SHADOWHUNTERS Delivers Malec’s First Date

Season 2, Episode 6 “Iron Sisters”
Written by Allison Rymer
Directed by Mike Rohl

[Header image from Freeform]

Last week’s episode of Shadowhunters was the emotional goodbye to Jocelyn (Maxim Roy). Clary (Katherine McNamara) decided she wanted to try and bring her mom back since she was able to bring Simon (Alberto Rosende) back after he died. Unfortunately, she finds a warlock, Iris (Stephanie Belding), who has other plans for their arrangement. Iris tries to create a demon/shadowhunter hybrid by impregnating Clary by a demon. Clary ends up fighting it off with a rune she mysteriously envisions. Aldertree (Nick Sagar) was also acting creepy as he gave Izzy (Emeraude Toubia) Yin Fen to help her heal from where Clary stabbed her. In the end, Clary was unable to bring her mother back, and a tearful funeral took place for her and the Silent Brothers who were killed by Valentine (Alan Van Sprang). You can read my full recap and review from last week here. This week’s recap and review are below!

We start out this week with an introduction to the often mentioned Iron Sisters. Freeform’s announcement that Lisa Berry had joined the cast was regarding one such sister: Sister Cleophas. We finally got to see her in action as she inspects and tests the seraph blades that the Sisters make at their Citadel. This is the only real action sequence of this episode, and it was short lived and fairly subdued. Luckily, the episode overall was great as a lot happened to keep it interesting.

Clary and Jace (Dominic Sherwood) are still trying to figure out the rune she saw, and when Jace can’t find it in the Grey Book, Clary naturally assumes it was sent to her by her mom, because why not? Jace is also worried the Clave might not like that she has some random power that shows her runes no one’s ever seen before, and from what we know of the Clave, I’m sure he’s right. Simon is also having mom issues, since she walked in on him eating a rat in the last episode. Raphael (David Castro) takes care of it by encantoing her to forget.

Since taking the Yin Fen, Izzy has healed from her stab wound, so she gets cleared to go to the Iron Sisters’ Citadel. Aldertree continues to act untrustworthy as he keeps using the Yin Fen as a bargaining chip. He withholds it from Izzy in order to get her to agree to spy on Clary. I really liked his character as first, but he’s really getting kind of devious and creepy now. I no longer know his motives or if he’s even a good guy. Some of his actions certainly don’t suggest he’s on the group’s side.

Simon ends up volunteering to try and find Luke (Isaiah Mustafa), who’s been missing since Jocelyn’s death, while Clary leaves for the Citadel. Alaric (Joel Labelle), who’s never really been that great of a guy to begin with, tells Simon they’ve given up looking for Luke. Luckily, Maia (Alisha Wainwright) teams up with Simon to find Luke, and the relationship they begin to develop is delightful! I just love Maia anyways, but we get some background information on where she comes from and why she’s still looking for Luke, and it just makes me love her even more!

When Clary and Izzy finally portal over to the Citadel, the setting looks so isolated and lonely, which is basically perfect. The sword gate that opens for them is pretty cool, too. The Sisters appear and question them, and I can’t help but to think that they look like they’re still getting ready and are wearing white robes until it’s time for their real costumes.

We also find out that Sister Cleophas, who is Luke’s sister, became an Iron Sister in part to restore their family’s honor after Luke was turned into a werewolf. It ties into a later scene where Luke mentions he was disowned by his family after he turned, as well, and it makes me not like Sister Cleophas much.

While Aldertree is demoting Jace to ichor duty, Magnus (Harry Shum, Jr.) and Alec finally go on their first date! I’ve been waiting for them to develop their relationship further since the beginning, as they’re obviously my favorite ‘ship in the series. The whole Malec part of this show made the entire episode for me. I love their chemistry and reactions to each other, as they’re so different from each other!

Maia and Simon also start getting to know each other on their ride out to the campground to find Luke. I really love their chemistry together, as well, as they seem so laid back with each other! I’m very much looking forward to their developing relationship in the future and seeing where it leads in the show. I think it doesn’t hurt that Maia admits to Simon that she tried to kill Jace, as well.

