ask, they get back into Faerie without any problems, Meliorn takes them right to the Queen despite knowing Simon has a weapon of death on his face, she agrees without argument to unmark him not even knowing if he’ll explode or what, the mark is off in about 14 seconds, the FUCKING DRUG PLOTLINE IS BACK AG A. I N. And then rose petals. That could have been the entire SEASON.

No Maia. (I know she’s in the next ep I just want to complain).

It’s also weird because it seems like Malec is progressing on normal time and the other two story strands are progressing on some extreme kind of fast-forward. It gives you all kinds of whiplash. If there was any kind of thematic overlap or even an attempt to connect the strands thematically it might work to ground the other storylines but it. Does not.

I hate that the apartment is Lilith’s and not Valentine’s, and that apparently it can only go to a few select spots now. NOT. THE. POINT. Point = missed.

And onto the things that bothered me the most: the whole treatment of Jonathan and Clary, and the Sizzy. For which I need an entire section to bitch.

Jonathan and Clary: why god have you abandoned me

* Ok so honestly, I had to go and check to see who wrote 3x11 and 3x12, because  it had to be different people. 3x11 was by Todd and Darren, and 3x12 was by Alex Schemmer. Schemmer has only written one other episode in 3a (3x03), which explains to me why he seems to have missed a fair bit of lore. To me, the huge difference between 3x11 and 12, which basically deal with the same plot line (Clary kidnapped by Jonathan, wary of him, trying to escape) but in hugely different ways and different focus.

In 3x11, the focus is all on Clary. Her initial confusion, her fear, anger, the attempt to escape, the attempt to kill Jonathan. All shot from her point of view. She takes more action than he does—she runs away, she grabs the knife, she stabs him. He is mostly reacting to her, running after her, offering her soup and tea and trying to win her over. Even when he does talk, the scenes where he talks about himself are brief and she shares equal part in the conversation.

This makes sense, as she is the main character.

In 3x12, everything is about Jonathan. From the first shot everything is about him, the camera focusing on him even when Clary is the focus of the scene (i.e., when she’s finding new clothes—and was a shirtless scene necessary? Like we get it, you nearly killed poor Luke in a gym somewhere, thanks for the update). Every time he and Clary talk, it’s just him talking at her. “I forgive you for killing me.” Telling her she’s good at art. Telling her there’s an Institute nearby. Telling her he likes art. She can barely get a word in edgewise from the get-go, and it only gets worse on the hot chocolate “date.”

He says the whole point is to get to know each other better, but he LITERALLY talks about himself the whole time. Clary barely even reacts, just makes eyes at a phone. He doesn’t even seem to notice she’s not listening. Like guys, this is every bad tinder date ever. Then they go to to the antiques store, and even then she’s shuffled off—shoo! Get out of the scene!! Even the French guy interrupts her at every turn and she gets shuffled off like a sack of potatoes *again*.

Like don’t tell me Clary couldn’t kick his ass and then explain things to him when he’s pinned to the ground. It would be faster, safer, and if Jonathan shows up again she can be like “ohh he was threatening us!! Look, I beat him up to keep us safe!” and Jonathan would buy it hook, line, and sinker. Since killing people in broad daylight is ok, clearly the show isn’t worried about the realism of fighting in the streets.

And then she’s shuffled off AGAIN, and although the show clearly understands that being kidnapped and controlled by your dangerously unhappy brother who seriously has the creepy hots for you is a pretty freakin SCARY situation, it still shows all this from Jonathan’s point of view, teasing the “romance” of it all and giving us hehe teehee little slips of it (like the shirtless scene). And then when she finally is able to break free and actually do something, he yells “BITCH” at her and runs off, and she falls into Jace’s arms, completely forgetting to act like a real human being.

The reason why 3x11 works so much more for me is that Clary is at least an equal partner, and is given space to react and actually do things; in 3x12 they seem to take any excuse to bundle her off, keep her out of frame, mute her reactions. Jonathan and his feelings take center stage and suddenly Clary is a side character in her own story. 3x11 is more compelling because Jonathan is legitimately trying to win her over, trying to connect with her, personally. It’s obvious he cares about her opinions as a person and her as a person—you couldn’t replace her with a cardboard cutout and the scene would read the same. They actually interact. In 3x12 he’s just ranting at her about himself while she sits there. On no narrative level is there any sort of connection or interaction.

Like imagine the situation differently. They’re in art store, because lbr the real museums prolly wouldn’t let them shoot there, and Clary is talking to Jonathan about her favorite prints and artists. He’s listening, maybe a little too intently, maybe talks about a piece he likes and what it means to him. She looks unnerved. As they talk, the camera follows her gaze, and we realize she is trying to find someone’s phone to take it. She’s pretending, of course, but there is something charming about Paris. Jonathan keeps offering to buy her souvenirs, very awkwardly, trying to find something to please her. She picks something to make him happy. He returns from the register just before she can make a grab for someone’s phone and bolt for the door. He suggests they go to the cafe across the square. We cut to where they’re sitting down, she’s tearing into a croissant. Jonathan is wearing a “I <3 PARIS” cap, which is a bit jarring and distracting. Clary tells him it looks silly and he takes it off. He mentions in a forcedly offhand way that this is where he met Sebastian Verlac, and seeing her expression, quickly adds that he knows what he did is wrong. She says something along the lines of “do you, tho” and he launches into his monologue. She tells him that she liked Sebastian Verlac, even though she never met the real him. He looks happy at first, then seems to understand what she means, and his expression darkens. He tells her that that’s exactly what Valentine said she would say—that she likes Sebastian, not him. She looks disturbed at the mention of Valentine, and he takes the opportunity to tell her the whole thing about not wanting to hurt anyone and the whole thing being about killing Valentine.

And yada yada yada you get the idea.

Honestly the whole rescue felt very contrived—how convenient Clary has been posthumously pardoned one day before her rescue! And then Jonathan calling her a bitch—haha no thanks. The entitlement is uhh Not Great.

Anyway tldr @ Alex schemmer Clary is not a sofa pls give her some human emotion pls and thanks

Sizzy: why god have you abandoned me, the sequel

Honestly writing that entire wall of text wiped me out but ill try

The drug arc is the bane of my existence

Im so tired

I thought we’d be done in season 2 yet here we are at the end. Drug arc: 1. Actual character development: 0.

Why is this the ONLY plot line the show can remember or keep running for more than 2 episodes. WHY

Why does she even like Simon. They never interact. They don’t even know each other. Everything is just an excuse to get them together. it’s forced and leaden.

Playing her and Raph off as badwrong and her and Simon as rose petal romantic is weird af dude. Izzy has just been the tail end of male characters’ storylines for so long and I’m tired.

If they’d played it off as a sacrifice on her part I might be less mad, like paint her as a hero but it just felt like this was expected of her. It was romantic because there was nothing else to do and OF COURSE she couldn’t refuse!!! Please be realistic, she’s a woman. Think of herself even a little? Impossible!

Never mind she could have easily used her medical training to open a larger artery, pour the blood into his mouth, and iratze herself as soon as Simon was cogent enough to be out of danger. He was already woken up enough to drink the blood she poured from her hand. No biting/venom necessary. Lmao.

Stop treating Izzy like shit just to force a romantic storyline seriously lmao

Aaaaanyway lol that was like 20000000 words but those are my thoughts if you made it to the end you deserve a trophy or smth

[couragehopelovefaith]

My review of Shadowhunters finale part 2

I have watched the finale for three times in a row now, and am loving it more and more. This is gonna be such a mess, because I am so emotional right now. *haha*

I guess It's easiest to start with Maia. Her actress said that because of her schedule stuff they had to shoot her scenes very fast, but she did a great job. I am glad that they decided to have a couple of Saia-scenes as friends and Simon being there in the Jordan’s memorial. I am also glad that she eventually decided to go and meet her parents and solve their issues. The romance between her and the guy whose name I don’t right now remember seemed a little rushed, but we have to remember that in their world it has been a year. Tell me if I am wrong, but isn’t that guy who was turned accidentally and who Simon and Maia helped back on season 2? I am grateful that they gave Maia that restaurant - and a happy ending. (Plus that little detail that she named a dish after Clary… </3 )

Ding dong, the witches (or should I say bitches) are dead. Let me start by saying that I love the showdown between Magnus and Lilith. It really shows that Magnus can use his sassiness and dark side without letting it consume him too much. She knows what to say to get under Magnus’ skin (the words about his friends), but he has gone through too much manipulation to let Lilith control him or anyone else. After the fact that Lilith is the reason Simon got his mark and that caused so much trouble, it's really fitting that the heavenly fire inside Izzy was the thing that got her killed. A part of me is kind of sad that we never saw Kain again - after all, she promised to get his brother back for his help against the others, right?

If you think about it, the quiet ones are always the worst in the cases like this? And I am referring to the Seelie Queen. You could never be sure, which side she was on. She is almost always in her realm, giving orders without actually intefering, but is still - sorry, was - the huge part of everything (making deals with Valentine, wanting to kill Jonathan and Clary…). I was actually kind of freaked about this weird obsession she had on Jonathan. Jonathan just couldn’t have one healthy relationship, could he? I am really glad that the actress who portrayed the youngest version of her was able to come back, even for this short second. Without actually seeing her face but only hearing her voice when she’s dying actually makes it worse and more chilling. I am actually really relieved and happy that Meliorn left her side and reconnected with Shadowhunters. Despite he did such a questionable things sometimes, I never saw him as a bad guy. His humor and sassy was always refreshing and he and Jace made a really good pair. Did he eventually survive, though? I didn’t catch that. 

When it comes to Jonathan... his transformation was well done and actually made me, once again, feel sorry for him. I am kind of glad that they showed him being completely dark for a moment. There were all these little details: his hair being turned out to blond since he no longer wanted to impress Clary or express their connection and he thought that all the hope of getting his sister back was gone - and that the red one returned when all the darkness had been sucked out of him. Like I said earlier, I loved their goodbye-scene and that they were alone there without any other people influencing the situation. I partly hoped that they would have shown us that dream they shared, or the moments of “what could have been” if their parents hadn’t messed things up - like in the books. But otherwise, beautiful job. Hats off for Luke for his awesome performance. 

Aline and Helen ending up together belongs to the “lovely, but wanted more”-section. Their chemistry is undeniable and they deserve to be happy. I can really imagine their wedding. Would someone be interested in writing a fanfic about that? I would be delighted to read that! Plus, I was glad that Helen was the one helping Izzy with the heavenly fire. 

Lorenzo and Underhill...was not something I expected, but - even to my own surprise - I like it. I wasn’t sure if they could redeem Lorenzo in such a short time, but they really did. The fact, that he, despite his jealousy and pride, eventually agreed to help the others with Magnus and guided Alec with his magic (while still partly being his shallow self) was beautiful. I want to give the special thumbs up for his discussion with Magnus. A need for a family is strong for human nature and he is not an exception. Yes, family is not always about the blood or biology, but it can be made. I mean… look at how moved he looks at the Malec’ wedding and how he dances with Madzie! Now that he’s redeemed, I would have wanted to know more about his earlier lover, that he mentioned about. However, when things are how they are...great ending for him.

I am really happy for Luke - and the fact that Preator did not turn out to be as bad as I previously thought they would. It’s kind of pity that he and Maryse did not get the last proper scene together (same with Luke and Maia), but they are obviously endgame. Come on, Maryse, did you really think that your own family wouldn’t notice such a clear chemistry? ;) The thought of these two travelling around Brazilia… yes, please! I have also loved the scenes between him and Alec, so them working together as equals is really heart-warming to see.

Even though he was a douchebag, I even enjoyed seeing Robert’s return and am really satisfied that all of them can be adults when it comes to that. Ooh, our baby boy Max has grown so much! <3 As horrifying as it was to see Max so close to evil Jonathan, it was great to see him fight back after what Jonathan did to him. In addition, Max calling Magnus his brother was something I never knew I needed.

