Shadowhunters season 3B may very well be the last look at some of our favorite characters. So, I went back to the start, season 1, episode 1, to see just how much has changed.
Truth be told, I have not watched the premiere episode of Shadowhunters in a few years. Typically, before a season began, or returned, I would rewatch a few of the episodes from the backend of the prior season to get back into things.
That was my intention headed into 3B, rewatch all of 3A, unpack the season, get a sense of where the arc is going and then, unfortunately, build out where they could take the additional two hours to deliver a satisfying end to the series. But then it struck me – I cannot remember what actually happened in the premiere episode. Aside from the scattered details of Pandemonium, the coffee shop, and Jocelyn’s presence, everything else was a mesh of what I had seen and what I read in the book.
Watching “The Mortal Cup” I was struck by several things – the pillars that would define relationships, the world-building, the visual effects, the cadence of the language.
But first and foremost, I was reminded how fantastic the show has been at blending exposition, character development, and action from the get-go. How effectively the series unfolds massive amounts of story without losing any of the elements I just mentioned. When discussing Shadowhunters 3A, I often hold it up as the pinnacle of the series, as the best run of episodes. I stand by that. But it is worth nothing that the reason the most current run of Shadowhunters feels like the show is firing on all cylinders is because it only needed very minimal fine tuning from the start.
Watching the pilot clued me in to several things and this analysis is by no means a comprehensive look at the series as a whole. Rather it is a magnifier on the elements from a single episode that will make continue to make their impact years later. From the first letter on the script to the final period on the finale, these moments have driven these characters, these stories, and influenced every interaction to arise in Shadowhunters.
Take this one example. There’s a crushing moment in the premiere when Clary returns to her destroyed home. She crumbles as the weight of the events of the last eight or so settles on her shoulders. She breaks down for a split second. In that small sob, Clary defines what was lost. Her relationship with her mother, their bond as she is the only blood relative in her life.
She lost her connection to the traditional definition of “family.” Everyone in the show has their own definition of the term. They each draw different boundaries around the people who they feel fit into the category. In some shape or form, they all have ties to the chosen versus bloodline categories and whether or not one matters more over the other.
After Clary takes in the emotional impact of physically seeing her life completely upended, she gets up. She chooses to go forward, fueled by the words of her mother, “Trust your instincts. You’re more powerful than you know.”
Almost immediately following that moment there is an image that eerily parallels where we are in the current timeline. As Clary faces a screaming demon who is intent on killing her, a sword suddenly pierces its abdomen and it fades to reveal Jace, there to save her.
We get a sense of Jace here, who says, “What? No thank you?” as the one who plays off trauma, discomfort, and pain by burying it under a mask. But as she passes out from the demon venom, he lifts her up and says, “I got you.” And he does. No matter the demon that takes over him, Jace is going to push through to get to Clary and those who need him most – Alec, Izzy, even Simon.
As it stands headed into 3B, Jace is no longer under the control of a literal demon. But he still has his own personal demons to push past to get back to Clary. And that will mean coming back together with the two people who can get him through the worst of times, Alec and Izzy.
“The Mortal Cup” is a great visual reminder of the bond. Take a look back at their fighting style in Pandemonium. Every move is perfectly in sync pointing to years of training together. It’s only when an interloper disrupts this that things go awry.
The characters we meet in that backroom of the club and later in the Institute are the same people we know in season 3. Alec is still the play by the rules and keep things close to the chest type of leader. Izzy is still the cautious, yet more lenient edge of the triangle, keeping Clary at arm’s length, while making her feel safe and at ease. And then there’s Jace, diving headfirst into missions, into infatuation, leading with his heart and gut, rather than his mind.
From the moment Clary awakens in the Institute and leans into every single thing that is said to find a way forward, it is clear that she is not going away any time soon. That she is one of them and is not fighting against them, but searching for a way to fight with them, tap into their synergy. There are bumps along the way, but the trio adapts. Clary proves to be an excellent mirror of their comfort that needed a disruption to help them grow beyond what they already knew about each other and themselves.
This dynamic and the bond between these three is unchanging as we head into 3B. Each of them has taken a journey, through addiction, through love, and through loss over the last 3 years. But they have roots that ground them and keep them locked together no matter how far they may seem to grow apart. And now that Clary is missing and Jace is physically back but emotionally worlds away, it will take them digging back to their shared history to persevere.
The writers placed a ton of faith in Dominic Sherwood in 3B to carry out the Owl arc with such fierce focus and yet heavy emotional beats when Alec and Izzy finally find him trapped inside his mind. It’s a performance that is going to pay off in the latter episodes of season 3, as Emeraude Toubia and Matthew Daddario complement his journey back to them.
Related: Shadowhunters season 3: Dominic Sherwood takes us inside Jace’s transformation
Then there’s Simon. The Shadowhunters series leaned in, very heavily, on the Simon and Clary romantic relationship. The premiere takes you back to the root of their friendship, the one that supersedes anything that has come between them. The first line out of Simon is an immediate call to arms against the Brooklyn arts school that may have rejected Clary. They didn’t, of course, but his unrelenting love and support of her is what keeps him coming to her aid at the doorstep of abandoned churches and beyond.
Luke Garroway, the patriarch in the Clary and Jocelyn’s life, comes off as the strong, stoic type. Dedicated to his police work (covering up the demon aspects of NYC crime) and his chosen family, Luke’s trust is something that binds Clary and Jocelyn. When that trust is put into question in the premiere, Clary overhears him speaking to members of the Circle, it sets Clary on her path completely dictated by her own actions. Something shifts in her. And it also sets Luke on edge in subsequent episodes. It’s the emergence of a pattern with Luke. He gives so much of himself to so many people that the balance is never quite right for anyone who has come to rely on him – his pack, his police team, his family.
And Magnus Bane. While not much of the high Warlock of Brooklyn is revealed during the premiere, we do catch a glimpse of his life of luxury in his club as he threatens Circle members. His connection to Clary and Jocelyn hints at a more amiable side, but that was 8 years ago. Peeling back the layers of Magnus Bane has been one of the more rewarding arcs of the series, especially seeing how little we had to go on with his portrayal in the premiere episode.
The story of the Shadow World, be it in the books or on screen, has always been one of trust. Everyone’s world is constantly changing from the moment Clary Fray’s memories start flooding back. Jocelyn needs to trust that Clary can find the courage to persevere and that those she put in charge of her care will live up to their promise. Alec and Izzy must trust that Jace’s instincts are not leading them astray. Simon and Clary must trust that these new people with their “tattoos” and “glamor” and “dangerous floors for mundanes to walk on” are going to help them get back on level-footing in this new reality.
It is that trust that is going to get them through the final leg of season 3. Trust that Clary is alive. Trust that they can and will get through the murky gray area of the present, to move on from what has past and what is in store for future.
And we, as fans, are also tasked with putting our trust in the show. Trust that the creators, editors, writers, and actors all poured their hearts into creating these stories that continue to grab our attention and affect our hearts and minds. Luckily, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble doing that.
Shadowhunters season 3B returns February 25 on Freeform.
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