#not to take these shitty books seriously but like. i fucking hate the whole jace has demon blood no he doesnt thing

[vulcandyke]

//

#not to take these shitty books seriously but like. i fucking hate the whole jace has demon blood no he doesnt thing #bc the big reveal that he doesnt have demon blood is like. surprise you actually arent evil #as if being good or evil is predetermined literally before birth in this instance #the idea that your blood or your dna can be inherently evil is so fucking wrong #also like. i know clary says the whole 'even tho they were difficult choices you still didnt choose to side with valentine' #but the aspect of free will is gone at that point. it's not interesting that the man who's part angel did the right thing #if the idea is that your morality is predetermined by your blood #how can sebastian even really be evil if he never had a choice to be good? #how is jace noble at all if the blood of ithuriel is what made him that way? #it's way more intriguing to say yes this character was created to be evil. yes he was trained from before birth to be that way #but he still chose to do the right thing in spite of it #bc as it is clare's statement here is 'oh it's okay bc he's a changeling! he's not ACTUALLY a bad guy bc he isn't actually part monster #this idea that monstrosity or otherness in general is inherently evil is dangerous and also frankly lazy writing. #it would've been way more interesting if valentine had been giving celine demon blood instead #also like. the dichotomy of jace/clary wouldve been way more intriguing if jace didnt also have the extra angel blood #the quasi-incest is fucking weird regardless tho. was that really necessary cassandra. really. #rambles #i have no idea if this is coherent im just thinking about how much i hate the idea that monster=evil and that your initial circumstances #define your whole life

[oncethrown]

2x14 High Fiving a Million Angels (But Still Not Lady Angels)

I wrote a post a few months ago about how Shadowhunters was finally starting to find its feet and all signs were pointing to 2B being the point where the show would come into it’s own and really be something. 

And I finally feel like I was right. after 2x14.

This was a great episode, it promised that the flashes of social concious the show focused on in 2x13 weren’t just filler to make Clary look good, but real problems in both the world and the narrative of the show that the show intends to deal with. It also managed to finally deliver strong character moments and not choke itself with action for once. While overall it was really strong, it still failed it’s female characters, but it’s not like I’m shocked anymore. 

I think Alec, Luke and Maryse had the strongest episode, with Sebastian as a runner up. 

Alec finally becoming Head of the Institute was written perfectly. He understands the issue, but not perfectly. He starts the downworld council, but all of the participants are quick to remind him that they’ve seen this sort of empty gesture from the Clave before, and Alec is unable to actually deliver what those downworld leaders want, despite his openness, because the Clave won’t budge. 

They also show that he’s going to face resistance from the rank and file shadhowhunters, who don’t think it’s appropriate for him to bring downworlders into their place, assume its because he’s fucking a downworlder, and expect him to fail. 

We also get to see just how much he wants this and how much work  and thought he’s putting into it. He’s in a suit this entire episode. He’s dressing the part of Head of Institute. He puts in a call to Magnus to establish boundaries in this new arena for them and their relationship. He’s measured and careful and thoughtful with everything he says, (though I do think Matthew Daddario made the professionalism feel a little wooden) and he brings in Izzy, who he knows has stronger personal relationships with the more resistant members of his proposed cabinet, Meliorn and Raphael.  

Plus the exchange with Maryse about baby Alec seriously writing crayon memos was gold.

Luke shows up hard as pack leader in this episode, he’s the perfect character to refuse to let the Clave off without a concession, and Isaiah Mustafa carries his indignation at the whole situation so perfectly. The writing is strong here too, with Luke’s episode arc of demanding concessions from the Clave, not getting them, and seeking his own revenge against Valentine because he knows the Clave will never give in to Downworld demands (also, holy foreshadowing from Raphael last week, let’s hope that goes somewhere). The way they heightened that with his interactions with Maryse was also gold.

Maryse is getting the redemption arc that I have been desperate for for 14 episodes. I am pretty salty that they’ve dropped her into the plot twice to work on that instead of giving this story line more time to breathe, especially since no one is acknowledging that Aldertree is to blame for Izzy’s addiction, so nothing he did meant anything and he was a pointless waste of time and Maryse could have been playing his role the whole time if Shadhowhunters didn’t hate women so much. 

