‘Shadowhunters’ 1×05 Recap: ‘Moo Shu to Go’
SHADOWHUNTERS - "Moo Shu To Go" - Alec finds himself torn between duty and loyalty to Jace in “Moo Shu to Go,” an all-new episode of “Shadowhunters,” airing Tuesday, February 9th at 9:00 – 10:00 p.m., EST/PST on Freeform, the new name for ABC Family. (Freeform/Sven Frenzel)
MATTHEW DADDARIO, ALBERTO ROSENDE, EMERAUDE TOUBIA, KATHERINE MCNAMARA, DOMINIC SHERWOOD
Hiya! This week we’re going to shake things up a little bit because this recap is brought to you from across the pond. A lot of things happened in episode 5 so let’s dive right in:
In “Moo Shu to Go” or – how I like to call it – “All the parabatai feels” Mama Maryse returns to the Institute and she is not a happy camper. She orders the gang to split up to deal with different matters: Jace and Izzy have to go to Meliorn to find out why the Seelies are no longer talking to the Clave while Alec has to keep a watchful eye over Clary. Does Alec and Clary together sound like a bad idea to you? You bet it is! Clary of course isn’t happy about this so she leaves the Institute to go back to her loft to look for the box her mum’s so secretive about. There she is reunited with her BFF Simon, they get ‘arrested’ and the last couple of minutes show the whole gang facing some not so friendly werewolves which ends with a big (or not so big if you’ve read the books) surprise.
In the last moments of episode 4 Clary touched the stone her mum gave to her and saw Valentine who demanded to have the cup in exchange for Jocelyn. Cut to Clary and Jace who talk about her weird vision. Alec joins the duo while Jace realises that the stone dangling on the necklace is actually a Portal shard. Weird, but okay, let’s roll with it.
Alec was a trained Shadowhunter and strategist immediately wanted to know whether Clary has seen anything that reveals where Valentine is hiding. Unfortunately, she has nothing because seeing her mum was enough of a shock. On the plus side, Clary finally knows that her mother is still alive – yay!
Since the necklace could turn out to be dangerous – good old Valentine could use it to spy on the residents of the Institute – Alec locks it away. Jace isn’t happy with his parabatai’s decision, but Alec is the top banana so what he says goes.
After the opening credits we do have a nice scene between Izzy and Clary where the girls talk about Alec whom Izzy sometimes wants to murder. I’m sure anyone with a brother can relate to that on a certain level. Isabelle also tells Clary how dangerous the necklace could be so it’s better that it’s locked away now. The conversation turns to Jocelyn and Clary opens up to Izzy how close the mother-daughter-duo is. More of this please since I love Clary and Isabelle’s friendship! Just when Clary mentions that there may be another way to see her mum, Maryse Lightwood shows up and by the Angel, that woman is the exact opposite of warm and nurturing. Idris and Max get mentioned, but Clary is completely clueless – please just give the girl a Shadowhunting 101 lesson or the freaking codex!
Maryse watches Jace train with a seraph blade, looking quite pleased with her adoptive son. Once he’s done, he even gets a hug from her which is like a stab in the back for Izzy since she has just told Clary that Shadowhunters aren’t big huggers. Ouch!
The reason for Maryse’s visit? The Seelies are no longer talking to the Clave and won’t tell them why. Maryse rips Izzy’s a new one because she is friends with Meliorn. Even Jace doesn’t get why Mama Lightwood is so harsh to her own daughter. Alec also has his sister’s back and promptly offers to accompany Izzy to the Seelies. But nope, it’s Jace who should go with Izzy. The oldest Lightwood is supposed to keep an eye on Clary who already has the reputation of a troublemaker. All of this is said in Clary’s presence and no matter what she says to defend herself, Maryse isn’t listening. Gee, what a delightful woman. Her word is law so the gang has to … well, obey. Note for the future: you do not want to piss off Maryse Lightwood. Another note: she is a witch and I wanted to punch her… or at least pull at her perfectly done ponytail. Come here, Izzy and Alec and let me hug you!
Cut to the police station. Luke is investigating all the recent murders. One thing all the victims had in common besides being drained from blood? They had the Sight! A culprit is quickly found as well: Valentine is doing his evil experiments again. It looks like he wants to destroy all the Downworlders. Luke has to find Clary, but he also has to keep his job so he asks Alaric to look for her.
Meanwhile, Clary is somewhere in the Institute drawing Valentine before crumbling the paper and throwing it away.