Unfortunately for Izzy, her dream of entering the Citadel is crushed during their purity ritual. She finds out that Clary is free of demon blood, at least, but also learns that the Yin Fen that Aldertree gave her is made from vampire venom and thus tainted her with demonic impurities, so she can’t enter. But seriously, who gives an addictive drug made of demon extract to a young shadowhunter? Aldertree is so sketchy!

I love Magnus’s character, though, and I love Cassandra Clare for writing him! He admits to Alec he’s been with every type: men, women, Seelies, etc. It’s not hidden or hushed, it’s who he is, and the fact that it’s treated as completely normal is one of the reasons I love the series and the show. We get a big number thrown out against Alec’s single relationship: 17. During this scene, I was thinking he probably meant 1,700 anyways, which turns out to be Alec’s first guess after he realizes the number isn’t just 17. Nope, we were both wrong. Magnus admits to being with roughly 17,000 individuals! Apparently the writers of the show did the math based on Magnus’s age, and it “works out,” whatever that means.

I also love Alec’s awkward innocence in dating, and how open he can be with Magnus about it. I doubt he’d tell many people that he hasn’t dated because he didn’t want people to think something was wrong with him since he was raised in the Institute.

Jace realizes Aldertree’s true intention for making his life miserable is to get him to leave. Since he doesn’t have the authority to kick him out, he’s just making it hard on Jace instead. And Jace still has to deal with the fact that everyone probably thinks he’s a traitor. Add to that the confession he gave to Aldertree that he can’t swear his unyielding loyalty to the Clave and he’s not in a good spot within the shadowhunter world right now.

Clary finally gets the information they’ve been needing about the Soul Sword. It can be activated by angelic power and lightning, can destroy all downworlders in its path, and can’t be stopped once it’s turned on. I’m just curious how much she’ll tell Aldertree and anyone else, for that matter.

Simon and Maia finally find Luke in the woods, and Simon is able to talk him down from eating some campers by sharing memories they have together. The flashback we got of Maia and Luke earlier comes back full circle when Maia uses the same words he used with her in order to talk him into coming home with them. Have I mentioned that I love Maia?

Izzy is looking rough after her purity bath, and when she activates a hearing rune to eavesdrop on Clary and Sister Cleophas, it had me a little worried the Yin Fen might be taking a toll on her morality. Luckily, she keeps what she hears from Aldertree, which is good because she learns about the rune Clary saw.

Back over to Magnus and Alec after they’ve taken a stroll through the city, and I was so nervous the episode wouldn’t pan out well for them given how shaken Alec was over Magnus’s past. Luckily, Alec decides he doesn’t care how many people Magnus has been with, and Magnus says he doesn’t care how many people Alec hasn’t been with. I seriously love these two together! The characters and the actors both go so well together, and I’m always so excited for every scene they have together! They finally kiss after almost half a season since their last lip lock!

Of course, Jace interrupts the scene when he walks in. I was actually surprised he went to Magnus after leaving the Institute, though there’s not really anywhere else for him to have gone. He seems to be breaking down some because of everything he’s been through. He doesn’t seem to have the same fight in him that he did before being taken by Valentine, and he finally gave into Aldertree’s threats by leaving the Institute.

And no episode would be complete without some completely surprising twist! It turns out Sister Cleophas is a Circle member, which we find out after she stabs a fellow sister while leaving. I knew I didn’t like her for a reason!

I’m interested to see how Sister Cleophas will fall in with Valentine and the rest of the Circle, and how Jace will do living with Magnus. I’m also excited to see more Malec and where the Maia/Simon relationship goes!

What are you looking forward to in the next few episodes before the mid-season break? Comment below!

 

Shadowhunters airs on Mondays at 8/7c on Freeform. You can watch all of the previous episodes on the Freeform app or site. Don’t forget to come back each week for a new recap and review!