Probably, it might be wise to stop this one here and share the last ones in the two parts. Thank you for reading these, it would be nice to hear your opinions as well. 

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters Series Finale Review

I can hardly believe it. We’ve reached the end of Shadowhunters. At last, this show has finally come to an end. It’s kind of a surreal feeling right now. I’ve spent the past three years with this show, for better and for worse (mostly worse, though) so to not have the show anymore does leave a vacancy in my cold, cold heart. But it’s okay, all good and bad things must come to an end. I’ll find something else to fill that vacancy and I can only hope that vacancy will be filled with something I actually enjoy unironically. But let’s talk about this finale.

As always, these are my thoughts and opinions on Shadowhunters. They don’t reflect anyone else’s. I’m very critical of this show. If you stan the show, that’s perfectly fine, we like what we like but just know I may be voicing opinions you don’t agree with. If you don’t like hearing opinions you disagree with, this may not be the review for you. You might want to skip the one. I’m not going to stop you from reading this (I can’t, really) but I will request you proceed with caution when reading this. If you do get offended and decide to send me a rude comment or ask regarding this, you’re free to do so. I can’t guarantee I’ll respond but you’re welcome to do so.

You know, this finale in individual moments, I didn’t completely hate. If there’s one thing this finale did right, it was making the decision to be much more character driven as opposed to plot-driven. Ideally, I would prefer a series finale to be a mix of both but this is Shadowhunters so there’s no way they’d be able to do that; it’s always one or the other and the show isn’t particularly good at either. But making their finale more about the characters as opposed to having an epic and climactic final battle was probably for the best. Revolving around the characters gave the show a chance to say good-bye to these characters. Now, if this show had properly developed these characters and the majority of these characters actually had chemistry with each other, this finale might have made me feel something. But ultimately, the extent of emotions I felt were, “that’s nice, I’m sure if you ship these characters, you probably loved that.” But I really didn’t feel anything beyond, “that’s nice” because this show has been terrible about character evolution, particularly season 3. Everything it attempted to do for its characters in the finale, while nice moments looking at it individually without the context of the rest of the show, but when looking at it all-together, it just leaves you feeling empty. Nothing it does with the characters’ endgames really hits home and makes you feel like it was earned.

What was the point of 3B?

Seriously, what even was the point of 3B. When looking at 3B as a whole, there is so much inconsequential stuff going on that could’ve been cut.

The entire Heidi plot should never have been a thing and ultimately, it had absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the season as a whole. There was this whole thing where Heidi was attempting to elevate the vampire clan into becoming actual vampires again but once she died, absolutely nothing came of it. That entire idea is just never brought up again. If we didn’t have the Heidi plot, we could’ve instead spent more time developing Maia as a burgeoning alpha, she could’ve had the alpha fight she was always supposed to have, and spent the remainder of the season working to improve vampire-werewolf relations and by the series finale, we could’ve had this truly awesome vampire-werewolf alliance.

And if the show still felt the need to end Saia for Sizzy, without the Heidi plot which started in 3A, the show could’ve had time to put development in that relationship and make it less insta-love. In 3A, Sizzy could’ve been introduced as these best friends who were helping each other out and then in 3B we could’ve seen them develop from friends-to-lovers. It still would’ve been a bit too quick for my taste, really, they should’ve been developing Sizzy from the very beginning instead of forgetting about them for 2 seasons and instead giving us a really problematic drug addiction romance storyline that did absolutely nothing for either of the parties involved.

The Asmodeus plotline in the grand scheme of things was completely pointless. It mattered very little on how things played out. So that could’ve been cut and it really wouldn’t have taken away much from the actual story. Magnus could still have gotten his magic back, he could’ve still gone back to Edom and the group could’ve still gone there to rescue him. All this time spent with Asmodeus really just took up way more time than the show was actually invested in following through with.

And of course, I’ve said this in previous reviews, Clary starting the season with Jonathon, getting rescued, then going back to Jonathon was a waste of time. She should’ve just stayed with Jonathon and the rest of Team Good spends about half the season trying to track her down and then use the remainder of the season to break Clary free of the mark.

Speaking of useless things, what even was the point of Cain beyond getting rid of the mark? Why did he show up to free Lillith and then never show up again? If the show just really needed to have Lillith in 3B (which they didn’t), she could’ve just freed herself. A third party in the form of Cain really wasn’t necessary.

There was just so much unnecessary fat in 3B. So much of it could’ve been trimmed off and we would’ve had so much more time to develop the things that actually needed to be developed. The season as a whole felt rushed but after you trim a lot of this extra stuff off, you realize that it really didn’t need to be.

Izzy Infected with Heavenly Fire

I’m of two minds on the whole Izzy thing being infected with heavenly fire. On one hand, it finally gave Izzy something to do and allowed her to have agency within the story. But on the other hand, it just didn’t make a whole lot of sense for her to be dealing with this issue of heavenly fire. She got these heavenly fire issues because she got some shrapnel embedded in her back but yet Clary, who actually go stabbed with the thing, got none of the heavenly fire? I guess it’s just one of those “there but for the grace of plot convenience” things. But ultimately, it also doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense character-wise for Izzy to be dealing with heavenly fire issues, either. The interesting thing about the whole Jace being infected with heavenly fire in the books is that, as a character, it involves him having to be careful with how he allows himself to feel things as those feelings can set off the heavenly fire as the heavenly fire’s purpose is meant to burn away any aspects of a person it perceives as evil. So something as simple as selfish desire can set it off. And that’s a huge part of Jace’s character in the books, his selfish desires. But also, they way the show wrote heavenly fire here is a little weird and I don’t really like how they use it. This entire show, the writers have been all about “downworlders aren’t evil, they’re just as human as the rest of us” but yet Izzy can’t go anywhere near someone with downworlder blood as the heavenly fire will attempt to destroy them because of their blood? And then Izzy goes to Edom as only downworlders or demons can survive in Edom for some reason? There the show goes again with for some reason dehumanizing the downworlders all of the sudden. And must the show have Izzy shooting off heavenly fire from her hands? Why must they make something as dangerous as heavenly fire so incredibly cheesy. And like always, it doesn’t last. Much like her addiction, she gets a magical fix to the problem that cures everything and she’s able to be with Simon despite not actually doing anything to earn that and it doing absolutely nothing for her character arc (not that Izzy has ever had much of a character arc to begin with).

I Guess I Should Talk About Malec

They got married. That’s about the most I have to say about them. It was something I didn’t really want for them because they have absolutely horrendous communication skills and there’s absolutely no part of me that believes their relationship has been built for last. Beyond the whole fact that they never properly deal with a conflict, for the life of me I still cannot figure out what it is that these two like about each other beyond their initial attraction. And also, they’ve only known each other for two months, three months tops. I would never even consider marrying someone I’d only known for three months. Three months is maybe around the timeframe I’d consider living with someone (and even that’s pushing it) but certainly not marriage. And can we also talk about the fact that they’re planning on getting married that night while they have Jonathon on the loose doing various villainous things, killing mundanes and shadowhunters and they don’t seem to care about that? They’re still happily planning out their wedding. There’s a pile of bodies stacking up but clearly the most important thing here is the wedding location and who to invite to it.  I’ve said it before, these characters are just absolutely the worst.

And it’s not that I don’t want to ship Malec. For the longest time while watching this show, I convinced myself I did but at around 2B, I just couldn’t ignore the things I hated about Malec anymore and just decided I was done giving them a pass for the sake of representation. But if you’re a huge Malec shipper (which I most decidedly am not) I’m sure you loved this moment. The wedding was a nice sentiment but ultimately the character development or lack thereof and certainly the fact that Matt and Harry have negative romantic chemistry with each other just really off-put the wedding for me. It’s really something when I feel more chemistry in a bromantic hug between Jace and Alec than a wedding kiss signifying true love between Magnus and Alec. I certainly don’t ship Jalec either but going off of chemistry alone, these two are way more believable together.

Clary Finally Faces Consequences

It may have taken three seasons but she was finally held accountable for something. Granted, it certainly wasn’t developed and had it been developed more, this would’ve resonated with me more but at least it’s something. The angels just out of the blue decide they don’t like Clary using that extra angelic power she has to create new runes. Apparently the final straw was her creating that Alliance rune and I’m just like, “really? That’s the final straw? Not her bringing someone back from the dead? Or creating pure sunlight out of her hand?” It’s her linking downworlders and shadowhunters together that truly makes them angry. Here we go with the show being all, “downworlders are akin to demons” for some reason again. The angels, in the form of Jocelyn (which it was nice to see Jocelyn again, it’s great that the show actually remembered that Clary wasn’t birthed from pure light) warn Clary that using her ability one more time will result in them taking away those powers. This seems to include her runes, her abilities, her ability to see the shadow world, even her memories, so of course there’s one more thing she has to use her abilities for. She has to use her abilities to finally kill Jonathon (by somothering him with angel wings, I guess, it was a weird death) so as we proceed with the wedding, she’s slowly deruned and when she leaves the Institute crying, she forgets everything. And we get a one-year time skip where she’s apparently back in art school and I’m just very curious as to how she didn’t end up homeless and seems to be doing so well for herself. She has no memory of what she’s been doing for the past few months, her apartment has been burnt down, she literally has nowhere to go. Where did she go after she walked away from the Institute?

But this was a plot point that was originally given to Simon in the books and I don’t really like that it was given to Clary here. It still would make more sense for Simon as a character to get this memory wipe as it would show Clary in much the same way that it does in the books, that consequences reaped from her impulsive behavior may not necessarily affect her but instead the people she loves. And it also shows Simon, a person who should never have been involved in the shadow world, it shows the shadow world that mundanes can be heroes in their own right.

I guess in it’s more basic form, the show’s plot point shows Clary as a hero but it doesn’t really do much for Clary as a character. It just engulfs her in more pure light of being this selfless creature in which she certainly is not, that’s just what the show likes to push. If the show wanted to go this route with Clary, allowing Clary to be the selfish, self-centered, spoiled character she really is would’ve been so much more impactful for a character arc culminating in this. It would show that selfishness, self-centeredness, while it can be seen as negative traits, if used a certain way, can also be seen as a hero’s trait and to me, that’s far more interesting of a character arc than what we actually got with Clary on the show.

The Epilogue

The epilogue was certainly nice and I didn’t hate it but again, character development to reach these points would’ve been nice. Maia fixing things between werewolves and vampires and creating Taki’s would’ve been nice if we’d gotten development for it before that that was something she was interested in. Alec being Inquisitor while a nice sentiment would’ve been better if Alec’s standing with the Clave was actually developed. It’s really hard for me to believe he became Inquisitor a year later when he’s done basically nothing in the Clave’s eyes to really earn that. Izzy being head of the Institute is nice but again, she’s done nothing really to legitimately earn that. The downworlder community working with the shadowhunter community is nice but again, it doesn’t feel earned.

As I said, I can appreciate the show going for a more character driven finale and it was probably for the best that they went that direction, but ultimately it didn’t really work as the show didn’t have the character or plot evolution to back-up anything they had going on. For the most part, this episode had “that’s nice” moments but none of it was truly impactful to me because of the lack of evolution. But I will say I did immensely like in the finale that they actually made Meliorn into a character and not set dressing as they typically do with him. It’s nice that they gave him this really kind of vain but yet loyal personality trait. We hadn’t really seen that before and it showed this foundation of where I could understand why he and Izzy were once a thing. Him and Izzy were probably the most believable of all of her relationships. I’d give the finale a B-. I’m feeling generous. It wasn't too terrible, filled with nice moments but ultimately didn’t really culminate into anything meaningful. This was probably the best we were going to get with this show.

[basicshadowhuntersstuff]

This super-sized news roundup covers the past two weeks in Shadowhunters news, updates, sneak peeks, and behind the scenes. All the stuff you need to stay up to date.

