Recap: SHADOWHUNTERS Adds Depth to Clary’s Crazy New World

Episode 1002 “The Descent Into Hell Is Easy”

It’s a part two, and it picks up where the last episode left off. We have Clary Fray (Katherine McNamara) in the midst of trying to figure out just what happens next after learning that there’s more to her life and her family’s history than she ever realized. And the rest of the episode is pretty much everyone reacting to the new set of circumstances.

Which means there’s still quite a bit of place-setting going on.

Jace the Leader Shadowhunter (Dominic Sherwood) brings Clary and Simon into the Institute, deactivating a rune on his arm so that Simon (Alberto Rosende) can actually see the Institute in all its high-tech high-techiness. Simon, of course, is still trying to figure how how they suddenly slipped into Q Branch in a James Bond Vampire flick, but his attention is arrested — fully and completely — by Isabelle the Seductive Shadowhunter (Emeraude Toubia), who offers him food.

(For those who haven’t read the books, Simon is now the audience proxy, giving the other characters plenty of opportunities for exposition to explain the world-building in 44 minutes or less.)

Meanwhile, Alec the Brooding Shadowhunter (Matthew Daddario) is quoting rules and protocol and sounding very much like Emo C-3PO at this point, and really what purpose does he serve in this story other than to brood and quote rules and be Emo C-3PO?

Clary, however, seems to be adjusting a little more quickly, latching onto the one thing that gives her focus: her mother is missing and needs to be rescued. That’s the filter through which Clary is viewing everything at the moment. And if Valentine (Alan Van Sprang) has Mom (Maxim Roy), they need to find Valentine. And to do that, Clary needs the help of a warlock, as Jace has figured out Clary’s memories have been wiped. Mentioning sparks flying from the fingertips — while he’s unconsciously quoting the Eagle (RIP Glenn Frey) — he reminds Clary that she saw such a thing when Dot (Vanessa Matsui) opened the portal to the police station.

So, let’s find Dot. Who must have survived the attack on the apartment. My bad. I saw her body on the ground as “dead” and figured it was gone when Clary got there because all the bodies were gone. But Dot’s not dead. Instead, she’s running off to get the help of Magnus, who’s got a portal to the Phantom Zone open for all the warlocks to hide out.

The Circle, on orders from Valentine, are running down warlocks in an attempt to find one who can undo the potion spell holding Jocelyn in a catatonic state. Something that Detective Luke Garroway (Isaiah Mustafa) has figured out after stopping an attack — and let’s say that off-camera battle was a little growly and crunchy. Clearly, Luke is more than he seems on the surface, something he suggests in a very meta way when discussing the case with his captain.

Luke and Dot have a little spat when she shows up at his place looking for Clary. Luke, not knowing Clary heard him “scheming” with the now-dead Circle members, has to be wondering where she got off to after Dot threw her through the Boom Tube.

Dot, for her part, has figured out that she can’t trust anyone, but she goes to Magnus (Harry Shum, Jr.) because he put the memory lock on Clary in the first place. But he’s not having any, and he’s got a one way Boom Tube open to the Phantom Zone for all the warlocks to hide from the Circle. Leaving Dot to be capture by the Circle, just before Clary and Company (Clary’s Kids? Clary’s Cats?) get to the night club and find everyone’s gone.

That pendant that Jocelyn gave Clary gives her the ability to have Force Visions, which is how they almost not quite found Dot. Which leaves them hanging for another way to retrieve Clary’s memories.

Jace’s insight into Clary’s memory has come after a conversation with Shadowhunter trainer Hodge Starkweather (Jon Cor), who mistakes Clary for Jocelyn. And when he spells out that Jocelyn was part of the Circle, and that she left and hid the Mortal Cup to foil Valentine’s plans to dominate the world, Clary’s reaction is enough to clue Jace in on the whole mind-wipe piece of the puzzle.

So, now that Dot’s in the hands of Valentine, there’s only one other way to retrieve Clary’s memories: the Silence Silent Brothers. Who live in the catacombs underneath what really looks like the same bridge that sits over the Library Annex on The Librarians. Seriously, it does.

The Silent Brothers have Katana’s soul sword, and they have a way to “cut out” memories so a person can remember things. Could be very dangerous. Even deadly. But I’m pretty sure Kat’s got a contract for more than two episodes, so she’s pretty confident that she can handle this. Even if she is in over her head.

And kudos to Shadowhunters for a female lead with a good mix of stubborn get-to-it-ness and fearful get-it-away-ness. She’s not brashly stalking into the tunnels like Lara Croft. Nor is she cowering in the corner. At various points, she reminds us (and herself) why she’s doing this — to save her mother. That kind of trumps a lot of other options.

And yes, they’re telegraphing the whole Jace-Clary thing, which means she’s going to end up with Simon. Even though Simon’s now got his own Shiny Squirrel in the form of Isabelle.

The Silent Brothers manage to pull a memory out for Clary: Jocelyn and Luke talking about the plan to keep Clary ignorant of the family history. And the reveal — totally called it last week! — that Valentine is Clary’s father.

We end our session this week with the introduction of the “Night Children” — the vampires of our tale. They’ve managed to grab Simon, whom they’ll exchange for the Mortal Cup.

Dun-dun-DUUNNNNN!

Calling now: Luke’s a werewolf.