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‘Shadowhunters’ Review: Experimental Love in the Queen’s Court

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(Freeform/John Medland)

They may not be able to lie, but “The Fair Folk” are certainly skilled in the fine art of manipulation.

And, to the shock of absolutely no one who’s been paying attention, so is Sebastian.

The latest hour of Shadowhunters turned up the heat on the Jace/Clary/Simon love triangle, gave Alec a chance to flex his newfound boss muscles, and allowed Izzy the opportunity to make peace with her mother.

(Freeform/John Medland)

Oh, and Luke almost killed Valentine thanks to Sebastian’s shady self.

Let’s start with the trip to the Seelie court. The queen requested an audience with “Valentine’s experiments” to discuss Kaylee’s crimes. The Shadowhunters weren’t convinced she was working alone. Especially Jace, who knew her from “book club”. Simon tagged along because where Clary goes, he goes.

I know how love triangles work, but can we skip to the part where Jace and Simon make peace? Their scenes are so fun. Simon’s determination to prove himself, Jace’s reluctant role as hero to prevent Simon from dying, the quips, and the sarcasm…all of it is so much fun. Too bad they love the same girl.

As always, I will declare my #TeamClace status proudly. That kiss was hot and long overdue. But poor Simon. He doesn’t deserve the short end of the stick. Especially since the queen arranged for it to happen in such a cruel way (not that there’s a non-cruel way to learn your girl’s desiring someone else).

Now Simon’s ignoring Clary and Clary’s ignoring Jace and Jace is brooding…but the love game wasn’t the only revelation in the fairy court. The queen made it clear the reason the fairies survive is because they always pick the winning side. And at this point, it’s a safe bet to assume that side does not belong to Team Shadowhunters.

(Freeform/John Medland)

Alec gathered the leaders for a summit on improving relations. His heart’s in the right place, but it’s not going to be an easy task to get everyone on the same page. Setting that aside, how cute were Magnus and Alec trying to play it cool? The look Raphael gave them was probably the best part.

Sebastian pretended to stand guard, but really, he was meddling. First when he encouraged Luke via secret phone call to kill Valentine, and then when he tried to get Alec to lock up Luke for the attempted murder. Thankfully, Alec’s cooler head prevailed, and he gave Luke a pass to protect the fragile truce.

Worth noting, Valentine did not recognize Sebastian. So we can rule out them working together. Also, I know Valentine’s the worst because he does horrible things, blah, blah, blah, but Alan Van Sprang is the best, and we need more than one scene of his taunts. Do better next time, show.

(Freeform/John Medland)

In between his evil plans, Sebastian found time to convince Raphael to stay away from Izzy. Literally right after Izzy and Maryse opened up to each other about their problems. The boost from her mom gave Izzy the confidence to tell Raphael that she wanted to make it work, even without sex, but he heeded Sebastian’s word, and declared himself bad for her.

I’m still not sure if we’re supposed to be rooting for Raphael and Izzy or not. I think so because he pegged Sebastian as the worst right away, and we know that’s true. But their toxic start, and that whole ambush thing from a few weeks ago, make it difficult to believe he’s not a danger to her. And yet…I think I might be back on board?

(Can’t we just have Simon and Izzy find their way to each other and call it a day?)

Anyway, despite striving for peace, there’s tension everywhere. Including with Luke’s partner, who randomly showed up, asked if the Chinese place was a drug den, and then proceeded to spy on him. She seemed surprised by the wolf so it’s not likely she’s part of the shadow world. So what’s her deal?

And how long do we have to wait before someone realizes what Sebastian is doing?

(Also, what is Sebastian doing? Any guesses on his endgame?) See you in two weeks, Angels.

Mandy Treccia
Mandy Treccia has served as TVSource Magazine’s Executive Editor since 2016, formerly as Editorial Director from 2012-2016. She is an avid TV watcher and card carrying fan girl prone to sudden bursts of emotion, ranging from extreme excitement to blind rage during her favorite shows and has on more than once occasion considered having a paper bag on hand to get her through some tough TV moments. Her taste in TV tends to rival that of a thirteen-year-old girl, but she’s okay with that.

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