In another part of the Institute Jace and Alec talk about their different assignments. Jace asks his parabatai to keep an eye on Clary. Something is off, though, so Alex finally addresses what he saw when the memory demon demanded a memory of the person he loved the most. Jace is completely casual about it and responds, “Dude, I love you too, you’re my parabatai.” Yeah, that certainly wasn’t the answer Alec was expecting or wanted to hear.
Again Jace asks him to look after Clary, but quickly retracts his question, because of course Alec will do his parabatai such a favour. They give each other a nice bro hug, which didn’t look that brotherly for Alec since he closed his eyes while hugging Jace. Oh the feels!!
We find Simon in front of the Dumort, about to do something incredibly stupid, but Raphael appears, shows him his fangs and tells him to get the hell away from there which Simon does. Who wouldn’t?
So Alec is on Clary-sitting duty and it’s very obvious that both would rather be somewhere else – in Alec’s case that’d be on a date with one sparkly Magnus Bane, but I’ll get to that in a moment. First Alec and Clary spar, he gives her tips and she actually isn’t that bad. She demands to know why Alec let his mum be that mean to Izzy and we get another very well-known phrase from the Shadowhunter World: “The law is hard but it’s the law.” Clary riles him up so Alec is finally fed up with her and throws Clary onto the floor with some cool moves.
Once she’s back on her feet she mentions a way to track Valentine: find Jocelyn’s box and maybe something’s inside that can help them. The catch? It’s in the loft and Alec is dead set against going there. Their conversation gets interrupted by a call from Magnus who outright asks Alec on a date. While I’m all for a Malec date, the dialogue made me cringe. Magnus says “You seem sympathetic” and I’m like ‘Seriously? Sympathetic’? That’s not something Magnus would ever say! This guy has the hots for Alec, he’d pretty much say it as he sees it!
While Alec is on the phone was Magnus, Clary quietly leaves. Uh-oh, I think we can all guess where she’s going. Alec notices her absence and runs to her room, but she’s gone. I can almost hear Jace yelling “You had one job, Alec!”
Talking about jobs, we cut to the Jade Wolf. A real wolf casually strolls in, transforms into Alaric and give a guy called Theo a beer. Theo gives this speech about not knowing the difference between the Clave and the Circle. Shadowhunters think that they’re better than Downworlders, but that doesn’t matter because the people who listen to beer guy are a family, a pack and they are stronger than the Nephilim. The werewolves want the Cup for themselves so Alaric shows them a photo of Clary who supposedly knows its location and Theo orders them to find her. Um, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t what Luke meant when he asked Alaric to find Clary.
The girl of the hour is back in Brooklyn and she pays a visit to the Brooklyn Academy of Art. She is watching all the people art students, but they can’t see her because she’s invisible. Too bad Clary’s phone isn’t silent because it suddenly starts to ring and all the Mundanes are pretty confused. Alec shows up and chides Clary for such a rookie mistake. Clary ignores him because it’s Simon who’s calling. He isn’t feeling that well, but completely forgets about it when Clary mentions going back to the loft. Although Alec is with her, Simon isn’t reassured so he tells her to meet him at the old shortcut.
Alec isn’t thrilled so Clary asks him why he always looks so miserable. Could it be because he is in love with Jace who’s unfortunately straight? Alec is lost for words for a brief moment so his reply – “You’re in love with Jace!” – isn’t exactly a smooth one. I’m also lost for words so let’s cut to the next scene.
Izzy and Jace visit Meliorn who know that they’ve come to gather information. Before we can find out more, we cut to Valentine in Chernobyl.
He’s talking to several men whom he promises a better life if they join him. One of them steps forward, gets marked with a Circle rune and then injected with Seelie blood. I don’t really know what’s going on despite rewatching the scene several times so let’s move on.
After no Climon goodness in the previous episode, they are back together now. Clary and a reluctant Alec meet Simon who conveniently knows a shortcut to the Fray’s loft. He’s clearly happy to be helpful and then he just casually jumps over a pretty high wall. Woah! When did the nerdy accountant student/musician turn into a parkour pro? The next surprise is right around the corner: the trio reaches the end of the fire escape and finds the loft’s outside walls covered with protection runes. Alec can see them, Clary can see them and so does our favourite Mundane Simon. Apparently he somehow acquired the Sight.
Clary wants to open the door to get inside, but isn’t able to so Simon is like “Let me try” and nearly pulls the door off its hinges. Something is definitely up. Vampire Simon is coming, y’all!
