Shadowhunters, 2.01 - "This Guilty Blood"

Warning: SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED.

Do you guys know how long I've been waiting to review an episode of Shadowhunters? Well, season 2 has finally premiered!!! It's here!!!!!!! The fantastic promos are turning into fantastic episodes!!!! My reason to live source of happiness favorite show has finally returned, and at long last, something I've spent months waiting for has lived up to my expectations. Let's go!!!!!




The first episode of the season picks up right where season 1 left off. Jace is forced to stay with Valentine to protect his family and friends, and it's horrible. It looks like he doesn't have to suffer for long, though - Clary has somehow managed to portal in and is ready to take him home. Oh wait, no - that's just Valentine using a very effective glamour. RIP. The existence of glamours makes me nervous, to be honest. How can you really trust who you're talking to?

Cue the new and improved opening credits. When I say improved, I mean improved. Everything has upgraded this season, from the writing, to the special effects, to the sets. Freeform finally gave Shadowhunters the budget it deserved, and it's paying off. Get it?

Valentine and Jace's tumultuous father-son relationship is the central storyline this season, and it's...fine, I guess. There's really no word for it. Valentine is manipulative, cunning, violent, hypocritical, and abusive. There's a particularly gruesome scene where Valentine's followers torture Jace for having fluctuating loyalties, and later, he forces Jace to kill Downworlders. The concept of Shadowhunters vs Downworlders is a clear allegory for classism and racism in modern society, and Freeform has actually done it justice by racebending the Downworlders. By framing all the Downworlders as savage and uncontrollable, purposely only showing the "bad" ones, Valentine truly believes eliminating them is the best plan, conveniently ignoring the fact that he himself exemplifies everything he hates about Downworlders. Valentine's character is one to be hated, and Alan van Sprang aces his role.

Back at the Institute, Alec, Magnus, Lydia and Izzy are hard at work on the lookout for Jace. However, even Magnus' warlock tracking doesn't work, and Alec loses it. Lashing out in frustration and annoyance, Magnus gets the brunt of it. It gets worse when Magnus refuses to help Alec track Jace through their Parabatai bond, knowing it nearly killed him the last time he did it. Alec obviously doesn't take this well, yelling, "Why can't you just do this one thing? After everything I've done for you..." Boy.....what exactly have you done? Sigh.

Magnus, bless his soul, stands his ground, and rightfully decides he needs space. He also rightfully points out that Alec came out to the Clave for himself, not for Magnus. I will never get over Harry Shum Jr.'s brilliant acting in all his scenes. It's unbelievable that a single change in his facial expression can convey so much. He is a shining star, and I love him. Magnus is one of the show's most interesting and important characters, and I applaud the writers for giving him good storylines. You'd be surprised at how incapable white people are at giving characters of color proper arcs. The fact that Magnus is a bisexual Asian like me makes him all the more relatable, and I will always be grateful for the represenation.

Fortunately, Alec pulls his head out of his ass and visits Magnus to apologize. I've been waiting for that reconnecting scene for months, and it was everything I could've hoped for. It perfectly captured Magnus' physical strength and immense warlock power, while also reflecting his vulnerability and even fear from previous heartbreak and abuse. "Don't push me away," Magnus pleads, and Alec promises to try. Malec's chemistry is unreal, and they are one of the best and only interracial MLM ships on TV. Ineffective communication is often a roadblock for budding relationships, and Magnus and Alec tackling their issues head on is the perfect way to go about it. And honestly? I gained 5 years of my life back from Alec's blush and smile after Magnus plays with his jacket.

The Clave decides Lydia's leadership isn't effective enough, and replaces her with representative Victor Aldertree. Aldertree seems to have good intentions, questioning everyone who had ever interacted with Jace and putting the Institute on temporary lockdown. This escalates to him banning Clary and Jocelyn from leaving the building, and forcing the Downworlders (Luke and Simon) out. Alec and Izzy can't even help with the lookout for Jace, either. At least Aldertree's looking fine as hell while ruining everyone's mood.

Speaking of the wayward Fray/Fairchild/Garroway family, Jocelyn's finally awake after spending 99% of the first season in a potion-induced coma. She's got a lot to catch up on, despite the fact that she wasn't even out for a full three weeks. Simon's a vampire now, and he literally has nowhere to go. Luke graciously takes him to Jade Wolf, but Luke's pack isn't as kind - they force Simon into a nearby shed. My heart hurts for Simon, honestly. I wasn't particularly invested in him until he turned, but he deserves better. He can't go home, and he definitely can't return to the Hotel Dumort where Raphael has kicked him out. For god's sake, he can't even go out during the day, unless he wants to burn in the sunlight!!!!

Clary escapes from Aldertree's watch by glamouring herself as Aldertree thanks to Isabelle's literal advice to "become your enemy" in their sexy training scene, and goes to visit him. With Jace out of the picture for now, Simon finally thinks he has a chance with Clary. Climon's friendship rang true this episode, especially after Jocelyn locks them up to keep them out of her way (Parenting goals, right?? I'll get back to that later), and frankly, I don't know a single person who romantically ships them. Clary and Simon's friendship is so pure, and it should remain that way. Sorry, Simon. Date Jace instead. Also, Clary is clearly in love with Izzy anyway. The sexual tension was palpable in their fighting scene. End heterosexuality now!

Like I mentioned earlier, Jocelyn locks Clary and Simon up after tricking Clary into giving her her phone and stele, and they're left behind while Jocelyn goes off to track Valentine and Jace. The show never really explains why she wants to kill them so bad, but with Valentine's reveal that he experimented on an unborn Jace with pure demon blood, we probably can come to a logical conclusion. As Jace and Valentine escape through a portal in the nick of time, a horrified Clary turns to her mother, questioning, "What have you done?"

Of course, a show that ended their freshman season on a cliffhanger would end their sophomore season premiere on a cliffhanger as well. Nevertheless, Shadowhunters' return to my TV screen brings me so much joy, and Season 2 already looks miles better than its predecessor. Everyone has really stepped up their game, especially some of the weaker actors in Season 1. This show continues to kill it with LGBT and nonwhite representation, and doesn't force LGBT PoC to choose between their race and their sexuality. The icing on the cake is the fact that the cast members are clearly close with one another, and publicly interact with their fans on a daily basis. The PR teams of....certain other shows *cough cough* should take note.

See you guys next week!!! I can't wait!!!

Rating: 8.6
Extras that didn't make it in: "I'm a vampire! I'm running slow for you!" / "At my house, there's steak and vodka. I'd rather be there." BEST LINES EVER. Also, poor Simon couldn't get Encanto to work. You'll get there soon, bud.