I like that they are actually using Robert’s affair to mean something. Maryse was betrayed and hurt by someone she thought loved her, and now she’s seeing herself in a new light because of it, and that barrier between herself and her children and her old friends is starting to break down. 

Her scene with Izzy is easily the best scene of the episode. She’s seeing Izzy as her daughter instead of her legacy and is actually thinking about how things effect Izzy emotionally, like her knowing about Robert’s affair, and how the way Maryse raised Izzy could have made her more susceptible to a yin-fen addiction. 

Her scene with Luke is also perfectly placed. She’s not only starting to think about how she raised her children, and her homophobia, she’s given real thought to the tremendously anti-downworlder things she did in the past, and we even see her look genuinely surprised that the Clave wouldn’t let Luke attend Jocelyn’s funeral. 

I love that they have her starting to reach out to Alec, but that her lines about how proud of him she actually is are delivered to other people. She tells Izzy that it’s good that Alec fought for love for himself. She tells Luke that Alec’s idea for a downworld council is wonderful. She knows that the divide between she and Alec is too wide and deep right now and she needs to approach him carefully.

Her scene with Alec is still about duty and legacy. She’s excited that Alec is head of the Institute... but she’s not going to divorce Robert because she doesn’t want to risk the Lightwood legacy. 

Sebastian is givin this fantastic one episode development from seemingly sweet and caring, to creepily over involved, to ‘don’t forget he’s a psycho’ and it plays so well against the rest of the episode. Will and Nicola have the same skill for giving you a ton of emotion and subtext in their eyes. 

But There Were A Lot of Things That Sucked Here Too

But at least not all of them are Clary This Time

Izzy Nonsense

The two men vying for Izzy’s affection in this episode, could have done their whole schtick for the episode without her being there at all. Sebastian telling Raphael to back off when he’s known him for a hot minute and only sees him as a source of venom out there corrupting sweet Innocent, helpless to stop herself Isabelle is shitty (also... ALDERTREE IS TO BLAME HERE. BAD SHADOWHUNTER, NOT BAD VAMP). And then Raphael’s whole matyr thing rubs me the wrong way too. Everyone is always talking about Izzy being so strong and such a good shadowhunter and blah blah blah... and for the last like ten episodes she is only allowed to be strong as an addict. They don’t let her be strong as a person. It sucks. I’m over it. 

And like... neither Sebastian nor Raphael are wrong, I get that, but I want to watch a show where Isabelle gets to make that decision, instead of the dude’s penising in and dickily deciding, with great turtleneck bishopry, that only they can save Izzy... from herself. 

That scene also sucked because Raphael is a bad choice beyond just the yin fen thing. He hid Isabelle’s phone from her when her family needed her. If someone takes your phone away, and cuts you off from your family... you do not date them. You kick them in the nads until they puke. 

Clary Nonsense

I imagine that the original first scene from this episode was cut, and went like this:

(Alec and Magnus shirtless in bed together)

Alec: One of the first things I’m doing as head of the Institute is getting Clary in some Seelie Politics training. The queen wants to see her and I can’t have her insulting someone and starting a war. 

Magnus: What’s the point? She won’t listen anyway and she’ll yell at someone else when it goes wrong. 

Alec: All experience tells me you’re right. 

Magnus: Doi. Let’s make out. 

FIN

Clary’s position as POV character who can see how the rules of the magical society aren’t fair doesn’t work if none of those rules ever affect her in anyway. She needs to be able to hear that Jace speaks to the queen very formally, and at least try to play along. She’s been in the world long enough to know that maybe dragging an uninvited guest to see a queen, is a bad plan. And her line about the Seelie Queen looking prepubescent was just stupid. Why do the writers need me to believe that that main character is stupid?

She also suffers the same fate as Isabelle, where the menfolk are so much better at everything than her, and half to make her decisions. She’s shadowhunter, but her vampire boyfriend can’t let her go off alone. It’s not safe. Blah blah blah. No agency for women, Shadowhunters hates women. 