Official Promotion 

Season 3B Sneak Peek: 3x12 Malec morning scene (part of the #MarchToThePolls promotion). [1]

For all the last minute planners. Happy #Halloween! #Shadowhunters

Getting spooky. Magnus behind the scenes of #Shadowhunters Season 3B. 

Behind the scenes: Us counting down to Friday. #TBT #Shadowhunters 

SAVE. THE. DATE. The final episodes of @ShadowhuntersTV begin Monday, February 25th. #ShadowhuntersLegacy 

Behind the scenes with Alberto (Simon) and Alisha (Maia):  Can't help smiling at these two. #Shadowhunters

Freeform releases a Ziploc ad with Kat (Clary). 

Isaiah (Luke) kicked off his tenure as Freeform Santa on November 1st.

Behind the scenes with Dom (Jace) and Kat (Clary):  Going up. #Shadowhunters [3]

Behind the scenes with Mimi Kuzyk (Imogen Herondale): When the boss asks if you can come in on Saturday. #Shadowhunters

Behind the scenes with Emeraude (Izzy) and Will Tudor (Sebastian Verlac):  Izzy & Sebastian's band name would be ______. #Shadowhunters // @EmeraudeToubia  & @willtudor1

Season 3B Air Date Revealed - February 25, 2019 

Freeform revealed that season 3B would premiere February 25, 2019. Here are some of the highlights related to that.

Isaiah (Luke) teased some upcoming Shadowhunters news.

Kat (Clary) shared a flashback behind-the-scenes photo while also teasing the upcoming news.

Kat (Clary) tweeted:  It’s official! Get ready angels... it all begins Feb 25th. Are you ready? #ShadowhuntersLegacy. @ShadowhuntersTV @FreeformTV

Emeraude (Izzy) tweeted:  Thrilled to FINALLY announce we have  a premiere date for season 3B – Monday, Feb. 25th !!!  #Shadowhunters #ShadowhuntersLegacy

Isaiah (Luke) tweeted:  That Final Episodes 😭  02.25.2019 💚🐺#Shadowhunters

Dom (Jace) shared the air date announcement on Instagram.

Matt (Alec) tweeted:  Final 12 episodes start Feb 25th!

Harry (Magnus) tweeted:  2.25.19 IT’S ON! @ShadowhuntersTV

TV Guide (article):  Here's When Shadowhunters' Final Episodes Will Air

TV Line (article):  Shadowhunters Return Date Revealed: What to Expect From the Final Episodes

Entertainment Weekly (article):  Shadowhunters final season gets February premiere date

Teen Vogue (article):  The Final "Shadowhunters" Season Will Premiere in February 2019

Sensacine (article):  'Shadowhunters' ya tiene fecha para su recta final

TV Insider (article): 'Shadowhunters' Legacy! Freeform Announces Premiere Date for the Final Episodes

ScreenSpy (article):  Shadowhunters Gets a Season 3B Premiere Date

Hypable (article):  ‘Shadowhunters’ final season officially has a premiere date

KSiteTV (article):  The Final Hunt: Shadowhunters Returns February 25 On Freeform

Matt Carter (video) :  Shadowhunters season 3 return date + 5 things to know!

#MarchToThePolls

Members of the Shadowhunters cast encouraged fans in the United States to vote in the mid-term elections. 

Shadowhunters TV tweeted a video about [t]he most important 11 minutes of your year. #MarchToThePolls featuring Kat (Clary).

Kat (Clary) tweeted a photo: In the name of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - #Vote. Do your part. Make your voice heard. Choose the world you want to live in. [2]

Harry (Magnus) tweeted a photo: The day has come!  Don’t take your right to vote for granted! Also an excuse for millions of Americans to take a selfie and be proud of it!  Get out and #VOTE.

Dom (Jace) shared a photo on Instagram with the message: TODAY IS THE DAY TO VOTE. You have a wonderful ability to make you voice heard and shape a future. PLEASE don’t waste it. Don’t squander it. Don’t take it for granted. UNRELATED. Here a video of rajah drinking water from a people glass (mine).

ShadowhuntersTV tweeted a photo of Isaiah (Luke): @IsaiahMustafa did his part. Did you?

ShadowhuntersTV tweeted a photo of Emeraude (Izzy): Your words and your vote matter.

ShadowhuntersTV tweeted a photo of Isaiah (Luke): It’s Tuesday November 6th, 2018... Time to Vote!  #beheard #vote” - @IsaiahMustafa Tag us in your photos as you #MarchToThePolls. We’ll be reposting the #Shadowhunters fam throughout the day.

Just Jared (article): Lily Collins, Katherine McNamara and Nina Dobrev attend #TelethonForAmerica.

Shadowhunters In The News 

Bisexual Representation Awards 2018: Harry Shum Jr. wins for his portrayal of Magnus Bane.

BELLO (interview/photoshoot): Issue #117 Features Kat McNamara discussing Shadowhunters’ end and her upcoming role on Arrow.

ELLE (interview/photoshoot): Hollywood needs Harry Shum Jr.

GayTimes (article):  A definitive list of the 30 most iconic queer characters in TV history

Man About Town (cover): Will Tudor for Man About Town: The Game of Thrones actor wears Prada on the cover of the Winter 2018/Spring 2019 issue.

For, She is You (interview):  Katherine McNamara // #sheisjoyful

Fr Conventions (interview):  [1 Actor, 1 Word] : Will Tudor - Shadowhunters

TV Guide (video and article):  Shadowhunters: This Exclusive Malec Sneak Peek Will Melt Your Heart

The Series Regulars (article): New Malec Sneak Peek Has ‘Shadowhunters’ Fans Swooning

Film Daily (article): #SaveShadowhunters: The fans speak

E! Online (interview): Get as much scoop as Kat McNamara could share with us on Arrow and the end of Shadowhunters.

Cosmopolitan (article): You Need to Watch Cult Show 'Shadowhunters' Before It's Gone. 

OZY (video/panel): Harry Shum Jr. joins OZY for a #TakeOnAmerica discussion about being Asian-American. (Some twitter highlights: "How about stories from Asians we haven't heard from?", this audience is VERY excited to see him, "Seeing those images over and over again, for yourself, it's like, am I good enough? That is a really damaging thing.", "I was born in Costa Rica.")

Refinery29 (article): Everything We Know About Shadowhunters' Final Season.

Twitter & Social Media Stuff

Grand River Conservation Authority tweeted:  What do spooky TV series Hannibal, The Strain, and Shadowhunters have in common? Episodes for each were filmed at our very own Rockwood Conservation Area! The park is open for hiking year-round...if you dare  #HappyHalloween #Halloween

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweeted a photo:  Happy Halloween #beckysback #lewissiblingsstaystrong #microtrailer #3b #shadowhunters

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweeted a photo: Halloween party at the Hunters Moon #funinside #3b #iftheywontdoitiwill #shadowhunters

Jade Hassoune (Meliorn) shared a photo of himself taken by Chai Hansen (Jordan Kyle). 

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweeted:  312! A malec gem directed by @mattdirector written by  @AlexSchemmer and oh yeah, there’s Paris as well #showhasneverbeenbetter #3b #shadowhunters

Anna Hopkins (Lilith) shared her excitement over receiving her Teen Choice Awards surfboard.

MCM Comic Con announced Chai Hansen (Jordan Kyle) as a guest at their Birmingham convention.

Zarata Events announced that Jade Hassoune will be attending Pandemonium Con in London.

Alberto (Simon) shared photos of his Movember mustache on Instagram.

Brian Hui (makeup artist) shared a photo on Twitter:  Our trio of heroes with production Petey.

Harry (Magnus) was Eric Draven for Halloween.

Kat (Clary) dressed as Where’s Waldo? for Halloween.

Aisha Porter Christie (writer) tweets a Malec tease:  Um well... it’s ONE of the scenes I was talking about. There’s still... so so much more... Get your inhalers ready.  #malec #shadowhunters

Kat (Clary) tweeted about Harry (Magnus) being featured in People Magazine’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ issue.

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweeted:  He enjoys candles, long walks in the sand dreaming of the family he never had, sword play, and Earl Grey tea #Jonathanjustneedslove #dontweall #3b #shadowhunters

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweeted:  Of course. Alec is his partner who will always listen, especially about this loss that is so utterly life changing #whatloversdo #malec #alwaysthereforeachother #inspirationtousall #shadowhunters

People’s Choice Awards 2018

All 8 main cast members attended this year’s Peoples Choice Awards. Shadowhunters won 4 out of the 5 awards they were nominated for: The Show, The Bingeworthy Show, The Male TV Star (Harry Shum Jr.), The Female TV Star (Kat McNamara). Here are some highlights from the event.

Video of Harry (Magnus) accepting his award. 

Video of Kat (Clary) accepting her award. 

Video of the cast accepting their award for #TheShow. 

Video of the cast being interviewed on the red carpet (starts off with Kat and Harry, who are joined by the rest of the cast).

BBC News (article): Cancelled TV show sweeps People's Choice Awards.

Decider (article): Shadowhunters nabbed 4 major awards at last night's People’s Choice Awards.

TVLine (article): Shadowhunters Wins Big, Nicki Minaj Makes a Booty Call and More Major Moments. 

E! Online (article/video): Shadowhunters Cast Thanks Dedicated Fans After Winning TV Show of 2018 at People's Choice Awards.

Yahoo! Entertainment (article): This show took home the most People's Choice Awards, even though it's canceled. 

E! Online (article): 5 Biggest Jaw-Droppers at the 2018 People's Choice Awards.

Teen Vogue (article): Shadowhunters Stars Harry Shum Jr. and Katherine McNamara Won People's Choice Awards They Weren't Originally Nominated For. 

ExtraTV tweeted: The Shadowhunters squad basking in all the #PCAs love!, Shadowhunters stars Kat McNamara & Harry Shum Jr. pose with their awards at the #PCAs! 

Harry (Magnus) shares some photos: Y’all are really something else. THANK YOU! This belongs to ALL of US. Thank you for your votes for Male TV Star of the Year, Female TV Star of the Year and Show Of The Year! Let’s celebrate with love! [4]

Kat (Clary) shares a heartfelt message on her Instagram along with some photos: Oh what a night... I wish there was a way for me fully express how full of love and gratitude my heart is after #PCAs...

Personal: Harry Shum Jr. and wife Shelby Rabara are expecting their first child (a girl). 

Harry (Magnus) shares a photo announcing that wife Shelby Rabara is pregnant with their first child.

E! Online (article): Shadowhunters’ Harry Shum Jr. Expecting First Child With Wife Shelby Rabara.

E! Online (video interview): Harry Shum Jr. is having a baby girl with wife Shelby Rabara (interview from the People’s Choice Award’s red carpet).

Access (article): Daddy duty! Harry Shum Jr. dishes all about his wife's big pregnancy news!  Find out why they are so excited! 

Entertainment Tonight (article): Harry Shum Jr. and Wife Shelby Rabara Expecting First Child.

People (article): Harry Shum Jr. and Wife Shelby Rabara Are Expecting Their First Child — See the Adorable Reveal.

Other News 

Deadline (article): Katherine McNamara Boards Charlie Day’s ‘El Tonto.’

Just Jared Jr. (article): 'Crazy Rich Asians' Cast Is the Breakout Ensemble at Hollywood Film Awards 2018!

PopSugar (article): If You Thought Harry Shum Jr.'s Costume Was Good, Wait Until You See His Wife's Prince Look

Socialite Life (article):  Adam Lambert, Matt Bomer, Harry Shum Jr, The Weeknd, Jensen Ackles and More Kill It With Their Halloween Costumes

Just Jared Jr. (article):  Katherine McNamara, Darci Lynne Farmer & A Bunch Of The Best Celeb Halloween Costumes You Missed

[ralfstrashcan]

3x08 Reaction / Commentary

Clary is so rebel putting her hands up first and then dropping her stele lol.

