Season 3’s fourth entry, “Thy Soul Instructed,” feels like an inhale with a build-up of misdirection for almost every character. From Alec’s theories about what ails Jace to the “too good to be true” living situation Simon finds himself in, there’s a sense that most of the characters are poised for a dance that we can’t quite see yet. Out of all of our main characters, only Jace’s story seems clearly defined – and that may well be because he’s being played like a pawn. And in a season where every new antagonist seems to have a clear reason for their evil (or at least a valid point), perhaps this episode’s slight sense of aimlessness is telling of how much everyone is going to have to go with the flow of Lilith’s larger most nefarious plans.
Convenient Amnesia Is Convenient
As we recently discovered, Jace is running around in full demon cosplay as the Owl (a short and sweet nickname after all the debacle surrounding his real name). But how? And why? It turns out that Jace is under the not-quite-total control of my girl Lilith, Mother of all Demons, and helpfully forgets everything he does in his owlish escapades. It is good to get some more exposition on Lilith’s plans and motivations while Jace reports to her gorgeously luxurious den of evil – seriously, high props to the set designers for going all in on the opulence that a being like Lilith would surround herself with.
Back at the Institute, the “Jace is tired” excuse is getting tired in and of itself and everyone wants to have a talk about Jace. While it’s good to see some brief interaction between Jace and Alec, it’s a bit off-brand to see them so cold and “bro-ish” around each other, even when (and especially since) Jace is so out of sorts. It is interesting, though, that despite Jace being a total dick to Alec about his suggestion that what he’s struggling with might be mental illness, he does look into it with Luke later.
Clary and Jace (John Medland/Freeform)
Jace Is a Little Unwell
Jace’s talk with Luke was a beautiful conversation that gave us more of a glimpse not only into Jace’s parents but into Luke’s past as a Shadowhunter as well. Plus, we get to experience the ongoing saga of Luke parenting everyone. The sweet little way in which Jace toyed with his family ring while they spoke paired with the gentle determination with which he asked about his mother were definitely the highlight of Dominic Sherwood’s performance this week.
It’s actually a little disappointing that all signs point to “actually he was just possessed” – not least of all because possession was a misinterpretation for mental illness for centuries. Exploring mental illness in Jace would open up a lot of interesting stories about vulnerability in an emotionally closed-off man, what that kind of struggle looks like when you’re surrounded with support from the beginning, and how Jace would handle the obstacles of mental illness while still continuing to be the badass demon-hunting hero he is. It’d be interesting if, even after the current possession plotline is resolved, the show continued to explore Jace’s mental health in some way.
That being said, I’m not a fan of the explanation that Celine was “fine” when she was with Stephen or the implication that Clary could be a similar magical cure for Jace. It seems like a bad message, both from a representation perspective (you can’t simply love another person’s mental illness away) and from a storytelling perspective. It just reads like a silly quick fix, even with the added gravitas of Lilith’s acknowledgment about the Power of Love.
Lilith’s declaration that she “underestimated” the power of Jace’s love for Clary is super important as it shows that demons aren’t dismissive of human love; they’re both envious and scared of it as they’re acutely aware of its power. But it does put the story in danger of making Clary an instrument rather than an agent of that power, and it would be a shame if that story developed her into the thing that saves Jace.
Alec’s Wound-Up Like a (Tall, Dark, and Handsome) Clock
Let’s pause and reflect how yummy Alec was looking at the start of this episode in that suit while he questioned the evil thing inside of poor Morgan. He really knows how to walk around looking in charge and it’s enjoyable to say the least.
When we see Alec a bit later in his office, his absolute boss mode had me melting (even though he’s out of the suit that had him looking like a snack earlier). It was great to see the complicated interaction between Alec and Clary in that moment, where he’s both a concerned Parabatai talking to his brother’s girlfriend and a boss trying to delegate and not taking insubordination without an explanation.
There’s a lot on Alec’s mind, and even back at home (home being Magnus’ loft; how awesome is that?), he seems frustrated that there isn’t much he can do and that he’s become so reliant on Magnus’ help. It seems clear that there’s something underlying with Alec’s reluctance to accept help, but it’s hard to tell if it has to do with his relationship with Magnus, about Alec’s feeling somehow inadequate, or about the overwhelming convergence of Jace’s possible diagnosis and Maryse’s impending de-runement. Whatever it is, Matthew Daddario’s body language did incredible things to imply there’s definitely something deeper and angstier going on, which we’ll just have to wait and watch unfold.
