Friday, May 18, 2018

Shadowhunters, Season 3, Episode 10: Erchomai




We have a completely unnecessary recap showing Lillith and child Jonathan reminding us that the evil demon queen of Edom thinks of Jonathan as her evil demonic son. We knew this but hey they had minutes to fill.

In the present Lillith has set up shop atop a high rise with a huge number of cult followers while Jace drags a very angsty Clary after him. She does manage to cut herself and leave a trail of blood which is shockingly smart for her. She must have hit her head. Of course we get more waaaahing over Jace and I’m reminded that three seasons have still utterly failed to invest me in either of these characters

We get some sass between Clary and Lillith because it’s Spunky Protag 101 to have some wisecracking. She’s not very good at it. This should shock no-one.

Magnus is appealing to his dad to get the power to save Jace. Because Jace is all important. This involves Magnus going to Edom, the demon world, at vast personal risk to appeal to his dad for help. This is the same dad he once banished: when he was a child and kicked out by his mortal parents, Magnus was taken in by Asmodeus who was all kind and parental. And evil. Magnus does not remember their time together fondly and it likely left daddy dearest with a grudge. Of course this doesn’t matter, Jace is in trouble

He goes to Edom and has a pretty awesome scene with his very powerful evil father who wants them to be together again (not happening). And since Magnus can’t rely on parental goodwill, he has to make a deal.

Remind me again why Magnus gives a damn about Jace? This is why his relationship with Alec is so abused - it’s just used as an excuse to make Magnus servile to all Shadowhunters

Speaking of people sacrificing for Jace and Clary, Luke ends up suspended from the force because he won’t stay and try to make up some convincing cover for himself, the missing Ollie, his dead mother etc because he and Maryse want to ride to Clary’s rescue. They follow the trail of blood and Maryse asks for a sword so she too can fight and die for her Clariness. But no, Alec protests, he doesn’t want to lose his mother since she has no super powers any more - also Jace will need her. Naturally this sways Maryse: what to do when faced with a choice between Mary Sue and Gary Stu.

Time for a scene that is not about Clary or Jace. I know it’s shocking. But Simon continues to have his utterly heatbreaking scene with his family, going to see his sister in hospital while he hears his mother, Elaine, try to convince the police a vampire attacked her. The whole scene is brutal as Simon positively radiates pain as he goes to his sister, Becca’s hospital bed and waits for her to wake up

When she does wake up she’s afraid and shocked - but he’s in control now. Being a big reader of YA she wonders when she’ll turn but Simon assures he she won’t, telling her of all the many hard steps you have to go through to actually be turned into a vampire. And this horrifies her, because Becca realises her little brother went through all of that alone without her or the rest of his family. And I love this, I love what moved her is the idea she wasn’t there to protect and support her brother, I love that family bond (and I love the protectiveness of a sister to a brother). I love how she resists the idea of having her memory removed because she has his back now, forever. And this is a wonderful scene which deserves to be on a much better show


As does the utterly tragic devastating scene of Simon realising his mother doesn’t accept him - and using his mind control powers to make her forget he’s a vampire. And think he’s dead. Leaving her with a beautiful goodbye message and leaving, while she weeps inconsolably. It’s powerful, it’s moving, it’s emotional and Izzy tells him they need him to leave his family to rescue Clary,


..

.

Yeah, I’m not even going to say anything. I don’t need to. Everyone should be able to see this nonsense and cringe

To the building and everyone is duly worried Simon will kill Jace accidentally with his mark. So the plan is lots of distraction while Simon takes a stele to Clary

Luke and Izzy fight a wave of cultists, including Ollie

While Alec fights Jace. There’s a lot of minor stabbing but in the end Jace wins, breaks his arm and starts to stab him mortally with his own arrow… until magnus finally zaps in and unleashes his powers on Jace, deposessing him and turning him back to his blandness.

What did that cost him to get that power from Asmodeus? His magic.

Magnus has just sacrificed his magic for Jace. For Jace, a man he has no investment in, he sacrificed his power, what it means to be a warlock, for fecking Jace.

Oh yes, and I called it. I actually called this shit: Also Magnus swore to give up all his power if he had to. Shadowhunters if you decide to drain Magnus/strip him of his immortality for the sake of Jace I will break things” This is how boring and predictable tropes around marginalised characters are.

With Alec possibly dying on the floor with only a magic-less warlock to defend/heal him, naturally Jace leaves to run inside for Clary. Of course he does.

There he finds some cultists who have alien-exploded into demons which he kills, in theory saving Izzy and Luke but they could have killed them before he heads upwards

Upstairs Clary gets her stele from Simon and uses it to taunt Lillith. Lillith has used her woo-woo to link Jonathan and Clary’s life for lots and lots of drama next half of the season. Maybe she rightly guessed that the whole cast would rather end the world than hurt precious Clary

Personally I think this is a bonus

So Clary can now threaten suicide to stop Lillith - oh Clary, don’t tease me. She throws around some sunlight because tanning is the ultimate risk to demons, but the main goal is to distract her long enough for Simon to start pounding on Jonathan’s sarcophagus. Lillith is NOT AMUSED by this and charges in, smacking Simon… and activating the Mark. This results in a big explosion. Lillith is banished, Simon is knocked off the sky scraper but manages to climb back up, while Lillith and Jonathan are utterly destroyed

Hah, if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you. On Mars. It’s for unicorn crossings.