We’re out of the introduction section of season one. By now, the audience (and Clary) should be used to the Shadow World being a thing and have some notion of how the mechanics work. All the basic background has been explained, so now we dive into the plot.
Also, Magnus Bane.
Teaser
Once again, Clary’s worry and love for Simon are used in benefit of exploring male characters and not her. This time, it’s Jace who overhears Clary talking to her best friend and feels jealous. Then, it’s Simon who is bitter over being soft rejected again. Can’t we focus on Clary when talking about her feelings?
Anyway, Simon doesn’t trust Jace, but Clary does. After all, Jace saved their lives. He also put Clary at the mercy of a creepy vampire without her consent or knowledge. But, hey, if Simon can think Camille is hot after she sexually assaulted him, Clary can have the hots for Jace. Equal opportunity.
Clary wants to exchange the Mortal Cup for her mother. She says this after days of everyone she met telling her that Valentine cannot, in any way, shape, or form, put his hands on the Mortal Cup or everyone will suffer. Why am I supposed to root for her? I’m actively rooting against Clary getting the Cup. Very against it if her goal is to give it to Valentine.
That said, Clary and Simon brainstorming works well. Smart kids are smart.
Also, Simon’s hallucinations are creepy by the right amount.
Act One
These little Clace moments are funny to watch. I like that it’s the girl walking into the semi-naked guy and not the other way around.
Oh, yes. Magnus Bane is very powerful. He’s also the High Warlock. Why didn’t you go straight to him again? Also, Jace, being a bitch about Clary’s best friend won’t make her warm up to you, no matter how jealous of Simon you are.
I have some questions: does Jace know that Clary wants to exchange the Mortal Cup for her mother? Does he care? Would he let her do it? Is he using her quest to save her mother to get to the Cup?
“Considering I’m the guy with the weapons, I pretty much get to say what I want.” Jace really has the most atrocious lines.
Too bad nobody asks Simon what freaked him out so much. He was fine just minutes before and now he’s acting like that out of fear. If only someone – okay, he’d only respond to Clary – if Clary had asked him why the sudden attitude change, he might have explained about the hallucination and Jace could’ve explained it’s a side-effect of the blood he drunk.
Magnus is over 300yo (I’m tagging all references on Magnus’ age). He also gets his own introduction – for the benefit of the audience, of course, because nothing justifies the Lightwoods knowing nothing about the High Warlock of Brooklyn.
Just like with the vamps, the show takes this opportunity to talk about warlocks in general: they take payment for services rendered, they are immortal, they- that’s it. All one needs to know. We will get a hint at Warlock Marks in Act Three, though.
Funny how Alec is the only one that ignores Magnus’ bad reputation and treats Magnus as a person, not an irresponsible slut. Izzy thinks Magnus would care more about a party than his people’s safety, Jace is quick to make remarks about Magnus’ love life for Clary’s amusement, and Hodge outright calls Magnus a greedy hedonist. Alec, however, doesn’t think Magnus would go to a party with Valentine out there. He is right: Magnus goes to meet with Clary, someone he cares about.
I’m still not over how ridiculous it is that Valentine’s base is in Chernobyl. Or how bad these two Seelies are at scouting. They just stood in the middle of the room. I know they are invisible, but come on!
Act Two
Valentine is a blood supremacist. I wanted to make it clear because maybe this on the nose dialogue wasn’t on the nose enough.
Some tension between Luke and Alaric and a reminder that Luke is under surveillance from the mundane police. Cool? I guess we’re dropping the mystery on whether Luke is a good or bad guy then.
This “girls getting dressed” scene is making me wonder: if Jocelyn burned down Clary’s bedroom, where did Clary get the clothes she’s been wearing in the last couple of episodes? Well, at least there is less slut-shaming Izzy’s clothes: Clary actually compliments them.
Again, I don’t understand why Jace acts like Clary will inevitably find a way out of the Institute if he tries to keep her inside. But, alas, Clary gets her first dagger!
Magnus feeds his reputation by acting carelessly but underneath it, he’s not kidding. Too bad he sends Elias out of the protection of the lair; that will lead to the attack on the warlocks when Elias is intercepted and rats them out.
Izzy is finally acting like a real person. No alluring tone, no flimsy little giggles. Just a normal tone of voice and her real personality. Good. Also good is the complicity between Izzy and Alec: how Alec can vent to her and how Izzy cares about him.
Maureen is the cutest. Too bad Simon will break her heart, but at least she gets to live a normal life far away from the Shadow World. Which is the opposite of Simon’s own fate.
Act Three
Clary and Izzy’s friendship is still the gayest. It’s so good to see Clary making an uncomplicated friendship with someone that has her best interest in mind. This is different than her relationship with Jace, which is colored with their attraction to one another, and her antagonist relationship with Alec.