We all knew the stupid kiss was coming, and Clary’s inability to realize that like... something wasn’t about her somehow was deeply annoying, but I did like that the kiss was actually used to drive home a political point. The Seelie Queen has been around as long as the rest of the immortal downworlders who all know that Shadowhunters don’t respect them, and don’t keep their promises. 

I am insanely pissed off that when Isabelle came into Clary’s room to talk about her feelings for once, they got steamrolled by Clary’s long list of stupid decisions when Isabelle has like... real problems. 

Simon Nonsense

Simon is a better character than this episode made him out to be. He should know he doesn’t need to defend Clary, his insecurity about her being alone with Jace is just gross, and for the love of God the last time he didn’t listen to Shadowhunters he was turned into a fucking vampire. Come on, Lewis. 

Watching Reactions:

Boo New Intro. Go Away. Boo

Yay. Hopeuflly this flashback means more Jaia. Here for it. 

It’s too bad the official instrument of brooding isn’t more portable.

Hmmm... I wonder if the resentment of the only extras who get lines will go anywhere. 

Nice Suit, Mr. Lightwood

I love that “Book Club” is Jace’s code for casual sex and Alec and Izzy both know it. 

Clary is incapable of not fucking this up. Maybe Max can teach her things about Seelies. She is too dumb for this mission. 

Alec and Luke! A Real Plot! Awesome!

Boo. Simon you are better than this. 

I am LIVING for this complicated Maryse. This is everything I’ve wanted since 1x12

Goddamn it Clary and Simon. You are both better than this. I’m tired of hating you. 

I’m very invested in where they go with Sebastian. It feels like it’s going to be good. 

The fire message is cool. I didn’t expect it to be cool.

I’m actually not into this vision of the Seelie Realm. Very Renfest. The books made it a lot more menacing. 

Whats wrong with Meliorn’s face?

Izzy is politcally important! Yay!

This scene between Sebastian and Raphael, while a disaster, Izzy wise, is really well acted. Will is bringing David up a lot. 

Fuck you Clary. You’re fucking simon. Where Jace is putting his dick is none of your business. You fucking hypocrite. 

Leader Luke! Leader Luke!

Ha. The thing is it totally makes sense for all of them to look the same to Meliorn. There have been so many lines about Jace looking like the rest of the Herondales, and he and Sebastian do look pretty similar, and Meliorn’s been alive long enough for them to just all run into “Blond and Tall” “Red Head” “Loud and Angry Blonde”. 

Raphael, this is really not your place. 

Sooo... does this cut prove that Sebastian isn’t the voice?

Maryse Redemption!

This episode is great, Clary’s had sic lines. Coincidence?

Boo. She’s talking more. Sigh. 

Really Clary? Jace is dying and you gotta kick him like this?

This is too much kissing for the least engaging plot line. No matter how much pathos Dom puts into this it’s still too stupid a plot and he’s carying it all alone. 

Don’t yell at the queen, dumbass. 

Mother Daughter Scene! Mother Daughter scene! This is the best. 

Bad Ass Luke!

The outcome of this whole Sebastian plot has better be political disruption. It is too fucking late in the game to write this time of story about romance. 

I like the pointedness of Alec moving the chair. Everything from the type of chair to the way the shot is structure to how the characters are facing emphasises that Alec is not Imogen, and he did not come down here to torture a downworlder. 

Alec gets the politics! Alec is good at this!

He... stole your phone to keep you in his lair while your family was facing death. He is a bad person. He is not for dating. Why are the writers allergic to letting Izzy make good choices about men?

Don’t let her in Simon! Never let her in!

I am so excited that Clary might have to learn that consquences exist. It must come as such a shock to her. 

Are you fucking kidding me? How does this scene end up about Clary? Isabelle has real problems and Clary doesn’t even know about them because she’s been so selfish, and now... Izzy just has to drop all of that because Clary has a self-imposed sad? Fuck this. 

Hot Damn. That’s what I call an ending. 

#shadowhunters meta #episode reaction #shadowhunters 2x14 #Alec Lightwood #Maryse Lightwood #Isabelle Lightwood #I Hate Clary