“So you can salt-ify her, too, when she inevitably attacks.” Great thinking, Luke! Also, how did they know it's salt? Did they lick it?

Ohhhhhhh I like where this is going!!

Ominous Elevator Rattling Powers Activate!

FunFact: I thought the shadow moving on the wall behind them was some demon Lilith summoned but it was just Simon's shadow. Oh dear.

Instant Sunroom Powers Activate!

Also, Lilith is a dirty liar. They totally didn't 'stay exactly where we are.’ (Also, now I'm having Reichenbach Fall Flashbacks.)

But what's with the other disciples? Do they get texts with the new address of the moved hang out spot? Man, that sunroom's gonna be so crowded.

........you mean New York, right, because the Lightwoods were banished from Idris for being in the Circle, which is why the Lightwood kids grew up in the NY Institute? *sigh*

.........because any orphaned Shadowhunter immediately gets tossed out into the streets instead of being raised by other Shadowhunters, you know, to be a soldier and serve the heavenly duty of killing demons. Makes sense. Okay, sorry, I get it. Jace is trying to get into Alec's head and it's clearly working and that scene was totally dramatic, but... it also didn't make sense.

How the hell does Possessed!Jace know about that? Alec had two opportunities to talk to him about his drama with Magnus (in 3x05 and in 3x06) and he chose to evade the topic altogether both times. In case he didn't change his mind off-screen and talked to him in the short time between Jace allegedly returning from the City of Bones and them discovering his possession (time that was spend with Maryse at the Hunter's Moon btw) then Jace can't know it from Alec. So, where did this knowledge magically appear from? @kaysgreenery suggested that Lilith did some research on Magnus's dating history and taught Jace all the details but why the hell would she do that. I'd like to think that this Possessed!Jace has the ability to somehow warp into the thoughts and minds of the people around him and snatch information on how to hurt them the best, but.... I don't think that's the case or that it will even be addressed how he learned that.

Again, arguing with possessed people. I still don't get it. Then again, from Simon I don't really expect more. (Sorry, Simon.)

.....yeah, Disgraced-Ex-Circle-Member-turned-Downworlder-who's-not-even-allowed-to-enter-Alicante, do tell how you plan to get that intel.

................................dude you're so sounding like Clary right now it's not even funny anymore. So yeah, thank you Izzy for being the voice of reason.

For a second there I got my hopes up that they were going to address Possessed!Jace's mindreading-powers. </3

Alec doesn't approve, lol. But I'm super into it. Lightwood siblings gooooo!! Also, love that face.

This sounds like they're gonna dive into Jace's subconsciousness or dreamscape or whatever and this would be so cool!!!!

1) Pretty skylight 2) I acknowledge that that Equilibrium Rune does make sense on the wall

Yo but why was he standing there holding the sword? He could have put it in its fancy stand as soon as he arrived. And why wasn't it on the fancy stand from the get-go? Where do they store it when there's no trial?

Sassy. I like it.

Yeah, way to misunderstand your assignment, dude. Did you even go back to that building or did you go straight to Maia to whine a little? *sigh*

“Right now, bigger fish to fry.”

Wow, finally someone who can prioritize sensibly. I'm impressed.

Yeah, a decision that should have been Simon's. Because he's the one who the case is about. And if he's constantly hating on Kyle that's helping no one. Just sayin'.

“I'll still take my not-magically-invincible girlfriend with me, you know, just in the unlikely case I get the upper hand and Lilith needs some leverage.”

Seriously, this whole Mark Business started because he was up against someone more powerful (the Seelie Queen) that held Maia hostage and blackmailed him into obeying. Didn't he learn from that?? Apparently not.

Especially because the Vampire nose at their disposal seems to be malfunctioning, falling out of commission whenever the Plot calls for it.

That smile tho.

“Especially when the Clave kicked you to the curb for breaching the Accords, slaughtering Downworlders.” Yeah, those werewolves really look like they're seconds from throwing Maryse a welcoming party.

“Well, then a deruned ex-Circle member is the last person you should be talking to.” Lightwood Women being extra reasonable this Episode, I dig it!

Also, how exactly does Luke want to “negotiate Clary's release”? I mean, call me old-fashioned, but I thought you needed leverage for a negotiation. What exactly does Luke have to offer the Clave in exchange? A few Selfies? (They might actually go for that lol.)

I'm sooo calling bullshit on this because of Maryse's behavior during the entirety of Season 1, but whatever. Also, “was having an affair with”? Does that mean Robert's relationship with this Anne-Marie person fell through? Why? In the two weeks tops that passed since 2x16? I need answers!

Luke/Maryse-Shippers crying in the distance. What is that pairing even called? Luryse? Marke? Lightluke? lol. Lightway?? (Tho that's probably a li'l ambiguous cuz there are several Lightwoods. And now I imagined Luke with Robert. Ew.)

YEAH I LIKE THAT

Imagine, if you could harness the luminous power of Parabatai Runes you'd never need electricity again.

NO WAY ALEC I THOUGHT HE WAS  A C C I D E N T A L L Y  THWARTING YOUR ATTEMPT AT RESCUING JACE

Dramatic Stare is Dramatic

What the hell dude lol are you trying to get yourself kicked out of the van (possibly while it's still in motion)?? Seriously. This I-know-you-so-much-better-than-your-current-boyfriend-talk is waayyyy out of character for how Kyle behaved towards Maia and Simon so far so what the hell.

On a different note, I find it very intriguing that Simon doesn't feel temperature (and is maybe even immune to very low or very high temperatures?) and I'd love to see this explored in the show.

Okay but what are the chains chained to? Magnus's furniture?? (There's not one shot where you can see where they end. Very frustrating. They're probably chained to Plot Convenience.)

That is a fine comeback.

What was Magnus even doing? He couldn't have been prepairing because he was prepared already when they tried earlier. So, what was he doing? Reapplying his make-up maybe?

Okay, but Alec's eyes were already rolling back in his head earlier

did he specifically un-roll them again

to have the last roll??

Drama Queen. Magnus chose wisely.

THAT HAIR FLICK I CAN'T

This confirms like every head canon I have on how incredibly badass Izzy is and always was, so thank you. I always had the feeling that she's probably a better fighter than Jace but didn't show it because she knew he needs the limelight and she doesn't. Also, they have super limited time and the first thing they do is watching sweet childhood memories. Priorities.

Well, I would hold hands in that case, just to be sure.

.........could have prevented this from happening. *sigh*

Lilith killed all those Seelies, does that mean she has to stay in the Seelie Realm now and that the Seelie Queen owns her life? lol

So that exchange between them was kinda enlightening but also not at all because whaaaat. Can't Lilith just track Jace, the person she herself possessed? That's a little inconvenient and dumb because she's ass powerful but can't do this easy thing? If the Mark of Cain can only be borne by a Daylighter and is also the only thing that can banish Lilith, does that mean there was a Daylighter before who bore that Mark and banished Lilith? Or was she never on earth before and banished, in which case, how does she know that's the only thing that can banish her? How do her visits to the Seelie Realm work? I thought you need to be summoned to leave your home dimension as a demon so if she was in the Seelie Realm before could she have easily walked over into the Real World as well? Was the Seelie Queen alive when Lilith last visited the Seelie Realm (which would have been at least during the time of her predecessor) or do they have pictures of her somewhere so that's why she knows what Lilith looks like? Also, that line with the complexion

is rich, coming from the Seelie Queen, like seriously, glass houses, bricks.

Same, Jia. Because what the hell, Clary.

One, I don't get why Clary told her the truth about the wish when she didn't have to, like, wasn't it her main goal to keep that truth from ever coming out?? Why would she just spill? Just because it was a dramatic gesture? Then again I also don't understand why those guards tried to restrain her immediately after she let go of the sword, like, did they want to put her back in her cell right away? And why does she need to be unrestrained to talk? Why not just put the sword back on its fancy stand and make her touch it again to tell the rest of the story? So many questions.

Two, the wish from the angel wasn't a one-time-voucher to kill everything with demon blood. Clearly, because Clary used it to bring back Jace. It was simply a wish that could be shaped by the person making the wish. So just because that wish was powerful enough that it could be used for mass murder doesn't mean the wish itself is inherently evil?! What the hell, Clary. It's like she's trying to argue why using the wish was like a public service to Shadowhunter Society?! Who's going to believe that?? At least she didn't say something pathetic like “To you, an insurmountable evil is a world overrun by demons, to me it's a world without Jace in it” because, honestly, I was half expecting her to, lol.

Sidenote: Until the end of Season 2 the Shadowhunters hadn't even figured out that the Mortal Mirror was in fact Lake Lyn, so without Clary figuring out what the Mortal Mirror was, still having that wish wouldn't have done them any good. Of course the middle of the apocalypse is always the best time to try and start figuring out where the long-lost third Mortal Instrument is, so I totally see your point, Jia.

..........why would Shadowhunters allow a feral wolf pack in the forest around their capital when Downworlders aren't even allowed to set foot into Idris? That makes no sense.

...................did Luke forget to mention the weird bloody altar? What was even the point in sticking his fingers in then? *sigh*

If Jonathan's in there I will flip my shit. Lilith definitely took him with her in that fancy display vitrine.

Okay, no Jonathan, I'm relieved.... but Jonathan was clearly stored in there in 3x03, so, Show, explain yourself. Why did Lilith decide to repot him? To better stare at him longingly? (Also, why aren’t the ley lines getting corrupted again? I’ve been wondering for a few episodes about that already....)

Just don't let your phone fall in there. That would be awkward as hell. Pun intended.

........................................................Simon. Si-mon. Are you for real. I don't even have words for this level of stupidity and recklessness. But sure. Leave those two alone to fight whoever decides to come in, without your fancy forehead mark to protect them. I mean, it's not like this is the exact reason you told them to stick close to you less than five minutes ago.

Yeah well, would have been weird if he had been studying ancient demonic languages when he was still a mundane. Also, why is no one taking advantage of the great change-werewolf-pun-opportunity??

Are you shitting me why doesn't she just say she's Izzy? She has the same Runes as Young Izzy in the same spots and everything. Then again, they cast Young Izzy looking nothing like Emeraude Toubia, so I couldn't even blame Young Jace on calling bullshit and not believing her. But this line of reasoning only makes sense if Izzy is aware that her younger self looks nothing like her which she can't possibly be because they're supposed to look alike, being the same person and everything.

Okay, so their little sing along was a little touching (tho a lot ridiculous, too, sorry) but I'd be seriously creeped out if some stranger wanted to prove their legit-ness by singing my kiddie lullaby to me like what the hell man.

Those are a lot of Claries, but why are they all wearing the same thing?

Absolutely loved the whole scene with Alec and Jace.

Okay but how did Young Jace know that he needed to bring her here? Did Young and Regular Jace ever meet? I need answers!!

Thank you for this precise and not at all vague information, Luke, as always.

I can't really make sense of that Maia Kyle Whatever Scene so I'll just leave it uncommented.

Edit: Since I was delayed in posting this for several days (because my lappy decided it would be a great time to die on me) I've had some time to think about it. I didn't like the scene when I first saw it, but I couldn't really put my finger on why. Now I know it's because of the way Maia acts, I feel like this is ooc for her. Maia is unapologetic, she takes no shit from anyone. Remember how she told Kyle off in that flashback when he wanted to decide if she got to go to college or not, or how she put Russell in his place when he thought he could comment on her relationship with Simon, or even how she pre-emptively refused to apologize for hooking up with Jace when she thought Simon expected an apology? The case I'm trying to build here is that Maia is very aware of what she wants, what she will accept in regards to behavior of another person towards her, and where she draws the line, where she will put her foot down and not accept something. So seeing her basically begging Kyle to not act like he's in any way likable so she can cling to her resentment for him is strange for two reasons:

1) It makes it seem as if she's not in control of her emotions, as if her resentment is something she needs to actively fuel to maintain it. This is the stellar opposite of how she acted towards him in the last episode, where she was confidently hostile.