Inside the loft Clary finds her destroyed bedroom which Jocelyn set on fire to keep others from finding anything to track Clary. Just when it seems like the trio got there for nothing, Simon discovers a loose floorboard and tada! He or rather Alec finds the box they are actually looking for underneath it. Let’s call it a group effort, shall we? Clary opens the box which bears the initials J.C., but doesn’t find anything useful inside. We see a baby shoe, a lock of light blond hair and a rattle; who’s having City of Glass flashbacks?
Before the trio can decide what to do with the content of the box, there’s shattering from outside so Alec leaves Clary and Simon to investigate. Yeah, bad move. While Alec is trying to shoot a wolf with his bow and arrow, the others are ‘arrested’ and driven away by Alaric and werewolf Theo. Darn, Jace isn’t going to be happy about that!
Talking of Jace, we see him and Izzy at Meliorn’s tent, still trying to get information out of the Seelie. It turns out that he is in fact mourning the Seelies that were murdered by Valentine. He needs to be stopped, but the Shadowhunters can’t be too sure which side the Seelies will be on when it comes to a battle.
Before Jace can dwell on this, he gets a text message from Alec saying that Clary’s snuck out of the Institute. He and Izzy hurry to the loft where Alec has to deliver the next bad news: Clary and Simon are gone. Jace is mad, Alec looks remorseful and Izzy seems to be worried for Simon.
Jace tries to track Clary with one of her drawings, but it’s too burnt for him to get a signal. He tries parabatai tracking with Alec which isn’t working because the latter can’t concentrate according to Jace. Izzy, who’s apparently an IT whiz, finds out that Clary hasn’t been arrested and Jace almost explodes. He chews Alec up by bringing Maryse into it which is a dick move. Izzy thinks so too and Alec tells his parabatai that Jace’s feelings for Clary have made Jace lose his focus. I agree with Alec, Jace doesn’t seem like the nicest guy at the moment.
While the three Shadowhunters are having their heated discussion, Simon and Clary are questioned by Alaric and Theo. Alaric tells her that he can keep her safe from Luke, all he wants is the Mortal Cup. Yeah, no biggie except for Clary really not knowing where that blasted cup is. One man loyal to Theo takes Simon and the pack leader threatens to kill Clary’s best friend if she doesn’t tell him the location of the Cup. When Theo introduces her to furry Gretel, Clary realises that she is dealing with werewolves. To save her friend – poor Simon for always needing saving – Clary boldly lies to Theo’s face and hopes that it’ll buy them some time.
Simon is having a tough time again. For the second time in just a few days he’s dangling upside down and he has had enough. He manages to break the handcuffs and frees his legs. Unfortunately, he still isn’t able to get out of his prison. There are some lockers which he searches. He finds a lighter and also a cell phone which he uses to call Clary’s phone, because luckily that’s still in Clary’s bag which Izzy is schlepping around at the moment.
The Shadowhunter trio deduces that they can’t find Clary because of a body of water which seems to jam the tracking rune’s signal.
They pick up Clary’s ringing phone and a frantic Simon asks them for help. Jace tries to find out where Simon and Clary have been taken by telling Simon to look for any clues. Our favourite nerd finally finds an old Jade Wolf’s menu and quickly tells the others his location. Jace’s final piece of advice for Simon before hanging up? Create a diversion aka a fire.
Night has fallen and there’s still no sign of the Cup. Simon doesn’t actually have to start a fire, he only triggers the alarm and steaming extinguishing agent fills up the Jade Wolf.
Theo takes Clary and locks her up in a shipment container. She’s got her trusted witchlight and her stele with her, but drawing a rune on the container’s wall doesn’t help, Clary is still stuck. Not for long, though, because the doors open and there’s Luke who has finally found her because he traced Alaric’s car. He looks relieved, but Clary obviously wants nothing to do with him and tries to defend herself with her stele. She also tells Luke what she’s heard him say at the precinct but he quickly tells her that he had to lie because he was talking to Valentine’s henchmen. Luke is nothing but efficient: he gets rid of Clary’s handcuffs and then carries her out to somewhere safe. Too bad that Alec and Jace pick that exact moment to show up. They think that Luke is one of the bad guys and knock him out cold.
Simon is still locked up, but Izzy is coming to his rescue. She isn’t happy that she always has to save Simon’s butt, but Simon clearly isn’t. Cue Sizzy feels.
