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Family drama, with a side of romantic potential, took center stage on the latest episode of Shadowhunters.
The hour, which was directed by The Vampire Diaries’ star Paul Wesley, gave us our first real glimpse of Idris. And needless to say the Shadowhunters’ homeland comes equipped with its fair share of beauty and secrets.
(Freeform/John Medland)
“Day of Atonement” kicked off with the search for Valentine. The Clave was scrambling to send an envoy, someone Alec assumed would replace him as head of the institute. Clary continued to try and avoid Jace, Simon headed home for a religious ritual, and Jonathan (formerly Sebastian) wanted to catch up with his dear old dad.
Let’s start with Valentine and Jonathan. Way back when, Valentine made a choice between his two “sons”, and kept Jace while he sent Jonathan to a realm of hell. Things didn’t go well there, obviously. He ended up burned because they didn’t want to look at his human face. And he also learned to control his demon powers.
And, surprise, surprise, Jonathan stole the Soul Sword! The Clave lied when they said they retrieved it (more on that later). Jonathan wanted to give Valentine a taste of what he experienced, but Valentine grabbed the Soul Sword, and swore he wanted him (and his powers) more than anything else.
We know he’s telling the truth because of the sword, but the sad part is Valentine still only sees his son as a weapon. And maybe Jonathan’s okay with that since he’s an insane murderer and all, but this is probably not the father-son bonding he had in mind when he was a lonely kid. Is it wrong to feel bad for him?
(Freeform/John Medland)
Not that I think he can be, nor should he be, redeemed, but the poor kid never had a chance. Valentine experimented on him, sent him to hell to be raised by monsters, and then only took him back because he needed something from him. That’s a terrible life that no one should wish on their worst enemy.
That being said, both men belong in jail, or worse, forever.
Robert Lightwood is also looking for redemption. He saved Alec’s job and placed his faith in his son by sharing the Soul Sword secret with him. He made it clear that despite his philandering ways, he loves all of his children, including Jace. I want to believe him. And I think Alec does, too.
But Alec is also in a terrible position now. Does he tell Magnus about the Soul Sword? Clearly the Downworlders have a right to know because it could literally wipe out their existence. They should get to help look for that. And it would go a long way toward showing them that not all Shadowhunters are shady.
(Freeform/John Medland)
On the other hand, the Clave gave an order. Sure, Alec’s ignored them in the past. And this would be a good reason for doing it again. The Downworlders are already having secret meetings at the Seelie Court. But if he betrays his father’s trust, that probably won’t be good for their future relationship. Tough choice…but I hope he tells Magnus the truth.
Simon considered telling his family the truth. As part of the Jewish Day of Atonement, his family confessed their misdeeds to one another. And Simon certainly had a lot weighing on his mind between the vampire thing and the feasting on a human thing…but thankfully, he also had Maia by his side to ease his burden.
Maia and Simon have so much chemistry. And how great is she? Seriously. She liked Simon, he chose Clary, and she’s still going to bat for him with his family. She shared some of her personal stories with him, and it looks like Simon’s realizing that he’s been a little too self-involved. I don’t want Maia to be his instant rebound because they both deserve better. But I am so on board for this ship sailing.
(Freeform/John Medland)
Speaking of ships sailing…CLACE. The two showed off their angel powers. First, Clary created a portal rune out of thin air and then Jace used his special skills to save Clary when she was hallucinating from Lake Lyn’s effects. And while under the spell of the lake water, Clary thought Jace was in trouble, and it made her snap out of her avoidance tactics. I am here for it.
The trip to Idris, which eventually included Izzy, who came through to save them after Jace contacted Alec through their Parabatai bond (best), led to Valentine’s cabin. But it was empty. No surprise there since it’s too soon to learn the truth about Jonathan. At least the part about him pretending to be Sebastian—Clary did learn he was alive thanks to a conversation with an angel.
I’m impressed how fast the season is moving so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jonathan/Sebastian bombshell drops before the season finale. Now that Jace and Clary have Valentine’s journals, they’ll be able to learn more about the experiments. And knowing Jonathan, he won’t be able to stay away from the Institute for too long…
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