2) It makes it seem as if what Kyle did isn't something where it's entirely reasonable and justifiable to be angry and hurt and unforgiving about even after a long time has passed. When someone betrays and abandons you like that (like Maia undoubtedly experienced his actions) you don't really need to exert yourself to not-forgive that person. That's natural, isn't it? Of course one could argue that it's not as black-and-white here because she was in love with him and it's not like he was some stranger betraying her.... but to be honest, the way she acted towards him up until this very scene, including the flashbacks, didn't really make it seem as if their past loving relationship was influencing Maia. So I really don't get why it's suddenly the case.

I mean, I do. If Sizzy is endgame (yikes), then Simon and Maia will have to split up at some point and Maia and Kyle will probably be a thing somewhere along the way. But I feel like this current behavior isn't really ic for Maia and that's why it annoys me, even though I have nothing against the pairing Maia/Kyle per se.

Where they seriously trying to make it seem as if Izzy would kill Jace lol I didn't believe that for a second. I was also totally distracted by the fact that she licked her lips and her lip stick stayed on fleek like how do you do that Izzy let me in on your secret powers please.

Leaving all that aside this scene was perfectly acted and very intense..... but. I don't know if that makes me really insensitive or something, but they were under immense time pressure. If all it took to get them back was grabbing hold of each other's hands I really don't get why Alec and Izzy didn't do just that. There would have been enough time to placate Jace when they were back in their own bodies without the very real threat of getting lost in Jace's mind forever hanging over their heads. Of course it would have been a shock for Jace to be ripped out of his environment and be thrown back into his body, but honestly, he must be so heavily traumatized by all that Lilith did to him that this little thing wouldn't even register in comparison. So yeah, call me heartless, but it would have been more efficient to grab Jace and talk him down once they were safe.

I'm asking again. How did the Seelie Queen know where Jace was? And, seriously, why didn't Lilith think to check Magnus's appartment, I mean she must know Alec is Jace's parabatai and that Magnus is Alec's boyfriend and a powerful warlock. When Jace didn't come back to her it would have been reasonable to assume that the other Shadowhunters had gotten to him and would try to save him, seeking out capable help.

Soooooo Magnus is officially Asmodeus's favorite. Dubious honor.

I don't know if it's the camera angle or that cute eyebrow crunch, but to me Magnus looks so much like a cat while Lilith is choking him, so I was inappropriately cooing during this scene. Shame on me.

If those are the chains immediately after Lilith takes Jace... does that mean he was chained to himself the whole time??? Like, ankles to wrists?????

Edit: Found a BTS pic that explains it:

So apparently there are these neat anchorages that anchor the chains to..... the fluffy rug!! Extremely durable and a hundred percent tearproof!!! Hell yeah.

I get that Alec feels super guilty but honestly, think about it. If he'd killed Jace he wouldn't have killed his body. He would have killed his consciousness, his soul maybe. Meaning the possession would have been given free reign over his body. Killing Jace while they where inside his mind would have killed the last part that was fighting against the possession. It would have made everything way worse.

Funny you say that like it's a cute quirk when really it's pretty invasive and selfish.

Oh man, those subtitles totally ruined the suspense. (Also, how is Clary supposed to learn and understand when she's dead, lol.)

I'm so thrilled to find out how they're gonna get rid of that death sentence. Or will Clary be a fugitive from the law for 3B? I'd totally be up for that, too.

(Gif Source, BTS Pic Source)

[singingwordwright]

#Shadowhunters Timeline - Season 2B

If you want to see this in calendar format, I have created Google Calendars for it:

Full Shadowhunters Timeline Calendar

Important Malec Moments Calendar

Click on the events to read my notes explaining my reasoning behind choosing that date/time.

(I haven’t tried looking at these calendars from any other time zone; hopefully they will work. Let me know if the times seem off and I will try to fix that.)

If you want the timeline in long form, keep reading.

Further Notes Can Be Found In the Timeline Intro Post

Season 1 Timeline

Season 2A Timeline

SEASON 2B (September 28, 2016 to October 15, 2016)

2x11 “Mea Maxima Culpa” Timeframe: September 28 (before dawn) to September 29 (evening)

The date for this episode is only a best guess. There are no hard and fast indicators of how long has passed since 2x10, but we have a couple of clues (and a few causes for confusion.) Aldertree has been sent back to Idris to face reprimand (one presumes for leaving the Institute vulnerable to Valentine's attack?) Assuming this is true and not a lie like the one about the Soul Sword, at least a day or two has passed, because it would take a while for messages to pass back and forth, for the decision to be made to recall Aldertree, and for Aldertree to return. However, I doubt Imogen Herondale would wait too long before interrogating Valentine, so we may assume she arrives within a day or two of Valentine's capture.

It’s dark when Alec and Jace are sparring in the courtyard. Assuming they still work the night shift, it could be before dawn and they’re unwinding after patrol the morning of the 28th

The low light indicates it’s either sunrise or sunset when Clary and Simon are on the bench. While I’m not sure a hot dog vendor (in the background) would be out and about right at daybreak, I’m going with sunrise because they appear to be looking across the river at Manhattan, which means they’re probably in Brooklyn facing west, and the sun is behind them in the east.

Azazel attacks the bar after dark that night

Alec tends to Izzy the next morning (the 29th)

CONTINUITY SNAFU: The scene immediately following this is Luke confronting Russell in the Jade Wolf, and then Luke gets a call about Azazel's massacre in the bar. If Luke doesn't find out about it until after Alec, who contacted Alec?

CONTINUITY SNAFU CONTINUED: When Alec is notified he clearly says "there was a demon attack" and yet when Clary is looking at the bodies, she says "this looks like a demon attack" as though that is new information (like, why else would they have been called in?) Oh, Michael Reisz. I love you dearly, with all my heart and every fiber of my being, for giving us 1x12, but you are really not a very good writer

(POSSIBLE) CONTINUITY SNAFU: It’s clearly still daylight when Simon and Maia talk in the bar, but the earlier scene with Izzy encountering Azazel in the alley outside the vamp lair made it look like it was after dark. Is the alley underground? Is it under a highway somewhere that doesn’t allow daylight to get in? Demons don’t seem to like daylight, so how is Azazel out and about if it’s not dark?

It appears to be before sunset when Alec visits Magnus to ask about the demon and encounters Raphael

YET ANOTHER CONTINUITY SNAFU: Raphael says Izzy “just” came by the Dumort, but she came by in the morning as he was getting ready for coffin bed and now it’s nearly sunset

When Alec returns to the Institute to tell them Azazel may have Izzy, Clary says the Inquisitor is in a meeting with the Alicante Council. Which I guess means the Alicante Council holds meeting in the middle of the night in Idris, because 6pm New York time would be about 11pm Idris time.

Best guess is the attempt to summon Azazel takes place around 8-9pm

2x12 “You Are Not Your Own” Timeframe: September 29 (late evening) to September 30 (evening)

This episode picks up maybe an hour or so after 2x11 ends, assuming Valentine-in-Magnus’s-Body doesn’t spend more than an hour wandering around looking for Magnus’s loft

Izzy returns to the Institute with Sebastian in tow after sunrise the next morning

Izzy and Simon “visit” Rosa Santiago sometime that afternoon

CONTINUITY SNAFU: Izzy tells Rosa she and Raphael visited her for Bingo night last week, but Izzy stopped seeing Raphael only a few days ago, only hours after learning about Rosa’s existence. So that’s not possible

The body swap is undone sometime after sunset on the 30th

2x13 “Those of Demon Blood” Timeframe: October 3 (late evening) to October 5 (shortly after midnight)

The date for this episode is only a best guess. The flier Clary creates for Simon’s show says “Midnight Tuesday” which would have to mean Tuesday, October 4 because midnight on October 11 would be after the start of Yom Kippur and Simon wouldn’t be able to have a show that night (and also there wouldn’t be time for 2x14 and 2x15 to happen before 2x16, which takes place on October 12.)

Honestly the timeline for this episode is a bit of a mess. It would make a lot more sense if there was a day between solving the murder mystery with Kaelie and Simon’s show, but Magnus’s lack of a costume change indicates it all happens on the same night.

Clary tells Simon about his upcoming show sometime the evening of October 3. Which seems pretty sketchy to me “Hey, baby, I booked you a show for...24 hours from now. Have fun getting ready for that!”

Maia is wearing Costume #1

Clary and Simon find the first body shortly thereafter

Luke is pulled in for questioning by the Inquisitor maybe around midnight or shortly thereafter

The second body is found while Luke is offering his DNA

After daybreak, the Inquisitor addresses the Institute and tells them she’s leaving Jace in charge when she goes

Jace tells them to collect DNA from their friends the morning of the 4th

Alec does to see Magnus for a DNA sample around mid-morning

Apparently Clary decides to take an art class all day, however, because she doesn’t ask Simon for his DNA sample until after the sun goes down (6:31pm)

CONTINUITY SNAFU: Sometime between 6:30 and midnight, Simon refuses his DNA, rescues Clary, gets arrested, gets released, goes home, changes his clothes, and sets up for his show at the Hunter’s Moon

Maia fights Jace over the tracking chip maybe around 8:30pm or so?

Maia’s arrested around 9:30pm then (the Inquisitor says she attacked Jace an hour ago)

When she’s arrested, Maia says she was walking home from work

CONTINUITY SNAFU: Yet at midnight, only a couple hours later, she’s back at work, wearing a different outfit

Izzy saves Max, kills the bad guy, reports back to the Institute, changes her clothes, and head out to catch Simon’s show as well

Simon’s show takes place at midnight (end of Tuesday the 4th/beginning of Wednesday the 5th)

2x14 “The Fair Folk” Timeframe: October 9 (morning through evening)

The date for this episode is only a best guess. The dialogue is somewhat misleading when Jace claims Alec has been in charge for a week, because there’s no possible way it can be a full week since 2x13. Best guess is 5 days since 2x13.

The opening scene with Jace at the piano is misleading; Jace is wearing the same clothes that he was in 2x13 when he hooked up with Maia in the alley, and from the dialogue we’re meant to assume he just got back from that hookup, but since he later says Alec has been in charge for a week, he and Maia have hooked up more than once

It’s after sunrise when Alec briefs the Institute and sends Jace and Clary on their mission to the Seelie Court

It’s after sunset when the Downworld cabinet begins, however, as established both by the scene with Luke getting the fire message at the Jade Wolf and by the fact that Raphael is in attendance

2x15 “A Problem of Memory” Timeframe: October 10 (after midnight) to October 11 (2am)

Raphael says in this episode that the bleeder den doesn’t open until midnight, which means the scene where Simon and Quinn go to the bleeder den takes place after midnight, a few hours after the events of 2x14

While it seems unlikely Simon would go out to the Hunters Moon so soon after 2x14, he did just originally intend to get some blood to go, so he was either hungry or intending to drink his sorrows away while moping in private; he didn’t intend to go out and get wild

Alec wakes alone sometime after sunrise

Again, because the bleeder den doesn’t open until midnight, it’s sometime after midnight when Simon confronts Quinn

Magnus tells Alec about his past sometime between midnight and 2am

(POSSIBLE) CONTINUITY SNAFU: While briefing her team earlier, Izzy says Valentine’s transfer is set for 2am, which would be 7am Idris time, but it’s already after sunrise in Idris when they arrive, and sunrise shouldn’t have been until after 7:30am if Idris is in the same time zone as Zürich, Switzerland

2x16 “Day of Atonement” Timeframe: October 12 (morning to evening)

Simon is fasting when Maia comes to visit him, which means it’s October 12, as Yom Kippur began at sunset on October 11

Simon and Maia go to dinner with his family after sunset on the 12th, which means the end of Yom Kippur

All the events of this episode take place from the morning of the 12th to the evening of the 12th