The whole gang meets up again, but there is one or rather several problems – the werewolves have surrounded them and they aren’t some harmless puppies that want to play. The alpha leader charges, but another wolf appears and seizes him. This new wolf manages to kill the alpha and then transform back into … Luke! The transformation back to a human being is certainly unusual and not really my cup of tea. What’s up with the weird glowing light?
The next shocker follows when the other wolves start howling and accept Luke as their new pack leader. Kill an alpha and you become the new alpha, it’s that simple. The wolves turn back into humans and kneel before Luke whom we get a nice close-up of so that we can see that he’s seriously injured. He smiles at Clary and then collapses.
Alec and Jace have another disagreement – seriously, it’s getting old real fast – because Jace wants to help, but Alec doesn’t.
Jace, Clary and Simon, who is the only one who’s allowed to drive a car, leave to take Luke to Magnus.
Izzy then asks Alec the question that I’ve been wondering the entire time I’ve watched this episode, “Are you two okay?” Alec’s dejected answer of “I don’t know” doesn’t sound very promising. Like I said at the beginning, “All the parabatai feels”.
The episode ends with Alec and Izzy watching Jace get into the car while Clary is begging Luke not to leave her again.
The episode was better than last week’s episode, but the show still has a long way to go. The Clary and Izzy as well as the very short Izzy and Simon scenes were the best so fingers crossed that we’ll see even more of these two pairings. I’m all for positive female relationships! Simon was this episode’s MVP, although Nicole did a fantastic job as Maryse as well. There’s still hope for the show so let’s see how future episodes will play out.
Here’s a look at the good (raves) and the bad (rants) of “Moo Shu to Go”:
Raves
Simon’s One-Liners: Funny Simon is back! Last week things looked rather dark for him and he didn’t have that much screen time, but he’s back with Clary so things are good. He was back to being his charming and funny self. Even werewolf Theo thought he was funny!
My favourite Simon line of this episode was hands-down his reply to Izzy’s “I’m seriously getting tired of rescuing you.” Cue Simon with total heart eyes: “I am not!” Oh the Sizzy feels! I hope we’ll have many more funny Simon moments before things turn really dark.
Another great line: “You might know the Shadow World, but trust me, I know Brooklyn!” Coming from the guy whose favourite piece of garment seems to be his “Made in Brooklyn” shirt, I actually do trust him and so did Alec.
The Luke Reveal: Like I’ve said before, I’m not 100% happy with the way a werewolf transforms back into a human being – too Cinderella/fairy godmother-like for my taste – but the big reveal was handled was pretty well. It was a serious “Oh snap” moment and clearly show that Luke would do anything to protect Clary. He really is the father she never had.
Rants
Maryse Lightwood: If there were Razzie Awards for „Worst parents of the year“ Maryse Lightwood would definitely win one of them (three guess who would win the male counterpart?). If I didn’t know better, I would have said that Maryse was Izzy and Alec’s evil stepmother. She was unbelievably cold to her own kids and I hated how she completely ignored Izzy after that jab at her clothes. The worst part was when Izzy said that Shadowhunters weren’t huggers, but then Maryse hugged Jace and Alec got a half-hearted kiss on the cheek. I’m feeling sorry for Max, but maybe he’s treated much nicer because he’s still little? I can only hope.
Seriously, if you’re not happy with the way your kids deal with things, why don’t you just deal with them yourself?
Alec’s reaction to Clary’s “You’re in love with Jace” comment: Um, what happened here? I fully expected an explosion and Alec barely reacted at all! He was freaking out when he was talking to Jace, but when Clary mentions his feelings for his parabatai and his homosexuality, he almost brushes it off. This could have been another moment for Matthew Daddario to really shine, but the writers decided to completely change such an important scene! Alec is supposed to be scared of anyone finding out that he’s gay and then there’s Clary, almost still a Mundane, who looks at him and just knows! The TV show uses a lot of props from the movie, but they couldn’t have taken a page out of the movie’s book for that scene? Colour me disappointed.
Jace and Alec Fighting: I’m annoyed by all that fighting. Can’t they just kiss and make up? Not in the literal sense, although I’m sure Alec would like that J The first Jace/Alec interaction was nice and we even got a parabatai hug. Jace and Alec yelling at each other is not what I want to see so I completely agree with Izzy, “Enough, both of you!” I want more parabatai goodness, please! More bromance! I want more focus on the uniqueness of a parabatai bond.
