Shadowhunters season 2 premiere kicked off with a bang as the Institute came under new leadership and the hunt for Jace began.
Picking up almost exactly where last season ended, Shadowhunters season 2 starts with Valentine trying to create the ultimate shadowhunter army, while his friends worry about Jace and try to pick up the pieces after his apparent betrayal.
Valentine’s Plan
Valentine wants world domination and to have a world free of downworlders. He plans on using the mortal cup to to create the perfect race and he wants Jace to join him. Valentine has big plans for Jace and consistently tries to convince him to join him.
Valentine also plays the father card pretty heavy with Jace but not before he pretends to be Clary to test Jace’s loyalty. Of course Jace still hasn’t come to terms with Clary being his sister and looks to protect her. So as any loving father would do when discovering a son’s betrayal, he chains Jace up and beats him. In a different approach to fathering, Valentine tells Jace about the demon blood he injected him with while in the womb.
In another attempt to sway Jace to his side, Valentine takes him on a trip to Brooklyn to visit a vampire coven. The plan is for Jace to destroy the coven, to break him from his connection to the Clave. While Jace seems unwilling to kill the vampire once she surrenders to the Clave Valentine as other plans.
Valentine is definitely not winning the father of the year award, but is he winning over Jace? It’s hard to tell from this first episode, but the Clave certainly thinks he is a traitor and wants him dead or alive. So where does Jace’s loyalty really lie, only time will tell.
Alec struggles to find himself
Alec seems to still be struggling to figure out who he is and where he belongs in the shadowhunter world. Last season saw Alec declare his feelings for Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, at his wedding to Lydia. Needless to say, Alec’s life has not been the same since that day.
Alec is angry about Jace leaving and feels he is in danger while the new leadership of the Institute feels Jace is a traitor. Alec takes some of his anger out on Magnus which leads to a few tense moments between the two. No one ever said new relationships were easy.
Alec has also renewed his anger towards Clary and in some ways Jocelyn. He thinks Clary is responsible for Jace’s turn to the dark side and the Clave’s need to capture him, dead or alive. Alec doesn’t trust Clary and his anger over the situation regarding Jace only makes things worse.
One of the best scenes this episode was when Alec went to Magnus to apologize for his behavior. Matt Daddario and Harry Shum Jr. have definitely made these two characters their own, and it will be fun to watch as they progress in their relationship.
Mother and daughter bonding
If Valentine is winning at Father of the Year then Jocelyn is certain on target for winning Mother of the Year. She and Clary are off to a rocky start as they both try to come to terms with Jace being the missing son. Jocelyn is certain he is evil and Clary is certain he isn’t. This leaves the two at an impasse.
Jocelyn makes her choices clear though when she uses Clary to find Jace. Tricking Clary is probably not going to help her regain her daughter’s trust. To make matters worse Jocelyn is determined to not only kill Valentine but Jace. Something tells me this isn’t going to go over well with Clary.
Jocelyn is clearly a complicated character who is torn between keeping her daughter save and following the laws of a life she left behind. It will be interesting to see how Jocelyn grows over the season, because there is a lot going on in her world with the resurrection or not only her crazy husband but her demon tainted son.