2x17 “A Dark Reflection” Timeframe: October 13 (morning to late night)

Alec tells Max he’s approved to begin going on missions the morning of the 13th

Izzy confronts Alec about Max later that morning

Jonathan attacks Elliot Nourse sometime after sunset (which is 6:17pm on the 13th)

Alec is "a few hours" late for dinner (which was probably scheduled for 6 or 7pm) thus the dinner date scene should probably actually take place around 9-10 pm. However, given how much else happens in this episode and the fact that most of 2x18 takes place before sunrise the next day it makes more sense for the dinner date scene to happen earlier

Magnus confronts Alec about withholding the information about the Soul Sword an hour or two after their dinner date

CONTINUITY SNAFU: According to their website, the last paddleboat rental at Prospect Park goes out two hours before to sunset, which means Simon and Maia are S.O.L. Oops

Max confronts Jonathan in Alec’s office perhaps around 11pm to midnight

2x18 “Awake, Arise, or Be Forever Fallen” Timeframe: October 14 (midnight to after sunrise)

Izzy finds Max unconscious in her room perhaps sometime after midnight

Alec goes to Magnus’s loft to ask for his help before sunrise

Exterior shots establish that Jonathan attacks the Elite Guardsmen in the courtyard right around sunrise

It’s still quite early in the morning when Clary reveals Jonathan and Magnus breaks up with Alec

2x19 “Hail and Farewell” Timeframe: October 14 (morning to evening)

Jonathan has his meltdown while it’s still early morning

Clary, Jace and Izzy find Sebastian Verlac’s body in Jonathan’s apartment perhaps mid-morning

While it doesn’t look like it’s daylight outside Alec’s office when he briefs the Inquisitor about the Mirror, it’s nighttime in Idris, which suggests it must be afternoon in New York

The meeting with the Downworld Council takes place late morning or early afternoon

The lighting when Raphael and Izzy talk suggests it’s getting close to sunset, but there are several more outside scenes that take place in the daylight afterward

It’s just before sunset when Valentine attacks the funeral to make the Forsaken

It’s after sunset when Clary, Izzy, Alec, and Jace track Jonathan to the cemetery and “kill” him

Valentine strikes his deal with the Seelie Queen late that night

2x20 “Beside Still Water” Timeframe: October 15 (sunrise to late night)

This episode begins after sunrise with Jonathan washing up on the beach and opening the rift to Edom

Alec et al confront the dragon over Manhattan perhaps mid-morning

Alec asks for Magnus’s help closing the rift in the late morning

Magnus, Alec, and Izzy close the rift around noon

It's just after sunset in Alicante (1pm New York time) when Jace and Clary escape and kill Consul Malachi and his headsman

It’s maybe 2:30-3pm New York time when Valentine summons Raziel

I have my doubts that they’d be able to report to the Inquisitor in Alicante that they killed the Consul and un-summoned the angel and still make it back to New York in time to attend a party that night, HOWEVER the characters in the party clearly state a number of times that it’s still the same day, I so guess they managed it

Continue to Season 3A

Please, if you’ve enjoyed my fic or meta or vids, consider checking out some of my books, or buying me a cup of coffee!

[snarktheater]

Shadowhunters — Episode 2x16

Last time, Sebastian…I mean Jonathan Morgenstern…revealed his true identity and killed the real Sebastian Verlac. So I guess that means the plot will finally progress past that, right?

Right?

Yeah, spoiler: no it doesn't.

In other despair-inducing news, Simon's still getting an ungoldy amount of screen time in various plot cul-de-sacs for some reason. You'd think someone would realize that he has no bearing on the plot and either write him out in adaptation or actually incorporate it in the plot better, but, nope!

Luckily, I can sum up his subplot much quicker this time around. Maia wants to cheer Simon up, because he's moping over the Clary situation and killing someone. Which, the latter at least is a decent enough source of angst, so of course they'll barely talk about it and spend the rest of the episode avoiding the issue entirely. Which annoys the hell out of me, because there are really interesting points to make, regarding both the ethicals and the emotional aspects of killing in self-defense (which Simon did). Instead the show…seems in a rush to move on from it.

Anyway. Maia offers happy hour to lift Simon's mood, but, well, getting drunk got him in this situation in the first place, so that's a no. Hey, some good decision making, finally!

Instead, Simon mentions he's visiting his family for Yom Kippur, and his grandmother's even coming from out of town. Maia expresses concern that he hangs out with mundanes in his current state, where he could be a danger, so she basically invites herself, even though Simon points out that's not really something you do for Yom Kippur. (Side-note: I'm not very familiar with Jewish holidays, so I'll just take everything here at face value. If you want to raise issues, I'll remind you all that I have comments on this blog)

So we cut to dinner, where Maia introduces herself as Simon's girlfriend, and charms everyone with her \~hidden depths\~. By which I mean she's studying marine biology in college, and really, it says a lot about the show that Maia's been around for most of the season and it's the first time we're learning anything about her beyond "she's a bartender and she's seen some shit".

But then, drama! Simon's mom apparently has a tradition of telling everyone in the family what sins you're atoning for this Yom Kippur, and that might mean Simon will have to confess to being a vampire, and, you know, killing a dude. Oh no, whatever shall he—

Yeah, Maia makes something up to save face. He's fine. Ironically enough, Maia ends up talking about how she's estranged from her family and wants to reconnect with them. Even though 1) Simon's family are total strangers to her, 2) she's not even Jewish and doesn't observe this specific family tradition and 3) doesn't owe Simon shit.

So Simon's safe, dinner was perfect, and Simon apologizes for never finding out more about Maia. Which…I guess apologizing is the best he can do at this point. Maia's fine with it, and gives him a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Must be true love. You know, until the show feels compelled to make Simon and Isabelle hook up. I don't really expect them to change the book's endgame ships.

So that was a completely pointless interlude. Let's check in on the actual plot, where Jonathan has taken Valentine to his cottage by Lake Lyn, in Idris. He does a whole lot of monologuing at Valentine throughout this episode, and…I'll be honest, I kept zoning out during it. I know, it's not really good criticism to boast about your inability to keep up with the thing you're criticizing, but it was all generic rehashing of what we already know about these characters.

"You made me what I am, Father. Everything you did to me created this. And now it's my turn to replay the favor."

I mean, this is ominous enough, but like…we know that Valentine made him who he is. And it doesn't really tell us much about his motivation going forward, because "repay the favor" could be misconstrued in any number of ways.

Well, I'm lying a little bit. We don't know everything that Valentine did to him. Remember how Jonathan's true form is burned to a crisp? I took that to mean he had been permanently like that after the Fairchild house burned down. You know, when he was a baby and Valentine faked his death. But that's not actually the case! Turns out, in this continuity, Valentine was so afraid of his own son's murderous tendencies, he ended up sending him to Edom. You know, literal hell.

This, however, backfired, because while Jonathan was tortured (including having his skin burned off as he is now), he was also taught to use his demon powers. Which, as I hinted at in the previous episode's review, he can only use while in his true form.

"I may be grotesque in my own skin, but with it I have power that you could only dream of."

He still stays as Sebastian most of the time, because…

"I think it rather suits me."

Translation: it's easier on the budget. Which, fair enough. I prefer looking at Will Tudor's face anyway.

All this comes up because Valentine also has no idea what his son wants, or even how he escaped. For the latter, turns out he and Azazel made a deal to basically free each other. But their motives are separate; so Jonathan's not after the Mortal Instruments. What does he want, you ask?

"You'll find out soon enough."

Allow me to yawn.

Well, we do find out his immediate plan eventually. By "repaying the favor", turns out Jonathan means sending Valentine to Edom like he did to him before. Which leads to a race against time, since our protagonists kind of want Valentine back.

Speaking of which, the protagonists! I haven't talked about them yet. Well, Jace is a one-track mind who's really sad that Clary keeps avoiding him, because it's not like she has the right to mourn her relationship with Simon or anything. Clary, thankfully, will have none of it.

"Jace, Valentine's missing, okay? We have more important things to deal with right now."

Speaking of important things, Alec's apparently taking the blame for Valentine going missing. On both ends: the Downworlder cabinet is currently meeting at the Seelie Court, without him, which isn't a good sign; and the Clave is sending a representative, possibly to replace him as head of the Institute.

But no, it's actually Robert, and he saved Alec's job. Yay, I guess? I'm never sure what the expect me to think about that. I mean, the Clave is corrupt and/or inefficient, it's definitely bigoted and a little fascist, so…why should I be happy whether the protagonists are in good standing with them?

Somewhere, in another universe, the Shadowhunter books are about overthrowing the Clave and making a new Shadowhunter organization composed of Nephilim and Downworlders working side by side and making decisions together. Sadly, we are not in that universe, so we're meant to be relieved that Alec still leads the Institute. And we're also supposed to care about his issues with his dad cheating on his mom. Which, I guess I feel sympathy for him, but also, Robert's making it really hard to root for him.

"I never meant to hurt you. But I fell in love. You of all people should know what that's like." "Magnus isn't an affair!"

Yeah. As they say, bitch please. The issue with cheating is that you committed to be faithful to someone else, not that you're in love. I can't believe I still have to say that.

Alec, being the bigger person to his own father, decides to stop arguing about this and focus on the search for Valentine. Which leads us to…well, that.

Turns out, Jace requested to be assigned with Clary, right after she expressed the need for some space, because disrespecting someone's wishes is sexy, you guys. So sexy. Oh, wait, no, I meant it's terrible and you shouldn't do that.

Anyway. The Clave believes Valentine's still in New York, but Jace doesn't think so. In fact, he's guessed Valentine's exact location, because…Mary Sue Guessing Powers, I guess? I mean, he does know Valentine, obviously. The issue is more…Valentine didn't pick the cottage, Jonathan did, and Jace doesn't know him at all. Lucky coincidence?

Whatever. Problem is, Jace didn't get permission from the Clave to Portal into Idris to search the place, because the Clave is useless. Since a warlock can't Portal into Idris's wards without permission, this is a problem…for about five seconds. Time for more of Clary's convenient new runes! Even better: this time around, the rune just happens to be in the shape of Lake Lyn on the map. I don't know how that matters, but the show decided to do it, so it must clearly be relevant and totally not something utterly random.

So Clary opens a Portal on the fly, gets it right immediately, and they take it to Lake Lyn. Clary does make an excuse that they have to take it right now because she has no idea if she can open another one, but that sounds pretty convenient.

You know the next scene from the books: Clary ends up in the water and loses her stele, and Jace has to rescue her. Also, Jace himself left his stele in New York, since they kind of improvised this. What's different from the books, is that Jace has no idea of Lake Lyn's hallucinogenic properties, so when Clary starts tripping and goes off on her own, he has no idea what's going on and he loses her pretty fast.

Luckily, the Portal…broke into shards after they took it? Don't question it, it's just a way for Alec and Isabelle to find out where Jace and Clary are after Alec senses through the parabatai bond that something happened to Jace. Robert sees it too, and he knows about Lake Lyn's effects, down to and including that Clary will lose her mind completely if she's not cured soon with an iratze rune. You know, the healing ones. I can't remember if the show ever actually established that; it feels like at some point they just started throwing the term around and expecting the audience to know what it means.

Anyway, this does create some tension, so while it's a little contrived, I mostly approve of this change. See, now Robert has to get a Portal authorized for Isabelle to go after Clary and Jace and heal them (well, heal Clary, but they don't know for sure who's affected) before it's too late. And since Jace and Clary don't have a stele, they can't just do it on their own. By the way, Alec's stuck at the Institute because, you know, leadership stuff.