I honestly get why Alec is so annoyed by Clary and I get why he dislikes her. She causes a drift between two people that are supposed to trust each other implicitly, but Jace is too enamoured to see it. Alec’s obviously not entirely innocent either, but he tried to look after her, it’s not like he could have tied Clary to a pillar (that was Magnus and Jocelyn’s job).
Shadowhunters airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Freeform.
What are your thoughts about “Moo Shu to Go”?
TMI Source 
I actually liked Maryse in this episode. I do agree that she shouldn’t be treating Alec & Isabelle the way she is but for some reason I really liked her. Nicole is probably one of the best actors on the show
My complaint is since when are werewolves bites poisonous to werewolves…. Poisonous to everyone else yes – but not the their own kind
Yeah, I kind of feel with Luke’s poisoned wound, they’re kind of already pulling a book 5 plot. It doesn’t really make sense. Obviously it’s not the same circumstances, but it easily reminds me of it.
They said something about it being an alpha bite though. Maybe the alpha’s bit is the only type of bite bad for werewolves.
I don’t think Maryse was too far fetched. In Ashes, when we first meet her in the books, she gives Jace the cold shoulder. Here, they just switched it to Izzy instead. Also, we all know why she has a chip on her shoulder with the Clave watching them.
I agree with the Jalec constant arguing. It is getting a bit annoying and I know why it’s there, but it’s like “chill guys.” However, I have a feeling that the constant arguing could be leading up to where one of them is seriously injured ( I won’t put a name here if they’re sticking to the book ) and then our souls will be crushed by the other one’s pain.
I agree with Brittany as well, but perhaps Theo had something on him since he was about to attack the group? Maybe he had sipped his claws in a poison of sorts? -shrugs- We’ll have to wait for Tuesday.
We have now reached episode five. I have seen a sufficient amount of improvement to continue watching (if we were to say that this was not a show based on the Mortal Instruments, because it really isn’t following the books anymore). When Alyssa published “Potential is Here, But it Falls Flat”, I posted a not so long comment saying how by the fifth episode of a show, you could pretty well be sure whether or not it was worth continuing to watch. While I will continue to watch, it only just convinced me to. There are still many things that need to change. The pacing, acting, and dialogue are all still hideous in places. Also I must add, this article is very interesting. It said pretty much everything I would have said, accept I don’t think Alyssa wrote it. I think this for a few reasons. One was the British spelling and the general phrases that a Brit would use, which was not present in previous articles written by Alyssa. And then there was the general way the person went about saying things. Regardless, well done! Kudos to you! Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. There were I few things I think differently on though, but they are scarce. Let’s list them, shall we? And I must say that Simon was amazing in this episode! 😊
Mayrse: Mayrse Lightwood in the books was a stern mother, but a very caring mother. She wore tailored suits and always had her hair neat. With her business-like demeanor, she spoke easily with people of authority such as Raphael Santiago, and spoke not so easily with people like Magnus Bane in attempts to get him to come to the Institute (when, of course, it was to get him to see Alec after a certain falling out). She hid her husband’s betrayal from all of her children accept Isabelle. She was broken after Maxwell died, and seemed not herself. TV Show Mayrse is an arrogant wretch. She is an absolute . . . well, something that rhymes with ‘witch’. She seems to me like a very uncaring mother (where Book Mayrse was stern, she showed her love for her children). In response to Izzy and Alec needing a hug, send them here for a big bear hug! They are pitiful! 😢
Clary: TV Show Clary is still the worst character this TV show has to offer. If I stop watching, it will probably be because I couldn’t stand that brat anymore. I do so wish that they would have cast almost anyone but McNamara as Clary. Also, I can’t help but think TV Clary took a step back from last week’s progress. Kudos to all the other characters compared to her. Something that got me was how Clary drew Valentine. She didn’t even know what Valentine looked like in the books at this point, but in the show she does. Maybe that’s why. And since there is no Clace, I guess she wouldn’t be drawing Jace. And why is she dressed the way she is when she and Alec are training? And pumps? Really? Can you say broken ankles?
Jace: TV Jace is too sweet and kind. Also, I would not find myself attracted to TV Jace. I would prefer Book Jace. 💘
Izzy: TV Show Izzy’s clothing has not improved at all. And her acting is not at all Izzy. Yes, the sister-like friendship between she and Clary is sweet, but in the books, Book Izzy takes time to warm up to Book Clary. By the end of the City of Bones book, Izzy apologizes to Clary for being rude, and THEN they are friends. This is because Izzy is used to being the only girl, and has to adjust. TV Show Izzy is air-headed and always looking for an opportunity to include sex or relationships in the conversation.