Raphael, Izzy, and Clary (John Medland/Freeform)
Mad Science Bites Raphael in the Butt
Heidi’s stalker dance around Simon’s old haunt – literally sniffing his things – was an excellent moment with a magnificently well-matched song to go along with it (shoutout to Billie Eilish). Tessa Mossey really nailed the disturbed and obsessed fan angle in a wordless scene, conveying how much of a danger she can be to Simon without his even knowing it. Heidi seems to be a worthy adversary, which is a relief since she could have easily been written off as silly or mindlessly violent. She fights with skill, not just fledgling strength, and she obviously got the vamp tranquilizer from Raphael himself, which means she had the foresight to steal it at some point. And, as Raphael had to procure it from Magnus, I’m guessing it’s not all that easy to come by. I also deeply appreciate the irony that she literally gives Raphael a taste of his own medicine.
The back and forth between Tessa Mossey and David Castro in the rooftop scene had a real theatrical taste to it, really adding a pop and highlight to the conflict and sense of righteousness that both Heidi and Raphael feel they have.
Seeing as how Heidi is shown to cover her bases pretty well, it seems a little suspicious that Raphael got conveniently rescued – especially since what led his Shadowhunter cavalry to him was that new vamp Heidi had just recently turned and left her own sloppy trail. It kind of makes you wonder if Heidi wanted Raphael to be found since she seems too smart to not have taken more precautions if she did really want him dead.
Now…does Izzy sending Raphael away actually work out to save Raphael from a fate book readers may well want him to avoid? Because if so, GTFO of New York, boy, tonight.
“Kyle” and Simon (John Medland/Freeform)
“And They Were Roommates!”
Simon and newcomer “Kyle,” portrayed by instant fave Chai Hansen, are the best part of this episode by far. From their very first moment together – which really caught my eye with the natural handheld shots used for that scene specifically – they were captivating with their chemistry. There was something so smooth from the cinematography to the delivery of their interaction that just spread like butter.
Everything about this storyline was wonderfully natural and casual in the way the show as a whole could do well to adopt. Simon touching his Mark and looking softly pissed off at having to walk away from the apartment is a great tiny moment. And when listing all of his supernatural concerns to his girlfriend, Maia’s only reaction was, “Dude, RENT CONTROL.”
Now, of course, as it turns out, everything is a little too good to be true, and it seems Luke wasn’t able to turn his back on one of his many, many children without securing a safe situation for him. But how safe is Simon in the hands of the mysterious “Praetor”? It seems as though “Kyle” put together this dream apartment just to lure Simon in. He obviously did his research, which makes me wonder if his comment about not wanting to be around when Simon brings a date home may mean he is aware of Simon’s connection to Maia.
Odds and Ends
As always, it is a joy to see Maia stand up for what she believes in (and in this case, she believes in Simon), clear and strong in her convictions, while Luke is clearly struggling with his gaggle of adopted children and the guilt of turning his back on one of them. Though we’ve caught on to the fact that Luke’s made arrangements to have Simon looked after, it still seems like he’s dealing with lingering grief from Jocelyn on top of everything else. I think what he really needs is another adult to be his friend, someone who understands his world (as Ollie is just getting her feet wet in it), the life he left behind, and the struggles of being an ex-Shadowhunter. You know? *Cough*Someone like Maryse.*Cough* She will also likely be needing someone to share in her struggles if her sentence of de-runement gets carried out.
In the background of this episode was our poor mundane friend Morgan, who no one seemed to have any hope for and Lilith apparently sent to kill. So what exactly did Owl!Jace do to her? My Latin is a bit rusty, but supposedly what Jace says is: “By the power of Edom, you are undone,” and then all of a sudden, she was free of demonic possession. Confused? Majorly. But hey, at least Morgan’s alright…for now.
And finally, the late-night call to Magnus Bane’s door from his (aunt? cousin?) demonic relative – Lilith! What could Lilith want with him, and how will his unknowing involvement with her turn the tide of things? We can only wait and see what’s in store next week when we hopefully finally get to exhale into the journeys set up for the season.
Shadowhunters airs Tuesdays 8/7c on Freeform and Wednesdays internationally on Netflix.