The fact that Robert's the one who has the information…sure, why not, he's older and important and stuff. It also gives me a nice opportunity to remind people that I did end up writing that fanfiction of him and Michael Wayland getting it on while high off the Lake Lyn's waters, based on Tales from Shadowhunter Academy. I'm not linking it in this post, because come on, this is a classy blog. But it exists. And is probably not that hard to find. ~~Or you can always just drop by my ask box, if you're really interested.~~

But back to the plot. Clary sees Ithuriel, who looks much younger now that he's recovered from being Valentine's prisoner. He tells her that Jonathan's still alive, and gives her some cryptic advice before leaving, so you know he's not a hallucination. Unfortunately, Clary assumes he's talking about Jace, so that's lost on her. For now.

Isabelle arrives to Lake Lyn, and finds Jace first. He didn't drink any of the lake's waters, so he's fine, but as I mentioned, he lost Clary, and she's not. They find her quickly enough, but she's delirious to the point where she doesn't recognize them and starts fighting them. And she can take them two on one, because…hallucinations make you stronger? Yeah, I doubt it.

Clary breaks Isabelle's stele in the struggle, so she can't be healed. Oh no, whatever shall they do? Oh yeah, Jace still has his angel power to activate runes without a stele, so she's fine. Crisis averted.

They set out for Valentine's cottage, where Jonathan's in the process of opening a portal to Edom to send Valentine there. During the ritual, however, Valentine manages to grab the Soul-Sword. While Clary permanently disabled its Downworlder-killing abilities, it still forces Shadowhunters to speak the truth, and he tells Jonathan that he realizes he was wrong to send him to hell, and he's the ultimate warrior that Valentine was looking to create after all.

"You have always been my greatest creation, son. Always!"

This sways Jonathan, who changes his mind, and they leave the cottage together right on time for Clary, Jace and Isabelle to find the cottage empty, but with traces of their recent presence.

"We're too late."

No shit.

So they head back, taking Valentine's journals with them.

But our heroes' troubles are not over! As I mentioned, Jonathan has the Soul-Sword, which no one was aware of until now. Well, no one except Robert, and that's how he saved Alec's position as head of the New York Institute, which he reveals to Alec because…long story short, Max found his blackmail messages to Imogen, and Robert blew up at him over it, which Isabelle found out and told Alec about. This is just setup for the next episode, which is why I saved it for the end of the review. Specifically:

"Are you gonna tell Magnus?"

Gee, it's Shadowhunters. Honesty and open communication happen approximately once every blue moon. I wonder.

Meanwhile, while studying the journals, Jace finds out that Valentine was recording his experiments with him and Jonathan. And for some reason, even though he was studying them, Clary's the one who points out that these experiments all happen long after Jonathan supposedly die as a baby.

"He was talking about my brother. He's still alive."

Well, good. Now are we moving past the impostor Sebastian plot line? Find out next time, because right now, Valentine and Sebastian just have a lovely, evil family dinner.

[random-thoughts-collection]

Shadowhunters | 3.01 Review

Shadowhunters - On Infernal Ground

written by Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer, directed by Matt Hasting

After a great finale in season 2, season 3 starts of on the same high level: the characters are now dealing with the aftermath of Valentine’s and Sebastian’s attack and the result of their own actions. We’re also introduced to the new antagonist: Lilith. A lot of this first episode is a setup, but for that it is well done. Almost every character gets their little moment, and the bigger stories are set in motion. There are a lot of little plots and to take care of, so I’ll try to devide this into character groups in a futile attempt to get this review in order.

Clary & Jace

“No one can know, Clary.”

The episode starts on a positive note and an important step in Clary’s development: she is finally officially recognized as a Shadowhunter and gets her Shadowhunter rune as well as signature weapons – dual kindjals, two weapons that Clary chose by instinct. Luke later reveals to her that these weapons were her parents’ weapons before. In the following fight against a demon Clary uses them quite well but also shows that her real strength lies in creating and drawing runes. I like that we get to see Clary as a competent fighter but they still let her real powers be her ability to draw runes. With this skill she’s equally (if not more) useful as other Shadowhunters, despite her lack of experience.

Clary’s Shadowhunter initiation is overshadowed by the fact that Clary and Jace both haven’t told anyone about the wish that Clary used to revive Jace after Valentine had killed him. Jace seems to be naturally disturbed by this, but he’s also plagued by nightmares. His parabatai Alec suspects there is more to the story than Jace and Clary are willing to admit, but they both refuse to tell him the truth.

Alec & Magnus

“You never have to pretend how you feel.”

Alec was offered a position on the Council, while Magnus was dismissed because of his support for the Seelie Queen. He claims to be okay with it, but after talking to Catarina at the hospital Alec realizes that is not the case. Magnus also pretends to be okay with Alec possibly moving to Idris for his new job, but in the end Alec can get him to open up about how he really feels like and assures him that he can be honest with him – and that he won’t move to Idris.

Luke & Ollie

“That wolf… that was you, wasn't it?”

Since Ollie has found out about Luke’s identity as a werewolf, Luke tries to convince her that this idea is ridiculous. And most people would probably believe him, but apparently Ollie has had an encounter with werewolves before, so she spends most of the episode being quite annoyed with Luke. At times I find it hard to believe that Ollie would be that carefree about talking to a werewolf, especially since she has been attacked by one before. However, when Ollie gets attacked by a demon Luke tries to protect her in his werewolf form and is unable to deny it later on.  

Lilith & Sebastian

“I'm here now, son.” 

Sebastian turns out to be not-quite-dead, thanks to the new season’s antagonist Lilith. How exactly their relationship fits together remains to be seen. As Lilith states in the hospital she can’t have children, but maybe that is only true for a very specific way. When Lilith was in the hospital, I first feared she might start to eat the children, but that was not the case - and it interesting to see that almost vulnerable longing for these babies. It is almost touching if it weren’t for the fact that she is a powerful demon who thanks nice-guy!Tim for his kind words by letting a demon possess him. It was really a shame because he really seemed like a good guy, and even though he was a random guy I felt sorry for him and his wife. And the demon in him was really creepy, especially during the fight against Clary. So far it’s not clear what Lilith actually wants to accomplish, but there seem to be 33 more demons waiting to join the party. Am I the only one who thought the demon Lilith was talking to in the end looks a bit like an evil chicken?

Simon, Maia, Izzy and Raphael

“You're the new weapons master? Izzy, that is perfect for you.“

There is not much time spend on Simon, Maia, Izzy or Raphael, but they’re not forgotten and their parts are not less important.

Simon is more or less forced to entertain the Seelie Queen and her court, or otherwise she wouldn’t have let Maia go at the end of last season. Alberto Rosende gives us another beautiful part of a song, and the Seelie Queen is pleased as well. However, her true reason for having Simon at her court is to brand him with a mark. Simon has no idea what it is, and it quickly fades. When he is allowed to leave the court, Maia - who was worried about his absence - soon forgives him for leaving without saying anything.

While Clary has been made an official Shadowhunter and Alec has been offered a promotion to Idris, izzy has been made weapons master at the New York institue, and she helps Clary to find her new wepaons and later joins JAce and Alec in the investigation of the demon attack. Having Izzy be the new weapons master fits perfectly, and after her long journey of recovering after the Yin Feng it’s great to see her in this position.

Rapahel has probably the least amount of screen time, but to make up for that he has a nice little moment with Magnus that reminds us of their connection. He gets a vampire tranquilizer from Magnus claiming it is for himself. A few scenes later we see him using it on another vampire for what looks like some form of experiment. Raphael is using light, so this is probably bad news for Simon.

A good opening for the new season

“I sang you a song about nature!”

There is a lot to like about the new episode and as it is often the case I enjoy episode especially when they make the smaller scenes work within the episodes.

For starters, Clary’s and Jace’s fight scene: I cannot help it, I love all the fight scenes in Shadowhunters. They are so well done, they always managed to give us nice character moments along with it, and they are just all around badass. And it just makes sense? These people are fighting all the time, their job is to hunt demons - so yes, of course they need to train. A lot of shows (that are not anime) don’t really take the time to show that on a regular basis, but it is great that they include it here.

I was also very happy when the Shadowhunters met Catarina in the hospital. It was nice to see her again! And another encounter that was well done was Charlie - the guy that Izzy met at the hospital when she tried to get some candy there was so nice and friendly, it was refreshing. Their conversation was nothing special or super interestng, but it was a nice moment anyway. He was cleary interested in her and she was sort of reluctant, but he stayed polite and respectful, so it worked. I hope this guy won’t fall victim to a demon attack or something similar.

Having read the books I can only say that I’m looking forward to what kind of story the writers can come up with for Alec and Magnus. They won’t be stuck on vacation for a season and just send in some pictures every now and then, and it’s exciting to know that even after having read the books there is no way of knowing what will happen next. There are a few ideas what could happen, but seeing how Simon got his mark there could be all kinds of twists on the book’s story. In this rare case I can’t say that I’m disappointed because the writing of the show has been really good so far.

All in all I’m mostly impressed how the episode managed to have all these little plots in it but still make it feel like one whole episode, one story, where many people have a part in it but it is still all connected. Maybe that is because despite everyone having their own little story they still relate to other stories as well. Luke might be busy with dealing with Ollie, but he still has an open ear for Clary. Maia worries about Simon, but she’s also concerned with Luke’s “Ollie-problem”. Luke is not a Shadowhunter anymore, but he’ll send his Shadowhunter friends after the demon, and when the Jace, Alec and Izzy go to the hospital to investigate, they meet Magnus’ friend Catarina who’s worried about Magnus. Clary’s and Jace’s little secret is connected to Sebastian and therefore to Lilith, who is behind the demon’s attack in the first place, and it all comes together so wonderfully that I can’t help but be amazed by the amount of plot the writers managed to put into this episode without making it feel like it’s going to explore from the mass of things that happen.

Kudos to you, Shadowhunters creators!

Next: The Powers That Be (spoilers)

The Warlocks’ magic is becoming corrupted by a demonic presence while Izzy and Luke try to track down more information on the recent series of possessions.

In the next episode, the Institue is under attack - again - and some Shadowhunters are quick to respond with racism - again. We’re also introduced to the new High Warlock of Brooklyn, Lorenzo Rey. Going by promo, sneak peek and press release, this episode will focus more on Magnus and Alec, as well as Izzy and Luke.

[alexander-banelightwood]

Some random thoughts about Shadowhunters based on 3 x 06:

Jace: 

Still unclear as to how no one noticed something was wrong with him

How is it Jace was hiding his demon possession from his own parabati? How does that work. I need some answers. 

I think Jace will go through a couple more episodes of hell and torment before he’s ‘freed’ from his possession but then he’ll be all sad and tormented because of all the things he did while under possession. 

I wonder how Jace was more powerful than Magnus? *insert thinking emoji here* 

No, seriously. Magnus had his literal ass handed to him. Embarrassing much? 

But how about that sneak peak? Lol, Jace says he doesn’t love Clary then throws her over a building. I’m cackling. Cold blooded. They’ll make up soon enough though, so I ain’t worried. 

I do wonder if Jace will try to break things off with Clary after he’s no longer possessed. I can see him thinking he’s not good enough for her or something. 

Malec: 

I’m glad they are having this discussion. It needs to happen. 

Truth is, Magnus is old as fuck, experienced, and a bit guarded. He knows what he wants and while he’s willing to go for it, he’s also going to be a bit more patient and reserved when it involves someone he loves. This comes with age and experience. He’s been hurt before. He’s loved and lost. He knows that one day Alec will age and he won’t and it’s happened so often he’s learned how to cope. This isn’t new for him. 

Alec on the other hand is experiencing it all for the first time. Magnus is his first everything. It makes sense though, for Alec to be all in all fast because shadowhunters have short life spans for those who are in active duty. So, he’s taught to just go for what he wants and be all in while he can. Alec wants so much so fast and it’s just now hitting him what it means to be with an immortal. Alec is shook right now. So, in order for malec to progress they have to address future concerns and be adults about it. 

Problem is, both magnus and alec are petty sons of bitches so they arguing was bound to happen. 