Simon: I do not have any complaints about Simon, but I just had to say again how much I love him in this episode!
Alec: TV Alec is too crass. Someone give him a hug to sweeten him up, will you? Yeah, Book Alec is mean, but he’s not THAT mean.
Magnus: When Magnus flat out asked Alec on a date, the way he said it made me say, “Oh, God. Kill me now. This is terrible.” Also, this is not how it happens in the books. And Shum still talks like the Cheshire Cat from Wonderland.
Luke: I still do not like TV Luke. He is too serious. But he did get sweeter in the end of this episode, so there’s that.
Werewolves: I know the computer affects are not going to be that great for now, but please improve! Also, the werewolf-to-human transformation was terrible. And since when could werewolves be venomous to each other? You can only become a werewolf once people. What’s dear Luke going to come down with? Double Lycanthropy? I am going to stop now.
Valentine: I still do not like TV Valentine. I wish they would have chosen a more fitting Valentine. Why couldn’t they have kept Jonathan Meyers as Valentine and just made his hair white? This Valentine doesn’t even have hair. Really? I wouldn’t be complaining if he was a fierce Valentine, but he isn’t.
Max: When will we see Max? Since we’re already into City of Ashes stuff anyway. Max comes back with Mayrse from Idris in City of Ashes. Here Mayrse catches Jace, Izzy, and Alec just getting home from ‘dragon-demon’ hunting. ‘Dragons-demons’ which were apparently not extinct enough for Alec. Ouch, I’d be complaining a lot more, actually. Anyway, Mayrse complains about them getting mud on a very nice rug of her’s. Mayrse, who was not at all expected to be home.
Meliorn: TV Meliorn is not at all ‘Meliorn’. I do not like this TV Meliorn. And his ears look fake. Couldn’t they have used ear extensions that were actually honey-colored like his skin? Huh, shows how much they care.
Jace and Alec’s Parabatai Brotherhood: I am sick of seeing these two squabbling. I do not understand it. Yeah, Book Jace and Alec complained with each other, but these TV versions take it to the extreme. Hey cast, read the books and share them with the writers and directors, and if none of you like reading, watch City of Bones. They didn’t do half bad.
Alec’s Big Secret Reveal: I agree that Alec would have acted way more mad than that. He would have blown up in her face! Like, nuclear blown up like both Book and Movie Alec did.
Jace’s Reaction to Alec: Remember when Alec confronted Jace about the ‘lost memory’? Book Jace would have been sarcastic and mean. TV Jace seems to lack any sarcasm, and he is definitely too nice to be Book Jace. I miss Book Jace’s sarcasm and arrogance! 😭
Institute: My thoughts remain the same on the Institute.
Chernobyl: I have forgotten to mention Chernobyl until now. I do not like this Chernobyl. It was not even in the books. I will now move on to something that I am less likely to complain about.
Alaric: TV Alaric is not at all like Book Alaric.
Visual Affects: Why have they made it all blurred and full of odd sound affects when characters wearing the Speed rune run? I do not understand it. It is very ‘cheesy’.
Seraph Blades: My thoughts remain the same on the way Seraph Blades have been treated in this series. The movie’s portrayal of Seraph Blades was perfect.
Runes: Why is it that all the TV characters have to do is swipe a Stele over their arm or object of their choosing without touching it and then there is a rune that magically draws itself on? You must be kidding me, even the movie got this part right.
Magic Boxes in Institute Floor: Why do we have these magic boxes in the Institute floor? I still do not understand them. If things were really so important, than why are we putting them in the floor?
City of Ashes: Why are we getting into City of Ashes stuff already? And since we are, then why didn’t Jace, Clary, Izzy, and Simon go to see the Seelie Queen instead of TV Jace and Izzy going to see TV Meliorn? It makes no sense.
Butterflies for Mourning: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember anything about ‘butterflies for mourning’ being in the books. I might be wrong though, after all I am a little rusty on Cassie Clare book facts.
