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‘Shadowhunters’ Recap: Of Men And Angels

Coming on the heels of the
biggest cliffhanger so far, “Of Men and
Angels” opens with a bang. The
teaser trailer for this episode
promised viewers
big action, and boy did it deliver. Nearly half the episode
is vital backstory
about
Valentine and the origins of the Circle, but as the writers have finally

figured out how to tell it in a way
that keeps viewers’ interest, there’s
nothing slow or weak about it. Warlock
magic, flashbacks, werewolves,

progressively-turning vampires, disapproving mothers- it’s all here. In
fact, it
took two viewings to
find anything to count as a low. The high points were much
easier to
determine.

The highs: Magnus
Bane. There’s no secret of the
love for Magnus here. Harry Shum Jr. turns in
a performance of barely-
controlled
chaos- where every movement and word strains to contain his
power. Even in the
midst of saving
the new werewolf alpha and revealing tons of actually
entertaining
backstory. Magnus finds a way to squeeze
in a quick date with Alec.
If that’s not magic, nothing is.

Simon and
Jace. The sparks don’t fly

between these two whenever they’re on screen together- they skip to full-
blown
flames of fury. Simon is
still in the process of transforming to a vampire, and
he’s still in denial
about it. An outburst of rage in
an alley clues Jace into
what’s happening, but until Simon admits it to
himself, viewers can still enjoy

watching him struggle with his literal inner demons.

The lows: Maryse

Lightwood. The matriarch of
the Lightwood clan is as hard as steel, and full of
contradictions. Every
scene with Izzy is packed with
years of unresolved
conflict, yet she smiles and compliments Alec like a
prized show dog. She values

honor and respect, and her actions in this episode prove that she’s willing
to
sacrifice her children’s
happiness to achieve that. Nicola Correia Damude turns
in a beautiful
performance, there’s no doubt about
that, but that doesn’t keep
some viewers from wanting to draw a Heat rune to
melt that heart of

ice.

The conclusion: another solid episode in a recent string of
pearls.
This show has found its
footing, and each episode has been better than the last.
The preview for
“Major Arcana” gives viewers hope
that this trend will continue,
with promises of more action and more
romance. Clary knows where the Mortal
Cup
is, Alec knows how Magnus feels about him, Izzy knows what she has to do
to earn
her mother’s
approval, and Jace knows that Simon still stands between him and
Clary.
Everyone knows their role- what
remains to be seen is how the plot will
ultimately play out.

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