I’m also wondering why Magnus didn’t tell Alec he was with Clary. All he said was that he got held up with a client. Seems to me like when Alec lies or doesn’t tell all of the truth the world is ending but Magnus can do it freely? Eh, just annoyed me a bit. 

I’m also glad Alec has a friend to discuss things with and give solid advice. I’m glad the guy didn’t try to hit on Alec and instead was conversational and friendly. I hope they go this route and Alec has a new gay best friend and that they don’t try to make the guy fall for Alec to create drama. Guess what? Two gay guys CAN be friends and NOT want to fuck each other. Hopefully the writers don’t make me cringe. 

Others:

I want to see Maryse and Luke be friends. Maryse just got out of a marriage to a cheating husband who hardly to fight for her to keep her markings. She needs time to settle, accept, find herself and be happy for her. 

On the other side of that, Luke was in love with Clary’s mother and he literally lost himself to his wolf when she died. His love was ongoing for like 15 or more years. That kind of love doesn’t just die. I want to see Luke live for himself. Be happy. And take care of his pack. He fought the last Alpha for Clary and so now he HAS to do right by the pack. So far he has failed. Luke is a shit alpha. He doesn’t put the pack first and even used Maia’s fear of locked spaces against her. He has to do better and he needs to leave shadowhunters alone for a while. Yes, that includes his precious Clary. Leave her be. His pack needs him. 

The whole Heidi thing seems like a filler story line for other stuff. I hope they handle that quick because I’m tired of seeing it. It’s like they still don’t know what to do with Simon and Izzy’s characters. 

Over all I’m interested to see how this season will continue to unravel. I hope Izzy’s character improves soon because right now I’m just meh with her. Also, I hope they give Izzy a story line that DOES NOT involve a male character at all. She is more than relationship drama. 

[noemiette]

Shadowhunters 2x20: “Beside Still Water”

Here’s the list of all the things that I liked about the new episode (feel free to add some stuff):

Oh honey you dont look well. I’m happy to see you die a second time :)

That’s some cool effects when Jonathan opens the door to Edom.

"And I said thanks but no thanks” XD Simon and Luke teaming up to find Maia is what I live for !

Everybody do the flop !! You tried Maia, you tried XD

“Thank the Angel for Magnus and the warlocks” I approve this message !

DAT SLOW MO SHOT of the squad running in New York ! A+

“Relax. I got this” 

The demons dont look that bad for a show without the biggest bugget :o They look pretty cool actually.

Luke is sooooo done with The Seelie Queen.

“Fine. Be careful.” “Likewise. And when am I not careful ?” Alec’s face ! He’s like “Are you serious ? You always get in trouble ! YOU ALMOST DIED YESTERDAY !!”

"Not just any warlock. The most powerful one in New York” ♥ I’m so here for people complimenting Magnus !

Izzy’s little smile when Alec said “Izzy, wait”. She totally knows her brother XD 

Salty/petty Magnus pretending not to see the 6ft3 guy standing in front of him and his “Duh !”

Malachi being the traitor is not a surprise but I think it’s really interesting to make one of the leaders of the Clave, a cercle member/a huge racist.

Luke knocking Meliorn out mid sentence. Hahaha ! Nice !

"You’re familiar with them ?” Can you feel the Edom storyline coming for Magnus in season 3 ?

Izzy, Magnus and Alec: the best team up EVER !

"You gonna be OK ?” “I’m the High Warlock of Brooklyn” Damn right you are !

Alec’s “Oooooohshiiiiiiit” face when the flying demon flew straight at him !

Magnus killing the demon while closing the door to Edom. What a man !!

Alec running to Magnus when he fell on the ground.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Saia hug ! Luke, Simon and Maia are also a great team.

I may not be the greatest Clace shipper but gosh they made me emotional in the finale. Those looks when Clary was about to loose her head and their little hug after.

Okay, i’m gonna need way more than one dot for the most emotional scene of the entire show, cause honestly I was a mess and it was perfect.

Alec’s reaction. It was not in the books and i’m still pissed off about it. The show did right even if it freaking killed us. Alec being in so much pain that he fell on the ground, Magnus and Izzy running to him even though they couldnt do anything. It was really painful to watch Alec feeling his parabatai die.

The freaking flashbacks !! That was so rude. I already had tears in my eyes, but the second the flashbacks started I went from 0 to 1000% sobbing mode.

The Clace part. I actually really liked them in this episode. They were heartbreaking, especially Clary’s shaky voice and sobs. I really needed to hug her ! Gosh, I dont think I’ll ever be over this scene. (especially the “Please come back” line. T-T)

I need to give a special dot just for Kat, cause DAMN KAT !! I’m soo proud of her, she improved so much since season 1. And her acting in that scene was freaking perfect. Good job girl ! You managed to break my heart in tiny pieces.

That music ! I’ll never be able to listen to it anymore without crying. It totally fitted the scene. Once again, Bravo to everyone. Cause this scene was perfect !!

Clary “murder time” face. You go babe !!! This episode made me like Clary !

Pretty angel.

Magnus being the most selfless character, “Magnus, you need to get to safety” “We need to find Jace and Clary.”

Clary vs Valentine. Those punches she threw at him. In his face !!!

Clary killing Valentine and stabbing him 4 times !!

First thing Jace asked was “Are you ok ?” BABE U JUST DIED !!!!!

The parabatai rune is back !!! And their hug ! (and Magnus and Izzy hugging in the background ! awww).

Party at the Hunter’s Moon ! Everyone is laughing, drinking etc... Smiles everywhere.

Can we talk about happy drunk Luke cause this is the best thing ever Hahaha !! I love this Luke XD

All these little moments. Clizzy, Simon and Clary, Simon and Maia (i love them so much and their hug was adorable).

Can you hear the little Kat singing in the background ?

That little Jace Maia interaction XD I really like their dynamic.

"I don’t think I can live without you” (actually all the stuff they said but especially this line)

“A wise man once told me ‘Relationships take effort“ XD Magnus imitating Alec’s voice was hilarious and adorable. Is this kind of their thing now ? Quoting each other ?

MALEC IS BACK BABY ! That kiss and all the lights around them. The scene was really pretty.

Magnus and Alec leaving the party together. Malec in season 3 is gonna be great. 

Drunk Luke giving Clary a huuuuge hug and trying to hug Jace XD

Uh oooooh Ollie. This is gonna be interesting in season 3 !

Other award of the most selfless character of the show: Simon. Please protect him from that Queen.

That creepy ending !!! Lilith and Jonathan. I’m gonna need season 3 right now please :D

And that’s it for Season 2 guys !! The show leveled up so much, i’m so proud of everyone. And 2b was just amazing ! See you in January for season 3 /o/ It’s gonna be awesome.

The last episodes [X]

[likelovelikesuicide]

Shadowhunters s2 - thoughts

Shadowhunters is on Hiatus next week for the birthday of the United States, (Merica, FuCK Yeah. We’ll have a cook out) - so here’s my thoughts through episode 14. 

The 2b opening sequence where Clary recaps the plot of the show is poorly written and an unnecessary use of screen time. Also it's annoying as hell… Magnus Bane is not “a warlock from Brooklyn” he is The High Warlock of Brooklyn. And Luke used to be Clay’s dad or something RIGHT???…. Honestly why is this a thing?

They’ve established that Alec and Magnus are very much together/in love/devoted to each other… however, Alec is extremely straight forward, so much so that he can come across as cold, though he's not. While Magnus is guarded, evasive, and recently he opened his heart and soul to Alec. He exposed himself and he got hurt for it because of the demon... At this point it is crucial that Magnus and Alec be given uninterrupted scenes that last longer than 3 seconds because they have a very interesting story set up for the upcoming ep's but they need screen time…look, this story-line can’t sustain on short scenes and they can’t gloss over what happened. Magnus was trapped in another body, he was tortured by his allies and nearly executed under the gaze of his lover, Alec. Plus, the mind of a serial killer had control of Magnus’ body for like a day and we know Valentine used the whole thing to his advantage to attempt an escape (WHICH FAILED!! BITCH WHAT!) - However, Magnus is clearly NOT OK and Alec can tell, though he doesn't know how to help yet… the next step requires screen time, they need to flush this out and we have to wait an extra week for that. They timed this perfectly. Assholes. 

Personally, I find Clary to be a bit … tiring …. But life isn't really throwing her a bone here… I’m not going to recap her story because it will take too long (she is the main character or something, I guess) but now she’s lost her boyfriend and her oldest friend in one go - and really, The Seelie queen could have done a million things to make it so Clary had to kiss Jace... She was there to cause drama and she caused it. I loved her… and I loved all the references to middle school and then the queen appears to be of middle school age and she plays middle school games with them. Oh now that I put that in writing I see … they walked right into it… #kudos

Simon… oh… sorry man that blows - Write a song about it? Maybe call Raphael? And remember you’re still a vampire? Shit don't kill anyone.

Izzy is finally finally getting better, which is great and she has her mother's support, finally. But she mistook her addiction to Raphael for love and I’m looking forward to seeing her find something real. Also I need to see her kick Sebastian's ass a few more times. That was hot. She is hot. Hot damn girl.

I hope that thing that might happen to Max doesn’t turn out to be Izzy’s fault because she will never forgive herself…

Jace could probably use a nap by now. Like a good one where he wakes up and has no idea what year it is. He's been spun like a top for months - tortured and manipulated by Valentine, imprisoned by the Clave, tortured by the silent brothers, fought off Valentine only to be rejected by the institute, boned a crazy turned out to be a murderer seelie chick, inadvertently activated the soul sword so Valentine could wield it - thus killing hundreds of downworlders, and now he’s suddenly shadowhunter royalty, expected to run the institute, implement downworlder tracking, trust a new family... etc. … - Also he’s in love with Clary but he enjoys the downworlder ladies. I get you bro. 

Excuse me for a moment but WHY THE FUCK DID THEY NOT JUST DO A FUCKING DNA TEST ON FUCKING CLARY AND JACE IN FUCKING SEASON 1 WHEN THE WHOLE “WTF WE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE SIBLINGS” THING STARTED???? WHY???? WTF WTF WTF!!!!!! …. *cough* Sorry

I don’t get the dynamic they created between Maia and Jace because it can’t go anywhere because Clace but like… it should go somewhere.... anyway, Overall I like Maia, she’s cute and feisty and refuses to change her life to cater to all the shit going on and I want her to get a hot girlfriend… still don’t get why Luke locked her up in that freezer btw

Luke is kind of all over the place lately and I expect a lot of that has to do with losing Jocelyn. She was his last true connection to the Shadowhunters (it’s not like Clary acknowledges him as the man who raised her or anything) - and I think Luke feels a lot of guilt and responsibility for Valentine and his actions, given that they were parabati...However, I wonder if maybe the thing Luke should actually be worried about is the fact that his new partner is stalking him…

I want to suggest that Imogene and Maryse meet for some tea/whiskey and have a nice chat and agree to help their kids/grandkids over blindly following the Clave/their own bullshit going forward

I need to see Alec call out his father for cheating on his mom and I actually want Robert to be a dick enough to bring up Magnus in the fight and Alec to straight GAY UP lose his shit because he KNOWS Magnus now and he’s nothing like you, asshole.

Things I need more of : - Magnus being okay and happy because I miss him - Meliorn not giving two shits about the shadowhunters, but respecting Alec because of Isobel - The Seelie Queen being fabulous and fucking your day up, just for fun - Sebastian fucking creeping me out while also turning me on as he meddles into everyone’s lives… oh and the real Sebastian is chained up in his closet #kinky - The Lightwoods supporting each other and helping each other and fucking OWNING the NYC Institute because it’s theirs and they know how to run it. - Jace playing piano and Simon singing. together  -  Full MALEC scenes. In which they are boyfriends who call each other boyfriend and love each other and get to talk to each other on screen together as boyfriends - Clary and Izzy being bff's who are there for each other and appreciate each other and fight the dudes who fuck with their #bff - also, more of Maia punching dumbass men in the face.