While I have been convinced enough to continue watching, that does not mean that I will watch anymore than one more episode. I will continue watching mainly because I like Alberto’s portrayal of Simon. Also, if this show wasn’t based on the Mortal Instruments, it would be a pretty neat show (accept McNamara). But since it is not, then I must say that the people behind the show’s making must not care about anything but making money off the show. That and they are not talented in what they do. You see, these people rushed the casting, pulled together a haphazard bunch of writers and directors and said, “Let’s film!”. They did not take the time to find the appropriate cast. They did not take the time to find the appropriate directors and certainly hired writers who must find fantasy and British accents ‘cheesy’. They lied to every one of us about how ‘true they would be to the books’. Even the cast was going on about it. Has the cast even read the books? I doubt it. What could we really expect when they handed formerly ABC Family, now FreeForm (how fitting) rights to the show.
I do not mean to be at all rude, provoking, or at all aggressive in my comment. I simply wish to make my point one last time (unless there’s another bombshell episode). This episode was actually pretty cool, and notice I’m actually using emoticons (must mean I’m in an unusually good mood). That being said my emoticons might act up and not look like what I put (self explanatory as to which one’s are wrong). No matter how bad the show gets, I will watch until Ragnar comes in. Please do our down-in-the-dumps Fell some justice will you show biz people?
With Almost Bitter Farewell,
A Fan Who Cares
First of all, kudos to you for writing such a long comment! Seriously, how long did it take you to write it? I think you expressed your opinions well (and very thoroughly) and I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. Kat, although she’s probably a good actress, just isn’t right for Clary. She lacks her strength and personality, and instead comes off super whiny and bratty and dumb, which seriously sucks because she’s the main character! I love Alberto as Simon, he’s the only one who can makes his lines not sound horrible. I feel like Jace would be better if he kept his British accent, because some of his lines are kinda awkwardly delivered. I saw him in vampire academy, and he was so great as Christian Ozera! Christian and Jace are very similar characters, so it really doesn’t make sense that he’s not as great in Shadowhunters. I’m still royally pissed about Isabelle’s clothing. I mean, she was flirty in the books, but she didn’t rub her sexuality in everyone’s face! And the only fight scenes she’s been in was to be a distraction! Seriously, this is the girl who doesn’t know how to cook because her mom didn’t want that kind of life for her daughter, always sitting around in the kitchen while the big, strong men were fighting. And I can’t believe they made Alec break the demon summoning circle (which they were doing wrong btw) and risk Jace’s life, then when he’s outed for real all he can come up with is “you’re in love with Jace!” That was the one scene in COB when I was mad at Clary, but neither Kat nor Matt (lol their names rhyme) delivered their lines well. Come on, where are the death threats and putting Clary in her place? And why are they making Simon a vampire??? Already? Seriously? They’re skipping so many good things in COB and going right to a major plot point in Ashes? It’s not like they have a lack of source material. At this rate, we’ll be at Lost Souls by season two. From the promo pictures, it looks like that will be happening in episode 8. But I think the whole arranged marriage thing with Alec takes the cake. Is his struggle with his sexuality not interesting enough for them? They felt the need to “embellish” his story by forcing him into an arranged marriage? It’s never been mentioned in the books that arranged marriages happen between Shadowhunters. I find it kinda homophobic that they would do that, like they need to bury his feelings down under a phony engagement, because it isn’t hard enough for him to come out, now he needs to break off a marriage? I just hope that this makes it to a second season, and they actually listen to us. And get new writers. And maybe a new Clary… Lol
Sorry that I’m just now seeing this. Thanks for you reply! I agree with everything you just said. As of now I no longer watch the show. So I missed the episode where there’s an arranged marriage with Alec. Are you serious? They were crazy enough to put that dramatic of a change in? That’s just trying to add more drama to Malec. Why can’t they just leave Malec alone? It was well written in the books. And it takes me an hour, sometimes that and a half to write my comments to answer your question (that is kind of embarrassing, right? I like to be thorough and get my point across and sometimes research to make sure I’m right.) And I definitely agree that we need new writers, new directors, mostly a new cast (especially Clary😅)
Toodles!
Also, I Ieft comments on episodes 2-6. I couldn’t get through five minutes of 6 because it was terrible. Good to know I’m not the only true fan out there.
Toodles!
I’ll have to disagree with you on the Clary/Alec scene. Alec already “exploded” when he was “outed” in episode 4. EVERYONE already knows, so there’s no point for him to physically attack Clary in anger when she mentions it.
I’m also glad it’s not there at all. I never liked Alec’s violence towards Clary, in the book or in the movie. I’m glad that was removed from the tv show.
I really really don’t like Jace and Alec’s relationship. In the first scene in this episode when Alex takes Clary’s necklace away….it felt like Alec is all walking over Jace. And they’re always fighting.
