Following the show’s flawless previous outing, “Iron Sisters” began to explore some of its newly-raised questions. The episode’s events were some of the most interesting of the season so far, and while the execution wasn’t perfect and some things left me playing catch-up, the hour remained satisfying.
Isabelle and Clary (John Medland/Freeform)
Clary and Isabelle spent the majority of the episode visiting the stronghold of the Iron Sisters, where all they really wanted to know was why Valentine stole the Soul Sword. I found myself confused as to why this chapter was making such a big deal over something as simple as Valentine being an evil overlord and wanting all the things, but we learned here that the mythology of the Sword has changed from the original. The concept of the Soul Sword’s anti-apocalypse fail-safe and its ability to obliterate all Downworlders is an interesting mishmash of the book’s canon, one I can see becoming a catalyst for stronger racial unification, or outright chaos. Sure, the episode could have spent maybe 10 minutes less trying to get to the point of explaining it, but the way the Iron Sister’s side of the episode was split into pieces didn’t leave me bored in the slightest. It’s an exciting new setup for the story to explore later on – one that promises angsty emotional payoff as our Shadowhunters grow closer to their Downworlder friends.
Victor relegates Jace to office bitch, then gives him an ultimatum when Jace refuses to give him the answers he’s pressing for. I had originally thought he was protecting himself, but then quickly realized Victor already knew about his demon blood (and Isabelle knew about his demon blood. Does everyone know about his demon blood?) and he was instead trying to protect Clary and her freak rune-creation abilities. To brush past a big reveal like that and then hear it mentioned in passing like a side note left me thinking I’d missed something. I literally combed back over the previous episode to see if I had. What’s the deal, show? Too many plots in play?
On the other side of Victor’s tight leash, Isabelle learns that his offered painkillers aren’t as originally advertised. Her yin fen cravings are a result of vampire venom, which now opens a connective door between her and some of the Night Children on the show. I thoroughly believed Victor was a man making unforgivable choices for what he thought were the right reasons, but now it’s undeniable that the only niceties about him are a ploy to disarm and manipulate people to do his bidding. And Isabelle will now because he’s the only source of the drugs she’s growing dependent on. Nick Sagar is one hell of an actor because none of his real-life adorable squishiness comes through in Victor’s creepy lack of conscience.
Simon made a new friend in Maia as he tried to track down Luke, whose absence from the last episode was finally explained – his incapacitating grief for Jocelyn’s passing had crippled his ability to control his werewolf transformation, and poor Luke was out in the wilderness trying not to rip everything to shreds. I think I preferred growly, rolling-on-the-forest-floor Luke because once he had a handle on his wolf side, he was a worn down, lifeless mess. Isaiah Mustafa brought some serious game to his part of the episode, so much so that I just wanted to rock him gently in a big bear hug and never let go. I also wanted to hug Maia, whose painful werewolf transition came through in a solid flashback scene. The ease and natural voice of Alisha Wainwright’s Maia absolutely wiped the floor with everyone else this episode, producing the strongest, most organic emotional performance on this show to date. It would do the rest of the cast well to take notes. Also, is it too early to marry Simon off to Maia? Because after that bonding scene in the van, the show can keep Climon and Sizzy. I don’t need those to happen. Simon deserves a nice girl to be snarky, and happy, and nerdy with, and I’m firmly Team Maia. Coming from me – who has never been a fan of the character and stubbornly didn’t want to give her the time of day – that’s saying something.
Magnus and Alec (John Medland/Freeform)
In an effort to pull Alec away from his self-punishing work schedule, Magnus takes him to the Hunter’s Moon for their long overdue first date – it just doesn’t go as smoothly as either of them would have hoped. Matthew Daddario has a gift for comedic expression. The growing realization as he jumped between the numbers of Magnus’ previous lovers was a thing of effortless genius and had me laughing myself to tears. It balanced nicely with Alec’s sad defeat in not knowing if he could have the happiness he’s gotten a recent taste of. When Harry Shum Jr.’s Magnus isn’t making me want to live the life of the sassy and mighty, he’s always punching me in the gut with the flickers of aged pain behind his eyes. Their scenes together here had a deeper familiarity to them, and the hopeful and hopeless need between them as Magnus and Alec committed to each other was tangible. Facing the reality that maybe they aren’t meant to be and deciding to call it quits was a valid, normal decision to make; the fact that they checked the odds stacked against them and committed to each other anyway is terribly romantic. I think the only thing preventing Malec from being more is their limited screen time each week. It never feels like enough.
Writer Allison Rymer produced a thoroughly enjoyable episode with a great balance of relationship building, mythology exploration and the watering of the show’s greater story seeds. She has a wonderful grip on the character’s individual voices, which allowed their conversations to ebb and flow in such a way that I didn’t feel like I was sitting behind the screen, but inside their world with them. That’s quite a gift to have.
Director Mike Rohl appeared to have a good grasp on the Shadowhunters universe because he framed this chapter of the show with a knowledgeable eye. He clearly knew the importance of exploring the Iron Sisters on-screen for the first time and the way he explored that set piece showed his awe and excitement. His lens on our characters was warm and affectionate, giving each sufficient time to breathe and exist which made the performances over the entire hour natural, easy, and compelling. I think we can keep him. Mike Rohl is welcome back any time in my eyes, and I hope he gets added to the roster to make a return.
Once my eye-rolling for Freeform’s continued, incessant over-promoting and then under-delivering of Malec’s relationship had been put aside, I found a very enjoyable episode that kept me entertained and wanting more. Allison Rymer and Mike Rohl are another great writer/director combination for the books, and I can’t wait to see more from them.
Shadowhunters airs Mondays 8/7c on Freeform, and Tuesdays internationally on Netflix.