I know it’s easy to dislike Clary for treating Magnus rudely in their first meeting but, as far as she knows, he’s a hedonist asshole who took money in exchange for wiping out her memories. Not exactly someone you’d hug hello. That said, she needs Magnus’ help, so treating him like the dirt she found in her shoes isn’t exactly going to rally him to her side.
Magnus is 100% done with Jace and they’ve been in each other’s presence for ten seconds. That’s the whole relationship in a nutshell at least until half of season 2a.
This Clary/Magnus exchange should’ve been about Clary being the Hero™ and trying to convince Magnus to face Valentine instead of running away from him. She’s supposed to be inspiring Magnus to fight. But it doesn’t work: Magnus and Clary are not in similar positions. He has people under his responsibility, she does not. He has something to lose, she already lost it all.
The Lightwoods are shown as competent fighters again. Well, Alec is. He finishes off the Circle Member with one arrow. Magnus is impressed and aroused.
Another fall out between Alec and Jace. Did venting earlier made Alec stop holding his tongue? Also, once again Clary gives zero fucks about anything that doesn’t concern her. I’ve watched the episode four times now and I still hope Alec will tell Clary “The world doesn’t revolve around you and what you want.” But, instead, he keeps going along with the rogue mission.
Some action! Clary saves the warlock girl. This is going to be important because that’s the reason why Magnus agrees to help Clary later. The bar is really that low.
The Circle Member that Magnus has taken Elias’ Warlock Mark in his collection: that is the same practice that Raphael will tell Izzy about in 213.
This episode is the first time we see Alec smile: first a shy smile with Izzy and now a full grin with Magnus. Alec also shows some vulnerability by stammering and looking confused. Magnus likes it.
Act Four
The use of the little Zoe to show Magnus’ soft side is great because it contrasts with everything we’ve heard about him. His honest worry for her clashes against the depiction we got in Act One. However, it gets overboard when Magnus is highly impressed by Clary saving Zoe. Izzy and Jace were there too. Why does Magnus say Clary is “not like the others” when he has no such praise for them?
This undeserving praise escalates even further when Magnus extends it to Jocelyn: the same woman that founded the Circle and only left it once it hurt the man she was in love with, the same woman that had Clary’s memories stolen, and the same woman that continues to act selfishly her whole life.
I’m having a great time watching Simon this season. It’s good to remember why I used to like him. Once the panic has passed, he tries to get help with the person he trusts: Clary. He’s doing what he can.
Magnus’ attempts at flirting with Alec are hilarious – and Izzy agrees. But don’t look away or you’ll lose Magnus proving once again that he is nothing like his reputation says. He immediately gives Izzy the necklace he risked his life for. Greedy, hm?
Act Five
Magnus using his praise to Clary to make sure Alec knows he’s into guys is priceless.
I’m sorry, Clary not knowing where in a pentagram she should stand is just stupid. There are five of them. The creepy whispers in the background are cool, though.
Curious that the order of the memory-giving goes from Izzy to Clary to Alec, skipping Jace. I wonder who Magnus’ memory would be about. Catarina? Ragnor? Raphael? I think Jace’s would be about Alec but the show might have gone with “nothing” because lol Jace only learns what love is with Clary like that’s not worrisome at all.
While the scene plays as Alec’s crush on Jace being revealed and Alec understandably reacting badly to being outed, the way it was done is confusing. Clary’s memory is about her mother, Izzy’s is about her brother. The audience has no reason to believe Alec’s memory isn’t about his brother and Parabatai, but it is actually about the guy he likes. Even Jace’s reaction can be read as surprise that someone loves him: we know by now Jace doesn’t believe in love and sees himself as a stray the Lightwoods took in. We need Alec’s reaction to go back and re-read the scene as what it was intended to be. That’s not great writing.
Another thing that doesn’t work is Clary’s twirl and stab. If it is that easy to kill the Memory Demon, either Alec or Izzy should’ve gone for it instead of pathetically grabbing Jace’s arms. Hell, Jace’s arms were free. He could’ve stabbed the Demon himself. In the next act, Jace is going to praise Clary for this as if it was a hard move. It was not and overestimating Clary’s actions makes her unlikable.
But at least this scene has Clary sacrificing her self-interest (her memories) for someone else’s well-being (Jace’s). Personally, I think this would be more interesting if Alec had been the one taken by the demon. We know Clary will save her Love Interest but will she save the guy antagonizing her in every step?
Act Six
A nonny once said Magnus outed Alec by saying that there was nothing to be ashamed of in front of everyone. They are literally in a different room from everybody else when this conversation happens.
Clary constantly wearing makeup is pissing me off. She’s supposed to be getting ready for bed. Why does she have gloss on?
How does the shredded portal work again? Clary can see where Valentine is and he knows it? He can talk to her through it, in fact. So, he could use to see Jocelyn’s house, correct? After all, it was there all along.