They are supposed to be parabatai. I get it that the producers wanted a little more drama in the show, but they’re destroying an important part of the books. It takes a lot more to get Jace and Alex apart. Far more.
But maybe IF we get a second season they will change it.
I hate Maryse but I would say that was one of the good things in this episode. She is tough on her kids, nobody said the Lightwoods were a perfect family. Her attitude is a source of conflicts to future episodes and it actually makes a lot of sense. Considering she adores Jace she will be devastated once she finds about Jace’s real origins (Not saying any spoilers)
Alec’s reaction to Clary’s “You’re in love with Jace” comment was disappointing in so many levels. I think they’re trying so hard not to take the books scenes that were already seen in the movie that they just ruined that important fight scene between Alec and Clary.
About Jace and Alec constantly fighting. Come on guys, you’re ruining Jace’s hilarious personality by focusing on this annoying fights that will make people hate him. Jace is so much better than that.
I did not mean to be rude in my comment, so I’m guessing that saying that I didn’t think it had been written by Alyssa was why it wasn’t put up. It was a very long comment, and I would really hate to retype it. I didn’t mean to offend anyone. It was a very good article. And I really liked the episode, so… 😕
Toodles!
Thank you so much for putting my comment up! 😆
Toodles!
The producers of this show are idiots.
I hated the Jace and Alec fights. They never actually fought in the book. Alec had problems with Clary and he told Clary so. And Alec was always the responsible one, but he and Jace never got into an argument about parabatai vs Clace. And I’m not feeling the Clace right now. Nor am I feeling the parabatainess, at least from Jace. Alec was good.
Ok guys I normally don’t post about these things, but I just have to say something now because the constant negativity is so disappointing. I don’t wish to offend or anger anyone with this comment so no hate. I understand that the TV show isn’t like the books. No book to TV show adaption ever is, but look at how successful they’ve become (i.e. Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries, and, let’s throw a movie franchise in here, Harry Potter). Books and TV shows are completely different platforms. With books, you’re able present information from the past and inside the characters heads easily, but you can’t do that with movies or TV shows; you have to represent events and pasts visually which will inevitably lead to diverting from the books’s exact storyline (Don’t forget there are watchers who’ve never read the books to this series and don’t know the backstories, plot, or terms already like we do). These producers are having to compete with both the books and the previous movie, and they’re trying to please the audience not only with Ms. Clare’s wonderful ideas, but also with their derived interpretation of events in the Shadow World. And yes, maybe they could have kept a little more in line with the books, but they’re keeping the main elements of the story and the characters and doing a fantastic job of it. They casted these roles and designed each character wonderfully in my opinion (before anyone who feels like arguing starts saying anything, yes I know they “not exactly like the books” and I will admit that Simon is the most authentic in that respect), and you really have to give them credit for that. They spent two weeks getting Clary’s hair color for Angel’s Sake! I think the TV show is getting progressively better, and I really enjoyed that last episode. That said, if you didn’t enjoy the movie and are seriously unhappy with the TV show, maybe book to television or movie platform adaptions aren’t for you; just stick to reading the books.
I agree 100%!
I agree with you Rosa. I really hope we keep the reviews for the TV separate from the Books and from the Movie. Each have their own merits and misfires.
For a TV show, I think the set up was that the first few episodes showed a certain culture of the shadow world like ep 1-2 were shadowhunters, ep 3 was vampires, ep 4 was for warlocks and ep 5 was for werewolves so that non-book readers will be comfortable with the different beings of the shadow world since already have shown it in the weeks before. Sure the information dump could have been more subtle and the some acting could have been more… genuine, anyway, I’m just enjoying the ride and so far I’m satisfied with what I’ve been watching.
I really liked this Episode, the show is really improving. I really liked Simon and Alec and surprisingly I wasn’t t annoyed of Clary, probably because she didn’t have too much screen time with Jace and no weird screams. What I didn’t like was the fighting between Alec and Jace, it’s too much and Jace has to calm down. And I didn’t like Maryse, but that isn’t a problem, because I also didn’t like her in the books too much.
For me Alec’s reaction to Clary’s “your in love with Jace” was perfect, I never liked the way he reacted in the book and the movie, so that was really a nice surprise for me.
Just a short comment, I think the whole “No, You’re in love with Jace!” was actually meant to be funny. I mean Clary did reply with a “oh okay, the middle school comeback? nice”. I mean, I loved it. My friends (who never read the books) and I laughed out loud.