Shadowhunters 3×17, “Heavenly Fire,” brought the action, tragedy, and heartache. Izzy hatched a plan to take down Project Heavenly Fire by infiltrating a top-secret Clave prison. Needless to say, it was a triumph leading to the downfall of Victor Aldertree and the rise of a new hero in Helen Blackthorn. Meanwhile, Jonathan revealed the tragic backstory of Lilith’s toxic parenting. Now we kind of understand his weird desperation to connect with his sister! It also offered a reason as to why he’s the villain we want to hug and run away from at the same time. Elsewhere, Alec’s plan for the perfect proposal to Magnus shattered at his feet as Magnus continued to struggle with the loss of his magic.
1: Most Tragic:
Jonathan is messed up for a reason.
Tragic backstory unlocked! We learned that Lilith insidiously manipulated Jonathan with pain, fear, and isolation, earning her zero points in the maternal department. To keep him by her side, she told him, “Nobody is coming for you because nobody loves you like I do.” Then she charbroiled his face to make the point that there’s no defying her. No wonder Jonathan straddles the line between innocence and evil! This insight into his past made his haunting screams for Clary to not leave him that much more painful. Jonathan has been calling for his “princess” to save him his entire life and now he’s left believing Lilith was right because Clary is not on his side. Sad story… still murder though.
2: Most Heartbreaking:
We could have had it all!
Alec spent the whole day planning his proposal to Magnus, right down to two dozen roses, candles, and the Lightwood family ring. He probably had a schedule, too. It was all smooth sailing until Magnus showed up half an hour late and very drunk. Brutal truths came out as Magnus admitted he’s not happy and never will be without his magic. Alec was crushed, but his own pain was put on hold when Magnus broke down and sobbed in Alec’s arms. Not gonna lie, we sobbed, too. Alec fought to keep Magnus from leaving and begged, “Let me be here with you.” We stan a supportive boyfriend. Between the sound of Magnus crying and Alec desperately holding onto him, the heartbreak was kind of overflowing in this scene. Seriously, can we just say that we’ve had ENOUGH in the pain and angst department for Malec?
3: Most Epic Team-Up:
Shadowhunters, Downworlders, and mundanes, oh, my!
Izzy showed up with the leadership skills and organized a mission to infiltrate an off-the-grid Clave prison with Simon acting as an undercover agent. This led to the introduction of our first part-Shadowhunter-part-Seelie, Helen Blackthorn, who was helping with the serum but unaware of its nefarious purposes. When they discovered that Heavenly Fire was being used to forcibly change Downworlders into mundanes, Simon, Helen, and Raphael (who had been turned mundane and was actually happy about it) teamed up and launched a kick-ass rebellion that led to the destruction of the lab which was producing the serum. Izzy also did some of her own ass-kicking as she drop-flipped Aldertree to the ground and put him under arrest for his role in being behind the clandestine program (how the hell does a dumb-dumb from Dumb-Dumb Town get in a position of power again?). Thanks to this Epic Team-Up, Project Heavenly Fire is officially defunct.
That’s the best of the best for us this week. Hit us up on Twitter and share your picks!
Shadowhunters airs on Freeform on Mondays at 8pm EST and is available the following day to stream on Hulu and Netflix International. See our article On Ratings and Social Engagement to learn how to make your view count.
