Shadowhunters episode 9 didn’t disappoint as Alec slowly let the rage of his parents betrayal consume him.
The statement Alec is an ass pretty much sums up this episode. Alec clearly tries to put distance between himself and Magnus. I’m pretty sure it was the guilt that made him push Magnus away. Alec then proceeds to drop a bomb on Jace and Isabelle by telling them about the Lightwoods being a part of the Circle. He was tactless in his approach.
The conversation only got worse when Lydia arrived and Alec announced they were engaged. Isabelle didn’t disappoint with her reaction. Jace was also thoroughly pissed and he only knew Lydia for a few minutes. Needless to say if they continue with the charade of marriage she won’t have any friends and neither will he.
Alec continues the hits as he tells off his father who is being sent back to Idris under suspicion of working with Valentine. The scary part is some part of Alec actually believes his parents could be working with Valentine. Jace who isn’t even a blood relative believes in Maryse and Robert. It’s one thing to be angry it’s another to be delusional. Alec’s anger, at this point, is all consuming. The only person he will listen to is Lydia whose judgment is clouded by the loss of her fiancé.
Just when I thought Alec couldn’t be any more of an ass he turned on Magnus. It was painful to watch Alec tell Magnus he was engaged, especially because Magnus jokingly thought he was talking about them. When Magnus realizes that not only is Alec marrying someone else but a girl, the look on his face is devastating. I definitely wanted to hit Alec during this part.
Simon struggles throughout the episode with being a vampire. Clary enlists Luke’s help to keep Simon out of danger and even though they are vampire and werewolf they manage to get along. Rafael on the other hand has trouble making nice with Luke. Their interactions add some levity to an otherwise serious episode.
I will say Clary showed some serious leadership skills when it came to helping rescue Meliorn after Lydia sends Meliorn to death at the hands of the Silent Brothers. Isabelle and Jace sacrifice quite a bit in order to save him as well. With the help of Clary who rallied the downworlders they manage to save Meliorn but at a cost.
Alec is escorting Meliorn to the Silent Brothers when Clary and company try to free Meliron. Jace and Alec get into a physical fight. Things were said that can never be taken back. Jace actually brings up Alec’s feelings for him! This is a big moment, in the books it’s not ever really addressed by Jace. Plus the fact that Alec pulls a seraph blade on Jace is just shocking. Jace gets sentimental and tells Alec he doesn’t want to live in a world where they are on different sides but Alec refuses to work with Jace.
It seems the parabatai are at odds. Even Isabelle is unsure she can get her brother back. Is Alec so far gone that he will continue to turn on his family? The Clave clearly has an agenda that goes beyond finding Valentine and it seems that they are using the young Shadowhunters to do their bidding.
Overall, this episode was fantastic. The pacing was great and so many things were revealed. Matt Daddario owned this episode as he raged against his family and friends. Alberto Rosende was also quite good as Simon. He infused laughter into moments that otherwise would have been too tense. Shadowhunters seems to have hit its stride and with only three episodes left it will be interesting to see where it goes next.